Written by his two daughters, Andy Carruthers and family share their exploration of Abel Tasman National Park by kayak. With a backcountry bathroom ranking system, an attempt to sleep under the stars, and a serious debate about wekas, each family member reveals what excites them most about their trip.
For their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Qualifying Journey, Emiliana and her team opt for an alternative mode of backcountry travel – kayaking. Dubbed the Kayak Kapers, this team of twenty-four students (over half of whom had never kayaked) bravely took up their paddles and developed new skills during a multi-day exploration of the Marlborough Sounds.
“By the end of the weekend, we were like a well-oiled machine.” As recipients of the 2022 FMC Training Grant, members of the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club shift from uncertainty to competency during their wilderness first aid weekend training.
What makes a suitable alpine leader and how do you identify these people in your club? New Zealand clubs have a proud tradition of passing on knowledge to newer members who later themselves become leaders. FMC provides a guide to identifying and supporting not only current alpine leaders, but a framework to raise up the next generation.
Copyright is held by the writer/creator. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 NZ
