In this week's Who I Walk With story where we find out about two hiking buddies and how they met, let's meet Alan Blair and Stephanie McCaul.
Alan and Stephanie met on the Web but bonded on the track.
Alan (52): “I met Stephanie on an online dating site. I knew she was the perfect match for me because her username on the app was "Hiker Girl". We've been all over Queensland and northern NSW, Carnarvon Gorge. the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walks, D'Aguilar NP, Springbrook NP, Lamington NP, Mount Barney, Bunya Mountains, Mount Walsh, Clarence Gorge, Gibraltar Ranges, Border Ranges NP and too many other wonderful places to list all of them.
We've also done a lot of hiking in Tasmania. We've done the Three Capes (twice), Cradle Mountain, Bruny Island, Freycinet, Mount Field NP and we will be tackling the Overland Track in February 2023. When we’re hiking Stephanie is always tuned in to the moment - she hears the birds, sees the wildlife, spots the unusual fungi and keeps me from going too far out onto the ledge at lookouts.
Stephanie deals with a challenging day on the track by cooking up one of her signature gourmet backpacking dinners. She's always coming up with new recipes to try. And no matter what the conditions are like on the track or what kind of challenges we're facing, Stephanie just keeps on going - nothing seems to phase her much.
My favourite memory of hiking with Stephanie would have to be the Three Capes on the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania. Everything was spectacular - the scenery, the hikers' huts, the weather and the beautiful stories that accompanied every stage of the trail. We enjoyed ourselves so much on that trek that we jumped at the chance to go back and do it again when one of our friends gifted us a trip to go back for my 50th birthday. “
Stephanie (50): “Alan and I met on an online dating site, he had a love of hiking and coriander on his profile! We have hiked the Three Capes, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Gold Coast Hinterland great walks, walked through the wonders of Carnarvon Gorge, climbed Mount Barney and completed numerous shorter day or thru-hikes in QLD and NSW. Generally, we try to finish off with a local brewery for our reward if we can!
We share the same passion and patience for admiring the natural world. Alan also gently encourages me to overcome my fears and self-induced limitations. Since hiking together, I have all but overcome my fear of heights and can now rock scramble up mountains.
How does Alan react to a long challenging day? Let's just say, he needs to learn to drink more water and be patient with setting up his camp. He's going to read this, isn't he?
On the track Alan has an eagerness to never let anything go unseen, by taking the extra side trails or stopping to see, or photograph, what creature might be making that noise. He is as mesmerised by nature as I am. I should also add that buying hiking gear is also a trait of his, but maybe not his best trait!
I have a mild neuromuscular disorder that on a bad day, can make hiking a bit of a struggle. This was especially difficult when I had to lift my legs to scramble up Qld’s Mount Barney, a 10 1/2-hour hike. Alan never left my side and kept encouraging me the entire way. We made it to the summit and were greeted by a stunning outlook and beautiful mountain butterflies.”