Hiking Australia: Volume 1 – Before You Go
A practical guide to preparation, planning, and decision-making before you step onto the trail.
Most hiking incidents don’t begin on the trail. They begin with decisions made long before the day starts.
Before You Go focuses on the preparation that shapes how a hike will unfold. It examines how hikers choose routes, interpret forecasts, plan for changing conditions, and carry assumptions from one environment into another.
In Australian conditions, small planning errors rarely feel significant at the time. But they accumulate quietly, reducing your margin for error as the day progresses. This book helps you build preparation that holds under pressure, not just plans that look good on paper.
Start with Volume 1
Available on Amazon →
Paperback and Kindle editions available across regions.
Start here to build preparation that holds under pressure.
Hiking Australia: Volume 2 – On the Trail
A practical guide to movement, awareness, and decision-making in real conditions.
Preparation does not end at the trailhead. It is tested in motion.
On the Trail focuses on what happens once you are in the environment, where conditions change, decisions become immediate, and the gap between plan and reality must be managed in real time.
It explores how hikers move through terrain, interpret environmental signals, manage energy and navigation, and respond to the small changes that precede most incidents.
Rather than focusing on extreme situations, it addresses the ordinary moments where decisions matter most, and where outcomes are quietly determined.
Designed for Australian conditions, this book helps you maintain margin as conditions begin to shift.
Continue with Volume 2
Available on Amazon →
Paperback and Kindle editions available across regions.
Continue with Volume 2 to apply these decisions in real conditions.
What these books do
Explain how hiking incidents actually develop
Show how small decisions accumulate over time
Build a structured approach to preparation and execution
Shift focus from what to carry to how to think
These are not guidebooks. They are a way of understanding how situations form, and how to respond to them.
Who they are for
Hikers who want to move beyond basic safety advice
Bushwalkers who want to improve decision-making in real conditions
People who have experience, but want to understand what is actually happening on the trail
Anyone interested in how small decisions shape outcomes
Where this fits
Most hiking advice focuses on gear.
Some focuses on skills.
Very little explains how decisions actually unfold over time.
Before You Go addresses preparation.
On the Trail addresses execution.
Together, they form a connected system for understanding how hiking situations develop, and how to manage them before they escalate.
For more, visit this guide on the Hiking Safety Systems Framework →
Publication Details
First edition
First release 2026
Author: Darren Edwards
Published by Trail Hiking Australia
Melbourne, Australia
All material on this website and in associated downloadable publications is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, republished, or redistributed without prior written permission from Darren Edwards. For full details, please refer to the Terms of Use, Copyright and Title of Ownership information.
