Trails & Adventure
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All the Arrows — Mt Whitfield Conservation Park
My original hiking plan was cancelled because of cyclone-damaged tracks, so I improvised: Red Arrow, Blue Arrow, Green Arrow, Yellow Arrow, then back to Red — about 15 km and 4.5 hours around Mt Whitfield.
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Devil’s Thumb
The rule of hiking Devil’s Thumb is if you can’t see it from the highway, give the hike a miss. Naturally, I ignored it — and spent nine hours battling leeches, stepping around snakes and eventually standing inside the clouds.
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How Sweet
Some wives receive jewellery or perfume. Graeme gave me a Personal Locator Beacon so I wouldn’t get lost in the bush. Nothing says love quite like “please make yourself easier to rescue.” 
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Saddle Mountain!!!
I finally found the elusive turn-off to Saddle Mountain. The track was confusing, the views came and went with the clouds, and for a while I thought I could stay up there forever — until I started shivering and changed my mind.
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Mt. William
I usually think hikers exaggerate when they describe a trail as difficult. Then I climbed Mt William — four hours of chasing pink ribbons, a bad shortcut at Stoney Creek Falls, two unhappy knees, 2% phone battery and a frantic husband waiting below. This time, the reviews were right.
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This Is What People My Age Do…
Two months into running, six weeks after a heel injury, and after somehow getting lost during a 5 km trail race, I crossed the finish line with a bronze medal. For me, that was something.
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Whiterock Peak.
I chose Whiterock Peak because I wanted a short, sensible training hike. Then I forgot to check the difficulty rating. Apparently, crawling uphill and sliding down on my bottom also counts as muscular endurance. 😂
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Kosciuszko — Roof of Australia
We went to climb Australia’s highest mountain. First, though, we had to learn one important skill: how to actually get off a moving chairlift. 😂
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Lamb’s Head / Kahlpahlim Rock Hike
The cloud hid the view, but the mountain still gave us plenty to notice along the way.
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When the Plan Keeps Changing
Our plan was to cross Mt Bartle Frere and camp on the eastern side. Then came slow progress, thick fog, a full campground and a nine-year-old yelling, “I don’t want to die!” Hiking plans, apparently, are merely suggestions. 😂
Stories Along the Way 