Into the Wee Hours Podcast

As this goes to air, Sarah will be far away, out of range, (hopefully not drinking out of too many cattle troughs), mid-way through a 700km solo and unsupported bikepacking adventure in the outback!

The day before Sarah headed off, Kristen took the mic to interview Sarah about this mission through Queensland's Central Highlands region on her self-mapped and spontaneously self-named "Sandstone Wilderness 700" route.

This one is for all of you who are curious about planning your own adventure as Sarah gives her tips on how she plans routes and considerations for bikepacking trips. (Although perhaps stay tuned for the follow up episode to see what worked and may have not!)

You can find Sarah on Instagram @allthegearnaeidea where she will be updating periodically.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review if you are enjoying the podcast. Thank you!

Gear mentions :

Garmin Fenix 6 - https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/702902

Garmin Edge 530 - https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/621224

Garmin In-Reach - https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/personal/

GoPro - https://gopro.com/en/au/shop/cameras/hero9-black/CHDHX-901-master.html

Curve GMX+ - https://www.curvecycling.com.au/products/gmx-plus-bikepacking-bike

Route planning mentions :

Ride with GPS - https://ridewithgps.com/

Strava - https://www.strava.com

Google Earth - https://earth.google.com/web/

Places mentioned :

Blackdown Tableland National Park - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/blackdown-tableland

Carnarvon Gorge National Park - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/carnarvon-gorge

Terra Australis Backpacking Event - https://bikepacking.com/event/terra-australis-bike-epic-2021/

Spirit of the Outback (train) - https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/railexperiences/ourtrains/spiritoftheoutback

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Dr Rowan Brookes. A humble, adventurous, inspiring powerhouse of a woman.

Sarah met Rowan while racing the Rapid Ascent, Run Larapinta stage race in 2018 (not 2019 as she says in the intro) and it was an absolute privilege for us to share this time in conversation with Rowan.

This one is for all of the mothers; the wives; the endurance athletes; the adventurers; the injured; the academics and scientists; the environmentally conscious and the “everyday” activists. These are just a few of the incredibly insightful themes we touch on with Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, based, Rowan Brookes. 

Rowan shares with us how pivotal the outdoors has been in shaping her life since her first experience on an Outward Bound program as a teenager facing mental health challenges. She has since built an incredible adventure and athletic resume, covering ultra distance trail running; bikepacking; adventure racing and multiday hiking, amongst others. We mention a series of Rowan’s achievements, and in particular touch on the bikepacking route, the Victoria Divide 550 and her recent solo, self supported through hike of the 223km long Larapinta Trail. We also talk about Rowan's 250km Great South West Walk run and her initiative, Tread Lightly for Change. You can read more about this and see some beautiful images, on the We are Explorers site here.

In spite of not being long off the Larapinta Trail multiday adventure, this is also one for those of you navigating the challenges of a sustained  COVID-19 lockdown. Rowan talks about navigating this new pandemic era and how she has adapted her training and her approach to planning adventures; all while being a mother of three; an academic; a leadership educator and changemaker. 

Rowan was the 2016 Telstra Victorian Public Sector and Academia Award Winner and we reference her incredible acceptance speech, which you can view here, including a tale of her adrenaline fuelled (and not strictly legal) bridge jumping experiences in New Zealand!

You can find Rowan on Instagram @rowanbrookes

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review if you're enjoying the podcast. Thank you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our first ever remote podcast interview! In this episode we have a lively conversation with the awesome everyday adventurer, Oregon based, Hannah Russell.

Hannah is in fact Kristen's sister. Not only is she a really interesting human; she was also a great tester for trying out our remote interview set up; not to mention one of few people who we'd ask to sit in a closet in 40 degree heat for the sake of sound quality - thank you Hannah! The quality improves after the 15 minute mark so please bear with it!

At 27, Hannah has been on some epic international adventures with her partner, Chris, and a solid crew of friends, snowboarding and surfing all over the world. As our first US guest, we also talk a little about how COVID has impacted life across the pond, including remote working for Patagonia. 

Adventure themes like "failed" adventures; the importance of "showing up" to kick start adventures, in addition to managing injury (especially as Hannah was a week out from a recent ankle surgery), all form a part of this fun conversation. 

The book Sarah references is Yvon Chouinard's "Let my People Go Surfing".

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Seven. Luke Pryor, Ultra Distance Trail Runner, Clinical & Performance Pyschologist, FKT Challenger & Tiny Home Dweller. 

This episode is a really interesting catch up with Luke Pryor, talking all things endurance, psychology and running as a metaphor for life. 

Luke shares his origin story with us and we find out how he came from a childhood on an 100 acre farm in Victoria to now, living in a newly built “tiny home” in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. As a Clinical and Performance Psychologist, Luke sheds light on some fundamentals of Performance Psychology and their application for athletes and adventurers alike, including the practices of Mindfulness, Gratitude and Compassion.

Luke also shares his plans to set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the 210km Goldfields Track and we dig into the “why” of these enormous endurance challenges. 

Unfortunately we were again hit by some distracting popping in the background of the audio and we hope you persevere and listen to this, as Luke shares some really valuable insights. 

He references the book “Self Compassion” by Kristin Neff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Kristen take the time to check in after the first five episodes. Topics covered include their reflections on the podcast journey so far; a laugh at the little interview habits which are creeping in and life lessons being learned from podcasting. 

They also share a very honest check in with each other on life; including Sarah’s experience so far in hypnotherapy and Kristen’s interest in beekeeping with her husband, Phil. Plus a look at how training is going for Sarah's bike packing goal, The Hunt 1000 and Kristen's 100km trail running goal, Blackall 100. 

We round up the conversation with an all important update on our trail dogs, Bear, Moose and Ness and find out about our own “wildest wees” in the spirit of the podcast so far!

Apologies for the popping sound in the background - still learning the ropes and we hope it’s not too distracting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode isn’t just for trail runners! Finland born, Sunshine Coast resident, Cecilia Mattas came in to chat to us about all things running and adventure. 

Being conscious that she has appeared on other podcasts talking in depth about her victory at UTA 100, we touch on this briefly, however focus more on her incredibly interesting athletic background in soccer and “swim run” - open water swimming between islands and running in her wetsuit! 

Cecilia also shares her experience of her first ever fastpacking adventure on Tasmania’s epic South Coast Track, with her partner Tom. She gives us great insights into what life is like, performing at an elite level, while working full time and leading an incredibly busy life outside of running. We love you Cecilia!

You can find Cecilia on Instagram @ceciliamattas

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Kristen have a great chat with Sunshine Coast local, Matt Wilkins. Matt is co-owner of Mountain Bike Coaching Australia and his adventure resume extends well beyond mountain biking, . 

Matt has paddled the Bass Strait from mainland Australia to Tasmania; placed third at Trans Continental, riding self supported from London to Istanbul and completed (and failed) numerous other adventures in Australia and overseas. 

We cover how Matt’s childhood informed his attitude to riding bikes and adventuring as an adult; weird places he has slept on multiday missions; solo versus shared adventures; the learnings that come from attempting and failing on adventures and managing the “selfish” nature of preparation for huge expeditions while balancing (or not balancing!) relationships and the rest of life.

Matt is pretty elusive online but you can check out his business account at @mtbcoachingaus

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, in the intro to this podcast, Sarah and Kristen said they would be elevating the voice of the everyday adventurer. Instead, they jumped in at the deep end with an awesome conversation with world class Australian Adventure Photographer and Director, Krystle Wright.

Sarah and Kristen speak to Krystle from her current home base on the Sunshine Coast, before she embarks on a solo mission across Australia to one of her dream locations, The Kimberley, in her newly decked out LandCruiser. Sarah and Kristen talk all things solo and team adventure; risk; travel; the “5 types of fun” and the reset that the global pandemic has offered a typically nomadic, international professional photographer and adventurer.

You can find Krystle online and see her incredible work at @krystlejwright on Instagram and www.krystlewright.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to another episode of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast!

In this second intro episode, our host, Sarah Pendergrass, interviews fellow host, Kristen Vautin.

The vision for this show was to get to know Kristen and to understand her background coming into the Into the Wee Hours Podcast.

Kristen is a proud accomplice of the Into the Wee Hours Podcast, supporting Sarah's adventure business, Into the Wee Hours. Kristen is originally from America, now a resident of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Kristen loves all things adventuring on her two feet and is excited to get to know others who share a passion for the outdoors. You can find her online on her personal account at @kristenvautin on Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first ever Into the Wee Hours podcast episode!

In this intro episode, our host, Kristen Vautin, interviews fellow host, Sarah Pendergrass.

The vision for this show was to get to know Sarah and to understand more the idea and intention behind the Into the Wee Hours Podcast.

Sarah is owner of the adventure business, Into the Wee Hours. She’s originally from Scotland; now resident on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and is extremely passionate about all things adventuring outdoors. You can find her online on her personal account at @allthegearnaeidea or through the business @intotheweehours and www.intotheweehours.com 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.