Far AfieldA field journal of long walks, quiet water and slow travel: honest trip reports, kit lists that earn their weight, and plain how-to guides.https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/enThree days on the Skellan Ridge, hut to huthttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/skellan-ridge-traverse/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/skellan-ridge-traverse/Forty-one kilometres, two huts, one genuinely bad step, and the best sunset I’ve seen from a bunk window. A full route report, with the timings I actually walked.Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTrip reportshut-to-hutridgesmulti-daylate summerAda FenwickHow to plan your first solo overnight, step by stephttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/first-solo-overnight/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/first-solo-overnight/Your first night out alone is mostly a planning problem, not a bravery one. Here’s the exact process I use, from picking a spot to the 2 a.m. noises.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTHow-tosolocampingbeginnersplanningAda FenwickMy three-season overnight kit, item by itemhttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/three-season-overnight-kit/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/three-season-overnight-kit/Every item in my pack for a spring-to-autumn night out, what it weighs, why it’s there, and the things I’ve quietly stopped carrying over the years.Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTGearkit listcampingsolobudgetAda FenwickPaddling the Orrin Lakes after the crowds go homehttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/orrin-lakes-shoulder-season/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/orrin-lakes-shoulder-season/Four lakes, three portages, two nights’ worth of mist, and not another boat for most of a day. Why late September is the best time to paddle the Orrin chain.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTTrip reportspaddlingmulti-dayautumncampingAda FenwickLayering for cold, wet days, without the jargonhttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/layering-for-wet-cold-days/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/layering-for-wet-cold-days/Base, mid and shell is only the start. The real skill is when you take layers off, and almost everyone gets that the wrong way round.Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTGearlayeringrainbeginnersautumnAda FenwickFive days on the Tarrow Coast with a bus pass and no carhttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/tarrow-coast-by-bus/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/tarrow-coast-by-bus/A coast path, a weekly bus pass, four guesthouses and a lot of sandwiches. How to walk a coastline end to end without ever needing a car.Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTrip reportscar-freecoastmulti-daybudgetAda FenwickHow to read contour lines before you leave the househttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/reading-contour-lines/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/reading-contour-lines/Ten minutes with the contour lines will tell you more about tomorrow’s walk than any app. Here’s how to read them, in plain words, with no jargon.Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTHow-tonavigationbeginnersplanningAda FenwickWhy I climb the same small hill every monthhttps://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/same-hill-every-month/https://blog.demos.denaliws.com/journal/same-hill-every-month/Brack Hill is 412 metres high, twenty minutes from my door by bus, and not in any guidebook. I’ve climbed it once a month for six years.Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTEssayslocal walksseasonsAda Fenwick