Wednesday 31 July 2013

The lazy half of July

Having put in such a tremendous effort during the first half of the month I felt that it was best to keep up a reasonable level of activity ahead of the Coast to Coast walk.

Saturday July 13 saw me helping #1 son with pruning of his many fruit trees. Having had a sluggish start to the day the afternoon was strenuous and involved a lot of stretching upwards as well as twisting. Needless to say I felt pretty stiff on Sunday morning.

After I got home from the pruning I did a slowish walk through our suburb. It is easy to find walks of around 10km on paths with reasonable light and I took advantage of this.

On Sunday afternoon (July 14) I walked down to the gym, did a session to help relieve the stiff bits and walked home via the Village. All up I did a little over 14km. Not bad for an easy day. The right glute is still a bit of a pain from time to time. I'll have to be careful to stretch the glutes at the end of each days walking to prevent it from becoming a real problem. On the last few days it has taken me the best part of 3km to warm up. I need to do better than that so will need to work on management strategies and try them out over the coming weeks and there are only six weeks to go before we leave.

The drizzle of Sunday returned overnight and Monday was a grey, damp day although it never really rained. I booted up and put on my rain jacket, but not rain pants, and did a leisurely 7km walk. At least today there were no body bits that talked to me.

The rest of the week continued to be damp and I spent most of the week wearing my boots. There were puddles across paths and muddy spots, too, so the boots were a better option than runners.

All the birds are making mating moves. The fairy wrens are colouring up and the scrubwrens have been very active. It won't be long before the magpies start on their annual swooping campaign as they protect their nests and their offspring.

The forecast for the weekend was for miserable weather. This goes along with the rest of the week. However, by the middle of the day on Saturday (20th) the rain had cleared and the sun had come out and the few clouds were white and fluffy. After lunch I decided to take advantage of the improved weather and headed off to Lanyon Marketplace, a 6km walk from the Tuggeranong Town Centre, my starting point. I made good time and arrived at my intended destination just before the heavens opened up and a heavy shower hit. It was a good time to take a break and grab a drink. Once the rain cleared I headed back to the town centre. There was an occasional shower however the wind proved to be more of a problem as it was gusty into my face and bitterly cold. A stop at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome allowed me refuel and put my jumper back on under my jacket before walking the final 6km home. All up it was an 18.74km walk with a modest 126m elevation gain.  

The forecast for Sunday (August 21) was for snow down to 700m. Fortunately the day was not as miserable as the weather forecasters had predicted. The wind had a sharp edge to it but otherwise it was not too bad as long as you were rugged up. After lunching at Mawson I headed for Mt Taylor, a climb up and down the Richmond Fellowship Track, and then home. Nearing the top of the track I came across a number of small birds, some that I had not come across before. I did have my newly acquired camera with me, with its 10x zoom (I probably needed 100x zoom to get photos of these flighty little creatures) however the birds were not co-operative and I didn't manage to get any shots of them. I did take some photos of the ferns and mosses and lichens that are prevalent on Mt Taylor.



As for the bird life ... well that needed to wait for another day.

Monday July 22 was another miserable day. At times the sun shone but the wind remain blustery and fridged. Still, rugged up against the cold wind the day could be viewed as pleasant.

Starting out from Woden I headed towards Mt Taylor past the Chifley shops. I walked clockwise around the mountain until I reached the Richmond Fellowship Track and climbed up towards the summit at a fairly slow pace as I was on the lookout for birds, particularly elusive, small ones.

On the way up the track I came across a couple of tiny wattles that were already in full bloom.



On this eastern part of the mountain Weeping She Oaks are prevalent.

Here is an example of one of the more mature She Oaks that can be found on Mt Taylor.


Here is a younger She Oak, buffeted by the wind, with Woden Valley in the background.
She Oaks can be recognised by their leaf form and their cones (see next photo for more detail of the cones)



As for the birds that I had seen in the She Oaks ... they proved to be difficult to capture. Perhaps next time I will have more success.

Trevor and I continued to keep an eye out for the small birds however they proved to be elusive. Large birds were certainly in evidence but not the little ones that we were trying to identify.

With only a month to go before we leave on our walk we have both continued to get in as much walking as we can with elevation gains thrown in. 

During July Trevor and I have done some bird spotting. Ignoring the bigger birds, the magpies, carrawongs, crows and various parrots, it has been the little birds that we have set out to identify. The little devils keep popping up and just asking to be considered. Easier said than done. We have both been out with camera at the ready in the hope of getting a photo or two of these smaller feathered offerings. As the small birds tend to flit around much more than the larger birds this was challenging. In the end we have identified various wrens, fairy wrens, scrubwrens, robins and weebills. These small birds have turned up in a variety of places, including our street!

On Sunday 28th I refereed a swim meet. That effectively cut out any walks for the day. The 14.7km I walked on Monday went a little way towards redressing the lack of walking pm Sunday.

After such an impressive start to the month I did continue to put in a number of reasonable days walking. In the end my stats for July look pretty good.

Distance: 500.51km
Caolories: 21,807
Elevation gained: 8951m

Yep, not bad.

I hope that this has put me in good stead for the Coast to Coast walk which only a month away.

Friday 12 July 2013

Oh July ... mid winter ... trialling the Coast to Coast walk

July has arrived. It can be a pleasant month as long as you are prepared to rug up before venturing out. The weather can be fine and sunny throughout the day with cold, frosty starts. It can be unpleasant if it rains or the fog rolls in and stays for most of the day.

Monday 1 July

It was a cool start this morning with persistent cloud. The afternoon was fine and sunny. By 4 o'clock it was quite chilly in the shade but pleasant in the sun.

I left home just before 4 o'clock and walked the 6kms to the gym to work on my shoulders, arms and back. The legs have been getting a good workout with all of the walking. The rest of the body needs to get some balancing exercise.

There was a surprising number of people out and about on both the walk to and from the gym. Gosh I wish they would fix the lights on the path between the southern look of O'Halloran Circuit and home. When there is cloud cover it is too dark to walk without a torch. There are lights all the way along the path but none of them is currently operating.

After dinner I headed out and did the Marconi Crescent walk. The night was quite cool and fog was already forming. Still, suitably clothed, it was a pleasant stroll.

Distance today: 17.12km with a mere 111m of elevation gain.

Tuesday 2 July 

I had a mad though this morning taht I should trial the Coast to Coast walk in terms of distance and elevation gained. Rather than start on a Tuesday I figured that I could backdate it to Sunday. After all we will be starting our walking on a Sunday when we do the real thing.

So, Sunday was day 1. C2C is 22.4km and an elevation gain of 685m. I did 27.49km so was ahead on distance but short on elevation gain as I only did 491m.

On Monday, C2C is again 22.4km with an elevation gain of 530m. I did 17.12km but a mere 111m elevation gain. Oops, I'm really behind on the climbing. Still, I wasn't thinking about comparative hikes until today.

Day 3 of the C2C is a mere 16km and 530m elevation gain. I finally got ahead of the game with 23.35km and 554m gain.

So, what did I do? I walked home from Woden with a circuit and a half of Mt Taylor and a climb up and down the Richmond Fellowship Track. All up this was over 17km. The day was foggy and it remained that way all day. The kangaroos were all on the lower slopes which seems to suggest that they thought the fog would clear from there first so they were probably disappointed. After dinner I did the Marconi Crescent walk with a km extension.

Wednesday 3 July

Another foggy day. It was very cold as I left to walk to the gym and a definite incentive to walk fast. I think it was the fastest time that I have had walking between home and the gym. After my PT session I did some shopping before heading home and made a very fast return time. The sun was trying to break through and finally did although the air temperature remained quite cool.

Just on midday I drove, yes ... in the car, to the Mannheim Street entrance to the Mt Taylor nature park. The target was 3 ascents and I was fitting this in before Astrid arrived for her regular Wednesday afternoon with us. All up this took 6.58km with 488m of elevation gain. Not bad for 2 hours of haring up and down the mountain.

I did go down to the Village with Astrid during teh afternoon although that adds less than 2kms to the tally. After dinner I did the Marconi Crescent walk which at least added 4km and 38m to the days effort.

C2C on day 4 is 12.8km and 505m gain. My effort was 25.59km and 616m gain. I'm well ahead on distance (20.0km to be exact), for the moment, but still 478m behind on elevation gain. I now understand how Antony felt last year when he was trying to ride the same elevation gain as the Tour de France competitors. Challenged!

Thursday 4 July

Today was always going to be a challenge. Firstly, there was Astrid's swimming lesson ... a must see event. Then, my session at the family history centre followed going to the Swimming ACT office to check on mail and email. Finally, I had a phone hook up and needed to check that I would be able to connect this time as last time I failed miserably. So, all in all, a problematic day for walking.

I had thought about listing the day as a rest day but then thought "nah!" so once I thought that I would be able to connect in to the phone hookup I set off to do a quick walk up Mt Taylor. It was getting dark as I made the climb up the Colquhoun track and was it was difficult to see as I came down the Mannheim Street path - the one I deemed the safest in the poor light. Yes, I could have used my torch but then I would have had to stop and get it out of my backpack! I did manage 7.7km with an elevation gain of 254m.

Friday 5 July

It was another fairly cool morning. Overnight the wind had rattled the doors it woke me up early. I was hoping to get in 32km today and 1000m of elevation gain so an early start was for the best.

The first walk of the day was to Mt Taylor. Where else, you might ask? I headed up the Colhuoun track to the trig point. As I trudged up the track I saw a movement to my side and was surprised to find a kangaroo standing right next to the track. He was probably as surprised as I was but didn't hop away. He just watched me trudge past. I took the Mannheim Street track down and then went along the southern side along the Sulwood fire trail, leaving the park by the Colquhoun Street gate and headed for the Village as I needed to get a script filled. While waiting for the script I indulged in a coffee and coissant.
 
At 11 o'clock I headed out again. This time I tracked along the southern side of Mt Taylor and went up the Mannheim Street track then down the Richmond Fellowship track before heading down to Woden to meet Trevor for lunch. The wind was quite fickle. Sections of the mountain were sheltered and pleasant. Other areas were like a wind tunnel.

By the time I got to Woden I had clocked up about half of my target distance and climbing.

With lunch out of the way it was back to Mt Taylor. The climb up from Woden to the ring track around the mountain is over 100m so a useful addition to the climbing tally. From the bottom of the Richmond Fellowship track to Woden and back is a little over 6km so a good distance addition, too.

The climb up the Richmond Fellowship track had its moments. In some places it was calm and sunny while others were racked by very strong winds. once up the top I sought shelter amongst some rocks and had a short rest before heading down my Colquhoun track. I only went as far as the Western Powerlines fire trail before heading back up the mountain.This fourth ascent didn't seem as tough as the other ones. Perhaps I had completely turned off and could no longer feel the exertion. My final descent was along the Mannheim Street track and then along the Sulwood fire trail and home.

Adding up the various bits of walking I had done 30.25km with an elevation gain of 1030m. Bother! I was short on distance. That was easy to rectify. A stroll up Marconi Crescent with an extension around the ovals did the trick.

The final distance for the day was a whopping 35.32km with an elevation gain of 1076m. This exceeds any of the day tallies for the Coast to Coast as the longest days are a mere 32km and the greatest elevation gain is supposedly 970m and, yes, they do happen on the same day!

I actually felt pretty good at the end of the day. Hopefully I still feel OK in the morning.

Having done such a big day I can now feel confident that I am ready for the Coast to Coast. Time will tell whether that confidence was well placed.

Saturday 6 July

I had tried to contact Michael yesterday to follow up on our discussion earlier in the week about doing a hike. He had not returned my call. I finally got on to him this morning and he suggested meeting at A Bite To Eat in Chifley for lunch. He was doing his laundry so wouldn't be free until noon. I duly booked a table for three, including Trevor in the lunch party.

It was almost 10:40 when I left home to walk to Chifley via the summit of Mt Taylor. There were times when I doubted that I would make it on time. The legs were a bit tired after yesterday's effort and I was in my hiking boots and carrying a fully laden day pack. I reached Chifley just before the appointed hour. Trevor was already there having also walked to Chifley. He had done the Mt Taylor northern base walk. Michael arrived a little after 12.

After lunch Michael and I farewelled Trevor and return to his unit to hang out his final load of washing before heading out to Casuarina Sands. We packed in the furtherest away carpark which extended our walk a little.  The walk we were tackling was alongside the Murrumbidgee River heading south towards Kambah Pool for about 7lms before returning to Casuarina Sands. It is possible to do the full walk through to Kambah Pool and return but I was quite content to do the shorter one given the big day I had had on Friday.

The river has a significant number of spots where rocks influence the water flow and in some places the rocks result in cascades. The western side of the river, we were walking along the eastern side, is bounded by the steep slopes of the Bullen Range. Our side was variously level and steep.

Here are some photos that I took.

Yes, there is water down there rippling over rocks

This is a relatively new bridge which crosses one of the creeks that flows into the Murrumbidgee
The bridge is an odd shape as the rocks along the creek have been used to support the structure
Trees which have fallen or been washed down the river litter the rocks
A view of the river. It sweeps along the base of the tree covered range
The terrain on the far bank is steep. Note the dead trees on our side of the river
This rocky outcrop provides a lovely place to stop and enjoy the views along the river

Michael enjoying a break on the top of the outcrop shown above
If i don't move the humans won't see me or so the wallaby thought
Another view along the river
Water bubbling over a rocky section
The sun breaking through the clouds and reflecting on the water

We managed to overshoot the Lookout that was to be our turnaround point. This section of the track had no signs at all as the distance posts are in the process of being replaced. I was pleased to finally get back to a vantage point above the river where we stopped for a break. My cup of tea was most welcome.

On the way out we had come across quite  a lot of wildlife. Wombats were obviously still asleep in their numerous burrows as none were out out and about. We did see a pair of wallabies. One remained quite still probably assuming that we could not see him. He was hard to spot amongst the bushes on the way out but was standing clear of bushes on our return. Yes, we could see him!

All up today I walked 23.08km and climbed 660m and I am in front on both measures compared with what would be completed thus far on the Coast to Coast.

Sunday 7 July

I didn't feel too bad this morning when I got up. I had had a restless night - not sure whether it was aches and pains or something less.

The looked bright and, although cool early, promised to be pleasant. The wind of the previous couple of days had finally abated, too, so it was much more pleasant being out and about.

I headed off just after 10:30am, called at the Village to grab a coffee and then on to Mt Taylor. After entering teh park at the Colquhoun Street gate I walked around the south side of the mountain and then climbed the Mannheim Street track. There were a lot of people on the track today. Perhaps this is normal for a Sunday morning. I descended along the same track and continued my walking around the base in an anti-clockwise direction.

Leaving the park at the Macfarlane Street exit I proceeded to Woden for lunch and a pedicure.

Returning to Mt Taylor I headed around to the Richmond Fellowship track and climbed up to the trig point and down again and proceeded in a clockwise direction around the mountain until I reach the Macfarlane exit track at which point I turned around and headed for home.

All up I walked 24.58km and climbed 723m.

The weekly tally looks impressive. I have walked 156.62km and had an elevation gain of 3994m and I am ahead in my Coast to Coast comparison and only have 5 days to go.

The other figure that I have been tracking is my step count. This past week I have done a whopping 239,450 steps. This is the greatest number of steps that I have recorded since I started tracking my steps back in July 2011 when my aim was to get to an average of 10,000 steps a day.

Monday 8 July

The day started with a walk to the Tuggeranong town centre to catch up with a friend who had just got back from an extended trip to Europe. I have followed Sue and Phil's progress through their blog but it was still good to get first hand impressions.

After returning home I did some swimming stuff before Trevor and I went to Woden for lunch.

Today my aim was to walk at least 27km and rack up 500m in elevation gain. When we do the Coast to Coast this section will go from Reeth through Richmond and on to Bolton on Swale, a distance of 17 miles (27.2km). The height gain for the day is 400m. During the mornings excursion I had managed to complete 12kms. After lunch I headed from Woden to Mt Taylor, threw in two climbs to the trig points and headed home along the southern side of the park. All up this came to 12.47km with 465m of climb. Added to my morning's effort I had already exceeded my climbing and was close to the target distance. Adding a walk up Marconi Crescent with a diversion through the ovals on the return leg brought my totals for the day to 29.22km and 592m elevation gain.

Somehow the rest of the week doesn't look quite so daunting now that I am nicely ahead of the running tallies. Even so, I will be pleased when I reach the final figures for the Coast to Coast.

Tuesday 9 July

Around 10:45am I headed off for a circuit of Mt Taylor with a climb. I had left Trevor a note to say that I would be back around 12:30 and this seriously limited what I could do. In the end I entered the park through the Colqhuoun Street gate, walked anti-clockwise, climbed to the summit up the Richmond Fellowship Track, down my western side track and home, arriving shortly after 12:30.

After lunching at Cooleman Court I walked home along the Stanhope Highway and to finish the day I did a circuit from home around Lake Tuggeranong.

Distance for the day: 28.27km. Elevation gain: 515m

Wednesday 10 July

Wednesdays always have their challenges. Firstly there is my PT session and generally Astrid comes over on Wednesday afternoons. This week was no exception. Today I was attempting to do 32km. I was not concerned about the elevation gain as I was well ahead of what was required. So, I ended up doing a heap of walks between home and Tuggeranong. Firstly, there and back with PT in the middle. Lunch at Brother's Oven with a walk home. Back to Tugg for dinner and a walk home. I'm sure that there would be a heap of people who would be horrified at just how many kms I have done after dark on paths that can be a little isolated. Actually I have never felt threatened and have not had to call on Puddles (my 'dog') for protection.

Distance for the day: 32.95km. Elevation gain: 229m

Thursday 11 July

Almost there. Over the last two days I only need to do 31km and a mere 49m of elevation gain. After yesterday that should be easy but, like many things, that is not always the case.

When I got home from by session at the Family History Centre I set out for Mt Taylor. I didn't need to do any of the climbs to the top as the gains just getting there would be enough to finish off the elevation gain component. Going around the base track twice, the second time in the gloom, gave me a distance of 15.28km and an elevation gain of 293m.

Friday 12 July

After all the walking and climbing over the past 12 days I was feeling a little lethargic. With only a short distance to walk I was in no hurry to set out. In the end I decided that having lunch over at the Arboretum and walking home from there would work.

Trevor and I were surprised by just how many people were at the Arboretum. Yes, it is school holidays but many of the people were little ones. Definitely pre preschool. After lunch we visited the bonsai exhibition before I set off.

In theory it should have been a straightforward walk. The Bicentennial National Trail runs through the Arboretum and I thought that it should have been easy to see. Not the case at all. I eventually found a yellow post with the BNT symbol attached. Good. But where was the next post? After a bit of zigzagging I eventually found the next post. There was no visible track. It was just a matter of following the direction indicated on the last post and keeping an eye out for the next one. I eventually arrived at the boundary and not a post to be seen even thought there were two possible roads to take through the pine forest that confronted me. The only problem with the pine forest was that I figured that I was tracking too far west. At the rate I was going I would end up down at the Murrumbidgee! When I came across the next easterly tracking road I took it and eventually worked my way to a crossing on the Molongo River. Just beyond the crossing was a large sign across the road stating "Construction Site - Keep Out". Now what? Going cross country I eventually reached the Cotter Road and from there it was fairly straightforward.

By the time I reached home I had walked 15.65km with an elevation gain of 296m.

In the 13 days I have walked precisely 305.6km ... the calculated distance for the Coast to Coast. With an elevation gain of 6410m I ended up 540m over what was needed.

Would I do this all again? Well, I am going to when we do the Coast to Coast proper.

I figured that I would publish this post as it is the conclusion of my C2C trial.


 

Monday 1 July 2013

Winter has arrived ... June walks

Winter arrived with some much needed rain. We had just over 25mm to open the winter account. Unfortunately it made walking on that first Saturday a tad miserable.

Saturday 1 June

Hoping to get a number of ascents of Mt Taylor in with a lunch break in the middle seemed like a good idea. The weather was pretty ordinary with light drizzle. I suited up in my wet weather gear, including my hiking boots, and headed for Mt Taylor. It was a good chance to check the wet weather gear and the boots as well as learning how to keep things dry in the backpack. The top of the mountain was shrouded in cloud as were all the surrounding hills.

I started with what Trevor and I refer to as my track. Entering the Nature Park I follow a track across some meadows until it intersects with the Western Powerlines Fire Trail (FT). There is a steepish climb heading north along the fire trail before cutting across a meadow from the top of the rise. From here the track up to the trig point which marks the top of Mt Taylor variously meanders and climbs. In parts it is steep, in other spots it wanders over meadows or through thickets. It is definitely a rough track and care is needed to avoid tripping over rocks that jut out of the ground or slipping on loose material. Maintaining balance is a bit of an art, too. This certainly helps to strengthen the legs! The rain ensured that the surface was slippery in spots, particularly some of the rock which normally provide a firm footing. I managed the climb without mishap.

Next came a down ... and that was not just the rain although it was increasing in strength. Down the mountain I went on the most formal of all the tracks in the park - the one leading down to the Mannheim Street gate. I did pass a small number of hardy souls who were coming up the track, most accompanied by wet dogs. The views from the track were limited by the rain. A pity as I love looking out across the valley to the ranges. No such luck with the rain coming down.

Once down at the gate I turned around and trudged back up the same track. The weather was definitely giving my wet weather gear a workout and it performed well. The only issue was that my overpants were voluminous. I think a smaller pair is in order.

Up at the top, after my second ascent, I phoned Trevor and suggested that we meet at the Chifley shops for lunch. I arrived looking like a dripping scarecrow. The overpants came off as well as the coat and got dumped in Trevor's car.

Having divested myself of my protection I really didn't feel like suiting up again after lunch so called it quits for the day.

Sunday 2 June

The rained eased overnight and the day was fine. The wind was a bit lazy and rather cool but it didn't cause any real issues. I figure that I should complete what I had started on the previous day so headed off to Mt Taylor. I started with a walk along the southern side of the mountain until I reached Mrs Lowes Fire Trail. This is the trail that connects the Mannheim Street gate to the path up to the summit. So, up to the summit and back down. Continuing in an anti clockwise direction I reached the Chifley track which I had come down yesterday. This path to the summit is stepped and is probably the easiest of the ascents. In the most part its climbs are relatively gentle with only a couple of more challenging sections.

From the summit I headed down my track turning north along the Western Powerlines FT until I picked up the Old Kambah FT which I followed to the Colquhoun Street gate leading out of the park. From the gate it is a mere 2km home along formed paths.

Monday 3 June

For June I had set myself a number of targets. Firstly, I needed to get sufficient climbing under my belt so that I can be confident that I can comfortably tackle the climbs on the Coast to Coast. Equally, I need to keep up my distance walking for teh same reason.

Today I concentrated on distance rather than climbs. After visiting the gym, my shoulder and arms have been complaining about the amount of time I have spent bashing away on the computer so I need to work with them to both strengthen them as well stretch tight muscles, I walked home along the eastern side of Lake Tugg.

In the late afternoon I did a quick circuit of Mt Taylor, well walking 10+kms is never "quick" but I did do it in good time.

Then for good measure I did my 4km Marconi Crescent walk which brough me a grand total of 21km for the day.

Tuesday 4 June

On Thursday Trevor and I will be heading up to Queensland which will put a bit of a halt to some of my activities for a few days. Normally I wouldn't do Mt Taylor climbs on a Tuesday as having tired legs on Wednesday mornings when I front up to my PT session is not a great idea. Still, it was Tuesday or not at all.

I set out just after 11 o'clock once I had cleared up a number of swimming things.

Entering the Nature Park through the Colquhoun Street gate I walked along the southern side until I reached Mrs Lowes FT then did the ascent to the summit and back down. Once again I continued in an anti clockwise direction until I reached the Chifley path which I went up and then down. The plan was to meet Trevor and Woden for lunch and I was going to ring him as I passed the Chifley shops.Leaving the nature reserve the track goes through a reserve and finally comes out on Macfarland Crescent which I followed down hill towards Chifley shops and the Woden Town Centre.

Partway down the street was was surprised to hear a weak voice cry out "Help! Please help me!" and I turned around and found an elderly woman sitting in her garden with a pair of crutches beside her. It turned out that she had got sick of being inside and had decided to do a bit of gardening. She lost her balance and fell. Fortunately there was no damage, she was just rather shaken, however she was unable to get up. I got her to her feet, rescued the crutches, pick up the secateurs that she had dropped and made sure that she made it safely inside her house before continuing on my way.

In the end Trevor rang me to check where I was as he had expected to hear from me and I had not called him.

After eating lunch and doing some shopping I headed back to Mt Taylor and did two further ascents before heading home.

My final descent was down towards a rocky knoll that sits above the rocky path that leads out to the reserve running between the park and Macfarland Crescent. The track was a little vague when I had picked my way up it after lunch but not nearly as difficult as it turned out to be when trying to pick it out on the way down. At one point I found myself traversing a meadow, which had a 45 degree slope, occupied by a large group of kangaroos. The roos were variously just curious and watched me pass or took flight. Walking across the slopes was a hard way to finish the day and I was pleased to finally come across a track that took me down to the rocky knoll.

I'm not sure how I can explain this but according to my tracker I had gone up 846m and come down 893m. Considering I started and finished at the same point I find this interesting. Trevor and I have noticed that there are gaps in the tracking particularly on climbs. Gaps are not nearly as obvious when descending. Somewhere I had managed to lose at least 47m of climbing.

I clocked up almost 26km for the day and over 900m elevation gain. How does this look when viewed against the C2C stuff? there is only one day with a great elevation gain. Unfortunately, it is also one of the two days with 32kms to cover. Actually, I'm now pretty confident that I can manage whatever is thrown up on the C2C.

Perhaps I should wait until the morning to see how I feel after a nights sleep!

Wednesday 5 June

I felt pretty good when I got up. 

I made good time on my walk down to the gym which is usually a good indicator of how I am feeling. Even the return walk after my PT, always slower than the out bound leg, was pretty good.I have to conclude that the body has stood up fairly well to the excesses of the previous day.

Thursday to Saturday (6-8 June)

On Thursday morning we flew up to Brisbane and then drove to Toowoomba to visit Trevor's 95 year old mother. We were staying with Trevor's sister, Lynne, and her husband Barry for the three nights we were there.

We managed to get in a number of longish walks around Toowoomba except that I managed to sleep in on Saturday morning and missed my opportunity to walk for the day.

Sunday 9 June

We arrived back in Canberra just after midday.

After picking up the Swimming ACT equipment from CISAC I returned home and headed off for a circuit of Mt Taylor. I would have done some climbs but the light was failing and I didn't want to risk it.

Monday 10 June

Today was the Queen's Birthday holiday. Yesterday we (Trevor, Michael and I) had discussed doing the walk out to the Pearce Trig in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Michael had declined as he had a cold. Trevor didn't feel all that crash hot when he got up so we abandoned thoughts of doing the walk.

The day was a bit miserable early. It was chilly and overcast. By early afternoon the sun was out so I headed off to Mt Taylor.

On the walk to the entrance to the park I figured that I could possibly fit in four ascents and planned the order. To begin with I thought I would do an almost vertical climb up the southern side. There are a number of tracks that go up and most eventually intersect with the Mannheim path at some point. Most of these paths are rough and some are most probably kangaroo runs rather than regular human ones. I managed to pick one of the kangaroo runs as most of my ascent was spent picking a possible trail, stepping over fallen trees and fighting my way through black thorn bushes. I did eventually come across a more distinct track as I was nearing the top and this made the final bit of the ascent a whole lot easier. The climb from the Sulwood Fire Trail to the top is 156m. It took me 20 minutes which was good going considering the terrain that I was climbing through and the challenges posed by the lack of a formal trail for most of the climb.

To put this in perspective, the height gain from home to teh summit of Mt Taylor is 236m.

My first descent was straightforward. I managed to find a trail down that was fairly well used and easy to follow. It was still challenging as it was rough. The surface had loose sandy material along with loose stones and rocks so it did require reasonable attention to foot placement to prevent slips.

Once down to the Sulwood fire trail I headed east to pick up the Mannheim path and do my second ascent up that well used formal trail. I encountered a lot of people, and dogs, using this path. Climbing Mt Taylor was obviously a good Queen's Birthday holiday activity.

Once at the top I headed down "my track" - the one on the western side that goes down to the Western Powerlines fire trail. Trevor had thought that the condition of this track had deteriorated over the past year but I'm not convinced. It seems pretty much the same as when I first used it. It is rough and rocky with loose, sandy soil in places. I still enjoy using this track as the terrain changes so much over the course of the walk. When I reach the Western Powerlines fire trail I turned north and walked along it until I reached the Old Kambah fire trail. This adds a little to the return climb.

On returning to the summit along my track I had now completed three climbs. Times for a break. I headed down the the formal path that intersects the ring path above the Torrens exit. I continued along the ring path and exited the park at the reserve that connects the Mt Taylor nature park to Macfarlane Crescent. From there it was all downhill to the Chifley shops.

There is quite an extensive play and BBQ area at these shops and today there were heaps of people taking advantage of the facilities and the pleasant afternoon. The supermarket was doing good business with their takeaway coffees and other goodies. When I ordered my coffee I realised that I had not had lunch and it was getting rather late so I indulged in a piece of cake which seemed to be one of the few things left in their display cabinet. I guess that I could have got some fruit but the cake did have apple and pear!

Suitably refreshed I headed off towards Mt Taylor and my fourth and final ascent of the day. From the Chifley shops to the summit is a height gain of 230m. On reaching the summit I headed down the Mannheim path. The day was quickly drawing to a close and the light was fading fast by the time I reached the park sign at the bottom of the path. I didn't have a torch with me as the batteries in my torch had gone flat and it had decided not to work when I replaced them. With no torch it would have been dangerous to walk the paths within the park so I headed out and down Mannheim Street, along Summerland Circuit and finally down Marconi Crescent and home.

All up I had walked at least 20.13km. I say "at least" as my tracking program misses bits when you are climbing mountains and you end up being credited with a straight line distance between points when in actual fact you may have covered two, three or even four times that distance as you track up the mountainside.

The recorded height gain for the day was 804m which is a bit of a worry as the loss was 837m and I started and finished at the same point. So, all up I had to have gained at least 837m. Either that or I am suddenly 33m underground.

Today I wore a top that I had purchased a while ago at Katmandu. It kept the wind out and me warm. It is light and comfortable to wear so has to be deemed a success and will go with me to England.

Tuesday 11 June

I actually pulled up pretty well after yesterdays effort.

Today Trevor and I lunched at Woden before going to Katmandu and picking up a couple of thermal tops each and another pair of hiking pants for me. The only additional clothes I need are some more hiking socks. A couple of extra pairs won't go astray.

I walked home via Mt Taylor which included an ascent and a circuit and a bit. It was a pleasant day and I was entertained by the kangaroos which kept on popping up in odd spots.

Before retiring for the night I did the Marconi Crescent walk.

All up I walked just over 16km with an elevation gain of 410m.

Wednesday 12 June

PT day ... so it was off to the gym. It was quite cool and overcast and I was rugged up for the walk. I averaged 6.55kph on the way down so was pretty pleased with the time.

By the time I finished at the gym it was raining and not just light rain either. I did have my rain jacket but the bottom part of me was soaked by the time I got home. Still, I had made good time on the return trip averaging over 6kph which is very good considering the session I had had at the gym.

In the afternoon I decided to check out my wet weather gear as there was a lot of water lying around and it was still raining off and on. I hadn't tried the new overpants and I really wanted to check them out so out I went in boots and rain gear. I decided that a circuit of Mt Taylor was be a good test of the boots in wet and muddy conditions and they certainly passed the test. I did make some adjustments to the overpants so that they provided some protection to the top of my socks.

Today the kangaroos appeared to have decided that the rain would keep the pesty humans and their companions away as I came across roos in places that they are rarely seen. Some were not at all concerned about me while others were wary and hopped off to put some distance, and some of their mates, between me and them.

All up I had walked 22.44km with an elevation gain of 280m and my wet gear from the morning is still drying out!

Thursday 13 June

The rain had eased up overnight although there was still the odd bit of drizzle. It was chilly with the temperature hovering down around 10 degrees.

After I got home from my session at the Family History Centre I got stuck into some swimming stuff that needed to be completed before the end of the week. As a consequence I didn't go out for a walk until after 4 o'clock and the heavy cloud meant that it was already gloomy. Circuits and climbs of Mt Taylor were out of the question so plan B it was. This involved a long circuit through Kambah which I managed to stretch out to 11km with a modest elevation gain of 175m.

I had considered going out later in the evening, too, but decided against it as I was fairly stiff from the excesses of yesterday.

Friday 14 June

Some days just don't go according to plan.

When I woke up this morning it looked like a nice day. The sun was shining ... well it was on the west ... so I was surprised when I got to the kitchen and it looked like rain to the east.

Today I had a heap of swimming stuff to tackle. Meet 2 in the 2013 Winter Development Series is being held on Sunday and the program needed to be prepared and printed. The flyer for Meet 3 needed to be prepared, too, as well as the table of break times being used this winter. I actually had a pretty good run and was ready to drop the program in to Officeworks by 1 o'clock. A quick lunch at Brother's Oven was followed by a pleasant walk home.

I needed to go over to Sports House to pick up shirts that people had been told would be available on Sunday. A pity that I had not been informed about this undertaking before I left the Family History Centre as it would have saved a drive over to Hackett today. On the return trip I picked up the printing.

About 4:30 I headed out for a walk with some climbing included and went up the Colquhoun tract to the top of Mt Taylor. The heavy cloud meant that the light was quickly lost once the sun went down and I needed my torch to safely negotiate the path down the mountain, this time using the Mannheim track, and along the southern side of the park. I arrived home shortly after 6pm and jumped in the shower and quickly dressed as we were attending the CRUIZ swimming club's presentation night.

Distance walked today: 14.63km with an elevation gain of 324m.

Saturday 15 June

Much of the day was taken up with swimming stuff.

At a little after 2 I set off for a walk. The weather was overcast with just the occasional patch of sun. The wind had a bite to it. Event the kangaroos where sheltering from the cold today. I did two ascents of Mt Taylor, the first up and down my track then I walked around to the Chifley/Torrens track and climbed it and went down my track and home. All up this was just under 12kms with an elevation gain of 461m.

While dinner was cooking I did the Marconi Cresecent walk bring my distance for the day to 16km.

Sunday 16 June

Today I had a development meet and I needed to get the results sent out to the participating clubs as soon as (in)humanly possible as entries for the ACT Winter Championships are closing on the 17th. Consequently, no specific walking was done today. I did clock up a little over 8Ks of steps ... but none of this was logged walks.

Monday 17 June

The early part of the day was devoted to swimming stuff. I did a run over to the office to drop off money and various other bits and pieces as well as collect stuff.

When I eventually got home and cleared the critical emails (those relating to the Champs) I did a walk to Tuggeranong, did a session in the gym to ensure that my shoulders and arms don't seize up over the coming days, and then walked home.

It was good to get out and away from the computer!

Tuesday 18 June

This morning I was out of milk which was a good reason to go for a short walk. The weather was miserable with dark, threatening clouds which didn't do much more than sprinkle from time to time across the day.

Once I completed the program I delivered it to the printer and Trevor and I went to the National Library for lunch.

Once home Trevor set off for a walk while I dealt with some emails before also going for a walk. I started off with my rain jacket on but found it too warm. Off it came. Then the rain started and on it went only to come off again once it stopped. I'm still work out what items of clothing will work best in what conditions. I am certainly expecting some wet days during our Coast to Coast walk hence the effort being put in to determining the best combination of clothing when there is rain.

All up I did 17km today with an elevation gain of 430m.

Wednesday 19 June 

It was a chilly morning as I set off to the gym. I made really good time on the walk. Sue, as usual, had a range of challenging exercises for me. I did make good time on the way home, too.

We lunched over at Cooleman Court which gave me a chance to get in another 6km walk before Astrid arrived for her afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa. She arrived just before I got home.

Most days when Astrid visits we do a walk to the Village and have a coffee while Astrid has a babychino.Today was no different although the cool weather meant that we did not go to any of the playgrounds on the way home.

Today I managed to do 21.84km with 270m elevation gain.

Thursday 20 June

Thursdays reamin a challenging day as far as fitting in walks go. All I managed today was one Marconi Crescent walk.

Friday 21 June

Astrid came over this morning while Nic was doing birthday party preparations for someone's second birthday. I wonder who is turning 2? After Astrid and I had made another batch of Honey Joys I took her down to Adventure Playground which is 2km from home. It was a rushed trip as I had a hair appointment at 11:30 and had forgotten to take account of the time when we left home. Oops.

Just after 4 o'clock I headed out to do a circuit of Mt Taylor. It was rather cold and I had some sore muscles from pushing the stroller to the Adventure Playground and home earlier in the day so it was not a quick circuit. The kangaroos were scattered all around the base of the mountain and I kept coming across them in the oddest of spots.

I managed to get in just over 14km with an elevation gain of 204m for the day.

Saturday 22 June

Today was Astrid's 2nd birthday and also the first day of the ACT Winter Championships.  I slept badly probably because I was worried about the champs as I was only going out until they got going and it was a little understaffed. Added to the lack of sleep was a glute that was giving me periodic shots of severe pain. I suspect my fast walk home from the Adventure Playground pushing the stroller may have caused this injury. It certainly troubled me all day.

I went for the slowest 2km walk I have done in a very long time. I kept hoping the pain would not return but it did so the walk was one which attempted to ease the problem.

Hopefully it will be much improved tomorrow.

Sunday 23 June

By the time I got home from the pool following the ACT Winter Championships and did the initial processing of the results for distribution the afternoon was quickly drawing to a close. I opted to do a very tame walk through the core of Kambah as far as the Athlon Drive underpass and back. I wasn't sure how my glute was going to hold up and it certainly took its time warming up. The first couple of ks were exceedingly slow.

Monday 24 June

We had been promised rain over the weekend and it finally started this morning. The temperature remained low and the rain continued steadily for much of the day.

This morning I walked down to the Village as I needed milk. The traffic was quiet and not many people were out and about.

At lunch time Trevor and I want down to Brother's Oven. I walked home in the increasingly colder and colder rain. Once again the first k was very slow but my pace steadily increased the longer the walk went.

If you have been following my walk blog you should have seen the Mt Taylor Circuit post that I put up today. I have some more photos that can be added sometime when I get the urge.

Tuesday 25 June

The rain cleared overnight and the day was fine if a little cool.

In the late morning I set out to do a circuit around Mt Taylor. I wore my hiking boots today as I expected the surface to be muddy in places. It was particularly in the areas that were graded last week.

I was surprised by my first kangaroo of the day. A half ground, charcoal coated youngster took off up the slope near the rock run. A little while later I was surprised by another roo as he bounded across the track in front of me and continued up the slope on the side of the mountain. I don't know what he was worried about as I didn't know there was a roo nearby until he took off. The rest of the roos I saw on my walk didn't seem at all concerned about my passage and simply ignored me.

I went over the the Swimming ACT office this afternoon and on my return I headed out for a gentle meander around Kambah. It is a pity that most of the lights on the internal paths seem to be out. It makes it hard picking your way along some of the paths. I know - I should have taken the headlight or at least a torch.

All up I managed to clock up 18.62km today with an elevation gain of 243m.

Wednesday 26 June

Wednesday is my PT day and I mostly walk to and from the gym. Today was no exception. The glute was still a bit troublesome so I allowed extra time this morning for the walk to the gym. I made reasonable time all things considered.

At lunch time we dropped the Swimming ACT equipment in to the storage room and I walked home from there via the Village as I needed some supplies for my cooking session with Astrid.

The weather was fine and warm so we took Astrid down to the Village for a babychinno and returned via the underpasses and the Barritt Street playground.

Distance today: 17.48km with an elevation gain of 126m.

Thursday 27 June

Thursday are a bit of a mixed bag as far as walks go. After I finished up at the Family History Centre I banked money for Swimming ACT and then went in to the office to check emails and mail.It was 4:30 before I set out for a walk. Given that the glutes were still a little problematic I opted for a circuit of Lake Tuggeranong. It was well and truly dark by the time I got home made darker by the lack of lights along a 2km stretch of the path.

Total distance: 13.31km with an elevation gain of 62m

Friday 28 June

The day started with breakfast at the Hyatt with Di. It was a pleasant setting and an unhurried start to the day. I was meeting a friend for lunch over at the Street Theatre cafe which gave me time to do a longish walk. Starting at the Hyatt I did the walk around the western end of Lake Burley Griffin, stopping for lunch and then continuing on to the Hyatt to collect my car.

I completed the pre-lunch section, 14.36km in an average speed of 6.57km/h which equated to 9:08 minutes per km - definitely motoring!

In the late afternoon I walked home from Cooleman Court. That was a fairly fast walk, too, as I was racing fading light. Heavy cloud meant that there was very little twilight.

Total distance: 22.89km with an elevation gain of 380m.

Saturday 29 June

Today has been a gray day with light drizzle at times. It didn't stop me doing a circuit of Mt Taylor. I did don the hiking boots rather than wear my runners and I was thankful that I did as it was muddy in places.

Distance today: 13.06km with an elevation gain of 190m

Sunday 30 June

By the time I got out of bed this morning it was bright and clear with the day promising glorious sunshine. I was not disappointed.

Yesterday, an expedition had traveled to Sydney to acquire a bed for Astrid. She is to be promoted from cot to bed! One side is down on the cot in preparation for the this major step. With the sun shining, and knowledge that Astrid had instructed "Daddy, make Astrid's bed", hopefully with a "please", Trevor and I ventured forth to Duffy to inspect that bed. None of the humans were at home but we did see the bed. It looked rather short. Child sized, perhaps. We will await Astrid's assessment.

I decided to take advantage of the lovely day and did an extended walk around Narrabundah Hill and Cooleman Ridge. Beginning at the northern edge of Narrabundah Hill I walk down the lane that runs along the edge of the reserve. The cacophony of sound eminating from the birds along the track kept me alert to the many birds in the area. There was a surprising number of kookaburras and a pair of these interesting bird accompanied me for quite some time moving from tree to tree just ahead of me. Eventually the bird life fell behind me and I was left to enjoy a tranquil walk in glorious sunshine with a clear blue sky and just a few small, fluffy clouds hugging the horizon.

I arrived at the southern end of Eucumbene Drive about 4km into the walk. I had intended to walk along the southern side of Cooleman Ridge and decided to go along the road that goes into the Canberra Equestrian Centre as a way of picking up the back trail. Although I had passed the centre entrance many times I had not been into that area before and was surprised by just how far it extended. Most of the way through the ECC I was able to walk along tracks next to the road so I didn't need to worry about vehicles speeding along the narrow road. I eventually ran out of roads and cut up through a paddock towards the ridge. Getting through the fences required a bit of care as they all appear to be electrified to keep the horses in.

The paddock I passed through hosted a mob of large kangaroos along with a few horses. The roos didn't appreciate my presence and departed the area.

Reaching the ridge I came across trail signs and was initially stumped by Cooleman Ridge BNT. What on earth did BNT stand for? I eventually worked out that it was Bicentennial National Track or Trail.

I did a bit of zigzagging across Cooleman Ridge before I picked up a newly created tracked through the reserve. The surface was a bit soft as it has not had time to settle and the rain of the past week had been absorbed into the loose surface. It certainly wasn't the only point on my walk that was muddy or mushy.

 When I sighted the trig point I decided that it was worth climbing up to it to have a look at the surrounding area and did. It was not much of a climb as the trig point only sits at 727m.

The backside of Cooleman Ridge provided some lovely views across to the ranges and was a pleasant walk. When I reached Mt Arawang I cut across to the Stanhope Highway and down to Cooleman Court where I met Trevor for lunch.

All up the mornings walk was 14.49km with an elevation gain of 290m.

Just before 4 o'clock I headed out to do a circuit of Mt Taylor with an extension. The late afternoon was very pleasant and generally warm in the sun. All up I did 13kms with a 201m gain.

Statistics for the week:
Distance: 121.18km an average of 17.3km per day
Elevation gain: 1557m

June statistics
I walked 414.36km during the month. No wonder my shoes are wearing out so quickly as most are rated as good for 600km! The daily average was 13.8km.

Elevation gain: 7580m

Calories burnt: 17,876