I chatted to Andy and Jonathan on The Wild Podcast a couple of weeks ago.
“In this episode we chat with explorer, adventurer and outdoors educator Dulkara Martig. We talk about travelling the world as a nomad, her epic traverse of the Southern Alps in New Zealand, gourmet cooking in the outdoors (think pizza and chocolate cake), her love of pack rafting, and the links between spending time in the wild and mental wellbeing.”
Tapuae-o-Uenuku, affectionately known to most Kiwis as ‘Tappy’, is the highest peak in New Zealand outside of the Southern Alps. It towers 2885m above sea level just North of Kaikoura. I’d floated past it on the Clarence River a couple of times and always found myself gazing longingly at the scree slopes and jagged pile of rocks towering above me. This weekend I finally stood on the summit, with my packraft!
This is the story of how a pin-prick wound on my knuckle quickly festered, turning into a nasty skin infection that resulted in evacuation from a really remote part of the Brooks Range in Arctic Alaska. I’m sharing this in case it’s of interest to anyone. Continue reading “Evacuation from Gates of the Arctic”
Four kiwi women are currently preparing for a month-long traverse of the Southern Alps, from Arthur’s Pass to Mount Cook. The team is comprised of Dulkara Martig, Ingrid Booiman, Tara Mulvany and Anna Loomes. They are all aged between 27 and 29 and have spent the majority of the last 10 years working within the outdoor industry.
Continue reading “Four Kiwi women prepare to traverse the Southern Alps in New Zealand”
A 10 day wilderness trip in Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks.
While driving down the West Coast I fill Jake in on the details. “I’ve never actually met Tara but people say we’ll get along well. We’ve talked about doing a trip together in Central Asia sometime. If we enjoy this trip then at least we’ll know if a longer mission together is a smart idea.” Continue reading “Fiordland trip with a stranger”
I have just returned back to the urban world after 100 days in Alaska. Here’s an insight into a trip at the start of the season (May 2016) in the Chugach Mountains. Continue reading “Small in the face of the mountains”
18 days walking in far Eastern Nepal, mostly in the Kanchenjunga region, right up near the border of Nepal and Tibet. Snippets of our adventure and stories that unfolded along the way. Every trip back to Nepal is different. Different companions, routes, and circumstances blend together to create an interesting mosaic of experiences which are unique. As always, small encounters with people and immersion in the culture of the ‘mountain people’ left my heart warm and excited to return for more. Continue reading “Chasing Snow Leopards”
Note: this article was published in the NZOIA Quarterly publication back in 2014. Often we share the epic stories, the physical challenges and the hardships of longer expeditions. I wrote this to give an insight into the joys of slow-paced travel.
I have naturally itchy feet, always further aggravated by the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Last year as I walked out of the theatre, I vowed to succumb to the itching and set off on a longer journey. A few weeks after completing my first NZOIA assessment I found myself embarking on an unsupported traverse of Nepal with Tom. On our third day we had covered the distance we had planned to do in one. It didn’t seem to matter. Our destination soon became merely a distant focus, a direction to head in. Continue reading “A slow paced journey: Walking Across Nepal”
Note: we finished this trip in June 2013.
Diary excerpt: Some people are drawn to wild places; our hearts beat stronger. Here I see life in all of its vastness, all of its beauty, and its extraordinary depth. My heart dances, it beats stronger in these mountains. Life is stripped to the bare necessities; it’s impossible not to see what is most important.
Something about this place vibrates through me, like the sound of the conch shell in morning prayer in Saldang. It flows through the valleys like faded prayer flags dancing in the wind, elevating the soul of everyone who passes through. It’s more than just a connection to nature, but to a culture and community of people with so much history and depth.
