Birder and Hiker Lynne Martin joins Paradis Pros!

September 07, 2023

We are so excited to welcome Lynne Martin to the team! Lynne lives near the Gold Coast in Australia, and works at Wild Earth, an awesome outdoor store that carries Paradis Sport at both of its outposts in Burleigh Heads and Brisbane. This is a second career for Lynne, who raised four kids as a single mom while working as a registered nurse and midwife in charge of an antenatal clinic. She now spends as much time as possible adventuring in Australia and in far-flung places all over the world, often thru-hiking and birding. It’s no wonder that she now has the guts and tenacity to tackle some of the world's greatest trekking challenges!

Lynne is also an ambassador for Wild Earth, which means she brings gear from the store to test on her travels as part of her job. In April/May ‘23 she brought the Paradis Sport seamless line with her on one of the most famous multi-day hikes in the world - the Camino de Santiago. Lynne hiked all 800 km (500 miles) across Spain from the French border to Santiago in 36 days, and then hiked an additional 4 days to arrive at the Atlantic Ocean. Her goal was to do the whole hike consecutively in 40 days, and she accomplished it!

We are so inspired by Lynne’s adventurous spirit. She did not begin birding and hiking until she was in her fifties and her youngest child was somewhat independent. She now hits the trail with friends and fellow ambassadors, traveling all over Australia in her camper named Marj. Lynne embraces a “try anything” attitude and her can-do approach has gotten her out of some tight situations on the trail. She recalled one adventure to a remote part of the Northern Territory of Australia that is protected by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). There, she and her colleague and friend Judith were monitoring bird species near a massive fenced area that was built to protect endangered animals from feral pests. Lynne and Judith got their 4WD Landcruiser stuck in the sand and had to dig it out themselves, then change a flat tyre. In these moments she tells herself “There is a way to do it.”

Birding has made Lynne so attuned to her surroundings and has opened her eyes to the delicate balance of species and habitats in the natural world. She contributes to an app called “eBird,” and she also competed in the global ‘Bird a Day’ challenge that requires users to enter a new bird species every day. Lynne got to 300 consecutive days - quite a feat, and only feasible through her travel. She also cites Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s e-bird as a rich source of information on birds, and she is constantly learning from and contributing to its citizen science program.

Lynne’s extensive knowledge of gear for trekking makes her the ideal ambassador for Paradis Sport. She loved wearing our seamless line on the Camino, saying that they stayed in place and held up beautifully even under the most extreme conditions. Lynne enjoys helping customers at Wild Earth find all their necessary items for thru-hiking and can tell them, from first-hand experience, what will serve them well when they are living out of a pack for one, four, or sometimes twelve weeks. See some great photos from Lynne’s time on the Camino below, as well as her packing list.

Welcome to the team, Lynne! We can’t wait to follow along on your upcoming trips. Next up: A birding trip at a sanctuary in Cunnamula, a town in West Queensland that is bisected by a road called “Adventure Way.” How fitting!