The Women's overnight hiking skills weekend is an immersive and holistic introduction into overnight hiking.

Are you excited about the idea of overnight hiking, but feel nervous about taking the leap from day hiking? Not sure what to pack? Not sure that you'll feel safe?

Join us and a group of likeminded women for a weekend of immersion into the beautiful Northern Rivers bushland, and learn everything you need to know to get started, and get out into our beautiful natural spaces on your own.

Taking place over 2 full days, you'll learn a broad range of skills that assist with ensuring your time in nature is an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

In a supportive environment, you will learn all about the necessary gear, how to stay safe, look after your body, and have a blast whilst overnight hiking. You'll also learn about hiking nutrition and how to dehydrate your own healthy meals, so that you're not depending on processed junk food to fuel your adventures.

The Women's Overnight Hiking Skills weekend is hosted by Rewild's Scott Poad and Empowered Natural Health's Stephanie Watts.

Scott loves sharing his experience and passion for the outdoors, he thrives on encouraging others to seek out their own adventures in wild spaces.

Steph is a Brisbane based Naturopath, Nutritionist and Adventurer who is an accomplished solo female hiker. She also brings her love for nutrition, health and wellbeing and is passionate about encouraging women to explore the outdoors.

To ensure a truly holistic and complete experience, we'll be incorporating throughout the weekend a range of hiking related skills, bush craft, foraging, mindfulness activities and a optional sunrise yoga session.

What we'll cover over the weekend

Day 1 - Saturday

The morning is all about getting you ready and geared up with all the right equipment and knowledge to make your journey outdoors safe and enjoyable. It will include;

Meet and great
Route planning and research
Equipment essentials, what you need and how to pack it.
Risk management in the outdoors, 1st aid kits, emergency communications
How to deal with and treat all the bitey things - Snakes, leeches and ticks etc

After lunch (BYO) we'll get all packed up and head out from our base to our spectacular overnight campsite overlooking the Border Ranges. The hike to camp is relatively short approx 2.5km but will take a couple of hrs as on route we'll be learning about;

Fitting your pack correctly
Basic navigation with map and compass and using apps on our phones
Water collection and filtration
Foraging for wild food

Once we arrive at camp we'll cover;

Campsite selection
Setting up camp
Stretching and guided meditation
Lighting and maintaining a fire (including using a flint and steel and traditional fire lighting techniques)
Hiking Nutrition, meal preparation, including dehydrating your own meals and cooking options. We then see how this unfolds in a real world scenario as we prepare our own dehydrated meal.
Fire side bushcraft - making cordage

Day 2 - Sunday

The emphasis of the 2nd day is building on the skills and deepening our knowledge of all the the topics covered on the previous day.

Upon awakening you'll be greeted with the smell of freshly brewed coffee or tea, you'll then have the opportunity to join Steph on a guided Yoga and breathwork session. After breakfast we'll continue upskilling, you will learn;

Tips and tricks to make your journey easier and more enjoyable
Practical Snake bite management activity
How to manage personal hygiene on the trail
Revise and expand our navigation skills for the return hike
We'll have a riverside lunch on the return hike (4-5km)

When, Where and How Much?

When: Saturday 8th November 9.00am - Sunday 9th November 3.00pm

Where: Tweed Valley, Northern NSW

3034 Kyogle Rd, Kunghur, NSW

2 hrs - Brisbane City

50 mins- Coolangatta Airport

50 mins - Byron Bay

How Much:
Early bird = $495 + booking fee (if booking before 30th June)

Regular price $550 + booking fee (if booking after 1st July)

Zippay and Afterpay available

*Limited positions available. Bookings are essential.

Additional Information;

Camp - Our beautiful campsite is located on a 3500 acre private property, it features a large open grassy area with spectacular panoramic views, the site also features a hot shower, compost toilet, sink, fire pit and a large undercover area we can utilise if needed. Please note there is no power on site.

Food - We all love quality food, and just because you're out hiking doesn't mean you need to skimp on quality and taste. All meals are provided (with the exception of lunch on the Saturday). All food provided will be nutritious and delicious home prepared and dehydrated meals, these will be tailored to meet any dietary requirements. Snacks and tea and coffee are also provided.

The Hike - The focus of the weekend is around gaining the skills and confidence to take your hiking journey to the next level. Based on this we've kept the distances hiked quite short, this frees up more time for skill sharing and really focusing on what's important. Ideally you will be carrying all your own equipment for the duration of the hike, however we have the option to shuttle some gear for you to the campsite if needed.

Day 1 is approx 2.5km with a moderate hill climb. Day 2 is 4-5kms, predominately down hill.

Equipment - We understand that it can be pretty overwhelming (and expensive) when it comes to selecting suitable gear for overnight hikes. We will send out a packing list once you've registered and are able to assist with any questions. We also have a limited quantity of quality gear available for hire if you are yet to purchase your own. These can be added to your booking at checkout. ie; tents, sleeping pads, sleeping mats and backpacks.

About Us:

Scott - Owner Rewild

Somewhat obsessed with all things adventure and the outdoors. Enthusiastic peak bagger, adventure racer, mountain biker and hiker, a self diagnosed gear freak with a nack of being prepared for all eventualities.

Scott has 19 years experience as a professional and qualified outdoor educator, survival instructor and adventure guide. He is also qualified in Wilderness First Aid.

Steph - Owner Empowered Natural Health

Steph is a naturopath and nutritionist with a great love for the outdoors, and connecting with nature through immersive activities such as overnight hiking. With a strong history of solo hiking in diverse landscapes, Steph has a passion for supporting and empowering others to feel confident and at home in the bush.

In her day-to-day life, Steph works as a Naturopathic Educator, and also runs her own naturopathic clinic in Brisbane called Empowered Natural Health.

Scott & Steph, Western Arthurs traverse, Tasmania

Contact the host of Women's Overnight Hiking Skills - Weekend Workshop (Spring edition)