Outdoor - USA (2020-03)

A glorious vista in the Blue Mountains.

PICTURE CREDIT: GR/Getty Images

ED'S LETTER

NOW,PERHAPSmorethaneverbefore,

thetimeis ripeto plana full-bung

Australianadventureintothewideblue

yonder.

Toolup,gatherrations,seekintel,and

acquirewhateverit is youneedforthe

journeyaheadfroma localregionaltown

ontheperipheryof yourintended

adventureand,asthesayinggoes,just

doit.

Everyone’seyes,regardlessof whoyou

areorwhereyoulive—dueinlargepart

to theridiculousavailabilityof media-

engageddevices;phone,screen,tablets

evensomefridgesthesedays—bynow,

arewellandtrulyengaged,fullto

overload,withmoreinformationabout

wherewe’reat asa globalcommunity

thaneverbefore.

AndintheshortspaceI havehere,I’d

liketo talkaboutcommunity.

Communities,byandlarge,area

f leeting,amorphously-formingseriesof

impermanentgroupsthateachof usjoin

andexiteveryday.Whenwedriveto

work,we,fora moment,becomepartof

theroad-usingcommunity.If insteadwe

catcha train,thenwearepartof the

publictransport-usingcommunity.

Everytimewetravelsomewhere;to a

cragora trailhead,wearethrustintoa

co-operativecommunitygroupthatwe

relyonforsafety,funand,hopefully,

hassle-free,helpfulaidtowardsrealising

andenjoyinganenrichingadventure.

Inmyexperience,and I’m sure I’m not

alonehere,thebestsense of community,

a realold-fashionedrecognition of the

valueinhelpingyourfellow man or

woman,existsinourregional

communities.Urbanareas can be cold

isolatingplaces,regardless of their

hustleandbustle.Community spirit,

sadly,is becomingharder to find in the

areaswheremostof uschoose to live.

It’sforthisreasonwhy, this year,

Outdooris goingto make a concerted

effortto learnmoreabout the real

natureof communityspirit, and the

ethosof whichourregions are the

naturalcustodians.

Thespacebetweenthese two known

communities—urbanand regional — is

theunknownworld;of society in general

letlooseto thepernicious onset of

modernity.Cananonymity within the

vastnessof theglobalsociety become too

impersonal,causingsome to cascade

overboardintocrime,intolerant

partisanshipandanti-social violence?

Andis thisa harbingerfor a society to

enactwaronanother?

Thisyear,Outdoorwill be striving to

connectallwholiveinour urban areas,

andthosewhovisitfrom similar places

overseas,withthethriving, enriching,

timelessandpowerfulsense of

communitythatis aliveand well in our

stunningregionaltownships.

AaronFlanagan

Editor

Headlong into a wide

open future

6 / Outdoor