Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

Next morning I faced a choice. The car was at Breakfast Creek and I was at Tamboritha Saddle. The guide says there are two routes. The Angus McMillan Walking Track goes over Mt Tamboritha and down steeply to Breakfast Creek. The Tamboritha Road is a gentle decent of 20 ks according to the guide. After yesterdays experience, I had no confidecne that the AM track still existed. Subsequent reading on the web indicates that much of it has disappeared. I chose the road with the faint hope of getting a ride. I was really hoping for a lift, because I could hardly walk on first rising. I started at 9 am and soon discovered that with the gradual downhill slope, it was no harder to run (with pack) than to walk and running should take a whole lot less time. So I ran. Turned on the GPS watch to alleviate false hope of covering more ground than reality says I had. Four potential lifts passed me without making eye contact. Strangely, the drivers of the 10 cars travelling up the hill all waved to me! I stopped for a short break at 5 ks. Same at 10. Again, head down and keep going. I could feel some blisters developing, but when I stopped to walk I found the pain just as bad, and I feared that if I let my muscles cool I wouldn't get to the bottom at all. At one point I tried to cut across one of the long loops of the road, but after fall and coming up against some cliffs soon after, I realised it was wiser to keep to the road so climbed back up and continued jogging. Most of the second half I was running in whatever unconsolidated gravel I could find on the outer side of the corners. Feet complained less in this stuff. Reached the Wellington River in a little under two hours. Still had 6 k to go according to the guide.

The rest of the trek was on bitumen and my feet couldn't cope with running on the hard surface. So it was a slow slog. Was releived to discover the guide had overestimated the distance by 2 ks.
Looking at the river was a tonic. I spent an hour cooling my feet in it after this epic.

An attempt to do the Crinoline ridge backwards and solo (ie from Tamboritha Saddle). I expected a reasonably tough dry walk, so carried very lightwieight gear and a very heavy five litres of water. I underestimated the challenge. Times have changed. By the time I had reached half-way point at Long Hill, it was clear that what was marked as extensive alpine clearings on my map was snow gum regrowth thickets. I couldn't confidently work out the correct spur to descend to Long Hill Creek. Knowing that there was no guarantee of water I had to decide to continue or turn back. If I picked the correct spur, it would be shorter to complete the walk than reverse it. I would have enough water even if the camp creek was dry. But if I picked the incorrect spur, the nearest water would be the Caledonia River more than likely. I wasn't going down there so would probably face a long dry trek to get back. Two attempts to pinpoint the spur didn't leave me with confidence, especially when I arrived at a point I remembered from the way in. So I took the cautious solo option... a 4 hour walk out the way I had come. It was head down and don't stop type walking with a fair bit of climb. Arrived at Tamboritha Saddle at 8pm quite exhausted. In bed by 9.00pm.
Easy along a jeep track at first, to suck me in.

Track starts to become a little imaginary.

It eventually disappears, but navigation is easy with visibility good.

Once the thickets appeared and visibility ended, I forgot about the camera.

C • Backwards? :-) 4

Specimen Hill return. Potential to add a few hills on the return next time for a very hilly run.

Now to see if I can manage violin practice. Three training session sin a day for the first time this year perhaps.

Gateway via Creek

Intensity 1 doesn't quite cover 25 push ups.