Mt Kosciouzko Part 2

A return to the top. Just more wind.

In November of 2017, myself and a few friends trekked down to Jindabyne to climb Mt Kosciouzko. It was a great little weekend getaway and a welcome bonding experience with people I love. So, why not do it again?

Our trip was, again, from a Friday to a Sunday in early November. Meeting up with my friends early Friday to make the 5 hour drive, we began in good old Campbelltown. Our first stop was in Goulburn, before heading onto Cooma and then eventually Jindabyne itself.

The trip got us down there just after 3pm and we decided to grab food before heading to our accomodation. We got the essentials for the hike on Saturday, made sure we got the super essential weekend supply of beer and made our way to the house.

Boy was it nice. A chalet just outside of Jindabyne with fireplace, spa, kitchen, plenty of bathrooms and the best addition, a sauna. It was great. We loved the place, it helped make the weekend that much better.

Figuring we were staying in a house with an oven, we decided to have a baked dinner. Lamb, potatoes, pumpkin, veggies. It was going to be good.

Then the oven decided it didn’t want to work.

“No worries!” we thought, “why not just grill everything up on the stove top?” No that didn’t feel like cooperating either. We thought we’d have to grab a pizza or something. But after a check through the cupboards, we found an electric fry pan. Our chef for the weekend found, with the help of Google, the instruction manual and discovered we could cook a roast in that! The day was saved. And while it wasn’t the most roasted of roast dinners, it was great none the less. Having a meal with friends and family reminds you of what’s really important in life.

After a late night sauna and some fine whiskey, we retired for the night to get an early start for the next day.

Waking up early Saturday, we grabbed some breakfast before heading to Charlotte’s Pass. We were worried as the day before we weren’t able to see a lot of, if any snow. But as we came closer to our destination we saw more and more patches of the stuff and it was lovely.

What wasn’t lovely was the wind.

I’d never dealt with so much wind and was not ready for how strong it was. And it continued to grow stronger and stronger as we climbed up.

The hike itself is 18km long from Charlotte’s Pass. 9km up and 9km down. It’s a beautiful walk, and easier than you expect. We kept going along, taking in the sights, throwing snowballs, sliding on snow and taking photos. We eventually got to Seaman’s Hut about 6km up and stopped off for a quick break and to warm up. There’s a small amount of provisions in the hut so we took some wine and chocolate, adding a few snacks of our own as compensation.

Once we warmed up we continued to the top with a new surge of energy and a little wine in us. The snow thickened and grew as we climbed further and closer to the top. The wind gained strength and as we got into the clouds it was almost too much to handle. But we came here for a reason and the elements weren’t going to deter us now.

The five of us ascended and the last small stretch was filled with slippery snow and wet socks but we didn’t care. We just needed to reach the top.

And we did! We’d scaled the mountain and conquered it once more, some of us for the first time. We captured a photo for the memories and had a quick food break before starting the trek back to the car.

After a solid 6 hours of walking, talking and photo taking, we made it back to the car and set back to our holiday stay. It was a great day and we capped it off with more beer, pizza and a sauna.

The sauna was well needed. The heat soothed our aching muscles and calmed us down to a point of pure bliss. It was great. We continued on with the night with some more whiskey and a few rounds of the excellent Windjammers before setting off to bed.

I woke up early the next day and got the most out of the sauna before we left. It was extremely energising and refreshing to start the day sweating myself stupid in a steam filled box. Once that was done, we all packed up our things, threw it in the car and headed out for some bacon and eggs.

Our trip home included a detour into Canberra to meet up with a mate, have a burger and a chat before continuing home. It was sad to drop everyone off back where we started and bid our farewells.

A weekend of good friends, fresh air and a relaxing time were well needed. Last time I climbed the mountain, it felt like a major accomplishment, and a weight lifted off my shoulders due to a lot of things going on in my life at that time. This time I didn’t have the weight lift off, mainly due to life becoming a bit more clearer, but it provided a moment of reflection on where I had gone in the past year. Had I grown since last year? Had I regressed? What had I learnt and more importantly, where will I be going?

The answers to those questions might not be clear, or even make sense, but I was happy, healthy, and had people in my life to help me continue on my path. And in the end, maybe the answers weren’t what mattered.

Brendan

Burning Palms/Figure 8 Pools

A return to the Royal National Park to see the Figure 8 Rock Pools, ruined by the sea.

It'd been a while since we'd been for a hike, but it was a welcome return to something I'd missed. Myself and a few of the lads woke up early on a cold Saturday morning ready to walk the 12km round loop to the Figure 8 Rock Pools. 

Myself and Kemp left Campbelltown early to head to Sutherland to grab the rest of the group, before heading into the Royal National Park. We parked at Otford, grabbed our things and began the walk.

I always hate the first 20 minutes of a hike, especially when it's cold. I'm usually running on pure caffeine, little sleep and it's hard to get motivated when all you want to do is sleep. Once the wall is broken though, it's always great. I love the scenery and the challenge, and it's always great to chat and catch up with friends.

The Burning Palms walk is a pretty simple walk through lush green forest to the beach. The waves crash against the cliffs below, the wind blowing and making the trees sound like chimes. When you reach the bottom, you hit a long stretch of sand at Burning Palms beach in one direction, with the rock pool the other. This time though, nature would conspire to make sure we couldn't see the Figure 8 pools.

The sea was so fierce, the waves crashing all the way across the rocky path we were going to cross. It caused us to change our original plan and instead we just sat by the sea, reading, talking and grabbing food to eat. The sun was out so we soaked in as much as we could.

The last half of the walk starts with an intense hill climb. It's about 20-30 minutes to get to the top and it isn't easy, but once you reach the top, it's smooth sailing. The last 5km of the trek is basically a long 4WD/Fire Trail and it provides a respite from the usual hiking shennaningans.

We clocked this in about 4 hours or so, but it didn't matter how long or short it was, it was great to get back into the swing of things with some great friends. 

Here's to the next one!

Brendan

A Weekend of Returns - Hikes and Abandoned Breweries

On the weekend of April 21st - 22nd, I spent the weekend revisiting some places I'd been before, but managed to see them in a new light.

Saturday was a day of hiking with the group, taking us back to a hike I had done before, Mt Kuring-Gai to Berowra. This hike is great because it can all be done with no need to drive. You can jump on the train and go from one station to the next. 

This day though would test me. 

I'd had a late night at work, finishing at 1:30AM. I needed to be up at 6AM and catch the train to North Sydney to meet the crew, so I tried to force myself to sleep which as you can probably guess didn't end up going so well. The alarm buzzed me awake at 6AM and my body was already running on reserve energy. On a train I went and to North Sydney I would go.

Meeting up at about 8AM, myself and the rest of the fellas grabbed a hearty breakfast, I filled up on caffeine and we jumped back onto the train towards Mt Kuring-Gai. Our walk was pretty normal, the weather was nice, the company was good and the sounds of nature filled our ears.

About halfway through, we reached a sign that halted our plans. There was back burning in Berowra and it was too dangerous to go ahead. We had two choices we could make. 

Either head back the way we came, or go towards another different direction we had seen many people file in and out from. After some lunch, we decided to head to the new direction, thinking we'd be back sooner rather than later. 

Turned out that wasn't the case at all.

We walked back towards Hornsby, on what seemed to be the beginning of the Great North Walk. We had no real indication of where this walk would take us to, or when we'd finish. We'd eventually reach an area that'd grant us reception on our phones and a quick look at Google Maps showed us we were near a fire trail. All we had to do was walk through some scrub and into a relatively unknown path. 

Unsure if our decision was wise or even able to pay off, we took he chance and forged ahead. Luckily for us it worked, and we had successfully shaved an hour off our trek and towards Asquith Station we went.

The hike itself was great, and even though it went in a direction we didn't know was going to even happen, it was still a great day as usual. 

On Sunday, along with my lovely lady, we visited the Mittagong Maltings. I've written about it before, so I won't go into to much detail. It was nice to revisit the place with a few new lenses and a better idea of what to expect.

The great thing about this place is the way the light spills in no matter what time of the day it is. It creates unique settings and opportunities. Exploring the floors is treacherous but the pay off is worth it.

We spent a good hour or so wandering around exploring the building before deciding to leave. I was happy with the trip and so was my lady. And the best part was we both managed to grab photos that we were very happy with. 

All in all, my weekend was adventure filled with what makes life great. I can't wait to explore more and grab some photos. I hope you enjoy them too!

Golden Stairs - Mt Solitary

"A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day".

That's been on a landscape photo hanging in my parent's house for about 15 years and it's so ingrained in my memory that it's hard not to think about on a particularly bad day. Although in this case, it was taken a lot more literally than what was meant. 

On the last day of March, myself and a few friends went for a hike in the Blue Mountains. We've been hiking at least once a month for the past year now, and it's something I look forward to with a lot of anticipation. We've hiked along the coast, inland, in the mountains and more. My favourite aspects are the disconnect with the outside world, where for a few hours, your phone has no reception, all you hear is nature and you connect with what's really important. 

There's a valley behind all that mist. And about Three Sisters too.

This particular hike started just past the Three Sisters, at a set of stairs called the Golden Stairs. The Golden Stairs were something we'd walked past in a previous hike and were told it was pretty intense. We'd soon realise intense was an accurate description. 

At 9AM we began, and where the usual beautiful and picturesque views of the valley would usually be, was replaced with a solid wall of fog and mist. We couldn't see more than two metres in front of us. It was rainy and slippery but that hadn't stopped us before. A short 15 minute trek down the steep stairs and we were onto Mt Solitary. A thought entered our minds when we reached the bottom that we all verbalised. 

"Those stairs are going to be a pain in the ass to climb back up".

We continued on with the hike, chatting away and catching up, the sun slowly coming out and the fog vanishing into the air. The light came through the canopy and was a welcome sight. After a good hour we reached the base of Mt Solitary and looked at how immense it was. We soldiered on, climbing over trees, stepping over dips, cracks and rocks on the ground.

The Crew

Mt Solitary stands at an impressive 950m tall and it was no small effort. It involved a lot of climbing but the view was very much worth it. And just like magic, all the fog was gone at the top. It was perfect timing.

We sat at the top of the mountain, had lunch and talked for a while, admiring the view and the company. It was completely serene and beautiful. After a good half hour or so, we packed up and made the trek back to the inevitable. 

The heat had started to pick up and we stayed quiet for a while. I think we all made the decision to try and conserve some energy before the last battle. 

Figuring out the next step.

At the base of the stairs we took a quick drink break and saw a sign that read, "Golden Stairs, 800m to top, 45 mins". We kind of panicked at that but thought we could very easily beat it. It became a challenge. We said we could do it easily in 25-30 minutes. We were being conservative. We started to climb and realised why they said 45 minutes. 

Being the smart men we are, we barely stopped, determined to prove safe advice wrong. As we blasted through it, our legs slowly became jelly, but our minds stayed strong and determined to win. In the end it took us just over 20 minutes to reach the top, but we almost killed ourselves doing it. 

The morning was pretty damp but cleared up very well.

The sun had well and truly taken over the day at this point and the true beauty of the area was in view. On either side of where we parked, we saw every shade of green as the tree covered valleys spread out for miles. We admired the view before jumping in the car and headed home.

All in all, it was a beautiful day, filled with lots of contrasts and it made for a memorable hike. Oh yeah, I managed to grab some photos too. Check them out!

Taking in the sights.

Brendan.