Hiking - 2018 01 - Conondale Great Walk

Like so many hikes, they all start before you hit the trail head. All my gear was spread out since my last hike, some with the car camping gear, other bits with day hiking gear and some actually was put away in cupboards (shocking, I know.) After that was all gathered together I also had to sort food.

4 days worth, so not too heavy. For breakfast I have choc-chip cookies and Milo+Powdered Milk. Lunch is muesli, fruit and protein bars. Dinner consists of a pasta side and a chicken risotto (split into 2 as it's a big pack.) Snacks, arguably the most important meal of the day, include skittles, jerky, pringles, peanuts and salami. Dried apricots in there too, mostly for those midnight snacks.

After I slogged it through the Brisbane traffic I had a pretty good run. Made it to the start of the walk just after 10. It's not a bad drive up here for bikes, lots of tight turns and hilly roads. Not quite as great in a 4wd but there are other advantages, like making it past the Day use entry 'gate' where the track crosses the river.

Got away after a quick chat to a few people scouting a day hike to do and started the ascent to the Mt Allan Fire Tower. Standing 9.6m tall it was built in 1954 making it QLDs second oldest tower, now fully automated. They allow you up into the observation deck where there's a big topo map so you can work out the mountains on the horizon. Living up to the Fire Tower name they did some recent back burning around it, very recent judging by the overpowering smoke smell.

One of the great things about getting in a day before the rush is all the wildlife. Heaps of birds and small lizards scurrying about. Saw a least a half dozen Goanna too. Another fantastic creature you meet when leading the way is the spider. They create masterful art works in the webs and they ever so conveniently place them across the track right at eye level. Amazing the effort they put in to bring their beautiful constructions right into your face!

Made Summer Falls camp by 130pm and quickly had camp setup. No one here yet, though that was the plan. The official long weekend doesn't start until tomorrow. It's great having a place like this to yourself, but it's nice to share sometimes too. Went for a short wander up the creek line. Most pools look a little mossy but the water is trickling through and it's crystal clear. There isn't really any falls to speak of with this flow, but I found a shady spot and had and nice cool foot spa and a quick dip.

There is a water tank at camp, looks like it's fed by the roof of the privy, but with the creek running clear I pulled water from it to filter. The rest of the daylight was spent relaxing near the creek or on a log near camp. Though it seems all the bugs in the entire camp came out to find me. Dinner before I lost the sun and bed not long after I did. Besides the 3 day hikers at the car park this morning I haven't seen anyone in the NP.

Had an amazing sleep, appeared no one else came in late last night either. Tent got hot pretty quick in the morning so I was out of it in a hurry and after breakfast straight back on the trail. Mostly uphill today but pretty easy grade. The Goanna seemed to have gave way to snakes. In the first 10k I saw 4 of them. A few nice creek crossings today. Well placed rocks to save the shoes getting muddy.

Just before the Peters creek crossing was a really nice swimming hole, with a small falls separating 2 pools. Having a dip was a very welcome relief from the heat. Especially as there was a bit of a climb heading to camp 2. Just a bit future on were Peter falls which was flowing quite a bit better than Summer Falls but still not exactly roaring.

Made it to camp around 130pm again. Much earlier start but took a long break for a swim and it's a little further than yesterday. Another hiker arrived at camp moments before me. They thought to take advantage of the solitude and used the pit toilet, door wide open for air flow. I shuffled my feet to announce my presence, I've seen worse hiking...

We got talking about trail conditions and water. Only water here looks a little rusty, tastes fine though. Could have filled up at Peters had I known but that would have been an extra 2kg for the hill. No water on the next stretch of trail and if that camp is busy the tank was slow this morning so might be empty when I get there. Good creek just past it though.

It was good to have someone to chat too at dinner. Lots of trail talk about where we've been and what we've done. She had done Hinchenbrook island which has been on my list for a while, nice to get some first hand knowledge. Turns out she has a permit for the PCT this year... so i was happy to talk about that :) We also talked about the critters we saw

We got and bit of rain through the night. Enough to leave leave the leave the ground wet. My campsite mate had a quick early pack and was gone before poked my head out. Should see more hikers today though. When I was booking camps Wongai (camp 1) was almost full the Friday night, and most of those would be on this stretch now.

Quite a bit of 'Fire Management Trail' which I wasn't really thrilled and out. Long time since their use though so mostly overgrown and bound felt like a real trail.

Wasn't long that the cool from the rain had turned into a steamy muggy mess. Even developed a little heat rash under the arm pits. Noticed a few leeches today too, all before they latched on.

I had done 11 of the planed 17k before seeing a pair of hikers. They must have got a late start. Apparently had the camp to themselves last night. I arrived just after 11 and not wanting another afternoon with only my thoughts I decided to push home. Seriously not even a close creek to spend time in.

It wasn't long before I came across a day hike car park for falls. Pretty busy. Soon as I crossed onto the falls track there seemed a queue. One group had had a trolley!! Full of chips beer and other junk. Hope they pack it out. One group 10+ strong seemed to be upset that a 'real hiker' (their term) needed to pass them. Most groups were nice though.

I skipped the falls (was more crowded than Surfers Paradise) and pushed onto the slightly further Artisan Falls. 5.6k from the nearest car access there was only 1 other person. Perfect water too.

The last leg to the finish I could hear the various groups that hiked up the river to find their own spot. It was funny seeing people 'hiking' the great walk shirtless and in thongs. Short stop to the $700,000 rock egg (Stranger Cairn) The little sappling is growing well. Note to self: Check again in a decade or so.

After that was a quick jaunt to the trail head followed by another swim and then the drive home.

56k 4 day Conondale great walk done in 2.5 days.

Camping/Skiing - 2017 12 - Borumba

As what seems to happen most years (12 of the last 14) this Christmas/New Years break was filled by camping. Throwback to an old favourite I hadn't been to for almost 15 years. Borumba dam. The old council park had closed, at our time of booking (recently reopened) so we were booked into the Deer park just down the road.

Took off just before lunch, hoping all the traffic had all tried to get away in the morning. Packed up the boat with all the gear and took off. Was a bit of traffic, but not too much . Worst was just before the airport. Just under 3 hours and made it to the camp grounds.

Looked really busy as I drove in. We were in the 'back paddock' which I think is the overflow area. Works for us as it was far less crowded. Went to set up my tent to discover 4 of the poles has snapped. One was already gone, was hoping it would last a few more trips. Still, a few water hose clamps and duct tape should see it through the week of storms coming...



It was a day of lazing about and swimming in the creek. Just downstream of the main swimming hole was a good little rapid section, not deep but more than enough sit in and let it wash away the world's troubles.

Lukes twins enjoyed the river too as did Callum, though he was worried his plastic boats would float away. He also enjoyed the deer visiting us near camp. There was even an 8 pointer amoungst them.


Back at camp was hot, even in the shade, but the creek was a short stroll away to cool off again. Enjoyed the twins, even if they did discover that my beard made a good handle. Some more friends arrived with their kids who also enjoyed the young twins and the swimming hole.
 

Most days were filled with oppressive heat broken only by dips in the water. The park itself, possibly because of the deer, also was a prime spot for Bush flies. They were everywhere and anytime during the day I would have had 20+ enjoying the sweat off my back... No point killing them, as their carcass would only serve to attract more flies. The spiders must have loved it though, all day buffet every day.



One of the reasons for camping up here is because of Borumba dam. Beautiful dam to ski on, but unfortunately the bank wasn't great to setup on. What use to be grass was replaced by rock, gravel and concrete. Apparently for erosion protection, sure made skiing from the bank a lot harder. One of my favourite activities as a kid was also walking over the impressive Dam wall and looking down at the spillway and river below. Sadly this was now all fenced off, razor wire and everything. It's sad that good lookout spots are blocked off. Was it safety related? Did someone do something stupid to call for a response? There was often some graffiti, but nothing we saw that would provoke a complete denial of access.

Despite the bank we still got the boat in for a Ski. Sadly it was short lived, what seemed to be an electrical problem caused the boat to fail to start. This was later identified as several issues (including replacing the oil pump and cracked thermostats, faulty starter motor) which lead to the failure. B.O.A.T. Bring Out Another Thousand... Still we were able to get a few runs in, all the kids got a go which was great and I managed to fit two skis in before the problem presented itself. Was good to be out on the water.



Back to camp in the afternoon for me while others went for a bit of explore in their 4wds. Some nice forestry trails around here to meander down. At one point they also happened to bump into my other brother Thomas, near the Conondale NP. He and his partner were out and about doing their own exploring.

Another group turned up later in the day and before even getting any gear out of their cars had the bush doof going. They were a bit away from my tent, but even in the bustle of the afternoon having to listen to someone else's idea of 'music' wasn't fun. They played well into the night before Jill mentioned that loud music now would equal screaming kids next to their tent the next day.

More swimming planned for a day. There's a creek section, pretty shallow rapids leading into bigger swimming pools. It was one of my favourite things to do up here as a kid, and while the nostalgic memories were definitely more glamorous I enjoyed revisiting it. Many a floatie was scrapped over the top of rocks on the way down, but no punctures.

When we reached the swimming hole there was a good Tarzan swing/Jumping tree which we gave a go. There was a young girl 1/2 way up the tree that was hesitating, desping a probably 15+ strong crowd encouraging her to give it a go... well some of the more impatient kids were telling her to either go or get out of the way. I climbed past and out onto a rather springy trunk to eventually plummet into the water. Eventually she followed suit from one of the lower branches to the applause of others. After the first drop she went straight back up and without hesitation dropped again.

New years eve started with a trip to Noosa for an ocean swim. A bit of conflake weed floating around but as soon as you got past that it was great water. After drying off we started heading to the Apollonian Hotel for lunch. Rod was feeling unwell so they opted to skip lunch and head back to camp. The hotel does a roast lunch, with quite a few trimmins. I can remember the first time I ate there it was a feast. Piled up plates, actual full pig roast in plain sight behind the servers. These days it left me a little wanting. They moved the cooking area away out of sight and as for the portions... I felt like buying a second plates worth... Still tasted great, but definitely a shadow of past offerings.

Back at camp a few cans and bottles were opened to begin the night. The Deer park put on a disco, with flashing lights and the usual music you'd expect for a general crowd. Seemed pretty popular and attracted a lot more of the older crowd than I expected. I took a peek but, while it's certainly grown since PCT days, my beer belly wasn't quite big enough to fit in with the crowd.

Walking around camp the next day was a little quieter than normal. Swimming hole was still full, but a more relaxing soak than the splash fest of previous days. They had a small playground, full of equipment that probably wouldn't pass any kind of safety inspection, looked fun. They also had a 9 hole mini-golf course!



The day after was a rather quick pack-up plus a nice swim to cool off again before heading home. Before I could go home though I took the boat over to the mechanic to leave it in his care. hen I got home I barely unpacked (just wet gear and food) before deciding to leave the remainder until the next day.

Time to start researching a new Car-Camping tent, been a while since I have looked at car-camping gear. Any suggestions? Something easy.

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.