Even if the future of tramping belongs to no one person or group, it’s in good hands. 

In recent issues we’ve read about university tramping clubs and how they are often the most popular clubs on campus (see ‘Tramping through a higher education’, March 2024). And this month we read of ‘Tomorrow’s trampers’ (p36), who are school and university-aged trampers doing normal and yet also remarkable things outdoors. 

We hear continuously of the very real struggles of young people in a world increasingly lived online and dominated by ‘social media’ (is it social to sit alone or silently in groups scrolling your phone, sharing photos and thoughts but not experiences?), so to learn of so many teens and twenty-somethings who are finding meaning and experiences outdoors is a refreshing take on the ‘youth of today’. 

These young people are smart, thoughtful, able to communicate and share how important and vital outdoor experiences are, and not only for themselves. 

At a time when fast-track legislation threatens to undo generations of activism and effort to create a conservation estate with boundless recreation opportunities – and that is the envy of the world – it’s more important than ever to hear from the next generation of outdoor users who are already inspiring others and hiking their own paths.

This month I invite you to turn to the last page of the magazine, where you will find a 600km progress tracker. If you thought it was too late to join the Walk1200km challenge (news flash: it’s never too late), then this cut-down version is for you. Start now, and come January 2025 you’ll be ready to join us in the full Walk1200km challenge. Don’t delay, do something amazing over the next few months.