hobart v1.4

2 days ago lyds and i climbed mount wellington. hell. it was in our backyard. we had to.

in general people from tassie tell you that you can experience four seasons in one day. around the start of the trails we could see several warnings to trekkers that the weather and temp can change dangerously quick. we wore several layers, and brought extra water and food. we left early. it was a tremendously challenging and satisfying day. 4.5 hours through dense trails to the peak and we only ever saw one other couple. the terrain and conditions we rough. we often encountered rivers, felled trees, dense brush, hard climbs, cold temperatures and slippery rocks. we didn't have a map, but had studied one along the way to pick the most challenging trails. one section of the hunter's trail we called the sea of rocks as the trail was composed of about a km of nothing but rocks to navigate through. there was no path to follow, only a marker which would stick up every 50 feet or so. when we couldn't find the next marker lyds would wait at the last marker so we couldn't get lost. we felt totally secluded on our mission to the top. as we approached the peak the weather turned worse on us. i started calling the mountain "mt. doom." when we reached the summit we resembled a deep space exploration team in a sci-fi film. you know when in star trek 2 when they show that plant that khan lived on? it was like that. our emergency rain ponchos whipped painfully around our heads and the rain had soaked through our layers. we couldn't hear each other unless we shouted, and the wind almost knocked me over. of course no one else was up there, but we were all smiles as we took pictures of each other in a rocky pose. with the fog we could have been anywhere, but we knew we were on top of the world. as the conditions were so bad we took shelter in the lookout station lyds found. we called the clarksons to tell them we were ok, and waited for the storm to pass. from the barren peak, 1300m above sea level, you are supposed to be able to see half the peaks in the state. however, there was zero visibility with the fog. with no let up in the storm we followed lyds' suggestion to follow the road down to the treeline and then hike back down the rest of the way along the trails. we jogged down the road, singing to stay warm. by the time we made it to the bottom it had been an 8 hour hike. awesome. what a feeling of accomplishment. we earned the view we didn't get, not like the people who come in cars (lyds calls them the "antique-y tours"). it took sir charles darwin 2 tries with a guide to make the peak, but we did it in one without a map. we got back just in time for me to celebrate my fitness accomplishment by hitting up the rsl with nikki's dad for some beers.

we are climbing it again tomorrow.

yesterday saw us on top of mount wellington again, this time by van and merely for the decent. we rode down the 20km from the peak to downtown hobart on mountain bikes. our group was led by guides who travelled with the bikers as everyone made their way down at their own pace. we would routinely stop along the way to re-group, get tips, and receive a briefing on the oncoming road we would encounter. lyds and i were in it to win it. i made it down in third just behind our guide and two euros who sport bike all over. later the guide told me that my speed was just under 40km/hr. what a rush. kms went by in the blink of an eye. your hands freezing. your eyes wide open to the wind as you scanned the oncoming road. i felt like i was in the tour de france with my dad watching at home, and i had even worn my green fila sweater that resembled the green jacket. lyds did awesome and was first down of the girls. she even surprised herself through the turns as she pushed herself not to brake. it was a great feeling fo speed and freedom.

back in downtown hobart, glowing from the adrenaline and our decent, we by chance entered an internet cafe. it ended up being run by the head of the errol flynn society and was a wealth of pictures and movie memorabilia. i even got to correct him on a picture he had labelled wrong, and this seemed only to make him more interested in my questions as if i had proven myself to be a worthy fan. we talked for over 20 min. one more instance of happenstance.

king of the moutain out.