The New Hiker

Overnighter to Cootharaba Views 23/24 July 2011

2011-09-13T22:24:00.000+10:00

I have been going to do another overnighter for a while now and finally got a round tuit last weekend.

My destination was the oft thought about Coothartaba Views lookout on Noosa Trail 4 - some 16km distant. I felt quite confident about the distance having been upping my daywalk journeys to the region of 30km plus (according to Mr. Google), the diference of course being the pack weight - over 20kg compared to my day walk packweight of some 7 kg. Let me tell you, adding 13 kg to the weight you carry has some effect!

For the record (and because I went to the trouble of weighing it all) here is the pack weight break down:-

Pack 3000
s/bag 1060
mat 900
tent 1800
spare clothes (including poncho) 2340
food 1715
stove and utensils 600
spare gas canister 320
washgear and trowel 240
first aid (incl. sunscreen & rid) 320
sundry 920 (sunnies, wallet, phone, ipod,pen,paper,toilet paper, whistle, 2 torches, multi-tool)
camera gear 4300
water 3200

Now, as mentioned in a previous post this is more than some people would take for 1 night but I figured I need to get used to carrying this sort of weight if I am to do longer journeys.

So off I set on this brilliant Saturday morning, pack (and body) creaking with the strain of the load.

The weather has settled into a typically Queensland winter's scenario with crisp nights followed by cloudless sunny days. The only thing huey added this particular weekend was a steady breeze blowing from the south which brought home the fact that it was indeed winter time. I soon warmed up however and tried to appreciate the journey and not think too much about the load. I followed the now familiar route to Twin View lookout where I stopped for a rest and from which point the trail would become new to me.

From here the track descends down through a dairy farmers yard to Cootharaba road. There was nobody about except the 2 farm dogs that seemed to be having a rollicking good time bouncing around the paddock but I silently thanked the landowner for allowing the trail to traverse their property. There was a section now that followed the road, a mowed trail that sloped sideways, cutting corners but undulating more. It would have been easier to walk along the roadside, which I determined to do on the way back.
A couple of kays later I was at the junction of Simpsons road where the trail turned left and took on a much pleasanter atmosphere than the bitumen section before it. There were good views to the coast as the road wound its way up, ending at another property's yard through which the trail went to enter some eucapypt forest. Now the trail grew steeper as it ascended to the ridge top.

It was nearly one o'clock by the time I stopped for lunch at what I calculated to be the highest point of the journey. Unfortunately thick scrub and trees blocked any view that might reveal the surrounding countryside. Nevertheless I was grateful for the rest and a cup of tea that served to revive ailing body and spirit.

I set off again expecting that I still had about an hour and a half to reach my destination but was surprised to find the lookout in half that time less than 2 kays from my lunch stop. This was a welcome occurrence as my body had had enough walking for the day.

The campsite at Cootharaba Views is set upon an exposed ridge top, great for the views but not much shelter from the rather chilly breeze that was making its prescence felt. I made camp and set about getting some photos. There were birds and kangaroos to focus on and later after dark I made some star trails.

The nights sleep was interupted by cold - I estimate about 6 degrees C - which propted me to don my thermals, after which I was a lot warmer. The morning saw the sun break over a mist shrouded valley and as I warmed to the day some more photos were had.

Function over fashion.

I was on the road home again by 8.30, made lunch at Twin View and home by 2, just in time for the footy! Total distance covered was about 32 km (return).

First Overnighter 2nd/3rd May 2011

2011-06-19T18:19:00.000+10:00

Well It took a while for me to get to do it but finally the stars aligned to provide some good weather, a couple of days off and no excuse not to do it!

Laden down with a 20kg pack I knew it would be a test of my endurance so I had a plan A (optimistic) and a plan B (realistic). Plan A involved a hike from home to Cootharaba Views Lookout, roughly 20kms away. Plan B was to cut that in half and make the overnight stop at Middle View Lookout.

Twenty kilos on your back for an overnight hike is a bit excessive many would say but I was carrying 3.5L of water and all my camera gear, including tripod. I was unsure of the water situation at Cootharaba views, never having been there, hence the water load. The camera gear I take everywhere although the tripod is optional so the bottom line is I could have taken a pack 4 or 5 kilos lighter if I'd left some of the water and the tripod at home.

I set off at 10am, the weather pleasantly warm. I spent the first half an hour making slight adjustments to the pack as I went along, in an effort to get comfortable with the load and wondering if I was really sure I wanted to persue this form of recreation. I soon discovered the backlength on my One Planet Strezlecki was a bit short so after a suitable adjustment it felt a lot better.

The track I followed was a familiar one although my intended route via Alt4 was underwater, so I had a short back-track to follow the drier path of Noosa Trail 4. I made reasonable progress, maintaining about 4kph, at least for the first hour! My speed got progressively slower as I started up the hill to my lunch stop at Twin View Lookout.

It was during my lunch stop that I decided on the more cautious approach and made Middle Lookout my destination, so I was there some 45 minutes later.

I amused myself taking photographs as the day turned to night. My new Jetboil stove made quick work of dinner and it wasn't long before I hit the sack. Only the local population of roos or wallabies kept me awake for a little while as they came to munch on the green grass of the camping area. I shooed them away, fearful that one may inadvertently hop onto the tent in the dark.

I awoke just before the sun came up and got up to get some more photographs. The low lying mists and cloud formations added to the scene.

As the colours of the dawn faded, I cooked my oats for brekky and set about packing up. By 8am I was heading for home, happy that my first overnighter had been so enjoyable and productive photo-wise. A couple more training hikes and I'll tackle the 'far away' Cootharaba Views.

Catchup post #2 - Woondum National Park

2011-05-31T19:03:00.000+10:00

One day I decided I needed a good hit out up a suitably steep hill. The part of Noosa Trail 3 that leads up into the Woondum National Park fitted the bill. It was a cloudy and ultimately rainy day but the drive and subsequent walk were worth it. I trekked to the Cooran Tableland lookout and back, having occasion to use my poncho for the first time.

Some walks appear to imbue a sense of mystery and wonder. This walk was one of those. I think it is the fact that it is presenting something new. Yep, I've seen rainforest, coastal views and experienced solitude not far from civilization before but this time it seemed different. I will return to find out why.

The Track to the Lake 26th October 2010

2011-05-31T18:29:00.000+10:00

The Track to the Lake is only a couple of k's long but is much preferable to walk along than the road. There is a small creek - a tributary of 6 Mile Creek - that must be crossed but it presents no problem other than a need for balance and occasionally, muddy shoes.

This part of the Tewantin State Forest was once logged for its timber but these days exists, it seems, solely for the use and delight of the local populace who make use of it quite regularly on foot, bike or horseback.

Along the way there is an ever changing display of the environmental bio-cycle - new plants spring up as long-dead timber rots away, assisted by the enormous array of fungi and insect life.

There are no great vistas or stunning arrays of colour but to the careful observer beauty exists.

A Load of Rubbish

2010-11-16T21:01:00.000+10:00

From time to time on my walks I come across evidence of dark holes in the fabric of our collective intelligence. I cannot pretend to understand the lack of concienciousness that allows people to act in ways that to most of us count as irresponsible, vandalistic or just plain stupid. With weekly rubbish collection and a local tip not too far away, I can see no excuse.

Spring's Eve Ramble

2010-10-03T15:05:00.000+10:00

31/08/2010
To celebrate the last day of winter I decided to go on a rambling and rather lengthy walk. I have only done one short walk since my NZ trip so I was pretty keen for a good hit out. I loaded up with a wrap for lunch, a 1.25 of water and the usual camera and bits and pieces so at 8kg the pack was a couple of kilos heavier than usual.
The route meandered along previously travelled tracks, with the turn-around point being Mt. Tinbeerwah. While I was up there I couldn't help but notice the many flowering natives beginning to bloom.

Mt. Hutt, New Zealand 7th-12th August 2010

2010-08-17T13:07:00.001+10:00

So this is not so much of a hiking report, rather a trip report of my recent, all too short, holiday to Kiwiland. Although we did get the opportunity for a short walk through one of the local nature reserves near Methven.

Saturday 7th
We departed (we being myself, daughter Emma and her boyfriend Jared) late afternoon to arrive in Christchurch to weather that was windy, wet and freezing cold. We checked into our hotel near the airport and after a couple of tots of my duty free rum, went to bed.

Sunday 8th
Awoke to more grey, wet and windy weather and after breakfast, checked out and caught the shuttle back to the airport terminal to pick up our hire car. After some initial confusion and waiting around, the hire car people sent a shuttle to take us to their depot.... back right next to the hotel we had left an hour earlier! Oh well, the things you learn for next time!
We headed off about 10.30, via some shops so Emma could purchase some thermal undies, and in a short time were travelling along roads lined with tall hedgerows and paddocks full of sheep and llamas. By the time we got to Rakaia Gorge it was sleeting and after a brief photo stop we continued on through what was now genuine snowfall.
Not much later we were at Methven where we checked into our resort and got comfy. Methven is a small town that services both the local farming comunity and the Mt.Hutt Ski fields and its resultant tourist trade.
The weather meant that Mt Hutt was closed for the day so we busied ourselves with sampling a range of Kiwi beer and food at one of the local pubs - named the Blue Pub for obvious reasons (the other was the Brown Pub - again, obviously) - and collecting our gear from the ski hire place. After more conviviality back at the Blue Pub we returned to our resort restaurant for dinner where the food turned out to be excellent as was the wine. More duty free rum finished the day.

Monday 9th
The morning dawned clear and still. Nothing had prepared us for the view out our unit windows which had been masked by the inclement weather of the previous day. Simply jaw dropping to anyone used to the dry hills of a coastal Australian landscape.

With mounting excitement we donned layers of clothing, beanies, gloves and boots, strapped our skis and snowboards to the roof only to be dissappointed by the news that the mountain was closed until at least mid-day. They had had over a metre of snow, which while brilliant for skiing, had to be cleared off the access road to enable safe passage.
So with a few hours to spare we set off to the Awa Awa Rata senic reserve. Here we set off on a walk which took us up the side of a gully, along a ridge and back down to the car park in a loop of roughly 2k's length. It took us about 2 hours due to the constant stopping to admire the views and throw snowballs at each other. There are other tracks which offer longer walks and I would love to come back here one day.

It was after mid-day when we fitted our chains and joined the queue waiting for the mountain to open. Some lost patience and struggled back down the road but after an hour or so there was movement ahead and we began our bumpy ascent of the mountain. Although less than 20 ks, it takes about an hour to get to the top but the time passes quickly as the views are simply stunning. The Mt. Hutt range rises out of the coastal Cantebury plains which lie like a patchwork quilt of shades of green below. It was all I could do to stop driving over the precipitous edge, so distracted by the scenery was I.

Nevertheless, we made it to the top and after collecting our lift passes, Emma and Jared headed for the beginners slopes with their snowboards whilst I sought out the steepest double black diamond advanced slope on my trusty skis.
Okay, I lie. Let's just say my first run down the intermediate slope from the summit would have provided entertainment and amusement for those riding the chairlift up. Really, for me, it was about learning to ski again after a 30 year break, especially as the skis had changed so much in that time - and hey - the boots are actually comfortable now!

Emma and Jared were determined to master the snowboard so booked lessons for the following day and as the sun lowered and cast the ski fields into chilly shadow, we toasted a successful day with a beverage at Huber's Hut.
After another spectacular drive down the mountain we returned to our resort and the wonderful hot spas there soothed out aching muscles. A very convivial dinner followed at one of the local establishments, The Last Post providing excellent food, wine and an open fire.

Tuesday 10th
Another beautiful clear day dawned and after a wonderfully filling big breakky at the local cafe cum curio shop were soon donning boots in the carpark at Mt. Hutt in preparation for a serious assault on the slopes. Alas, just as I had strapped in and started sliding toward the chairlift gate, all lifts closed down and instructions were issued for everyone to return to the car park. After initial confusion it soon became apparent that an avalanche had occurred somewhere on the mountain and safety procedures required an accounting of people to ensure no one was missing. This took about two hours by the time everyone had assembled from the far reaches of the ski fields and a survey had been done to account for everyone. This might sound extremely frustrating but standing around in the sunshine, in the midst of a spectacular snow scene, watching the helicopters take off and land, observing the clever locals who whipped out their chairs, eskies and sandwiches....well the time soon passed.

The rest of the day proved excellent as I managed to stay on my feet the whole time and the old knees did not fail me completely.
At days end the hot tubs beckoned and without these I think more skiing would have proved almost impossible. Dinner at Shackleton's Bar and Grill was, again, exceptional and following more attempts to make a dent in the duty free rum, three weary heads hit the pillows.

Wednesday 11th
What do you do on your last full day in New Zealand with beautiful sunny waether at your disposal? Why, go skiing of course! No avalanches, rock falls, slow drivers or forgotten beanies got in our way and after another big breakkie at the wonderfully eclectic cafe, hit the slopes running - or sliding at least.
Emma had booked a full day private lesson in her determination to succeed on a snowboard. Jared collected bruises and aching bones as his instructor laughingly led him down harder and harder slopes. Meanwhile, I glued in the earphones, turned up the volume and blissfully rode to the top of the mountain. Time after time I slid to the bottom, dashes of concentration interspersed with stops to admire the view and rest my increasingly weary legs. Lunch with Red Bull and chocolate was the recipe for afternoon success but all too soon the brilliant day on the slopes drew to a close.

With a early next-day departure on the itinery we had dinner at one of the other resorts in Methven before an early night. Everyone was a little quiet, no doubt due to weariness (at least on my part) and the realization that tomorrow we wouldn't be here. Crap.

Thursday 12th
Bleary eyed 2am drive to Christchurch, the flight back to Oz, get our duty free grog and the nose hair trimmer it was suggested I needed, the bus ride home and reports that Mt. Hutt was closed again due to a blizzard.
What a superb trip, beautifully timed. Much fun and laughter with my beautiful daughter Emma and her boyfriend Jared, often at each others expense but always lightheartedly. Jared is...well...I hope he and Em last a while...a long while.
Spectacular scenery, great food and the Kiwis themselves are a friendly bunch, New Zealand....I'll be back some day.

More photos here : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=200762&id=726743935&l=0b29a06316

OMG! The video!

Gotta Love a Half Price Sale.

2010-07-25T18:03:00.002+10:00

For a couple of months now I've been researching various equipment that I need to extend my walking to the possibility of doing overnight trips. I have read a lot on various blogs and forums about the benefits and pitfalls of various types and brands of hiking tents. In the end though, like almost anything, it boils down to YGWYPF - you get what you pay for.

With a desire to get the best quality I could afford and with an extremely limited budget I have been haunting ebay to see whats on offer. There are plenty of discounted new tents available in the mid to low price range and these generally start at about $150. Quality, reputable brands start at least triple this price - a lot of money for a bit of shelter you might say but hey, they are rated for 4 season use, will hold a ton of snow, wont blow down in a cyclone, will float in a flood and weigh less than a kilo. Okay, slight exageration there and I live in Queensland after all. So, for starters anyway, I only need a "budget" tent to keep the dew off.

What I bought at the Anaconda half price sale was the Denali Zephyr 1. This is a one person lightweight hiking tent that is, in Denali's words:

...a 1 person 2 season tunnel hike tent. Featuring high waterhead, strong but light durralium 7001 Alloy poles, mini vestabule, breathable inner, 1 door/window, Powermesh quick pole sleeves, self repairing zippers, refective guidelines, Alloy pegs, tape sealed floor and fly, No-see-um mesh and light weight roll n fold bag.

Dimensions: 260 x 110 x 90cm
Weight: 1.9kg
Fly: 70D-190T 3000mm-Waterhead,
Floor: Polyester 75D-190T 5000mm-Waterhead, Price: $179.98

So for $90 could I go wrong?

Compression straps, carry bag, lightweight alloy square section pegs and poles.

The unusual off-centre front section design of the Zephyr 1.

I can comfortably stretch out inside. Whether there is enough space to include a pack, either inside or in the "mini" vestibule remains to be seen.

I didn't peg it out fully in this test erection!

As you can see the vestibule really is "mini" and the design doesn't allow any shelter for the front door when the fly is unzipped.

The rear end has a neat little vent that props itself open.

Well I have to say, for the money, I think I've done pretty well. Of course my opinion may well change after I've actually used it, but for the moment I think it will suffice.

Being such a low priced option, one would expect a few flaws and you can see in the following pictures that production of the tent is somewhat symtomatic of a mass produced item.

The application of the seam sealing tape was a bit out of alignment in a couple of places and some ends weren't stuck down properly. I tried pulling on a loose end to see how easily it would peel off and happily, it was quite stuck.

One of the clips on the fly was on backwards. All the others had the tag end facing outwards. This was quickly rectified.

It was all too easy to snag a hem when zipping the door on either the fly or the inner tent. Some care must be taken in order not to do so.

The tent packed down easily and compactly.

Really don't know how accurate my kitchen scales are but they showed dead on 2kg in the carry bag and the claimed 1.9kg without the carry bag. Further weight reduction could be made by not including some of the 18 provided pegs. The tent would stand with a minimum of 3 pegs but you wouldn't want adverse weather in such a configuration.

So there you have it. I will post further once I have slept in the tent. I am probably going to Fraser Island in September and will get to use it then.

Now you can't go into a half price sale and come out with only one thing. So I bought a sleeping mat as well. A Denali (seems like this is the Anaconda house brand) Comfort Trek mat. 183cm x 51 cm x 3.8cm. The 3.8 is the crtical measurement here for me as I like to get a comfortable nights sleep and having laid down in the store, on the mat, I can say it was comfortable. At least for a minute anyway. The other thing about this mat is its compactness when packed.

From Denali:
Trek Lite Mats are formed from quality die cut foam, have anti slip base, Rip stop upper shell, are water resistant and have an air-lock valve with high flow, for quick inflation.
They come with a fleeced line carry bag which can be turned into pillow.
Std large Trek Lite mat - 183cm x 3.8cm
865g Weight.
Price: $109.98

I paid $55 - about one third the price of a similar specced Thermarest.

So now all I really need is a pack to put it all in. And a sleeping bag. And a lightweight stove. And a head torch. And a cooking set. And a goretex jacket....Relos please note, birthday and Christmas approach....

A Brief Interlude

2010-07-25T14:06:00.000+10:00

With a few days skiing in NZ on the agenda for early August, I have been happy with the extra fitness my walking has been slowly gaining me. However a slight spanner occurred when I strained my medial knee ligament bounding enthusiastically up a ladder. Recommended treatment is complete rest so I have not walked for a couple of weeks now and been veeery careful about how I get up ladders.

Thankfully its coming good and I hope to get a couple of walks in before the NZ trip. Can't wait!

Ringtail Forest Loop 11th July 2010

2010-07-25T13:56:00.000+10:00

After a number of shorter walks, today I wanted to stretch my legs on something a bit longer so decided to walk a loop around the local state forest.

I set off at mid-day and maintained a steady pace as I followed parts of the Noosa trail 4 before branching off to other forest trails used mainly by trail bike riders. There was a fair bit of up hill and down dale, plenty of short steep rises and descents to get the blood pumping. There was also a bit of water lying on the track in parts which required skirting, timing the pass so that it didn't co-incide with the passing of a trail bike. A muddy drenching would have resulted. In actual fact I only saw 1 pair of riders although I heard a lot more - active being a Sunday.

The walk was interesting in that it traversed a range of vegetation types and geology, going from the top of the hinterland escarpment to the bottom and back again.

The walk took 4.5 hours for a distance measured off google maps of 15.5 km, although I reckon it was more like 18 given all the ups and downs.

Mt. Cooroy 6th July 2010

2010-07-15T16:49:00.000+10:00

Finally! After 20 years of looking at it, I've done it!

Mt Cooroy is a much less well known hill to climb than its near neighbour, Mt. Cooroora, that has it's King Of The Mountain Festival in August each year. Nevertheless (and having already climbed Mt Cooroora) I was keen to get to the top and see what the views were like. So one Tuesday morning I drove to the Cooroy Mountain Springwater office, signed the log book and trekked off across the paddock to the base of the hill.

Once located, the track was easy to follow, with a certain degree of inevitable up-ness about it. It wasn't long before I had to throttle back, engage low and take my time in reaching the summit. This was not a track to take Aunt Mabel for a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll.

After half an hour I emerged on to a rock slab with open views to the west. The climb had been worth it!

From here it was just a short walk through the hill-top rainforest to the other side and its fantastic views from Cooloola to Coolum.

I spent about an hour at the summit, drinking in the views and marvelling at the tiny rainforest atop the hill which was characterized by a proliferation of Bird's Nest ferns. I signed the visitor's book and returned home.

Finding the Waterfall 4th July 2010

2010-07-10T13:08:00.003+10:00

I only had a couple of hours to spare today so I decided upon a quick sortie through the bush to find the waterfall on the slopes of Mt. Tinbeerwah.

I drove to the start of the track on Old Tewantin Road and leaving the car, headed up past the felled pine paddock to where the sign saying "To waterfall - about 1km" pointed into the bush in a generally easterly direction.

I followed the contour round over rocky and grassy ground and it soon became apparent where the waterfall would tumble down in rainy weather. As it was it was barely more than a damp stain on the slabs of rock that stepped upwards through the bush.

I scrambled up, taking care with foot placement, as much of the rocky slope was quite loose and treacherous not to mention that the hollows and spaces between the rock would no doubt house hordes of slithering reptiles. This is not a climb I would recommend to the elderly or young kids nor in hot weather when the aforemention reptiles would be more active.

Anyway, I gained the top and found a couple of rock cairns which indicated the path to follow that, not long after, joined the main track I had walked previously up Mt Tinbeerwah. This I followed back down to the car after taking some photos of the white Grevillea(?) that is in bloom at the moment.

WTF! 29/6/2010

2010-07-06T18:13:00.006+10:00

Today I set off with all intentions of doing a majorly long walk around Mt. Tinbeerwah. On my previous walk up the hill I had seen two State forest tracks that left the road and headed up the hill in the general direction that I wanted to go, so today I set off to see where they led.

The First track I followed led up and along a ridge in the direction I thought was going to take me to where I wanted to go. It was a very pleasant walk, I must say, the gully on my right looking almost park-like with its lack of undergrowth and tall trees on a slope leading to a boulder strewn gully and creek. It was pleasantly warm as I followed the trail which began to get steeper and head more directly up. The twin ruts of the track gave way, as it got steeper, to a single rut scramble over loose stones and through the trees above I thought I could see the top. My heart was beginning to thump as it recognized the requirement my body had for immediate oxygen supply to fatiguing muscle.

Once more I glanced up, this time to see a barbed wire fence and a No Tresspassing sign. Could this be right? After all this effort to get almost to the top, was I to be thwarted by someone's sense of proprietal righteousness? No way! I climbed over the fence and after a nervous call out and wait to ascertain any response, I continued to the top. Well mister land-owner, you have done a very fine job indeed of building a railway to your little hide-away. Yes, I kid you not. A
railway. On the Tinbeerwah massif.

Well I admired his view, and not wishing to incur anyone's wrath, returned back over the fence to safe ground.

The walk home follwed a loop back to Old Tewantin Road which was itself a nice section to walk. The over-riding memory of this walk, however, will always remain the discovery of someone's little utopia atop a mountain.

The 4-7-4 Loop 27/6/2010

2010-07-06T17:47:00.006+10:00

Just a quick description of this one. I wanted to do a fairly long walk so I decided to see if I could get off trail 7 to Porters Road and back via trail 4. This didn't prove a problem as most of trail 7 proved to be along vehicle tracks including a link to Porters road. Overall it was a mildly interesting walk. I am finding that a bush "human track" is much more interesting than a vehicle track to follow. The walk was done in a clockwise direction and the most interesting part was the northwards section along the boundary of the cleared farmland and then westwards to Porters road. The straight section in from Lake Macdonald Drive was quite muddy!

Up The Hill

2010-06-21T23:57:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I set off to see if I could get to Mt. Tinbeerwah from my home. I had looked on the map and thought it may be possible to walk through the state forest from Old Tewantin Road.

I set off about 11.30 down the road and along part of the Noosa Trail #4. I figured that if I walked about two thirds of the way down Old Tewantin Road and then headed through the bush in a South East direction I should get pretty close to my objective. As I walked, a couple in a van pulled over and asked me if I had any knowledge of the local tracks. I was unable to help them but it turned out they were from Cooloola Bushwalkers Club and were able to direct me to the start of a track that led up to Mt.Tinbeerwah.

Thus I turned right when I got to the paddock that had recently had its stand of Pine removed and locating the track began the ascent. Not far beyond the Pine paddock was a sign that pointed east which read "To waterfall - about 1km". I determined to explore this on my return journey and continued onwards and upwards. Fifteen minutes later I was blowing like a cyclone and my heart was thumping like a drummer in a regimental band. This was easily the most strenuous walk I had undertaken. Actually it was the most strenuous anything I had undertaken in quite a while. Thankfully there were a couple of more level sections towards the top and eventually I made it to an exposed slab of rock at the top for a well earned rest.

From here I followed an old vehicle track which undulated along a ridge in the direction of Mt. Tinbeerwah. I explored a branch to the right that went to a dead end but provided some good views south to Mt. Cooroy. A second branch right took me to what must be a mobile phone installation or something like that. From here I headed for home, back the way I came.

The track descent, while less taxing, still had to be negotiated with care due to the loose gravel and protruding tree roots. At the waterfall sign I could discern no track to follow, so decided to come back and explore that another day, armed perhaps with more knowledge about the destination.

I got home at 4pm so the return journey had been 4.5 hours and about 11.6km.

The video is a spur of the moment thing. Yes, I know it's pretty crappy but it's my first ever vid so be patent with me, I promise to improve!

A Big One!

2010-06-15T17:18:00.002+10:00

This time next year or thereabouts it is my goal to walk the new Cooloola Great Walk which is a five day trek through the Great Sandy National Park. To do this requires 15 to 20km walks per day and self sufficiency, meaning carrying food and shelter...meaning 15-20kg on your back for 5days, up and down huge sand dunes.
So to do that, I have to get to a level of fitness that will allow me to enjoy it.

So far I have been doing relatively short walks around the state forest near my home, carrying a 7kg pack with my photographic gear and a snack/drink and raincoat inside. Even with such a light weight, my shoulders have been feeling the pinch, notwithstanding that the pack I use isn't really designed for hiking. So I wasn't really confident about tackling longer distances but yeterday I decided to challenge myself.

I mapped out a walk following the Noosa Trails 4 and 2 to Middle Lookout camp site.

View 18.3km Walk in a larger map

The walk starts by following Forest Acres Drive northwest to the roundabout and then continuing down Old Coach Way. (Ignore the Trail 4 sign pointing to the right and go instead to the end of Old Coach Way where there is a sign "Alt 4".) As I entered the rainforest I came across a party of Wompoo Fruit Doves feeding in the trees above me. There was about 8 or 10 of them and I was lucky enough to photograph them albeit from a distance.

Wompoo Fruit Dove

I continued to the T junction where the track meets the old Ringtail Creek Road. To the left about 50 metres in Six Mile Creek but here I turn right and follow the track to a large open gully across a small creek. Over the creek bear left and continued northwards along the track with the big creek gully parallel on the left. There's a couple of bog holes along this section of track which may be muddy after rain. I continued along and over a couple of small creek crossings then up into drier eucalypt forest to another intersection. Here the trail turns left and goes straight along a property boundary, over dry ridges and through damp rainforested gullies, eventually reaching Louis Bazzo Drive. It is now about 1hr 30min into the walk.

If you see it, smell it. Native Hoya sp.

Over the road the track continues pretty straight through re-growth scrub until it meets the gravel of Black Pinch Road. From here head right up the road and it is up, quite a climb to the junction with Noosa Trail 2 but the views make it worthwhile. Just a few metres further on the right is the Twin Hills View Lookout where I stopped for a rest.

Back at the track juction I turn west and follow the road to its end where the grassy track heads up hill and down dale to arrive at Middle Lookout. Here I take some photos and after another short rest begin the trek back. At least its mostly downhill on the way home.

Looking towards Mt.Cooroy from Middle Lookout

Almost five hours to the minute and about 18.3km. I feel pretty weary when I get home but a hot shower and a hot cup of soup and I'm feeling great. I'm pretty happy with the way I went and the next day there is only very slight leg stiffness. Maybe I'll do that Cooloola Great walk sooner than I think!

First, the feet

2010-06-15T10:55:00.000+10:00

I've been gradually increasing the distance of my little strolls around the state forest near my home. The last one was about 12 km and it bought home to me the inadequacy of my footwear. My old work shoes just wouldn't cut it anymore. So I began, as I most often do, researching on the internet.

First off - what type of footwear would I need? I found alot of information here and some more here but the over-riding and most sensible consideration boils down to comfort. You cannot expect to walk long distances in uncomfortable shoes and enjoy it. So my number one criteria is comfort followed by lightness and grip. A boot, I figured, is overkill where a lot of my walking would be done in warm conditions along sandy trails and some of what Roger Caffin has to say about the "myth" of ankle support struck a chord with me as well.

So, there's a lot of choice from many suppliers on the internet, all of whom claim to have the ultimate answer but with my difficulty in obtaining comfortably fitting footwear - due to my really wide and basically wedge shaped feet - I was very reluctant to purchase via the net. So off I went into the retail wilds searching for my ultimate shoe.

After a week of fruitless searching locally, I discovered a new shopping precinct not too far away that had not one, not two but three outdoor adventure/camping type stores within 50 metres of each other. I was in retail heaven! So on the first trip there I tried on maybe a dozen pairs of shoes to find out what fitted and what didn't and narrowed it down to 2 choices - a pair of Keen Targhee II on special at $199 or a pair of 5.10 Camp 4 for $234. Now let me say that this is about 2 or 3 times what I had hoped to pay in the beginning but having been to the local Big W and other discount shoe stores and found nothing that comfortable, with a suitable robustness, I was resigned to the higher cost. So home I went to check out each shoe on the net and it seems both have a pretty good reputation.

Back I went at the next opportunity for a second try-on, this time with my own recently purchased hiking socks. What I found was that my heel would slip out of the Targhee II with almost every step whilst the 5.10 stayed relatively stable on my feet and had super grip. So the 5.10 Camp 4 shoes it was.

So far, after 3 or 4 walks, the last yesterday of 18km, I have had no issues whatsoever with these shoes and just hope they turn out to be as durable as they are comfortable.