Hikezilla Turns 5 - A Reflection

This blog was posted in the old hikezilla website

Quick Stats:

Total Official Events Hosted: 154

2020 – The Beginning

I started hosting meetups for Sydney Hiking (now Hikezilla) in June 2020, fresh out of the first lockdown of the COVID pandemic. At the time, I just wanted to find people to hike with — and maybe help others feel a little more comfortable in the outdoors. I wasn’t exactly Bear Grylls back then. I didn’t have much experience with the bush, finding trails, or planning multiday hikes. The early hikes were simple, well-marked tracks — the kind where you couldn’t really get lost unless you tried.

I was 25. Leading people — many older and probably more experienced than me — felt slightly terrifying. I wasn’t that fit either, so the idea of being the slow one on my own hike? Terrifying and humbling.

I met Qazi on that hike — my first hiking buddy. To this day, we’re still friends, catching up regularly over dinner. He’s joined countless Hikezilla hikes over the years.

In the beginning, I hosted a lot of walks in Ku-ring-gai Chase, Royal National Park, and Sydney Harbour National Park. It was about getting fitter and building a community. Then I met Albert in July 2020 — my first co-leader. We hosted Lindeman Pass and the Six Foot Track in a day.

In October 2020, I hosted my first ever multiday hike in Brisbane Water National Park. That’s when I bought my first (and still only) PLB. It was mostly regulars on that trip — Bob, Qazi, Taz, Nav, Ellie, Simon.

Later that year, I met Rob. Together, we organised our first end-of-year trip: Kosciuszko National Park. About ten of us tackled Hannel Spur track — from Geehi Campground to the summit and down via Dead Horse Gap. Took 13 hours.

2021 – The Covid V2

This year saw a lot of on-track stuff as I continued to build fitness and push into the Blue Mountains — especially the Wild Dog Mountains. Over Easter, I led a multiday to the Budawangs. Shortly after, we hit Bungonia, tackled the Red Track, and camped out.

In June, I led my first snow shoe multiday hike through the Kozi backcountry with nine of us. Plenty of snow. It was a proper winter wonderland.

To wrap up 2021, we tackled a 12-hour Wild Dogs expedition. End-of-year trip? The Victorian Alps. Day one of the Viking Loop was… a mess, but overall: epic.

2022 – America & NZ

This was my New York year. From -25°C in the Catskills to sweaty long summer treks through Harriman State Park.

In August, our group completed Oxfam Trailwalker in 32+ hours. November? We did an international trip to New Zealand with loads of day hikes.

Wrapped the year in the Grampians doing the GPT. It was a scorcher, so we had to do early starts.

2023 – Inflated Ego creeping in

I zoned in this year. Signed up for UTA100 and trained hard. My weight dropped significantly, but I went out too hard at UTA100 and blew up around 70km. Still finished, but barely.

Team Hikezilla signed up for Oxfam again and raised over $7k for charity! End of year? Western Arthurs. Let’s just say… also not my proudest moment.

2024/2025 – Humbling down

Years four and five. The tone of my hosted hikes changed — no more ultra-long, high elevation sufferfests. Instead, I focused on off-trail adventures — the kind that encourage exploration, route-finding, and problem-solving. Slower, scrappier, bushier.

Some of these include Mt Caley & Glenbrook Creek, Russell Needle & Troy’s Creek, and McLean’s Pass. We did a snow trip up to Kozi summit in August and another international trip to New Zealand.

Thoughts on leadership

In the early days, I led with heart. It was never about the peak. It was about the people. But something changed as I got stronger and ego crept in. During the 2023 Oxfam Trailwalker, I went solo, leaving my team behind. Later that year in Tasmania, I rushed ahead and two hikers ended up stranded, with one needing an airlift due to hypothermia.

These experiences made me pause. Leadership isn’t about pace — it’s about presence. It is what you do when someone’s struggling at the back, or when the weather turns and you make the right call for everyone.

What’s Next for Hikezilla & Me

I’ve climbed my share of peaks — now I live for getting others there. It’s about opening the outdoors to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or background. I’ll be hosting more multiday hikes and car camping trips to lesser-known spots. I’m shifting gears to weave my passion for the outdoors around the rest of life, including real connections and family.