Caro Ryan

If you’re looking for a self-guided full day on the track, with astounding views, diverse ecosystems and a good physical workout, I truly believe that this variation of the (class 4) Goat House Track is the best day hike on Lord Howe Island. The usual route that people take to The Goat House, is to start at the track head near Kings Beach (off Lagoon Road) on the western side of the island. You’ll lose about 100m of elevation descending from Intermediate Hill and as soon as you pass through the saddle at the junction, the track starts rising again towards The Goat House Cave at 432m above sea level. The final roped pinch into The Goat House cave makes for a spectacular lunch spot and you’ll be thankful you brought a jacket along as it can get chilly!

We all know that harsh and sudden change is never easy, but over the last couple of years I’ve been gradually cutting back and finding smarter ways of carrying food to reduce single use plastic from my bushwalks and hikes. Here’s what I now use instead: This is my number one tip and how I managed to reduce my single use plastic bag use significantly. These bags are manufactured and approved for food in the first place and can withstand use after use. If you must buy new : Reusable Bags If you find that there are some items that you can’t manage to store or carry in the above options, or that you can’t pull yourself away from traditional ziploc bags, try looking for bags made from tougher plastic (and plastic alternatives) that can be washed and reused many times.

Sure, this style of walking opens up opportunities for people who for various reasons don’t want to (or can’t) carry a full pack for days at a time, but my big hope is that it doesn’t stop people from picturing themselves moving self-sufficiently through the bush, moving from campsite to campsite on epic multi-day journeys. The weight of your pack will be determined by the type of trip you’re planning on, the number of days food you’ll need to carry and access to drinking water. With 8-12 weeks of training, head out on walks every few days with your normal day pack weight, then add 2kgs each time (bags of rice or bottles of water are good), until you are at the goal pack weight. It’s when your body has found this new normal and for some wonderful reason it doesn’t feel as heavy or cumbersome as day 1.

It took a bit of experimentation, but by making some educated guesses based on their ingredients list (plus adding cacao nibs! ), I’m pretty stoked with the result. • Place all ingredients (except the rice malt syrup) in a bowl and mix to combine. Place a sheet of baking paper over the top (to cover the stickiness) and using the rice malt syrup jar as a rolling pin, press down firmly, rolling across all the mixture to create a solid slab. [I cut mine into similar sizes to the commercial product, being 6 x 9 rows in the slab, each weighing approx 10g = 54 pieces.]