Wilderness December 2020

THERE’S A WONDERFUL tramping paradox I’ve come to appreciate more with the passing of each track marker – that of the bottomless to-do list. It’s a contradiction that’s allowed Wilderness to publish trips for nearly 30 years, and seasoned trampers to walk for five plus decades only to hang up their boots with a list half-finished. I’m sure many readers are familiar with the feeling – you finally cross a route off your list, only to hear of another track leading just over that ridge, or down that valley. Or perhaps you spend a night in a hut, strike up a conversation with a fellow tramper and come away with five more huts you’re dying to visit. It’s endless, and it’s one of the greatest joys of the outdoors –…

MISGUIDED COMIC I am 13-years-old and am an avid reader of Wilderness, just like the rest of my family. The stories, reviews, and photos are excellent. However, when reading the November issue, there was something that didn’t sit right with me or my family. The Trail Life comic is one of my favourite sections in the magazine. It is funny, lighthearted, and entertaining, so I read this section as soon as I can. Yet, reading the November comic, ‘Life stages of a tramper’, I realised that this was not up to the usual excellent standard. I found it misguided and slightly offensive as it showed a 15-year-old carrying alcohol. My older sister is 15, and she would never dream of carrying alcohol while tramping. I would also like to bring…

MICRODOSING LSD LESS DANGEROUS THAN TRAMPING I wish to commend Wilderness on the open-minded article, ‘A trip on the wild side’ (Web-exclusive, September 15) I note a correspondent was concerned that this article was harmful and should not have been published (Pigeon Post, November 2020). I wish to refute some of this reader’s claims to better educate the curious hiker. LSD is not considered to be an addictive drug. The body also does not develop a tolerance to LSD unless it is used for multiple days in a row; in that case, tolerance will drop off again after a few days of abstinence. The concept of a gateway drug is also misleading; research supports the idea of gateway drugs predominately in relation to nicotine and alcohol. LSD is probably not…

Get your photo published here to receive a Light My Fire ‘Re-kit’ Cup/Straw/Spork made from environmentally-friendly bioplastic and worth $20. Learn more about LMF at e.ampro.co.nz. Last Weekend submission criteria can be found at wildernessmag.co.nz…

WILDERNESS HAS again been honoured at the annual magazine industry media awards. In a year that has seen several magazines close doors or change ownership, Wilderness has held steady and though it is operating in extremely challenging times the magazine and editor have been acknowledged as among the best in the country. Wilderness was named Highly Commended Magazine of the Year, behind New Zealand Geographic. The magazine’s editor Alistair Hall was named overall Best Editor. “I thank all our readers for supporting Wilderness and inspiring us to produce such a high-quality magazine each month,” said Hall. “I’m not being silly when we say we wouldn’t be here were it not for them.”…

A summary of web-exclusive stories published at wildernessmag.co.nz Kiwis outnumber tourists on Te Araroa Trail The season for walking Te Araroa Trail has kicked off and for the first time, Kiwis outnumber international walkers as they set off from Cape Reinga to Bluff. Te Araroa executive director Mark Weatherall said it’s an exciting time for the trail. “We’ve obviously lost almost all our international guests to COVID-19 and the closed borders,” he said. “But we also have a bunch of Kiwis who have decided to walk the length of their country for the first time.” Hiking poles burn more calories, study finds A new study published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine has summarised the pros and cons of hiking pole use, and the results may surprise. One consistent finding was…