Eva’s a people person. That’s why on all her adventures, she brings along a friend, family member, or new acquaintance to share the experience with. And she reckons you should too. Here’s why.

 

Since moving an hour north of my hometown on the NSW South Coast, I’ve been trying to make the most of exploring the beautiful coastline and the tree-covered ranges behind it. There’s a hike in the Buddawang Ranges behind where we live called The Castle. It’s known for being steep and spectacular with some infamous rope climbs up steep rock faces. Fun!

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Views from The Castle

 

Hiking The Castle is a bit of a rite of passage on the NSW South Coast, so before we could think better of it, Adam and I recruited his younger brother and girlfriend, Rohan and Steph, to join us on a weekend overnighter up The Castle walls. Rohan and Steph had hiked it once before but that was in an actual flood (not recommended) and they didn’t make it to the very top due to the weather, so they were keen for another go at the summit.

The weekend arrived and I was equal parts pumped and terrified. It was an intense slog up the side of the mountain, through a washed-out and overgrown track in the bitingly-cold wind. Luckily our campsite was epic, and we all somehow made it cautiously up to the very top of The Castle the following day to take in the sprawling views.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Hiking is always better with friends

 

It was a memorable weekend, made even more so because of the company we were in. Which got me thinking that there are so many advantages to adventuring in a group! Here’s why.

Morale

Hiking can be tough, mentally and physically.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Some sketchy rock-scrambling

 

You’re freezing or hot or sore or tired or your dehydrated meal looks like dog food and you just wanna give up and go home. But then your mate in front turns around to check in on you, or points out a cool bird, or offers you a delicious snack, or strikes up an interesting convo, or shares your horrible meal with you. And suddenly you’ve forgotten your aching muscles, your spirits are lifted, and you’re back into a rhythm on the trail.

Even when things aren’t fun, if you’re in a crew, at least you have someone to vent to and keep one another from losing it. And you’ll almost definitely become better friends from having been through it all together.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Happy hour on top of the world

Sharing The Load

When you camp in a group you don’t have to pack absolutely everything yourself. Each bag doesn’t need a tube of toothpaste, a roll of strapping tape and a bottle of sunscreen. Divide and conquer by comparing what you’re taking and cutting out double-ups to lighten everyone’s load.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Tight spaces = tight friendships

 

You can even share cooking responsibilities by choosing a meal to make each. This makes it way more gourmet and fun! Even campground chores like lighting the campfire, washing dishes, and setting up gear are easier and get done quicker with more people around.

Safety

This is the obvious and most boring one. If something goes wrong, like the not-maintained-by-national-parks rope breaks halfway up the side of a rock wall climb, someone can stay with the injured person while others can go for help.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Safety in numbers

It’s Just Fun!

I know there’s value in getting into nature by yourself and disconnecting, but I’m an extrovert and I like people okay? Camping in a group is just plain old good fun. There are more laughs, more stories to share, more photos taken and more memories to last a lifetime.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

When in doubt, have fun

 

When we were hiking The Castle, after dinner wrapped up, Rohan and Steph pulled out an entire Woolies mud cake with candles and sang happy birthday to the Queen to thank her for the long weekend. That sure as hell was fun and wouldn’t have happened if I was camping by myself.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Some celebratory camp cake

A Lesson in Patience

Not all people are of the same walking, camping or fitness level. Sometimes people are slower on the trail or slow to pack up. Adventuring in a group is a great opportunity not to race ahead just because you can, but to hang back and let a slower person lead, be supportive and encouraging, and stop to smell the flowers. You’re in nature after all, there’s no rush.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Why would you want to rush through here anyway?

Pushing Your Limits

On the flip side of that coin, if you’re someone (like me) who errs on the side of caution, exploring with other people is a good chance to push your limits. My own head is my biggest barrier when it comes to outdoor adventures, so when I’m with other confident and encouraging people, I’m way more likely to feel confident in myself and get out of my comfort zone.

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Seeing someone else do something first can make it easier for you!

 

There’s ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I would’ve made it to the top of The Castle without the group I was with. Not because I wasn’t physically capable (I am because I did it) but because I would’ve convinced myself I couldn’t. But there were other people there, climbing those ropes, and they were going whether or not I followed. So I put on a brave face (after a panicky tear or two) and with some solid encouragement and reassurance, I made it up there. Like I said, I like people 🙂

 

I Went Wild Swimming Every Single Day For a Year – Here’s What I Learned, Eva Davis-Boermans

Hooray!

Expand Your Horizons

Some of the best conversations I’ve had have been while I’m traipsing down a bush track to a campsite somewhere. The beautiful thing about people is that we’re all individual and have different things to teach and learn and contrasting ways of looking at the world.

People have unique skills and knowledge that come in handy in all kinds of scenarios, so you can almost guarantee you’ll come away from a group adventure having learned or thought about something in a new way.

Read more: 5 Lessons to Get Your Mates Frothing The Outdoors