The Other World

Lying in the dappled sunlight, I think of nothing but the beauty that surrounds me. Philosophising to the dogs. I enjoy walking through bush, over small streams and big rivers. I enjoy hopping from boulder to boulder down a valley, or grunting up a long slope to the tops. I enjoy walking through snowgrass in bright sunshine and fine views, or creeping forward in sodden mists. I enjoy a solid downpour that drips and dribbles off leaves and branches. They are all part of tramping, and all have their own pleasurable aspects. But it is the reward of tramping that thrills me the most. Those times when you stop for an hour or a night or a day's "pit bashing", and around you is nothing but natural beauty, clean air, and an enormous feeling of freedom and well-being.

To hell with this business of tearing from one place to another. Go for five hours like you've never gone before, then just sit down and soak up the surroundings for a day or so. Really enjoy just being part of the bush, don't even think about the other world, or what's gone wrong with it. Just sit there and look around you and be glad. Then come out again; and if you can't figure out what tramping is all about then, then you probably never will.

John Sullivan