The Moab FST Adventure

 

2016 has been an interesting year for me so far. I think it has something to do with the age I am at in my life but it feels like I’m torn between being a kid and having fun or starting to grow up and think about my future.

 

Earlier on this year I made the decision to move out of home and live in my van, I guess to try and create a lifestyle that suits both my needs of work and play. I don’t need to pay rent or worry about having to be ‘home’ because my home is now wherever I wish it to be. But sooner or later the dream of not working and just adventuring all the time starts to catch up with you and you realise you need to pay to play. Merrell were kind enough to send me a pair of their brand new hiking shoes (The Moab FST) for me to take along with me on my adventures in return for some images, which really comes in handy when you’re after the best gear out there but you have the budget of a jobless 20 year old.

 

 

It’s a strange thing freedom. When you’re busy you have all these ideas of great things you wish to be doing but sometimes just being able to do nothing in a nice environment is all you need. But sometimes I find that I can’t relax, I can’t switch off and the harder I try to do nothing the more I want to do something amazing.  I was having one of those days. It was midweek, all my mates were at work, it was pouring with rain, the surf was terrible. I was searching my brain for ideas of what I could do but I couldn’t think of anything.

 

Almost as if a sign I received a text message from my mum which read “Those hiking shoes have arrived. Sunday roast tonight please be home xx”. I quickly jumped into the drivers seat and made my way home (I was getting my mail delivered there due to lack of a shipping address).

 

I walked through the front door, gave mum a hug before retiring to my room on the hunt for the delivery I had been eagerly awaiting. It’s strange how technology has changed, I remember I used to get so excited whenever I received an email and it wasn’t really a big deal when I received a letter but now it’s the opposite. As I walked around my room testing out my fresh new shoes my mind started to wonder to where I could take them to test them out. As I paced around my room I glanced out my window, noticing the far mountain to the north of my house had a small dust of snow on its peak. I’d been meaning to get up there, so I decided that would be my first adventure in my new acquired hiking shoes.

 

 

Just like any rainy day in Tasmania, there’s always the chance that the clouds will subside, the sun will poke its head out and the day will go from miserable to stunning in only minutes. This day was not one of those days. As I was making my way up the first incline of my walk I noticed a little stream of water running down the side of the track, nothing out of the ordinary as it had been raining on and off all day, so I continued on upwards. I climbed and climbed, and the rain kept getting heavier and heavier. I was about 40 minutes into the walk at this stage and the rain had grown to the point where I needed to take shelter under a man fern as I decided whether I would keep on going or call it quits. My entire body was dripping wet, but when I looked down at my feet and wriggled my toes upon one another I noticed both my feet were 100% dry.

 

I smiled to myself thinking that the shoes were the reason I was where I was at that point in time and kept going to the top of the mountain. I literally could not take a photo that day, as by the time I reached the summit I couldn’t get my camera out of my bag without getting it wet. But I won’t forget that day for a long time, the clouds rolled through the valleys that surrounded me and the falling rain danced on the ground around me. I made my way back down, the small stream of water I noticed on the way up was now steady rapid but still no dramas for my new adventure walkers.

 

 

Since that trip I have spent almost 2 months going on several different trips, always wearing my trusty Merrell’s and I still haven’t found a terrain or environment where they haven’t suited. From walking into Ship Stern Bluff, to hiking Mt Amos, or running away from an angry bull, even the occasional skate when I’ve forgotten my skate shoes! These shoes are the most versatile shoe I’ve ever worn!

 

Written by | Nick Green – nickgreenphoto.com
Learn more about Nick and follow his travels on Facebook // Instagram
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