Van Journal Week 7: Tassie tour with dad

Van Journal Week 7: Tassie tour with dad

The value of the time ...

You say that our days that passes every year seem a bit shorter. Since these weeks pass in Tassie as if in a flight, I can definitely confirm it. Hard to believe that we are traveling again for seven weeks and that scares me.

The truth is that I have always been aware of how limited our life is since childhood. In fact, I would say that I still think about it almost every day. How many times was told by our elders that we should appreciate our youth because they blinked for them and was all over? I always took these words very literally.

For some, including Haylea, it sounds like a curse, and maybe that's in a way. But I think one thing that this curse taught me is to fear every wasted time, which I can see in retrospect.

Since the current pandemic is destroying the freedom and possibilities of many people, I can imagine the deep dissatisfaction that feels so many that have been postponed for so long that have always been doing or wanted to achieve. Only when these freedoms and possibilities are gone will you recognize the risk of complacency. Only then do most people begin to fear the sand of the time.

But I also understand the need for balance and the importance of current life. To deepen yourself too much into this type of things can lead to losing sight of what you are afraid of losing it. It is a delicate balancing act that I am still working on.

Someone that I always admired for his ground feeling is my father. When I last mentioned him in this blog, we sailed the east coast of Australia up on board the Malaica, a 50-foot steel yacht that he had built on his own over the course of ten years without previous experience. This measure of dedication to devote a decade to achieve a goal without short -term rewards is something that I am deeply admirable.

This week he was his turn to get to us to accompany us in our adventures in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Peninsula & Port Arthur

We started the week with a detour to the Tasmanian Peninsula. This region is full of history and incredible nature. We experienced both with my father on the first day, explored the rugged coast on the Waterfall Bay Track and learned something about the life of the early convicts in Port Arthur.

Port Arthur is really a special place and gave us all a new appreciation for the needs with which the ancestors of many Australians were confronted. Read more: Waterfall Bay Hike

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Amos round two

On the second day, when our father visited us in Tasmania, we were thrown at a curve ball. We had received a last-minute offer, Picnic Island, one of the most beautiful private islands of Tasmania, to take pictures and promote, and we definitely didn't want to reject that.

However, this meant that we had to make a fairly large way back to the Freycinet National Park.

When we arrived, we had to show Mount Amos, which was certainly one of our personal highlights of the trip. So we went into the second round.

Picnic Island

The stay on Picnic Island was a great experience. We were also presented with fantastic conditions. We had practically no wind, bright blue sky and fiery sunsets - a strong contrast to the previous week in Tassie.

Mount Field and the Styx

Next was a trip back to one of my favorite national parks in Tasmania on the program; Bergfeld. The original plan was to explore the alpine part of the park, but unfortunately the conditions did not allow us to get there in a big van.

Dad, however, had nothing against it and he loved the opportunity to see the Tassie rainforest and the waterfalls of Mount Field.

We also stopped having a short stop in The Styx, a huge forest area that is known to accommodate some of the highest flowering trees in the world. Unfortunately, a large part of this region is devoted to the wood strike, but thanks to the continuing activism, the highest trees in The Styx were saved for nature conservation.

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We ended this great exploration day with a stay in Bethune Park, a perfect remote place directly on the highway next to a beautiful lake. It was great to spend time with dad outdoors at the fire, a moment that I will always appreciate.
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Hobart and Mount Wellington

As soon as the seventh week had broken in, she was gone. We spend the last day with Papa to explore Hobart and earn the view from Mount Wellington by climbing the steep paths of The Springs.

Again we had great weather and a clear view of Hobart from above.

Read more: Hike to Mount Wellington

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Trigger and Timing

My father has and teaches me a lot of things. Like most people, I longed for independence in my youth. But the older I get, the more I turn to smarter men who help me make better decisions.

While Haylea and I instinctively know that the path we are on is the right one for ourselves, the unorthodoxity of our lifestyle also brings uncertainties. The reality is that it is much more difficult to give up the conventional Nine-to-five in order to lead a more fulfilling life than simply accept this dreaded desk job.

But there is no profit without risk. Growth and progress do not arise for convenience, but thrive in a world full of challenges and uncertainty. We reject the path of the slightest resistance because we know that this path only leads to short -term victories and skipped the greatest rewards.

I appreciate very happy to be surrounded by unconditional support. Dad calmed me down this week by giving me a valuable advice; to trust our instincts and to be aware of what he calls "trigger". He explains that these triggers are events that should be taken as catalysts for measures. This requires a focus on the present, so that you can better understand where you are going in the future.

timing is everything. Live now, trust your instincts and the triggers will lead you into the future.
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