Wheel ruts and low burning fires

Right about now I wish I was at the wheel of my four-by-four heading into the wilderness for some camping. I'd not even want to go far, just far enough that I wouldn't see a single other person, other than the one riding in my shotgun seat of course. Hmm, I'd say a week or two would do nicely, enough time to allow the stress to melt away and my inner-Neanderthal-man emerge. OK, let's say three weeks. Damn it, four!

This image shows one of my favourite places and you can see the track, just a couple of wheel ruts, that snakes it's way through these rolling hills of the southern Flinders Ranges a couple of hours from home. I'm privileged to have access to this private land which means I see no one once I leave the homestead behind me and have the run of hundreds of square kilometres of hills like this, rugged off-road tracks, hiking trails, winter creeks, a couple medium-sized water holes and dense scrubland. It's enough to get lost in.

Coming to places like this, secluded and so apart from society, is of great comfort to me, I feel comfortable, although for many it can feel strange; It's the lack of human noise, the absence of traffic, the ease-of-use modern society delivers and the fact that most don't have the skills to come out here and sustain themselves for a period of time. Fortunately I do, so camping remotely doesn't stress me...Much the opposite in fact, it energises me.

I usually hike a lot when I come to places like this; All the best spots tend to take some getting to, although I also have the ability to get my off-road vehicles into difficult to reach places - Skills you see. But there's something really human about walking and so I tend to walk a lot, often 12-20 kilometres in a day just to get a view.

I also do a lot of sitting around reading, and work on my outdoorsy-skills like tracking, fire and shelter making, navigation, hunting, trapping and snaring and general larking about in the wilderness - It's fun for me. Of course, camps need work and so there's always fire-wood gathering, tidying and cleaning. I run a pretty tight camp y'all. Oh, there's also those naked dips in the creeks or water holes to bathe. Not done it? Ok, you should, it's so cool.

Then there's the nights which are always so amazing. It's the fire you see, the comfort it brings, the warmth. It's not just the physical heat though but also the way it reaches inside a person and warms the soul, brings solace and contentment, relaxes and soothes; It has a way of connecting a person with their inner-self. Staring into those flames is something magical, cathartic and energising.

If you have ever laid back on a clear night with a low-burning fire popping and crackling beside you, a cup or tea of coffee, and a billion stars twinkling overhead you'll know what I mean. It inspires thought and yet frees one from having to. It's like magic.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to engage with the wilderness in this way, maybe soon; Life gets in the way I suppose, but I know I need to. I wish I was chasing white lines to where the gravel and blacktop meet right now though, her in the shotgun seat and nothing but wilderness ahead. I really need it right now, but here I am, just typing about it whilst others live it.

I hope y'all have a great weekend ahead...I'll find something to keep me occupied and am sure I'll find a small slice of wilderness, some distance from society, in some shape or form, get my four wheel drive into some wheel ruts possibly; Maybe I'll even share it with you later in the weekend.