On Thursday Trevor did a triple ascent of Mt Taylor. He is really building his climbing ability. He went up and down three different tracks which provides a variety of terrain and conditions.
On Friday evening I spoke to Michael and we agreed to do a walk on Saturday (today), the first we had done together for quite a few weeks. Michael called past a little after 10 and we decided to tackle Mt Majura which is 890m above sea level at its peak. This is higher than both Mt Ainslie and Black Mountain and the gain is certainly more than that of Mt Ainslie.
We stopped in Dickson so that Michael could be fed before tackling the hike.
There were a surprising number of cars crammed into the small car park at the entrance to the reserve. This was actually a real car park as opposed to the informal ones that are generally the norm. There appeared to be a group of people meeting at the entrance to the reserve. What their plans were we didn't care as we just set off up the slope.
While the vegetation was not thick it was certainly heavy enough to obscure much of the view. There were only occasional breaks allowing views across bits of the surrounding area. Damn trees! The views from the top of the mountain were also obscured by trees. We can say that we have climbed Mt Majura but I don't think that I will bother to do so again.
While Michael and I were away Trevor walked down to Cooleman Court and back. He didn't see any kangaroos today. I must admit that there are days when I don't see any kangaroos on Mt Arawang and its surrounds, too.
On the other hand, the Mt Taylor Reserve and the adjacent horse paddock is teeming with roos. Every time I have walked through the reserve in the past month there have been roos and often a multitude. Today was not exception when I did a circuit of the mountain in the late afternoon.
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Kangaroo spotting
One of the benefits of walking is the opportunity to spot kangaroos. Yes, I know there was a kangaroo cull earlier this year but this has done little to reduce the number of roos I see from the various routes that I regularly walk.
Doing a circuit of Mt Taylor is definitely a roo spotting exercise. Late in the day, particularly at dusk, this can be a little tricky as the roos and rocks can look very similar. I have noticed that the rocks don't generally move so moving rocks are normally kangaroos. I can't recall doing a circuit of thye mountain without coming across at least one roo and sometimes it is getting up towards the hundred mark. Even so, the amount of vegetation on the slopes and adjacent pastures is phenomonal at present and spring has not yet arrived. It looks like we will be in for a high fire risk summer. Perhaps the authorities should not have done the roo cull after all!
Yesterday, Wednesday, Trevor and I did the circuit around Mt Taylor. While I generally walk from home and back yesterday we drove. I think I have only managed to get Trevor to walk to the base from home once. Anyway, it was a lovely sunny day with a stiff breeze. The walk was quite pleasant and I let Trevor set the pace. It was the first time that he had done the full circuit and it took us just over the hour.
The views from the circuit are really good. Depending where you start you have views to the south across the Tuggeranong Valley with the lake, town centre and backdrop of the ranges; to the east you overlook the Woden Valley and south Canberra; then to the west you have wonderful views to the ranges. The western views are wonderful around sundown ... really worthwhile walking along the Old Kambah fire trail as the sun is setting over the ranges.
I keep being surprised by kangaroos grazing close to the walking tracks. Usually there is one roo on lookout duty. As long as you are on the track and keep walking they will normally just watch you walk by while the rest of the mob just continues grazing.
It is fun watching joeys, particularly bigger ones, getting in to their mother's pounches. There are times when the effort is obviously too much as legs and tails are not always retracted.
In three weeks time Trevor and I will be half way though our Flinders Ranges adventure. I just hope that Trevor has done enough preparation so taht he is able to participate in most, if not all, of the activities. I think that he should be OK for most of what is on offer, even the ascent of St Mary Peak. I guess time will tell.
Doing a circuit of Mt Taylor is definitely a roo spotting exercise. Late in the day, particularly at dusk, this can be a little tricky as the roos and rocks can look very similar. I have noticed that the rocks don't generally move so moving rocks are normally kangaroos. I can't recall doing a circuit of thye mountain without coming across at least one roo and sometimes it is getting up towards the hundred mark. Even so, the amount of vegetation on the slopes and adjacent pastures is phenomonal at present and spring has not yet arrived. It looks like we will be in for a high fire risk summer. Perhaps the authorities should not have done the roo cull after all!
Yesterday, Wednesday, Trevor and I did the circuit around Mt Taylor. While I generally walk from home and back yesterday we drove. I think I have only managed to get Trevor to walk to the base from home once. Anyway, it was a lovely sunny day with a stiff breeze. The walk was quite pleasant and I let Trevor set the pace. It was the first time that he had done the full circuit and it took us just over the hour.
The views from the circuit are really good. Depending where you start you have views to the south across the Tuggeranong Valley with the lake, town centre and backdrop of the ranges; to the east you overlook the Woden Valley and south Canberra; then to the west you have wonderful views to the ranges. The western views are wonderful around sundown ... really worthwhile walking along the Old Kambah fire trail as the sun is setting over the ranges.
I keep being surprised by kangaroos grazing close to the walking tracks. Usually there is one roo on lookout duty. As long as you are on the track and keep walking they will normally just watch you walk by while the rest of the mob just continues grazing.
It is fun watching joeys, particularly bigger ones, getting in to their mother's pounches. There are times when the effort is obviously too much as legs and tails are not always retracted.
In three weeks time Trevor and I will be half way though our Flinders Ranges adventure. I just hope that Trevor has done enough preparation so taht he is able to participate in most, if not all, of the activities. I think that he should be OK for most of what is on offer, even the ascent of St Mary Peak. I guess time will tell.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Progress
Trevor did a double ascent of Mt Taylor yesterday. He actually went down and then up "my" track. It is a great training track as the surface is uneven and the terrain quite varied. It proved to be a good training track for the Grouse Grind ... although that (the Grind) was really something else! I had expected it to be a much more formed track than what it turned out to be. Just as well I did so much of my training on my very unformed and rough track. It will be interesting to compare my track with what we hike over in the Flinders Ranges.
Generally Trevor is finding the climbs easier each time he tackles them. He is generally able to go further before he stops for a breather. The pain he had in his shoulder seems to have gone and he has only had the occasional pain in his elbow and arm. Things are getting better.
I still need to do a final check on the clothes I will take for walking. At present I have too many pairs of hiking pants. I need to decide which ones are most comfortable when I'm wearing thermal underwear with them. The weather at this time of year in the Flinders Ranges can get quite chilly although generally not as cold as Canberra. As we have done early morning walks in sub zero temperatures we are not expecting to find the coolness too much of a problem and I doubt whether I will actually need to wear thermals ... although my hiking pants are lighter than what I normally wear when it is cold so I need to have some just in case.
Generally Trevor is finding the climbs easier each time he tackles them. He is generally able to go further before he stops for a breather. The pain he had in his shoulder seems to have gone and he has only had the occasional pain in his elbow and arm. Things are getting better.
I still need to do a final check on the clothes I will take for walking. At present I have too many pairs of hiking pants. I need to decide which ones are most comfortable when I'm wearing thermal underwear with them. The weather at this time of year in the Flinders Ranges can get quite chilly although generally not as cold as Canberra. As we have done early morning walks in sub zero temperatures we are not expecting to find the coolness too much of a problem and I doubt whether I will actually need to wear thermals ... although my hiking pants are lighter than what I normally wear when it is cold so I need to have some just in case.
Friday, 3 August 2012
Sometimes walks just go off track
Today (Friday) Trevor figured he would do the walk to Cooleman Court unescorted. That was fine by me as i was running around picking up swimming related stuff from hither and thither. Having walked along the Stanhope Highway and started down the off track he thought that he had picked the wrong exit. He continued along Cooleman Ridge for another kilometre or so until he decided that he really should have continued down the earlier off track. This certainly added quite a bit of distance to his walk by the time he reached Cooleman Court and then returned home.
In the meantime I had decided to do a circuit of Mt Taylor. Instead of entering near Inkster Street I went in through the Colquhoun Street entrance. Not a problem ... just a little longer. Tramping along the track I came to rock feature and my memory was that it was possible to reach a higher level fire track part way up the rocks. So up I went. When I decided that I seemed to have climbed a fair way I checked for the whereabouts of the powerlines that ran along the higher track. Oops, they were not above me but some considerable distance down the mountain.
At this point I decided to keep going up to the summit. This involved scrub bashing, scrambling (using hands as well as feet to move upwards) and generally picking my way along kangaroo runs. It took quite a bit of time to reach the meadow just belong the summit. I was thankful that I had avoided large patches of blackthorn as these can really rip into the unwary.
By the time I reached the top I was running short of time as we were going to the Ginninderra Swimming Club club night and then on to the Burley Griffin presentation night. I went down "my" track to the Colquhoun Street exit. I needed to really watch my footing as I could not afford to slip with the twisted left ankle and battered right knee.
Next time I'll pay more attention to my location when varying my route up and around the mountain.
In the meantime I had decided to do a circuit of Mt Taylor. Instead of entering near Inkster Street I went in through the Colquhoun Street entrance. Not a problem ... just a little longer. Tramping along the track I came to rock feature and my memory was that it was possible to reach a higher level fire track part way up the rocks. So up I went. When I decided that I seemed to have climbed a fair way I checked for the whereabouts of the powerlines that ran along the higher track. Oops, they were not above me but some considerable distance down the mountain.
At this point I decided to keep going up to the summit. This involved scrub bashing, scrambling (using hands as well as feet to move upwards) and generally picking my way along kangaroo runs. It took quite a bit of time to reach the meadow just belong the summit. I was thankful that I had avoided large patches of blackthorn as these can really rip into the unwary.
By the time I reached the top I was running short of time as we were going to the Ginninderra Swimming Club club night and then on to the Burley Griffin presentation night. I went down "my" track to the Colquhoun Street exit. I needed to really watch my footing as I could not afford to slip with the twisted left ankle and battered right knee.
Next time I'll pay more attention to my location when varying my route up and around the mountain.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Challenging Trevor
Ignore the posting date above as it is actually Thursday.
On Tuesday Trevor suggested a walk and I thought it time to do the walk to Cooleman Court along the Stanhope Highway. The Stanhope Highway, you ask? Well, there is quite an impressive road that runs around the base of Mt Arawang starting at the Namatjira Drive access point and on to Cooleman Ridge. Some local character has remained the cut off drain fire track "The Stanhope Highway" after our dear former Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope. It is quite an impressive bit of road and has lovely views across the eastern part of the greater Canberra area.
Walking from home to get up on to the Mt Arawang track is a bit of a climb and I think that Trevor found this the most challenging part of the walk. Once on to the track the slopes are gentle except for a final steepish rise just before leaving the track. From the track it is all down hill and a pleasant stroll finishing up passing through a glade just before reaching Hindmarsh Drive and the underpass that takes you through to Cooleman Court.
After lunching and a toilet stop it was homeward bound. Trevor had suggested that it would be fine for me to go ahead at my own pace. He could just follow the pink arrows that had been thoughtfully marked along the route. I'm glad that I didn't agree with this suggestion as he would have taken the wrong path before he had even left the Cooleman Court precinct.
The return walk is a steady uphill stroll, very gentle, until you pass under Perry Drive and then you have a reasonable climb to get on to the Stanhope Highway. Part of the path is stepped with about ten or so sets of steps varying in number from 6 to 9 in the group. After the steps comes some roughish tracks and finally you come over a ridge with great views taking in the ranges to the west. In many ways the views are better on the homeward trip as the vistas change before you as you walk in an easterly direction.
Kangaroo spotting has become quite a game. On Monday I was convinced that there was a kangaroo convention on Mt Arawang. I had never seen so many roos on the mountain before and they were spread over a wide area, too. On this walk we only managed to spot four roos. At least we saw some.
All up this walk was almost 14km. I think this is longer than we will be doing on any of the days in the Flinders Ranges. The only difference is that there will be additional elevation gains on at least one of the days: the day we climb St Mary Peak.
On Wednesday (yesterday) I walked to the gym for my PT session and then home again. This is just on 12km for the trip. It is fairly flat and certainly not that challenging and it is a walk that I do a couple of times a week.
After he had had lunch Trevor set out to climb Mt Taylor. He drove to the Manheim Street entrance to the reserve. After he left I figured that I, too, would tackle Mt Taylor and headed off on foot. These days I walk to the base rather than drive. It provides a heap of options and I'm not restricted as to where I have to exit as I don't need to return to the abandoned vehicle. Once inside the reserve, entering via the gate just off Colquhoun Street, I called Trevor to see where he was. Aren't mobile phones useful? He was on the top of the mountain. I figured that I could make the top in around 20 minutes and he agreed to wait for me. Yes, I did do the climb in just on the indicated time. I really belted over the meadows and up the slopes, always mindful of the terrain and the need to watch my footing, particularly as my left ankle was still a little tender. I was so intent on the trail that I almost bumped into my first kangaroo of the day!
From the top we walked down the stepped path that comes out to the north east at the back of Chifley/Torrens. When we got down to the base track we parted. Trevor went south to rescue his car while I went north towads Chifley and on to Woden. I actually beat Trevor to the Plaza ... who said it wasn't a race!
After I had lunch and Trevor a cup of coffee it was back home - Trevor by car and I on foot.
I really love walking through the Mt Taylor Nature Reserve. Coming around the base and then along the Old Kambah Fire Trail is always pleasant and you never know when you will see kangaroos. On this traverse I came across kangaroos occupying the track that I was walking on and they seemed quite unconcerned about my presence. They did eventually move off the track but just off it and then watched me pass.
By the time I threw in an evening walk I had done over 40,000 steps for the day. It had been a big walking day.
On Tuesday Trevor suggested a walk and I thought it time to do the walk to Cooleman Court along the Stanhope Highway. The Stanhope Highway, you ask? Well, there is quite an impressive road that runs around the base of Mt Arawang starting at the Namatjira Drive access point and on to Cooleman Ridge. Some local character has remained the cut off drain fire track "The Stanhope Highway" after our dear former Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope. It is quite an impressive bit of road and has lovely views across the eastern part of the greater Canberra area.
Walking from home to get up on to the Mt Arawang track is a bit of a climb and I think that Trevor found this the most challenging part of the walk. Once on to the track the slopes are gentle except for a final steepish rise just before leaving the track. From the track it is all down hill and a pleasant stroll finishing up passing through a glade just before reaching Hindmarsh Drive and the underpass that takes you through to Cooleman Court.
After lunching and a toilet stop it was homeward bound. Trevor had suggested that it would be fine for me to go ahead at my own pace. He could just follow the pink arrows that had been thoughtfully marked along the route. I'm glad that I didn't agree with this suggestion as he would have taken the wrong path before he had even left the Cooleman Court precinct.
The return walk is a steady uphill stroll, very gentle, until you pass under Perry Drive and then you have a reasonable climb to get on to the Stanhope Highway. Part of the path is stepped with about ten or so sets of steps varying in number from 6 to 9 in the group. After the steps comes some roughish tracks and finally you come over a ridge with great views taking in the ranges to the west. In many ways the views are better on the homeward trip as the vistas change before you as you walk in an easterly direction.
Kangaroo spotting has become quite a game. On Monday I was convinced that there was a kangaroo convention on Mt Arawang. I had never seen so many roos on the mountain before and they were spread over a wide area, too. On this walk we only managed to spot four roos. At least we saw some.
All up this walk was almost 14km. I think this is longer than we will be doing on any of the days in the Flinders Ranges. The only difference is that there will be additional elevation gains on at least one of the days: the day we climb St Mary Peak.
On Wednesday (yesterday) I walked to the gym for my PT session and then home again. This is just on 12km for the trip. It is fairly flat and certainly not that challenging and it is a walk that I do a couple of times a week.
After he had had lunch Trevor set out to climb Mt Taylor. He drove to the Manheim Street entrance to the reserve. After he left I figured that I, too, would tackle Mt Taylor and headed off on foot. These days I walk to the base rather than drive. It provides a heap of options and I'm not restricted as to where I have to exit as I don't need to return to the abandoned vehicle. Once inside the reserve, entering via the gate just off Colquhoun Street, I called Trevor to see where he was. Aren't mobile phones useful? He was on the top of the mountain. I figured that I could make the top in around 20 minutes and he agreed to wait for me. Yes, I did do the climb in just on the indicated time. I really belted over the meadows and up the slopes, always mindful of the terrain and the need to watch my footing, particularly as my left ankle was still a little tender. I was so intent on the trail that I almost bumped into my first kangaroo of the day!
From the top we walked down the stepped path that comes out to the north east at the back of Chifley/Torrens. When we got down to the base track we parted. Trevor went south to rescue his car while I went north towads Chifley and on to Woden. I actually beat Trevor to the Plaza ... who said it wasn't a race!
After I had lunch and Trevor a cup of coffee it was back home - Trevor by car and I on foot.
I really love walking through the Mt Taylor Nature Reserve. Coming around the base and then along the Old Kambah Fire Trail is always pleasant and you never know when you will see kangaroos. On this traverse I came across kangaroos occupying the track that I was walking on and they seemed quite unconcerned about my presence. They did eventually move off the track but just off it and then watched me pass.
By the time I threw in an evening walk I had done over 40,000 steps for the day. It had been a big walking day.
Monday, 30 July 2012
Walking, walking and more walking
Trevor and I are continuing our walking regime. While I continue to average over 20,000 steps a day across each week Trevor is also raking up the steps. He is doing at least 3 longish walks a day plus his week day alpaca outings. Inkster street no longer looks daunting and Mt Taylor is very ho hum!
With just over 3 weeks to go I think I have got all the gear that I need. Trevor needs hiking pants but we will leave this for another couple of weeks.
I think that Trevor will have to be appointed the official photographer. He has his fancy camera which is capable of taking panorama. I wonder how it will cope with the ABC ranges?
With just over 3 weeks to go I think I have got all the gear that I need. Trevor needs hiking pants but we will leave this for another couple of weeks.
I think that Trevor will have to be appointed the official photographer. He has his fancy camera which is capable of taking panorama. I wonder how it will cope with the ABC ranges?
Friday, 20 July 2012
Lots more walking
[20 July 2012]
Both Trevor and I have continued our walking. Trevor is now regularly tackling Mt Taylor and has actually done a double assent.
A couple of weeks ago I took him up my regular track. He has actually tackled it on his own as well as turning off the Western Powerline track early so ended up scrub bashing all the way to the top. The blackthorn is no fun at all!
We got our medical stuff signed off by our GP a couple of weeks back. He certainly had no problem with us going.
The trip has now been fully paid and all documents submitted.
As we will be flying to Adelaide on Antony's birthday we will probably opt to have a birthday breakfast with him before getting Michael to drop us at the airport.
Both Trevor and I have continued our walking. Trevor is now regularly tackling Mt Taylor and has actually done a double assent.
A couple of weeks ago I took him up my regular track. He has actually tackled it on his own as well as turning off the Western Powerline track early so ended up scrub bashing all the way to the top. The blackthorn is no fun at all!
We got our medical stuff signed off by our GP a couple of weeks back. He certainly had no problem with us going.
The trip has now been fully paid and all documents submitted.
As we will be flying to Adelaide on Antony's birthday we will probably opt to have a birthday breakfast with him before getting Michael to drop us at the airport.
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