BACK ON TRACK
RESCUED HIKER VOWS TO RETURN:
RESCUED Tasmanian bushwalker Andrew Gaskell is preparing to brave the wilderness again – but this time he will be on home turf and fully prepared.
The former Cairns engineer is back in Tasmania after weeks spent recovering in Malaysia following his near-death hiking adventure.
The 26-year-old was lost in a Malaysian mountain range for nearly two weeks in October, surviving on a handful of scavenged jungle fruit and ferns.
Mr Gaskell, who is living with his parents in Hobart, has regained most of his lost body weight and is working on his fitness in preparation for walking through Tasmania’s southwest wilderness later this month.
The structural engineer spent almost four years in Cairns before moving to Malaysia last year.
He will head to south-east Asia again this year for a holiday but said he had no plans to return to the Far North yet.
He said Cairns’ humid weather made it easy for him to adjust to the Malaysian climate before he went missing.
“My time in Cairns was great actually. I really enjoyed the laid-back vibe and people are very friendly up there,” he said. “I’d love to come back and visit at some point but I’ve got nothing planned at the moment.”
What he does have planned is his first bushwalk since being lost in Malaysia. This time Mr Gaskell will be taking plenty of food, a compass, a map and GPS equipment. His father, David, will also accompany him.
Mr Gaskell said his 13 days alone in the jungle had taught him a valuable life lesson.
“Obviously, I’ve learnt to be properly prepared,” he said.
“Definitely taking navigational equipment is something I will be doing in future.”
Mr Gaskell has been in Hobart since December 8, gaining his strength and writing a book about his Malaysian experiences.
His feet still bear scars from maggots which ate into his flesh during his ordeal and he is undergoing physiotherapy to a hand he injured when he tripped while looking for a way out of the jungle.
But his body weight is almost back to its usual 60-plus kilogram range, having dipped to below 40kg when he was found gaunt and emaciated by rescuers on November 1.
Despite his period spent lost in the jungle, Mr Gaskell said he was still drawn to hiking and its challenges.
“I find being out in nature really attractive because you get away from technology and the distractions of the modern world,” he said.
He said he liked the physical challenge of hiking.