Diving - 2017 11 - Moreton

Like most trips this one started a few days before. I had recently purchased new second stages for my regs (the mouth-piece bit) which needed fitting. After the job done I was able to pack all my gear and have it ready. Sadly no underwater camera this trip, all underwater shots supplied by Kristie.

I was heading over with Kristie, Jeremy and my nieces so they picked me up Wed afternoon. First stop was Dad's birthday dinner before heading to their home and packing the Land Cruiser. Plenty of space, though some careful planning, so everything fitted easily.

Day 1

Wasn't too early to start the day as we only needed to be at the barge at 730. Out the front until everyone arrived and then we jumped on the surprisingly full (for a random Thursday morning) barge.  Most members took the opertunity on the long trip to complete their Compressor Operator assessment test.



After landing it was a quick drive up the beach to Cowan Cowan to find our houses. This trip I'm down in a secondary house about 800m away. I don't mind a walk, but in wet gear chafing can be an issue. So I got all I needed and got ready for the first dive.

After having to replace a blown o-ring on her tank Kristie and I dropped down onto the Kos 1. Decent vis, maybe 8m, and a bit of life around. We made our way past the Tram and Rock Driller to the Nautilus Statue. Half covered in sand now. Pipes also mostly covered, which screwed my nav.



Found our way to the Melbourne and then eventually popped back up about 10m from Kens boat. We discovered that divers on D1 pulled the pin due to low vis and anchor not holding and met them back on shore. Great afternoon (only a few tanks to fill) so took the opertunity to have a few bourbons.



Walk back to our house after a few more and quick to bed.

Day 2

Woke up well rested and had a quick breakfast before heading back to get ready for the first dive. One boat was still beached so only one boat out first up. I was on D1 and we dropped on the middle of The Pines.



Slight incoming tide so a nice easy drift dive along the drop off. We dropped in a smudge past the main wall but still had a pleasant dive. Loads of starfish, a fee pipe fish and lots of other things to look at.

Back for the arvo slack high dive, a cleanup dive. I went Skip/surface watch and saw our members bring back plenty of buckets brimming with rubbish. Sinkers, like, rope, hooks and chain made up the bulk of it. Back on shore some of us got stuck into sorting and weighing it all. We need fairly accurate weights for record keeping purposes.



After washing the stink off it was dinner and dive talk time. No shortage of stories to share when you have 25+ divers sitting around and a few beers to end the day.

Day 3

Another rather easy morning before a slack low tide dive. We dropped onto the Dry Dock. A bit on the deeper side so we had a shorter dive (just flirting with deco times) still managing to mostly fill a bucket. They get heavy with so many sinkers in them!

I went spotter for the midday drift dive, Blair was skipper to work up some operating hours. Wind across the surface and swell made it impossible to track bubbles, we picked it fairly well and divers popped about 200m short of where we were looking for them.

Afternoon clean up was pretty successful for D1. Kristie, Linton and I hit on the Pt Lookout and could spend another entire dive there cleaning line off. The other boat had some Nav issues and found sand for a bit before hooking onto the Melbourne.



Another decent haul of rubbish to be sorted into various piles and weighed. Perfect job to sort through with a beer or 2, just watch put for the hooks. Some pretty decent rods came back today too.


Day 3

Some trouble over night with possible anchor slippage and rubbing put a hole in a boat. Ken always prepaired has a repair kit but as it was on the sand and tide on the way out it takes the boat out of the equation this morning.

We still got out for a good dive on the Bremer Wreck. Once again finding lots of line, sinkers, hooks and rope tangled up on the wreck. For a slack low we had decent visibility too. About 7 meters.



Back on land so it was time for me to start cleaning gear. Others got a start helping with Kens Boat, Sand was dug away from the stern so they could drain the water and plug the hole. Lucky the neighbour had a backhoe to make it a bit easier.


Garys organised a drift dive which got some interest so they headed out again for that. I helped sort out the waste from the morning dives haul before packing up all my gear and heading off to catch the 2pm ferry.

Another successful Clean up Project trip. Still lots more work to be done but it's a nice feeling knowing you're doing a little bit to help.

Hiking - 2017 07 - Mt Barney

Thursday night I assembled my pack and gear. Inc food and water I had forgotten how heavy the pack can get. Even with only 2 days of food and 3lt of water. I have let a few luxury items sneak in though... should ditch them...

Friday morning Duncan picked me up at 630 and after a brief frantic search for my GPS watch I was good to go. Had forgotten to charge it after a run but with 66% left it should last. Drive out was light on traffic the only delay was the rubber strip on the roof racks dislodging itself.

At the car park gearing up a group was looking a little unprepared for a full day hike. Even a day hike up Barney needs water/food. They saw our o/night packs and one came and asked if this was the Lower Portals (and 8km, low elevation change) track. Nope. Off they went about 2k back on the dirt road. Bit cool this morning but we warmed up quickly camping and it wasn't long before we covered 2k and reached the Barney NP sign.



After breezing past the Cronan creek camp sites we turned right and started the ascent up the SE ridge. It wasn't long before my heart was thumping and I was breathing heavy. Duncan noted that his legs were getting a pretty good workout too.

We'd stop periodically to "enjoy the view" which strongly featured Mt Lindsay the entire way up. Allowing he added us to catch our breath. We went past an odd place for a food stash/camp. Tins of food and some other gear was left. Maybe got too heave on the way up? If it was just rubbish I would have grabbed it.



When we stopped for lunch a group of day hikers caught up. They left the car park 10-15 min after us so we must have been on a decent pace. We trailed behind a little when we got to the scramble section but quickly joined them at the peak. 4 hours to get there.

Extended break before heading down to the rum jungle where we'll be camping for the night. While there is a goat track to follow it's very overgrown. Pack and poles (stored in a side pocket) were constantly snagging on branches. Grabbed some water to filter from the creek near old hut and arrived at the Jungle shortly after.



Put up our tents and decided I was time for a bit of a snooze/rest. It was already fairly cold at 230pm. The wind wasn't making it feel any warmer either....

345 we started our ascent of the west peak. The original plan was to maybe be there for sunset but with the chill already about in the air we thought not. Someone had recently marked a trail with pink flagging tape. Pretty sure they were leading people to their death. We pulled down the worst offender, telling people to go up a sheer cliff when the actual route was safer, easier and even quicker. Long stretching shadow from the top looked cool, especially seeing the multiple peaks. Standing around was cold so we didn't spend too much time at the top.



Back down for camp, 3 others were also here. Nice blokes so we chatted through dinner about future tracks to try, and our various hiking adventures. Duncan headed off to bed while I stayed and chatted for a while. Despite the cold we ventured away from camp to look at the starts. Absolutely amazing up here. Wish I had the gear/skills of Jenny or Ramsay to capture them. By 730 pm I was rugged up in my sleeping bad and drifted off soon after.

The guys we shared camp with were planning on doing a summit for the sunrise, they too came to the conclusion that it was too cold for such thoughts. As we finished packing up they went off to the west peak so we said our goodbyes and headed down Peasants ridge. We could see the valley floors full of fog, making the hills and mountains stand out like islands.



Rather quick descent passing a few day hikers on their way up the hill. A group of 4 on their 4th attempt, previous attempts foiled due to weather, timing and trying the SE ridge but not making it past the scramble. Peasants ridge has its own small scramble sections, but nothing too difficult to overcome.



It wasn't long before we arrived at the gate near the car park, where you can branch off to Yellow Pinch. As I had never been up there before, and we had plenty of time we decided to check it out. It's only a few hundred meters and 80m of elevation gain, but it felt pretty steep all the same. Great views of Barney from the top. There was also a school/youth group at the top having a talk. Must be doing a hike too as they all had large packs.



Very short return to the car park from there, another successful Mt Barney dual summit completed.

Diving - 2017 07 - Wolf Rock

Started out with a call in the morning that the person meant to be taking up the compressor wasn't able too. I was already committed to towing the club boat up and as no-one else was able to take the compressor that meant I had to have all my work gear out so I could fit it in too.

Was a little awkward with just Jeremy and I lifting it into my high tray but we managed and then set off on our way. The beach was really nice, good hard sand and pretty smooth to drive on. Even the entrance to Freshwater campground, often boggy, was clear sailing.



Despite being a dive club trip there was a lot of family here... Mum/Dad were up for the weekend to help with my Nieces when Kristie/Jeremy were diving. Some of the other divers were staying in Rainbow so for at least tonight it was all family. Should be others coming up tomorrow.

After dinner, before the moon had a chance to rise, we went for a stroll on the beach. Love seeing the Milky Way in all its glory. Some friends have recently got into star shots, kinda made me wish I had one of their camera kits to work with here.

Early start and a quick jaunt over to the northern side of Double Island point. Only slightly delayed getting stuck on the entrance to the overland track. Weather looks fantastic. When all divers were ready we had an easy launch and set off diving!

We went out and were able to hook onto the mooring and the first group hopped in. Gary came back saying no sharks. Kristie and I thought he was joking. They saw 70 here last weekend! By that time Nic VT had finished his scenic 4wd tour (read: got lost) so we picked him up from the beach and then it was out turn.

Well Gary wasn't joking. No sharks. Not a one. Crazy.  Great conditions with hardly any wind and minimal swell. However no sharks! We still saw quite a bit though, heaps of schooling fish (Barracuda, Wah-hoo, Bat fish and Damsels) as well as a Manta Ray, Octopus, Nudis and Nic even spotted an Eagle ray floating over head.

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Surface interval went by quick with all the Whale sightings, a dozen at least. Second dive was much the same, lots of fish. Quite a few moray eels this dive too and we also saw a Shark! But it was only a Wobby... Cold thermocline at parts but not too bad.

Back to shore to fill tanks. Takes a while when there isn't anyone back filling while people were diving. Drive back to camp was easy seeing another few whales off the beach. Family (+ Nic) dinner and then an early night for me.

Was due for a sleep in... at least for 30 min but woke up early anyway... Gave me a chance to pack camp before heading g around the point again. Didn't get stuck this time which was nice.



Easy launch again and a quick trip to the Rock. Once again no sharks! Still good diving though. Felt a little cold though. On the surface interval we saw at least 1/2 a dozen Manta Rays playing on the surface. Kristie, Nic and SNR jumped in to snorkel and try get a few snaps. At one point a sea snaked also came up to say hello.



Back to the rock and Jez and Nic decided to stay surface watch while the rest of us jumped in. More of the same, again with the lack of sharks. Good diving and pretty good vis, but a site known for sharks... with no sharks... Loads of fish though!

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Back to the beach and where we launched had gotten a little bumpy. By the time I was able to back my ute down the boat took on a wave or 2 and got pretty heavy. Was a bit difficult to gt out, had to get the Cruiser on it to drag it our a little. After a small struggle we got it on the trailer and I was able to drive out.

Late lunch the headed off home. Tide was still up so I decided the short beach (through Rainbow) would be easier than all of Teewah. Made it about 3min before getting stuck. Quick rescue by Thomas and by that time there was just enough hard sand to drive on. Aired up at the Shell and smooth ride home.

Nic and SNR thankfully came to the club to help with the boat. Definitely wouldn't of had a fun time trying to do it myself. Would have been impossible to unload the compressor. With the three of us it was over quickly and I got home around 8.

Quick unload and rinse of the Ute (it will need a full clean and vacuum...) to get some of the salt/sand off. Also a good rinse for myself then crashed shortly after into bed.

Travel - 2017 06 - Dubai

As we conquered Kilimanjaro a day early we had an extra day to spend in Moshi town. Honestly not a whole lot to do, but that was ok as after the mountain a relaxing day was welcomed. 

The group that I climbed with was all staying at the same hotel so it was also a good chance to say goodbye. Walking the streets to check out some street markets but mostly just head out to lunch and dinner with "Team nDoto".



Dell and I had an earlier flight so we said our goodbyes before bed. Our transport arrived and we got some breakfast boxes to go. The coffee we ordered on the tour our first day hadn't made it to us yet so we had to swing by the home of the owner of Pristine to pick it up. 

Ultimately with all that happened we were getting to the airport a lottle late. Tiny 'international' airport so it wasn't too bad. We arrived about 5 min after the flight closed but as there was only 10 pax hopping on here they reopened for us. 

It's a milk run flight so we boarded a 1/2 full plane. There was one young American lady near me who was busy reapplying her makeup. She already had more than most people headed out for a night on the town. 3 different colour things on her cheek, fresh lippy, plus a pencil thing, eye lash stuff and even got the tweezers out for her eyebrows. Kenya Airways is worth dressing up for I guess.... 

After another short stop in Zanzibar (Didn't get off the plane, but still counts right?) we headed off to Narobi. 2 hour stopover then another 6 or so hours to Dubai. Just before boarding a staff member pulled me aside to inform me that my bag never left Kilimanjaro airport. 

Baggage guys weren't too bad and promised me I'd have my bag on the next flight, of which there is only 1 a day... Shuttle bus off to easily the fanciest hotel I have ever stayed in. Driving into Dubai it felt like what I imagine it might feel like for someone living in a small country town all their life driving into the CBD for the first time. So many tall, fancy, brightly lit buildings. It makes Vegas look like Toowoomba.



Bed and hot shower are nice I guess... I still just as happy in a tent though... Another plus is that the Concierge desk was going to follow up about my bags for me. Saves me making loads of phone calls.
The next day Lyndon got to tick off one of the items on his bucket list, driving a Lamborghini. Pretty fast I guess... 



Cruised over to the Oman sea for a bit of a splash. Water temp was easily low 30's, felt like dirty bath water. With 38°c air temp we were hoping for something a little more refreshing.... Fueled up before the trip home. Lambo is thirsty but at ~50c/lt it's not as much of a concern.

Back through the streets of Dubai we found the cause of a lot of the cities smog problem. Traffic. Probably not the ideal place for the car of choice. With Dell navigating the streets safely (despite other ideas from fellow motorists) we made if back to the hotel late arvo. 

Bad news about my bag, conflicting information. That's never a good sign. Kenya Airlines said they put it on the flight, Etihad said it was never recieved. Online tracking has it doing an airport transfer on a bus. 3 different stories. At least I'm not making the phone calls yet, but if it drags on longer I'll be back in Aus and chasing it myself...

Off to a fancy mall for dinner. Indoor Snow Ski park looked fancy (but not worth paying for) and if you liked fashion the mall might be a good place. I don't.  Was bored out of my mind. Even the one 'outdoor' store had some sports things (like bats) but mostly just apparel. Thought about getting a 'small' plush toy for the Nieces and Nephews though...



Next day was and lazy one by the pool. Had to hang about for the Lambo guy (who was 3.5 hours late...) to pick up the car. Relaxed poolside with a beer though, so no loss. Streamed State of Origin and managed to watch QLD squeeze out a victory. Bag still lost in the netherworld of the airlines baggage carousels.  

Out to the tallest building in the world, The Burj Khalifa. Seems fitting after the recent hike. Lights of the city were pretty impressive, even if filtered through smog.



Another big mall. The biggest in fact (by area.) Again boring for my tastes. Back to the Sofitel. No news on the bag but early to bead for tomorrow's activities.

One thing I hate about travelling, early mornings. Up at 415am to head off to skydiving. I don't do well with mornings but it was bloody amazing jumping out of a plane. Cost/time of enjoyment isn't quite what I would call resonable but just shy of a minute free fall was exhilarating. Loved every second. Good views too. Apparently I appeared 'very comfortable' with the height, no surprises there.



Back to the hotel to checkout and off to sit in the aircon of a Mall before our night time flight. Caught a movie to kill time on our last day before catching a taxi out to the airport. On the mall wifi got an update about my bag, it should have arrived from Narobi 1.5 hours before I fly out. Though didn't make my flight. See you soon Brisbane!

Hiking - 2017 06 - Kilimanjaro

You can see the combined hike GPS track on Strava

Day 1 - Machame Gate to Machame Hut

Woke fairly early and got an early breakfast before one last hike into town. We went to what we thought was a gear store, where we could find protein bars etc, but it was only a hire/tour stop.

We then got back to the hotel to be picked up and we met our tour buddies. Two Canadian friends and a Step father and his son. Dropped excess gear off in storage at Pristine and then made our way to Machame Gate.

We had to wait at the gate for at least 2 hours while our guides sorted out permits and entry fees. They also weigh all the porters packs to ensure that no one is over burdened before they're allowed to enter the park.

We started the hike and were immediately in rain-forest that looked exactly like Springbrook. Large moss covered trees and red soil. We also had rain for about half of the distance so the track got a little muddy.

Pace was, at times, frustratingly slow. The guides said many times "Pole Pole" (pole-ey) which means slowly slowly. No point getting worn out, we had a full 6 days to reach the summit. One in our group was also feeling the effect of the steeper path so a few extra stops on the way.

Just before camp we reached the Moorland zone, trees thinned out but no view as the clouds were still all around us. Porters had already setup camp, including a mess tent for us to eat in. Wonderful dinner with a short view of the brilliant stars then turned in early for bed.

Day 2 - Machame Hut to Shira Caves

The day started with an abrupt awakening at 540 am followed quickly by some lacklustre oatmeal for breakfast. Eggs on toast were good though, as was the very welcomed and unexpected hot Milo.

We broke camp before most of the other groups. There must have been over a hundred tents standing while our porters were already packing ours down. Beautiful views already above the cloud line.

Once again we were setting a blistering pace. 0.7km per hour. Not a typo. One of our group still feeling the affect (of not being remotely in shape) meant the whole group was stuck at a slow pace. I get it, I understand it, I even sort of agree wih it, but fuck me it's not fun. Especially seeing all the other groups seemingly breeze past us.

Some amazing views of the peak on the way up and only sparse trees now to block the view. Was quite warm in the sun which was also a nice change from the frosty morning.

More of the same after a snack break strolling into camp about 1pm. Really great lunch,  they sure feed us well. After lunch was nap time though I chose to abstain. After nap time we went to check out the Shira Cave which was a pretty cool lava tube though mostly filled wih sediments.

Dinner and a few East African songs before turning in for what is meant to be a cold night.

Day 3 - Shira Caves to Barranco Camp

Spent the night mostly too warm and didn't have a very good sleep at all. Still packed early an got moving. Longer day distance wise today but not as much elevation gain. That said I still broke my on foot height record of Mt Whitney and reached just over 4600 meters of elevation.

We stopped for lunch at a place called Devils Tower which was a rather large lava plug. After a decent climb looking back over the amazing cloud bank (and our helpful helpers) we begun to descend again.

Camp today was in a sheltered valley in front of Barranco wall. Something to look forward to in the morning. I was pretty wrecked (combination of the high altitude and lack of sleep) so I took the chance to nap and felt a lot better. Everyone in the team (of 6) had at least a slight headache, some completly wiped out and 2 nauseated.

Great view of the valley below as the clouds parted late afternoon. Quick dinner then an early night.

Day 4 - Barranco Camp to Karanga Valley

Another very early stary, breaking camp at 6am, to scale Barranco Wall. It took just over 1.5 hours to complete the light scramble. We left early to not have to deal with porters needing to pass with their loads. Though they still managed to catch us near the top.

The peak was partially obstructed most of the day but the views to the clouds behind us were always amazing. Despite my reservations about pace apparently our group is handling the altitude really well. Making the planned camp by 1030am it was agreed we would push onto the higher altitude base camp, only 4km further but 600+ m in elevation gain.

Day 4.5 - Karanga Valley to Barafu Camp

A quick fruit salad for smoko then pushing ever onwards. It was a decent climb from camp to the first ridge before we rollercoasted a short while and then hit the final ascent.

Passing us were our porters with not only gear and food but buckets of water. 25lt buckets. On their head. They did do a bit of juggling with some going ahead dropping gear and coming back to help with the water. These guys are super human.

At camp just after 2 and had a late lunch just as the clouds came in and it started snowing. A little wind too and somewhat exposed so it's going to be a cold night.

Started to snow again late afternoon which made for a good visual but felt a little cold. With my warmest shoes being trail runners the toes were feeling it a little. It's fine on the move but stopped for a few hours....

Dinner we discussed plans for the next day which involved a stupidly early start with a 230am wake up to make the summit. One member of our team planned to start an hour earlier to get a bit of a head start.

I also got hit with my first affect of altitude, nausea. Thanks to some beef mince mix. I was given a plate of pineapple and oranges though which I happily wolfed down. A few on our team have already been affected by lack of a appetite so the guides were happy to see me eat. I've also been munching on skittles every day...

Day 5 - Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mellennium Hut

The day started as well as any 230am start could... Cold, tired, layered up like the marshmallow man. Head lamps on to begin the slow 7ish hour ascent.

Steep, dusty, cold, beautiful, brutal. That's how I would describe the ascent. Every step was hard work and it only got harder as the air thinned and fatigue set in. We passed Jerry after and few hours and left him to continue at his pace and the rest of us pushed on. Enjoying the beautiful sunrise on the way.

6 or so hours later we reached Stella point. A junction for different routes before the final stint to the top. The guides offered us hot tea, something I would normally never drink, but I was cold and it was hot. Didn't enjoy the taste and about 2min later I experienced that bad taste again... Everyone felt like rubbish at that point but with the peak only 0.7km away we couldn't stop.

Made it!

My time at the top was short lived I was feeling a bit out of it due to the altitude, only time for a few snaps then I started heading back down to lose some elevation. At times overtaking the porter sent to guide me down. Apparently I'm a pretty fast hiker when I'm allowed to be and not constantly being told "Pole pole" who knew?

Back to camp for a nap, the others getting back not too far behind me. We heard the news that Jerry ultimately turned back about 2 hours from the summit. Better safe than sorry. He was feeling ok mentally but wiped out physically and opted to get taken on a stretcher down to the next camp.

We left straight after lunch and Suley, the youngest of the guides, finally caved and gave me permission to go my own pace. Thank fuck. Loved the look on the faces on the other groups and guides as I whizzed past. Even managed to overtake a porter, though other porters still breezed past me.

On the way down I saw the drop point for trolleys. In the cloud it looked a little eerie. Got to camp a little too quickly apparently, nothing setup yet so I helped with the tents while waiting for the rest of the team/gear. Job (head guide) gave Suley a side glance when he got to camp later... woops! I slipped him an extra tip to make up for it. Mulled around until dinner and was in bed and fast asleep shortly after.

Day 6 - Mellennium Hut to Mweka Gate

Still feeling a bit under Jerry decided to take the 'Tanzania Taxi' out of the park (one of those trolleys in the fog.) We got going at a decent pace taking care on the frost covered rocks. Quickly descended back into Moorland vegetation covered in cloud bank and moss covered trees.

Back into the Rainforest where everything was damp. No rain to speak of but with the moisture in the air it may as well have. They allowed Lyndon and I to 'try and keep pace' with the porters and the 'taxi.' These guys were literally jogging down the mountain, with the trolley, though we were happily following in tow.

Down in record time we had one last lunch, signed out of the park, had some singing and said our goodbyes to the porters and crew. We also distributed Tips for the the porters etc. These tips add up, so be prepared before heading to the mountain. On with the Guides back to Moshi.

Over. Done. Mission complete. To steal a line from our lead guide Job: "This was not a piece of cake, it is a piece of rock" I can honestly say I underestimated the challenge of high altitude hiking. Every step is a piece of information, every hike a lesson. I learned a lot this trip. I eagerly await the next.

Travel - 2017 06 - Kenya/Tanzania

Spent the day tidying up a few last things at home before packing my gear once again for another epic adventure. Needed to be at the airport by 830pm for a 1030 flight so dad got to my place at 530pm... Just to be safe... Had my brother and his partner over for dinner to see the new house. Which worked out well as he and dad could talk all things building. 

Set off to the airport and arrived right as they opened check-in, though the line was already long. Killing time in the line I saw a work mate off on her own adventure.  Cruising around the Mediterranean. Can't help but think that trip is going to be a lot more luxurious and warmer than mine...  

While having a final beer before the flight there was another traveller on a phone call complaining about check in (line too long) so he skipped to the baggage drop and was blaming the staff when they told him to join the actual line... Some people always think their time is more important than others. Karma worked swiftly apparently as his bag was also 3kg overweight. 



Two long flights, 19 hours in the air + stopover time, later (though I got a relativly decent sleep on the first leg) and I arrived in Kenya. Dell got to the hotel about 2 hours after me giving me time to have a shower and relax for a second. 

Dinner out tonight to meet the crew he's been travelling with on his prior tours and give him a chance to say goodbyes. We went to a really good resturant called 'Carnivore' which was a Brazilian BBQ type setup (unlimited meat on a stick) with everything from Crocodile to Ostrich meatballs. No Zebra steak thought... will have to get that later.



Fell asleep instantly as my head hit the pillow back at the room. Felt like a long time since I left Brisbane already. Early start to head out to Hells Gate national park.

Long drive out on some... interesting roads. Hired mountain bikes at the front gate and rode the 8km to the Hells Gate gorge. Hundreds of Warthogs on the way as well as Giraffe, Gazelle, Zebra and Water Buffalo. 

[caption width="1920" align="alignnone"]Photo cred: Lyndon[/caption]

Did a 4 hour hike down into Hells Gate which was a pretty nice slot canyon. There was also a lot of geothermal vents pushing put some pretty hot water and a few shallow caves to explore. 1230 we started heading out of the canyon and it was a fairly hot climb. Not only the sun beating down but the steam and boiling water venting from the rocks.



The 8km back on the bikes seemed harder. While the elevation was pretty flat so were our tires. Old bikes and each of us having a slow leak making it take a bit of extra effort to get moving. Had a nice break when a herd of Springbok lept past in front of us. Long drive back to Narobi. At one point stuck behind a line of trucks and managed to cover 2km in about 30 min...

[caption width="960" align="alignnone"]Photo cred: Lyndon[/caption]

After we finally got back Lyndon took the opertunity to have a swim in the pool but I relaxed until dinner, some swanky Rooftop bar. Was relativly early night but I couldn't get to sleep until just after midnight. 

Down for breakfast at 630 so we could be ready for the transfer pickup at 7. At 715 with no-show we called and were promised 730. At 750 we finally got a shuttle to the bus to get us to Moshi, the base of Kilimanjaro. After a 2 hour ordeal to get through customs (Kenya's exit customs took just over half of that time) we were in Tanzania! 

The peak was totally obscured by clouds most of the trip but for a brief period the sky's opened to let us visualise the task were about to undertake. 



Got our introduction to Pristine travel when they picked us up at the bus stop and a brief run down on Moshi. Hit up the 'super'market for some snacks and off to dinner at a recommended place. Was dark as we walked back but sticking to the well lit street it didn't feel unsafe. Most of the market stalls were still there just packing up.

Able to sleep in a bit and have a nice relaxed breakfast in the morning. We were picked up at 9am to head up the mountain a little for a coffee tour and short hike out to a waterfall. 

The track up was similar to the easier sections of the CREB track in Cairns which seemed pretty fun in the back of a 4wd Van. About 3/4ths of the way up we got a flat so the village sent down two bikes to get us the rest of the way.



Very self sustained mountain village with lots of different food growing amoungst the coffee trees. We went through the manual process of picking, skinning, roasting and grinding our own beans and the coffee wasn't half bad. This particular coffee plant is only grown on Kilimanjaro. 



After our brew we headed off on the short hike to the waterfall, just over 4km return. Lots of bush tucker advice on the way learning the various trees that can have medicinal use and even stopping to pick some cherry guava. Beautiful tall falls with nice pool at the bottom so it was too hard to resist a swim. Surprisingly not as cold as expected.



Back to Moshi town late arvo to chill a little until dinner. Before that we had our mountain guides come over to do a pack shake down. All welcome advice, they know the conditions up there, my only change was warmer gloves. My mittens (that I've snow skied with) apparently aren't warm enough. They also suggested a second thermal top, as mine will be 'dirty' after a few days. They know not the ways of Hiker Trash.

Indian dinner tonight was fantastic, apparently these are 4th generation Indians brought here during British colonisation. On the way the clouds parted once more as if to beckon us towards the summit.  

Tomorrow we start the main event. Only a paltry 9km in distance, easy right? We'll see if I feel the same way after 1200m + of elevation gain starting at an altitude of 1840m...

Diving - 2017 04 - North West Island

Like most camping trips packing started the weekend before. Sorting out which gear to take and what to leave behind is often a hard task.  As we're setting camp for a little under 2 weeks a few luxuries were able to creep in. Fridges tested, new battery for the solar and refilling the gas bottles also needed attention.

14th - On the road again.

I had packed everything the night before so I was able to get a nice early stary.  Planned for 5am but woke up a little early and was able to seek away by 445. Quick stop in Childers for Smoko then onto Gladstone. Made it there with plenty of time to spare so after Murray and I packed our crate we headed off for lunch.

Arrived back to find almost everyone else busy packing their crates and watched as they were lifted onto the barge. Had a cider and relaxed while waiting for departure time. 6.5 hour barge ride... seemed a lot longer.



Dark when we landed and first we helped unload another set of campers. They took up 1.75 crates (I used almost 1/3rd, almost, and I had dive gear!) Some of their more bulkier items were 6 x 8.5kg gas bottles, 2 chairs... each... and a full size fridge (in addition to their crate space). Seriously, bigger than my house fridge....

By the time we unloaded and moved our stuff the short, but extinguishing, distance from the beach to camp sites it was almost midnight. After all was said and done, and a wind down Cider, I got to bed at 0030. Been awake for 20 hours.  Still lots at camp to set up. Only bothered with fridges, tent and bed. Shade and organising can be done in the morning.

15th - Who needs a comedian when you have campers?

Didn't have the best sleep and was awake at 630. By 7 all my kit was fully sorted and I was able to relax with breakfast. Andrew put on a show for the next two hours trying to figure out how to put up his new tent with the often reluctant assistance of his teenage daughter.

Rolled some of the water drums closer to camp. 200lt barrels but with 3 people and the camp trolley it wasn't too hard. Started raining pretty heavy around 915 but luckily most people were fairly well setup by then.

At 1030 I did a quick loop trying to drum up interest in a dive but most people were still faffing with their setup. Getting their kitchen setup, making tarps taunt again and rearranging seating positions. Those that were done with camp were still wiped from last night and replied maybe after lunch.

At 12 there was still some people organising camp... but we found 6 plus a skipper so we headed out by 1. Just beat the tide, barely. Diver 1 dropped us on the house reef then scuttled back to shore.



Vis was about 10m and it was a nice warm 27°c. I was expecting better vis but it was windy yesterday and we were fairly shallow. Should be much better when we can get out to some proper sites tomorrow. Saw the usual little things and a pretty large green turtle.

Mike walked out the punt so that we could float our gear back in over the reef (was too shallow for Diver 1). Still must have some hiker calves hidden away as everyone else told me I was pulling the punt too fast!

Late lunch and then I jumped on the compressor. Only 6 tanks and barely 1/2 empty so it didn't take long. Sunset drinks and a few tidbits of information before dinner and an early bed time.

16th - How's the serenity?

Awake again with the sun for a slow-paced morning. Tide was out and the plan was 830 for the first dive. We had to walk the boat out a bit as it was still too low to float with everyone on board. Made it over the reef shelf by 8:50.

Diving off the northern side of the island around lots of reef bommies. Not the most amount of life I've ever seen but slightly improved vis on yesterday. Also diving in the 3mm suit today. Bit cool at the 40 min mark but warm enough.

Back on shore for a relativly quick change over for the second boat load. Despite the quick change by the time they were back it was already getting shallow so we pulled the pin on the third dive. Afternoon around camp with the pleasant humming of the compressor... for a while...



One of the safety blow off valves in the compressor was leaking air. Thinking it might have been the filter we got to work repacking it. All fitted (after a little light bulb moment with the cap hooks) and back on. Still blowing off air... after some trouble shooting we narrowed it down but daylight was fading and further work was scheduled for the morning.

17th - Keep on swimming!

Still air in the remaining tanks which was good enough for us. Headed back out to the northern side to a nice spot with lots of crevasses and bommies.  Saw what would have to be the biggest painted cray I have ever seen.  Massive. Noticing a distinct lack of nudibranch here though. Not sure why.

Back for the next dive, I was skipper and we headed around to the South a little. By all accounts a decent spot. Eagle rays and quite a bit of other life to see. Retured to shore and the compressor was still being diagnosed.

Mid afternoon, after hours of work, Paul and Grahame finally isolated the fault, the aqumilator valve at the bottom of the final filter, preventing back flow from the tanks. With that cleared we were back in action!

Later in the afternoon a few batches of turtles hatched, always thought they only hatched late arvo/night... the camp hosts 'saved' them from the gulls... by putting them into buckets. Apparently to later relase them at night.



Baby turtles are cool and all... and they do look very cute... but think of all the poor seagsulls they stole breakfast from! Watching them spill out of the buckets and sprawl down the beach was fun though.

18th - Rain rain go away

Bit of rain overnight but by all accounts tarp held and nothing got wet.  Because of the tall and shady trees, in conjunction with cloudy skies my battery and solar was struggling to keep up with the fridge. I moved it down the beach so it could get some good sun. Only frozen stuff in it, so I can make the small walk to get stuff once a day to defrost.

Skippered the first dive. We tried going along the northern edge of the reef shelf but didn't see anything too impressive and doubled back to near a spot dived a previous day. I jumped in for the second. Was a slightly deeper dive at 15 (as opposed to 8ish) with some good structure. Lots of fish but again no nudibranch... Did see a Octopus putting on some colours and plenty of discarded line which was surprising.



Pete and and Paul found a big anchor and put it near ours.  They surfaced a little away so I went back down with a lifting bag to float it. They must think we're still on the Curtin clean up! By the time we surfaced it was raining pretty hard. Luckily Cheryl,  Michelle and others back at camp made sure everything was undercover, thanks guys!

We were also greeted upon return by another batch of baby green turtles swimming off to find a new home. I filled the tanks from the last dive before sitting under my shelter and watching the drizzle. Rain doesn't seem to bother the birds.

19th - Another day in paradise

Rained most of the night and woke to 20kn winds which were due to be increasing. Low tide in the morning so boat scheduled to launch 12 ish.  With the wind and rough seas the call to scrap the dive was made by 1030.

By some miracle the wind had dropped by mid afternoon and a few went out for a dive. Sun started shining too so I was able to get some much needed power in the battery. Unfortunately the reprieve was only short lived.



Wind and gusts made for poor conditions again so it was just a single dive today. It was group dinner night which worked fairly well. The rain even held off all through dinner and when it started we were all able to hide under the shelter of Paul, Jack and Grahame's tarps.

20th - Round and round I go

Tide was our for the morning so it was a good time for a quick lap of the island. 4.3km according to the GPS watch. A few Sea Eagles to be spotted off the SE edge of the island. At high tide there are a few rocks and trees to navigate past but low tide sees beach the entire way.

Got my first hit of bird poop on the loop. Mid beach, one seagull in the sky and nothing else around... Lucky shot right on my hand... it only took just under 40 min, including the pit stop to wash my hand.



In the afternoon we snuck out for a dive. Wind still hammering anything except for the small area sheltered by the island... even then it's still choppy. Pete manned Diver 1 while we were under and weathered some very heavy rain fall. Dive itself was ok, Alan and I saw out first nudibranch of the trip.

Still raining on and off and the wind not abating, I took shelter in my tent and watched a movie on the laptop.

21st - Try on Tryon

Up early, before the sun early, to beat the tide and attempt a Double dive run over to Tryon island. We didn't make it far before making the call to turn back. Putting around for another site to dive but eventually decided to drop in near the channel.

As it was the spring high tide it turned out we had plenty of water so we ducked into shore to pick up Grahame to skipper so all 7 of us could dive. With the wind and outgoing tide vis was poor. Barely 3m near the reef wall. A little better further out, though not by much.



On the up side there was plenty of blue sky today. Lots of sunshine to recharge everything and dry out from the previous days of rain. Afternoon dive went out, again only able to dive in the small area sheltered from the wind. On a trip like this I'd normally have a hard time picking a top 10 photos... this trip I might have trouble just getting 10 worthy to chose from...

22nd - No rest for the wicked.

Me though? A nice big sleep in. Wind still hammering the boat stayed parked in the morning. It's not a very early start, but after yesterday was early enough to deter people from setting the alarm. Rain had also returned on and off most of the night, which continued into the morning.

I did a figure 8 of the island, using the inland track that cuts across the middle. Even mid morning it's a little dark in the thickly vegetated centre. Got a little wet from the rain but no bird poop today, which was nice.

Afternoon dive over on 'Jacks Place' which seems to be the best diving in the sheltered side. Big swim through and a bit of life, including a few turtles. Better vis than yesterday too. Had planned on a night dive but the only other one keen, Pete H, felt cold on the arvo dive so we pulled the pin.



Fisherman neighbour had some luck wih his day and gave our group a decent size fish to share amoungst us. Our fishermen seem to have their catches caught by sharks before they reach the boat. With Pete D pulling the head of what would have been a good size Red Emperor today.

Big game of cards over at the Reed establishment but ultimately still an early night.

23rd - Tide goes out tide comes in

I had the day off today as Diver 1 takes another trip to Tryon. By all accounts a bumpy ride but they made it there. Reports of a lot of current and as the wind still blowing diving was done on the sheltered side.

I spent all day lazing about the beach enjoying the sun and watching the tide. The others got back as the tide was out so they anchored off the reef edge and walked in.

Another spot of rain late afternoon but all cleared out before the group dinner. I'm on the boat again for tomorrow morning so a fairly early night to bed.

24th - Try try again

This time heading out to Tryon was a lot easier. Carsten took the helm and safely navigated the open seas to arrive us at Tryon. Still a bit too windy to dive the south side of the island. You could get in but surface watch would have been uneasy.

Lots more fish at Tryon. Better coral too and we were a little deeper. Saw some reef sharks, turtles and a rather large Epelipt shark.  Current did pick up a little just strong enough that swimming against it required a bit of wffort. Tuck in next to the reef and it was fine though.



Second dive was much the same slightly less current. Also managed to find another Nudi and shortly after Abbie did too.

The ride back was even smoother and we cruised along at almost full speed. With only 4 on the boat the was even room to lounge.  Tide was way out so we had to leave the boat out off the reef and swim/walk in.

The others managed to fit in a lunch time dive on the house reef. Using the punt to walk out their gear. After the boat recovery Pete, Paul and Jack turned about and went out fishing.

25th - Where are those Pack Mules?

Much of the day was spent packing down camp and carting non-essential great to the beach. Barge arrives at 7am tomorrow so have to be ready.

I did manage to sneak in a snorkel late morning but then allowed the afternoon for things to dry. Some pottered around all day taking one piece here and one piece there (as I did) and others seemed to go all out till they were finished and could stop.

Most people were down at the beach into the night finishing off refreshments so they didn't have to carry them back onto the barge.  Quite a few were sleeping on the beach as well. My tent is quick to pack so I left it until the morning and had a good sleep.

26th - Beautiful day to be arriving

Woke up to a scream, a mutton bird had flown into Kirsten. Since I was up I packed and had already finished and had all my gear on the beach before my alarm was due to go off.

Watched as others brought what remained of their gear down. Some doing their entire pack in the morning... early start and still bringing gear down as the barge was here dropping off its departing passengers.



Seas were almost dead calm and hardly any wind. Best day weather wise and we get to use it to depart... At least it was a calm ride back.

Made land just before 3pm and finally got all the gear off the barge and into the Hilux by about 4:30 to set off home. Relatively easy run home and I was snug in bed by 11:30pm.

27th - All the fun bits

Most of the morning spent cleaning sand off all my gear and airing it out in the sun. All done by smoko and all was left to sit back and let it all dry.