(Francesca Solloway)

Against The Odds

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‘In a heartfelt interview, Frankie, known as Salty Peaks, shares her inspiring journey from a challenging childhood marked by a rare medical condition to becoming an adventurous outdoor explorer. Raised in the picturesque national parks of the UK, her love for nature was nurtured by her family despite her health struggles. After a life-changing move to Australia, she discovered her passion for diving and solo exploration, embracing the freedom of the open road.’

Background

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Salty Peaks didn’t come from thin air, like any other story there are twists and turns around every corner, divergence from the path and a whole lot of life lessons to finally land where I am now.

I was raised in the UK on the South Coast, a small pocket of national parks and beaches nestled behind an industrial city, living with my mum, dad and two younger brothers.

Life was fairly normal, we were an outdoors family in multiple ways, dad was a biker and mum was a runner, but my personal life was a little more complex. From birth I had a rare medical condition that began to cause pain and issues once I began walking. After 6 years of being in and out of hospital I was finally diagnosed with a Synovial Haemangioma in my left knee (now also ankle but that wasn’t picked up till my late twenties). A rare benign tumour, that consists of a abnormal collection of blood vessels that surround a joint that over time haemorrhage leaving me with bone degradation, limited motion, inflammation, localised internal bleeds and chronic pain daily, that to this day I still live with. I spent a good portion of childhood, in and out of MRI scanners and having blood tests, and two big operations to minimise the swelling and damage

As a family we were fortunate enough to have a wide variety of walks close to us and Dad had always made sure we were all outdoors as much as possible despite the shocking UK weather and my knee damage. Rain, hail, snow or sun we were out on basic trails, usually flowing dad’s curiosity and going off track to some degree.

He took us bodyboarding and snorkelling during summer holidays to the Channel Island – a small collection of islands sandwiched between the UK and France, and if not, there were we packing the car like a game of tetras and driving 8 hours from the UK to the South of France to camp out in pine forests or packing the kayaks for local paddles.

Dad and I embarked on quite a few adventures together, from white water rafting in France (I almost fell out the raft), body boarding on a bitter cold winter’s morning in October on the South Coast of the UK and years of cold water snorkelling together. I still believe that that is where my sense of comfortability came from with being out in nature.

It wasn’t too long till I found his Ray Meares bushcraft books and began reading those cover to cover, while watching as many nature documentaries as I could find and ultimately played outdoors as much as I could.

My fascination with exploration took off from there, but there was a place that I was hooked on from as early as 6 years old. Australia.

I grew more and more fascinated; it was a place that seemed out of this world. The flora and fauna captivated me and watch the likes of Steve Irwin, Steve Backsahll and countless others chasing thorny devils around the red sands of the outback or swimming with seals off the coast of Tasmania woke something up in me, and at 12 I was making plans to move overseas, much to the laughter of a few people.

Fast forward to my early twenties, after a third operation that failed and a tumultuous first relationship, series of unfortunate events and a declining mental health I threw caution to the wind and booked a flight to Australia at long last and embarked on a long journey of reconnecting to the childhood version of self that had got a little lost.

I landed in Australia in 2016, alone with my pack and a new camera I had bought after completing a Photography Degree. After waiting a full year of recovery from my failed knee replacement, the traverse up the East Coast began, I was completely alone for the first time in my life. It was terrifying to begin with, but I instantly fell in love with the open road and the sense of freedom the trip bought.

Soon after it became clear that Australia was a Mecca for everything I had already been doing. It was all my hobbies and curiosities in one place, only on a much bigger scale than anything I had ever experienced before. Honestly as cliche as it sounds, it changed my life completely.

The world suddenly opened up and I made sure to take as many opportunities as possible in that short three months. I ended up somehow getting a free Scuba Diving Introduction while on the Great Barrier Reef, something I wasn’t planning on doing as a lifelong snorkeler. I was content to continue staying on the surface. The dive changed my world, once I got to the bottom looking back up at the surface, breathing underwater I knew this was something I had to do the rest of my life.

I moved to Australia at the end of 2017 and began training soon after to become a Divemaster, despite my knee and the challenges that presented within the industry. I spent two years exploring the ocean as a dive guide on the Mid North Coast of NSW before going overseas to Indonesia and SouthEast Asia solo to become a Dive Instructor.

That sadly was something that never happened due to the complication of the diving environment and taking uncertified divers. A huge pivot moment, I'd never let anything stop me doing anything but that led me to freediving but also quickly made me realise I wasn’t just a diver, and I began to embark on taking myself out of the diving box I had put myself in and pursued all my childhood passions.

Little by little finding confidence to hire kayaks solo, body board in new oceans, hike and camp alone in the Australian bush and push past fear and physical discomfort.

Can you share with us some of the adventures you’ve been on over the years?

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After Australia, it became pretty hard to sit still; I was suddenly aware of what was possible and as a photographer I just wanted to capture everything. I booked a short trip to Iceland with a friend and spent four days exploring what felt like landing on Mars.

A landscape that felt completely alien, no trees, just rugged hills and moss carpets. During that trip my friend and I hiked a glacier. I was completely ill-prepared with only a thin cotton shirt and a pack-it rain jacket and thin zip off pants. The whole time battling with the pain that came from securing my footing in the ice with crampons.

I was pretty cold, to say the least but to this day have not seen a landscape like it. The deep blue of the ice in places was beyond imagination. In the same way that swimming between the two tectonic plates in 2 degree water left me speeches. Iceland was a place I had chosen from the perspective of photography; I wanted to photograph places of natural beauty that were almost eerie while experiencing a place from new vantage points. It’s not every day you get to stand on a glacier or swim between cracks in the plant.

Working as a Dive Guide certainly was one of the biggest daily adventures of my life, for two years I lived a double life. Barista by morning to Scuba Dive Guide and Snorkel Guide during my days off. On some occasions finishing a shift at the cafe at 2pm and being on the afternoon whale swim boat by 3pm. It was wild, spending time face to face with Grey Nurse Sharks, learning the island as a guide and problem solving underwater.

For me though the whale swims really were a transformative experience and I think everyone should just once be in the presence of a humpback whale. Having something that huge look back at you with such a gentle nature is still an experience I can’t quite retain.

On one of the last trips of the season we had around 12 people in 70 meters deep blue water, myself and another guide floated waiting for the moment 9 humpback whales swam under us for an hour. It’s hard to put into words, but I am certain that it was a lifelong highlight for everyone that day.

In recent years I turned my attention from the ocean to the mountains and began hiking alone in the pockets of time when diving conditions were not so good. Making it my little summer mission to find as many waterfalls as I could for a dip. I found myself out there more and more, growing curious about different trails and quickly found myself going off track to hidden locations and then looking for a place to camp as my confidence grew.

Last year I was inspired by another outdoorsman and planned to spend 12 months camping out once a month for the whole year. The experience really pushed me to get way out of my comfort zone as well as push myself physically, carrying everything I needed for an overnight solo hike was pretty daunting.

What are your favourite outdoor activities and why?

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By far my connection to water and diving has been a huge part of my life, body boarding and diving both scuba and freediving have been a way to clear my head like no other. To me the ocean keeps you curious, you can only ever be a visitor and because of that she keeps you coming back for more.

Being under water and simply just observing the way a wave curls and breaks above my head or watching and listening to fish and other sea creatures has been a way to silence the internal thoughts and the near constant monologue. All three sports require a lot of focus on breath, in different ways but the end result is the same for me.

It’s a sense of silencing the mind and focusing simply on observing, staying calm and slowing the heart to existing a state of observation. Even during bodyboarding sessions there’s a rhythmic feeling of ducking under a wave watching it break, coming up for air and doing it again until you meet with your wave.

Hiking and overnights have quickly become a huge part of my life as my land based hobby but they brought with them different lessons. The mountains keep you accountable and responsible and in complete trust with yourself. The rhythmic sound of your feet crushing sandy paths while birds sing to the sound of water rushing through smoothed boulders.

My mind does the opposite out there. It’s free to roam and to think, visiting corners that sometimes are harder to find. I began writing more and more poetry the more I walked and it became a way of connecting with my thoughts.

Both the mountains and the ocean are pretty necessary in our busy modern lives. Both provide their own sense of space and connection to our internal and external worlds.

Do you prefer solo adventures or exploring with others? Why?

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Being alone has always been something that came to me naturally despite having siblings. We would play together, and family adventures were something we did frequently but oftentimes the back yard was my realm, photographing butterflies or the sunset or just spending as much time outside during daylight hours watching ants or birds.

I left home at 18 but in my twenties, I began to explore the world alone more and more after a long term and complex first relationship. In 7 years, I quickly found myself totally lost which led to a collapse in my mental health and leaving me with no self confidence.

Swallowed by routines and uncomfortable situations. Solo exploration became the only way forward if I wanted to actually see the world as I had planned.

It was confronting but incredibly healing, allowing me to learn to trust myself again, to have the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them while operating out of curiosity. Not to say that I haven’t formed some of the greatest friendships of my life while being in far flung corners of the planet. Or met people on trail, shared a yarn, likely to never meet them again. Human connection is so important and sharing adventures is sometimes more rewarding than the isolation of exploration as a solo eternity.

Yet I would likely choose to adventure and explore alone more than in a group. Moving at my pace through the landscape is pretty important, given that my leg creates challenges, meaning I cover ground far slower than the average person and need to be careful with how I interact with more technical trail. A single wrong twist could lead to days of pain. So, taking my time alone has been key to building confidence and trust in myself.

How do you prepare for an outdoor expedition? What’s your checklist?

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A lot of preparation is of course having the right gear ready and with you from the moment you leave the front door but there is also a lot of preparation before I even get to packing. Checking maps, weather forecasts, logistics of catching public transport (I don’t drive) to harder to reach locations, in some cases added 2-7 additional kilometres to the overall hike. There is also the factor of calming nerves, in the early days of overnight trips I did choose to not think so much and trick my brain into thinking it was just a day hike and then go through the motions of setting up camp.

My check list has become more like an autopilot motion after going so frequently but this is the list I still refer to from my notes.

First aid kit
Sea to Summit Water bladder
Water bottle
Zempire Mono 1 Tent
Snug Pack Sleeping bag
Alton Goods Sleeping mat
Compact Pillow
Gas and gas stove
Cooking pot
Coffee cup / Cutlery
Head Torch
Battery Pack / Chargers
Dehydrated Food
Merino Base Layers / Spare Socks
Warm Light Weight Layers
Dry Bags
Extra Rope
Pocket knife

What resources (books, websites, apps) do you recommend for planning outdoor activities?

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In the early days I didn’t travel with a smartphone and in fact didn’t have one till 2020. Relying on paper maps, word of mouth directions and an iPod that I would screen shot as my offline maps. Getting around other countries was so much more of an adventure that way and technology and I had never really got along. Fast forward to today and I have 4 weather apps and two maps, an emergency locator app and paper maps.

The bush is a different game to getting lost for 6 hours in Malaysia, no matter how much that felt like raw, unfiltered exploration of a city. Weaving in and out of grid lock traffic while a boy no older than 8 ran ahead in paper thin sandals, leading the way though markets and streets while I lugged a 70 litre pack and 5kg worth of diving books through the most intense sepia smog and humidity of Kuala Lumpur. We ended up at the wrong hostel still but I met a group of photographers that invited me to a seminar the following day, so in a way it all worked out.

I have a few apps that I use for outdoor prep but I also love picking up books from the library. There are a few old prints of guide books that have very old crude maps that I have used to plan some routes in the past.

Map Apps:

Gaia GPS: This has been an invaluable tool in planning hikes as well as an amazing tool for finding waterfalls and creeks that are not listed on Google Maps. You can save a route and colour code them, add them to folders and most importantly it is GPS so will track where you are once you are out of service range. It’s certainly helped a few times when I haven’t known how much further it is or if a wrong turn has been made. It makes it quicker to write yourself before going too far off the planned route.

Goggle maps is still useful for satellite images, I usually use it to make sure I have a rough idea of the lay of the land before I shop up to a location. I also use it if I do longer walk-ins along roads. However, I do not rely on it as a trust worth map source for tracks at all.

Weather Apps:

I have the standard iPhone weather app but again realised it wasn’t super reliable. The weather is also something completely out of our control but having multiple sources for tracking weather has been useful. Willy weather is great for checking rain fall, swell conditions and tides. Clear Outside I use more to check colour cover, mostly used for stargazing or checking for cloud inversions and lastly Ventursky I only recently downloaded but I use it more to check wind speeds and directions.

Emergency Plus

This was one I picked up from a first aid course that I have likely never had to use but is useful to have.

What essential gear do you always take with you on your adventures?

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I honestly never leave without my first aid kid, sounds a little dull but day hikes or longer it’s something I always have. I have compression socks, and two different straps and grips as well as pain medication and all the usual suspects you would find in a first aid kit. I have to be pretty cautious considering if I twist me knee and ankle wrong it can spell disaster.

With the addition of snake bite bandages and on those longer trips a PLB (personal locator beacon). I always have two 10-meter par cord bundles, some cash and a warm layer of clothing, even during the hot summer months in Australia. I also always have a few odd bits and bobs that might come in handy should I need to magiver a quick fix to any broken gear.

Can you share any tips for choosing the right equipment for specific activities?

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Having a wide range of hobbies does mean having a wide range of gear and I’ve been pretty fortunate to have worked closely in some of the industries like diving and hiking. However, both really require the right gear but also gear that is comfortable and finding what’s comfortable in the elements is sometimes a little trial and error.

It took me some time to land on the right diving mask and if I am being honest that is still a work in progress. Like most hobbies and pursuits it might seem easier to start with cheaper gear, but in all honesty you don’t really save money or time. I went through 5 different sleeping mats before I ended up buying the one I had my eye on from the start.

Diving Gear:

Choose a mask that is comfortable, if it’s not once you are underwater with additional pressure it’s going to make a dive a fun or miserable experience. If you’ve ever had an ill fitting mask and found it’s leaking or being too small and getting a mask squeeze it really does ruin a dive. When choosing a wetsuit it’s pretty important to look at expected water temperatures you expect to encounter, but not just look at surface temps as temps at depth will be drastically different.

Thermocline patches will also occur in some situations so being prepared is a smart choice. Bearing in mind that water pulls heat away from your body faster than air, you will likely find you get cold quickly even in a wetsuit. That being said my wetsuit is thinner than most for the water I find myself in but that just comes from annual exposure to cold water.

Camping / Hiking Gear:

Hiking clothing is a little easier to navigate as long as you remember to favour synthetics and wool layers over cotton. Wool will keep you warm if it gets wet and synthetic layers will dry fast. Having a good base layer set for overnight hikes is super important for overall comfort and warmth. Making sure you have good and reliable rainwear is also another must, I made the mistake in investing in this a little too late. Closely followed by something you need to buy from day one, but a good pair of hiking shoes is crucial. But let not forget having a sleeping bag and mat that are suitable for the conditions you expect to encounter.

The more overnight hikes I did the more conscious I became of weights and taking a nearly 3 kilo tent on my first expedition was a wakeup call to seek lighter gear that didn’t break the bank. There are a bunch of good quality introductory tents available, as well as sleeping bags and mats that not only pack light but also pack small enough you don’t have to take an absurdly large pack on a single night's expedition.

What safety precautions do you take when exploring the outdoors?

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Staying safe outdoors is pretty key to having a good time and making it home in one piece and when it comes to overnight trips and some day hikes there are a few things I do to make sure I have all my bases covered. No matter the hike I make sure to have told at least three people where I am going, sending them coordinates on my intended location and the intended route or track I plan to take. Giving them an ETA of when I will be back in service range and a time I hope to start walking, so they know roughly when I might lose signal or service.

If heading off to a campground I fill out the trip intention form usually found online through the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service page, it also helps me feel a little more comfortable in some of the deep valleys during summer to have parks know you are there should a fire start or flash flood come though. As dramatic as it sounds, it can change out there so fast you might not have time to get out.

Packing a PLB on top of this is pretty much the most important thing to have on you at any point in heading out in the bush or even out to sea. Having a PLB means if you need to sound the alarm and get out of there you can from anywhere.

Staying vigilant is almost second nature now, and that doesn’t just go for keeping tabs on people but paying close attention to sounds, changes in the wind and weather. There have been countless times where the wind and weather has changed just as I got off the tail, what seems like a miracle is only because I had read the signs and changes before it was too late and made a quick turnaround.

Can you share a memorable experience where you had to rely on your survival skills?

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Thankfully I’ve never really been in any immediate danger, but nature being nature certainly will throw curve balls in your direction.

During the once a month camping goal, I set out deep in winter with plans to find a spot I had failed to find a month prior. The weather window was looking perfect for the two days so I set off without any rain gear, I was in between replacing mine so took the risk, but it’s not one I would take again.

The evening was super perfect and still, the sun set behind the ridge and the skies were clear well into the night. Then 5am rolled round the wind had picked up and the rain had begun. It wasn’t light either, there were substantial winter downpours.

The night had been pretty cold but not unbearable, but that didn’t change the fact that I had lost a fair amount of my core temperature on what turned out to be a punctured mat. I lay in bed refreshing the radar for two hours before I realised the rain wasn’t going anywhere and I needed to get off the ridge.

I packed up and left pretty quickly with a two hour walk ahead of me, in the rain. Needless to say I got soaked through in next to no time, but I wasn’t cold yet. It wasn’t till I got back to town; the air temperature dropped and I started to feel it. The two-hour train journey back home was miserable, it wasn’t warm inside and I began to shake unknowably, becoming drowsy.

I knew I needed to get home pretty quickly. Thankfully by the time I was back on the coast the weather had changed, and I slowly began to warm myself up. I was cautious not to heat my body up too fast, but my feet were not a pretty sight after that. Lesson was learned that day, that there are no perfect weather windows, and you need to be prepared for literally every situation.

How do you navigate in unfamiliar terrain? Any tips for beginners?

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Starting out on my first solo hike, I was so scared even though I was following a trail I didn’t really know what that meant or who would be on the trail. My legs were like jelly as I descended down the endless flights of stairs. I quickly realised it was near impossible to leave the trail on some walks, the paths were so clear, and people were friendly. It wasn’t too long before I got more comfortable and began looking for different walks further out from the more touristy spots. It was honestly a mix of things for me that grew my confidence.

The main one that was consistent exposure, I was out walking to water falls for an entire summer, almost every weekend. By constantly going to a new trail, a new location but in similar environments I began to feel more okay being out alone on trails. Gradually that confidence led me to curiosity and studying maps in my free time to better understand the lay of the land. The mountains seemed vast and endless looking at them the first time from the viewpoint, and they still do even now but I understand a little more how it does and doesn’t connect.

I would strongly encourage people to get out of their comfort zones but do it when it feels right for you. It took me two years of doing basic trails to feel comfortable to start finding more off-track falls. However, it’s not something to just throw yourself into, it does take planning and before I have ever gone looking for anything I have spent close to two weeks looking over maps and posts by other walkers, so I know exactly what I am getting myself into.

Using tools like a GPS map and paper maps while you are out there will help, as well as having the right safety gear and emergency contacts lined up should anything go wrong. Always stick to the plan you have told your emergency contacts about, never change your plans last minute, if you can’t make it to the planned location or something changes, turn around, go home and reschedule for another day.

What do you enjoy most about being in nature? How do you connect with the environment?

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We are a part of nature and in the claustrophobic hyper technological world we are living in it’s easy to forget that and get swept up in the madness. Nature, whether that be the ocean or the mountains, it really gives me space and silence to connect with myself. I've had some pretty raw internal conversations with myself, asked some deep questions but also just sat in silence. Some of my favourite poems I have written have come from being in nature.

I feel like those moments of silence help me to get all the creative ideas from the suppressed corners of my mind. It’s a metaphorical and literal breath of fresh air. I certainly like to stop and take in the view, but I really feel like my camera is never far behind, I’ve always loved just being in moments but capturing them is probably the way I enjoy connecting with landscapes.

I started life as a painter but found I couldn’t capture the subtle changes in light the way I was seeing them and very quickly turned to a humble point and shoot and my passion for photography was born after studying the works of Ansel Adams and countless other landscape and street photographers. Naturally this ended with me never really taking my camera off and the archives of images are certainly collecting.

What has been your biggest challenge as an outdoor explorer, and how did you overcome it?

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I guess the biggest challenge will always be having to contend with the fact that my knee condition will always slow me down, but never stop me. I walk slower than most, trails take longer and I will likely never work as a guide in any of the industries I love so much. But despite that I will never stop exploring or pushing my limits. I don’t really see it as anything more than a part of me that needs extra care. It’s more about finding ways to adapt how I do things and stop trying altogether.

Sometimes its easier for me to climb down steep trails on my bum, most of the time I use all my extra cord to lower the pack before me. It’s just another problem to solve, and as long as I know I have things in my bag to help get me out of hot water should I push too far or have a twist in the wrong place. Despite being extra careful sometimes I have had situations where I have caused an internal bleed, and I simply sit, take stock and treat it the same way I would at home. Obviously for the most part I need to get off the trail and go home as soon as possible and RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) the inflammation.

After living a life long journey with it in tow I have a pretty high pain tolerance and have certainly hobbled out of a few trails but knowing where my limits lie it has only happened a handful of times. The way I see it is anyone can twist their ankle and have to hobble back to the car. It only takes a wet rock so I continue. I’ve slipped in the bathtub after huge hikes more times than I can count and honestly knowing me, I would more likely sustain a serious injury in my own home.

What valuable lessons have you learned from your time spent outdoors?

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I feel like I have been lucky enough to have been outdoors a lot in my life and it is honestly my life blood, I wouldn’t know and am happy not knowing who I would be without time spent outdoors.

Perspective Shift: I remember not really liking the cold or bad weather it had this sense of being trapped inside, but some of the best waves I have ever had have come during dull wet rainy days, the best and most exciting diving came during winter with the return of clear blue water and my absolute favourite – humpback whales. Walking in the cooler months is far more enjoyable. Yet summer hikes to huge waterfalls and plunge pools is such a reward. It's about changing how you see the world and appreciating how beautiful it all is and from there that change in perspective will bleed into your daily life, changing your perspective on the mundane and the twists and turns that life will send you away.

My motto has become – even on the grey days.

It was something I had said in my head, one looking out at the most perfect little beach barrels, icy blue under a deep dark bruised sky, set against the backdrop of the Great Dividing Range. I exhaled and said even on the grey days, this is perfection. I never got the board out, I just watched and that moment is carried with me into everyday life.

Trust: Learning to trust your instincts and yourself is something I can’t stress enough. The more time alone in nature I spend the more I trust my gut. Feel like you are going the wrong way? You probably are. Feel like there’s a storm coming or rain is on the way? Nine times out of ten it has. Birds stopped singing suddenly and things feels off? The most likely are.

These moments are natural alarm bells and that pit in your stomach is there for a reason, so I have learned to listen to it even in daily life. Those moments in nature help me with every day decision making. If you can trust yourself in the wild then you can make better informed choices day to day.

Slow down and observe: Not one of my outdoor pursuits is a race, they are all there to take time to slow down and observe the world around me. Both forms of diving are about staying relaxed and walking takes as long as it takes. There is no rush to any of it; it’s about being present in the moment and observing the natural beauty of the plant we are so insanely lucky to have found ourselves on.

What are your top three tips for someone looking to start their outdoor adventures?

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Start scared: Even if you are with friends, you will likely be nervous. Doing anything new is scary, I might have snorkelled since I was 5 or 6 but starting scuba was a little scary. Going on my first hike was scary even though I had gone walking with dad since I was big enough. The point is just to take the leap and do it even if your legs shake the first time.So start being scared and build the confidence as you go.

Go alone if you have to: So no one will come with you but you really want to go see some new waterfalls or landscapes, countries or just new cafes? Just go, if you have to fool your brain into thinking it's doing something mundane then do it, but do not wait around for other people to share your passions and dreams. The likelihood is you will get to 80 years old and not have done a thing. And I’m not saying cut people out, invite people and if you are met with rejection, go alone anyway. Chances are you might meet people along the way regardless.

Take small steps to help build confidence: You don’t have to start bush-bashing, find local hikes and walks in places you feel comfortable with, start to branch out and go to new places that are further from home. My first campout solo in Australia was a coastal campground that I now use as a place to test new gear without the stress of having access to water, showers or cooking facilities. But gradually I started going to places with less and less facilities until I was in the bush on ridgelines without a solo or a drop toilet in sight.

Can you share any tricks for making the outdoors cooking easier or more enjoyable?

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Staying fit and healthy is honestly one way I found time in nature was easier and more enjoyable. I weight train three times a week and try to swim laps as much as possible, both these things help me stay in shape so when I take on longer walks with gear or head out into the ocean I am in the best mental and physical shape.

It’s not much fun trying to take on a trail or a dive after a bad night's sleep or having a big Friday night. A big focus for me recently is to show more people what is out there, trying to encourage people to come for a walk or just a little snorkel. Sometimes sharing places with other people can be more enjoyable. The shared sense of stoke is pretty magic.

Start small, you might find it alluring to jump in and go off track and will likely find that isn’t much fun with no experience. Bush bashing and getting lost are also not things I would recommend if you haven’t done too much walking to start with. No shame in starting on well formed tracks, that way you can assess what you do and don’t like. You might find that’s enough and if so keep it simple and don’t over complicate it, if like me you realise you are more and more curious, take small steps in more adventurous tracks.

What strategies do you use to stay motivated during long hikes or challenging conditions?

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During long hikes, I tend to not focus too much on the end goal and more about the step by step. Every step is essentially getting me closer to the end of the trail where I can pitch up for the night or to a waterfall where I can stop and have a swim and some lunch. It’s easy to get frustrated and want to be at the location right away but you don’t really enjoy the rest of the walk that way.

I also try not to think about coming back the following day. That just creates anxiety about something you don’t need to face till it's happening. Pause, look at where you are and go through the motions of getting back as they happen. I ultimately try to stay as present and, in the moment, as I can.

As for motivation, spending time in nature is such a source of energy for me that I know spending any amount of time in the ocean or in the mountains will improve my mood. Sometimes spending energy helps to boost low energy and I use that as a way to motivate myself to keep going outdoors as much as possible. I almost always come back better, clear headed and revived. On two occasions I have come back unwell, but that was mostly my own mistake with wrong gear for the temperatures I encountered.

How has exploring the outdoors changed your perspective on life?

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The more time I have spent in nature the more patient I feel I have become and the more I have been able to look at life through a less heavy lens. On the whole I am a pretty unserious person, and I love making others laugh as much as I can. Nature puts a lot of life into perspective and sometimes that perspective might appear melconclic and heavy but to me it’s just a reminder of how short our time is on earth and how precious it is.

It’s a reminder to say yes to things that make you scared shitless, to have new experiences and do things that one day you can look back on with a story to tell (hopefully some funny stories) not to be so paralysed by fear and uncertainty and just jump into new things. Even if you feel silly or don’t have all the answers at the start, just start.

I’ll never forget on one of my whale swims, this amazing woman had jumped into 60 meters of deep blue ocean but remained hanging to the mermaid line. I stayed with her, gave her my hand and with some pretty persistent encouragement we got her to the whales.

I like to think that she was proud of herself for taking that leap of faith and seeing them beneath her was a life changing experience.

What advice would you give to someone hesitant about spending time outdoors?

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Maybe join a friend to start with, someone who spends a lot of time in nature, it can be really refreshing to see how another person engages with a landscape you are not familiar with. You might find you learn from them and have a new appreciation for a place that you didn’t before. Try being a yes man, if someone invites you on an adventure just jump in say yes and see where it takes you.

What future outdoor goals do you have, and how do you plan to achieve them?

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At the start of each year I write a bucket list. It is usually a small collection of places I’d like to make time to dive, camp, hike and paddle each weekend depending on the weather windows. I aim to complete one of those things. Sometimes it takes time and some locations can be on the list for a few years before they happen.

It helps me to remember to have little mini adventures throughout the year. Then I make a bigger goal for the year. Last year I was camping once a month for a year, this year there is more of a focus to complete 3 multi day walks. Spending two nights in the bush is just another step but comes with new challenges and now obstacles to face, but a big part of my love for the outdoors comes from problem solving.

The plan like all my adventures is just to take it slow, wait for the moment it feels right to take the jump and keep a very close eye on weather changes. I try not to lock anything in too much and go with the flow. Obviously the multi days will require more preparation and I already attempted one this January but was met with not being able to get a taxi to the trail head only for there to be two huge storms on both nights I was supposed to be out in my tent. So, my process is the same, stay vigilant for a weather window, keep the pantry stocked for camping trips and jump when it feels right.

Looking back, how have these adventures changed you as a person?

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Spending almost all my time from childhood to adulthood has certainly left an impression. I spent a good seven years spending next to no time at all outdoors and after the move to Australia happened my life changed. My mental health improved, and I came off my antidepressants and found that nature was grounding me in a way I didn’t even realise. My whole nervous system began to heal, and I reconnected with the crazy, curious and fearless rock hopping child I had always been.

As a kid I was never really in sight, I was jumping over rocks to deep ocean rock pools catching crabs or climbing trees. As soon as I realised that I still wanted to be outdoors as an adult the rest fell into place pretty organically. I feel like getting out into nature and out to cultures and countries you are told not to as a solo woman is not only empowering for your own life, but it changes how you see the world. You come from a different place of understanding, compassion and gentleness.

The world will humble you in more ways than I could hope to list, and you learn so much about people, the world, nature and yourself. I wouldn’t be the person I am now without solo travel and seeing how others live with far less than we are fortunate to have is a huge wakeup call or pushing my comfort zones in nature. It’s made me appreciate the small things, like coming home to a meal I cooked from scratch, a hot shower when you are cold after a winter dive, my comfortable bed after a night sleeping in a tent, barista coffee on the days I am home and don’t need to light my gas stove in the wind.

It’s taught me about trusting myself, my gut, my instincts and my voice. I spent an hour in a taxi between Kuala Besut Jetty (after leaving The Perhentian Islands) to Kota Bura in Malaysia, way off the tourist trail, with no phone service with a driver that very quickly did a U turn and stopped following the signs for the city. I was paying attention and reading the road signs, thankfully my sense of direction is pretty on fire most of the time.

I called him out right away, not really knowing the implications, for all I knew he had plans to rob me or kidnap me. Trafficking is a pretty big problem in some parts of Malaysia. And there had been some stage goings on getting to the islands and while residing there for two weeks, needless to say I was already on edge.

He’d been testing the boundaries of the situation the whole time, asking if you could light a cigarette and asking personal questions about my life and family. It was the longest hour of my life and his excuse of taking a short cut because there was less police on the back roads was unsettling.

He got me to the hotel I paid but was quickly followed into my room by the bag porter who began asking if I had a husband and other uncomfortable suggestions. Safe to say in both those situations I learned to be firm, that I would not be polite but fierce. I didn’t leave my hotel room till the next morning and another taxi ride that was simply a taxi ride to the airport, no funny business. If it feels off it is.

And for the next four months I continued getting taxis and jumping on the back of motorbikes. It made me realise the importance of staying vigilant but not changing how I interact with the world.

There are countless things I have learned but keeping a quick wit, remaining aware, being fierce but kind and overall, still coming at the world from a place of curiosity over assuming the worst about every person and situation is a far more fulfilling way to exist.

What message or lesson do you hope to convey through your travels?

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I just would love for everyone to have the self belief and confidence to explore the world in whatever way, shape and form that looks like for you. You don’t have to go to extremes but challenge yourself a little bit. I spent my entire childhood highlighting my world atlas thinking about everything I wanted to see, but I had been told my whole life that I needed to be careful or to avoid places because it was dangerous, or worse still I couldn’t do those things because of the complications to my knee.

I simply didn’t buy it and still don’t. I learned my thresholds for pain, learned to use my voice in sketchy situations with other people and ultimately trust my instincts. If you just do one thing a year that gets you out of your comfort zone or off your phone, I guarantee you will learn something new about the world or about yourself. I hope to inspire people’s curiosity for what they are physically capable of.

So much of these limitations we think we have are just our minds way of keeping us in the comfortable but time and time again I’ve put myself in situations where I have been questioning if my knee is actually going to make it or if I have finally bitten off more than I can chew and for the most part I have navigated those moments from a place of clarity and calmness. I just hope people can look at my page and say why not me? If she can, what’s really stopping me? If just one person can have that moment of self reflection and start taking steps towards something new and different, then that’s enough for me.

“Poetry has been so close to my heart and a byproduct of walking that I would also love to share.”

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‘Don't put ice in your whisky

Don't water it down,

Do it with your whole heart,

Exist on the precipice of wonder,

Feel the tides of existence ebb and flow,

Adventure till your knees buckle from exhaustion,

Talk deep into the late night of star filled skies,

Love with every fibre of you soul or don't do it all,

Kiss till the walls fall to the ground,

Do it all from passion,

Not a half measure of diluted joy,

Don't put ice in your whisky’

- By Frankie (Francesca Solloway)

Frankie

Against The Odds

To continue following our explorer Frankie’s journey or simply want to reach out and say Hi, you can connect with them on the following accounts:

Instagram:

@salty.peaks.collective

Help support The Roamers Trail by following us on social media

Frankie

Against The Odds

To continue following our explorer Frankie’s journey or simply want to reach out and say Hi, you can connect with them on the following accounts:

Instagram:

@salty.peaks.collective

Help support The Roamers Trail by following us on social media

Kristel Kite

Mike