Genevieve Birch, Instrumental Music Teacher on diving into adventure a little “later in life” - multiday hiking and offtrack bushwalking; camping, and riding bikes

Episode 22! In this week’s episode, we speak with Central Queensland based, Genevieve Birch.

Genevieve and Sarah met while mountain biking but as she shares with us, Genevieve’s background is very much in music, both personally and professionally, working as an Instrumental Music Teacher. 

Genevieve chats with us about how she came to adventure a little "later" on in life, as a uni student, diving straight in with a huge multiday, guided hike in Kakadu National Park, having never even been on a day hike. She describes her training for this - filling a borrowed backpack with water bottles and walking laps of suburbia - and how this experience really was both initially confronting and ultimately life changing. We have a really fun conversation around how this first hike, inspired by a photo in a magazine in a remote Tassie pub, changed the course of her life and led her to subsequently go on so many adventures, including hiking; offtrack bush walking and mountain biking. 

Genevieve talks openly about the communities she has found through adventure, especially through bushwalking - and the culture around off track exploration and the handing down of knowledge from experienced hikers.

We also hear about Genevieve's love for bikes and how her style of riding has had to change from leaving the singletrack of the Sunshine Coast to now riding in the hot, open plains around Longreach. 

If you’re sitting at home waiting for the sign to give a new adventure or challenge a go, this is your sign.

A few other mentions in this podcast include Genevieve's bike - her Kona Unit; Lamington National Park, and we should get a podcast book club going here across the episodes - with the books, "Where Song Began" (we get the title a little wrong in the audio!) and the Nowhere Child mentioned in this episode

Ness is a wee bit noisy at the start with a plastic cone on her head after being at the vet, but she settles!

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You can find Genevieve on Instagram at @genevievepaige

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