Alex and I finally made it up Black Mountain today. We tried to walk up this one several weeks ago, but I managed to lead us astray. When you realise that Black Mountain has the Telstra Tower on top of it, you have to wonder how anyone can miss it, but miss it we did. Today, we asked for directions!
Alex has been doing a fitness challenge and she's got this whole "get your heart rate up and burn calories" thing going. That's great, but I was getting really puffed out trying to keep up with her. I'm supposed to be the fit one! She's done a fabulous job over the past few weeks. As we walked along my knees were telling me that they were planning on being tired and that was before we got to the start of the trail.
Once we got to the start of the Black Mountain Summit Trail Walk, we had a 2.7 km walk up the mountain, which is 812 m high. Unfortunately, I have no idea how high we were when we started the climb, but the path was definitely steep. The info at the start of the trail indicated that it would take 1 hour, 10 mins to get up the trail. I had hoped this would slow Alex down, but she scoffed at the idea and tore off up the path. I trailed along behind her, thinking that we were certainly getting a good cardio workout. I was sorry that I'd (a) worn jeans, thinking it would be a leisurely walk and (b) not bothered with my hrm for the same reason. Still, Alex got us up the mountain in 22 mins, 40 secs, which I thought was pretty good going. Once upon a time I wouldn't have managed to walk 3 km on flat ground in 30 mins.
We took a few photos up at the top, chatted to a lovely girl who uses the trail as her "thinking path", helped out some tourists and then headed back on down. We got to the bottom in 22 minutes, which was a lovely ramble. My knees were definitely feeling it and they were very glad when we stopped for lunch at the cafe. All up, we were walking for nearly an hour and a half.
I'm really glad that Alex likes doing activities like this when she meets up with me. It's so much better than just heading out for a coffee. I'm going to miss her for the next few weeks as she's off overseas. We've booked in our next climb up the mountain though, for the weekened after she gets back.
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5 comments:
re your question on Isabelle's blog! I suspect, and in fact know, that it is only black kittens who are such naughty creatures. Our ladylike tortoiseshell never destroyed things inside. Mind you, she used to wander through the cat flap of the house over the road and make herself at home. I think she could boss their cat around. But, they a new, sprighly young male, which used to give our cat hell, and made her last few months perfectly miserable. She used to go outside under great protest. We heard a great yowling one day and flew downstairs to find our cat and the new guy on the block, nose to nose through our louge room window, wailing at each other like banshees, our cat threatening all sorts of vile things in a very 'can't catch me!' sort of yell!
Kathy, just wanted to pop in here and thank you for your comment in my blog about "fast food society"
It really hit home and I must say, had a bit of a weep! It has been a bit like that, people just expect you to get on with it, a bit sad really isn't it??
Sounds like a great little mountain trek. If you're like me the knees get much more badly affected by the trip down, than the trip up!
Well done on your mountaineering :D
TA Kathy. I look forward to your visits!
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