Conquering the Pyramid

There was an eerie stillness on the mountain as Julie, Kendall and I headed off for our regular trek up the Pyramid.  Not surprisingly we were the only climbers at the base of the mountain at 5.30 a.m.!  "Why are we doing this again?"  

We first decided to start climbing the mountain back in July.  Our first attempt found us (barely) managing to reach the 500m marker - it was such a gruelling climb.  Steep inclines and rocky outcrops where we virtually had to use ALL our upper body strength to pull our bodies through massive rock formations.

However over the past 4 months we have persisted, persevered and through sheer endurance (and an incredible amount of determination!) we are now at the 2.5km marker which is just 20 minutes from the top!

In my wildest dreams I never thought I would ever be able to make it to the top of the Pyramid.  I remember as a young child,  Pop Walsh telling me that the Pyramid (Walsh's Pyramid) was named after our family.  As so happens with family folk lore, I was later to find out that Pop's story was in fact a slight stretch of the imagination.  However,  here I am at the ripe old age of 56 overcoming so many obstacles (not the least being my incredible fear of heights!) to achieve something which has been a childhood dream.

Kendall decided to come along just to check out first hand what all this mountain climbing was about.   If every face tells a story - hers is definitely saying - "You must be joking!...." 

Just up this track (about 500 metres) is the 3/4 mark and then it is just another 20 minutes or so to the top.  At this stage we are planning to reach the summit by the end of the year. 

There's something hugely satisfying about fulfilling your childhood dreams.  I am sure Pop Walsh would be smiling.

Where did August go?

Welcome to the first day of Spring from tropical Far North Queensland!
I'm back again after a bit of a blogging break.  In the blink of an eye August has come and gone.  Not sure what happened?  It's not that I didn't do much - because I certainly seemed to be kept extremely busy.  It's not that I didn't go anywhere different or achieve any goals - because I did.  It's not that I wasn't inspired by all the wonderful things I've seen and read during the month - because I have.   I guess the reality is that I just haven't felt inclined to blog about it.  Very strange......  I wonder if any of my blogging friends have ever felt this way?  Anyway, hopefully this small transgression will soon pass and I will get back my blogging mojo.

So what has been happening in my corner of the world these past few weeks?
Well the most exciting piece of news is that my friend Julie and I made it to the half way mark on the Pyramid!  This was a huge milestone.  Not only is it an extremely physical climb (3 hr return trip)  but I also had to overcome my incredible fear of heights - which was a massive psychological achievement .  To reach the half way point (455 metres) was the highest I have EVER been (other than being in a plane!)   When we finally reached the half way mark - a massive boulder with 1/2 WAY scrawled across its face in faded white paint - it was as much as I could do to fall to my knees and kiss it (like the Blarney stone!)

Once I managed to anchor myself to a small sapling (literally!) I summoned up the courage to look around and take in the views - and WHAT amazing views they were! 

Gordonvale and the Mulgrave Mill

The first rays of morning sunlight

Looking south

Looking north

High 5's!

At this stage we haven't made plans to go any higher although who knows how we will feel in a couple of months time.  It certainly is a fantastic feeling of accomplishment to have reached such a massive milestone and better still - managed to burn off 1200 calories (according to my heart rate monitor!) - so that has to be good.

Aside from conquering mountains I have also been kept very busy with heaps of projects around the house.

Finally managed to finish the painting I was doing for my bedroom.  Am really happy with how it turned out and it adds a wonderful splash of colour to my all white palette.

Almost finished the transformation of this room.   Just waiting for my new quilt and trying to decide on a floor rug.  Oh yes, and I am just waiting for the September holidays to finally have a go at making the farmyard bench which I intend to place at the foot of the bed - chipppy white (with a touch of red) of course!  All in all I am really pleased with what I have achieved.  

Have spent the last two weekends repainting my front picket fence - all 50 metres of it!  Only 4 more panels to go.  Looks lovely and crisp against the green foliage backdrop.

Two weeks till September school holidays and I am already making my list of "things to do" -

#1 - Build farmyard bench

#2 - Paint verandah balustrading

#3 - Lay tiles on verandah

#4 - Finish painting walls in kitchen

#5 - Complete some more blocks on my Breast of Friends quilt

#6 - Mulch my front garden

#7 - Replenish the pebbles in my driveway and pathways

Whew!.........  I'm exhausted already

Mini Milestone

For the past 3 weeks I have been taking part in Michelle Bridge's (Biggest Loser) 12 Week Body Transformation Program (aka 12WBT) which basically means I have been following a 1200 calorie a day diet and exercising like a crazy woman!  Today was officially declared "Mini Milestone Saturday" and as a "Beginner" I had to select an activity which would challenge me for at least 1 - 2 hours.  So this was my Mini Milestone - climbing Walsh's Pyramid!  I mentioned in a previous post how the Pyramid has been my nemesis and how every day (for the last 27 years) I have driven by it and (secretly) dreamed of climbing to the top.  Now suffice to say I didn't get to the top - all 922 metres of it, however Julie (my training partner) and I made a pretty good fist of it and managed to get about 1/3 of the way up.   So we were both pretty pleased with our efforts. 

We started the climb at 7 a.m.  There were already a couple of cars in the carpark when we arrived so we knew we wouldn't be the only climbers on the mountain.  Checked out the sign and the base which told us it was a 5-6 hour return trek (you must be kidding!) and then started the climb.   The Tropical Walking Tracks Guide lists the walk as strenuous however Julie and I have decided that this must be a mis-print and it should be listed as extremely strenuous and gruelling!

The first half of the walk passes through open woodland up an ever narrowing spur that gets steeper as you climb.

We passed by a number of large trees which had been burnt out during last summer's bush fires.  We had to keep looking out for the orange tree markers which showed the track.  It would be pretty easy to take a wrong turn however the track seemed pretty well worn so obviously there had been a fair bit of activity up there over the school holidays.  We were actually overtaken (on more than one occasion!) by a couple of crazy people who must have decided that they would go for a easy little Saturday morning jog up the mountain.  Not human obviously!

After a solid 40 minute of climbing and scrambling - we reached a rock which marked the 1K point (approx 300 metres altitude).   We decided that this was a pretty significant milestone to reach.  So, after giving our lungs a bit of chance to catch up to our breathing - we started the descent.  The views on the way down were spectacular. I truly felt like I was "on top of the world!"

 It was such an exhilarating experience and Julie and I are definitely hooked.  Next Saturday our goal will be to get to the half way mark (approx 450metre altitude).  With a bit of luck my ageing knees will hold up okay - will have to mega dose on the Fish Oil capsules this week!  

Day 1 of 12wbt

Alarm went off at 6 a.m. and what did I do........ bounce out of bed with the speed of 20 fleet footed gazelles? No, looked outside and saw it was still pitch BLACK and promptly hit the snooze button!

Guilt got the better of me, so at 6.25 a.m. I slid out of bed into my waiting joggers and exercise gear (which I had strategically placed beside the bed the night before). At least I could see a slight flicker of daylight - so with a bounce in my step I headed off on my 3km walking/jogging track. Problem #1 - who would have figured that there would have been SOO many dogs up SOO early in the morning and why do everyone of them feel the need to BARK (at me)! If I was trying to be inconspicuous in my initial attempt at jogging - well my cover was well and truly blown. As I seriously considered just turning around and going home - Michelle's words echoed in my head - "No Excuses". So, I plugged in my Ipod earphones and off I plodded. Problem #2 I'm all UP for giving this jogging/running thing a go - but how come no-one told me just how PAINFUL it was going to be! Now, I understand a good sports bra is invaluable (particularly for those of us over a cup size 12A) however what does one do to beat the bottom wobbles. Those bottom wobbles are seriously painful!

**Mental note to self - "Control briefs!"**

Managed to walk/jog the 3kms and felt pretty pleased with my efforts. Decide to hit on a plan for future training sessions - walk the distance between 2 sets of street lights and then jog the distance between 1 set of street light and then build up from there. Will give it a go tomorrow and see how it works.

The day went well. I think it helps if you are busy and have something to occupy your mind. Certainly stops you thinking about food! Stopped briefly for lunch and then back up the ladder for more painting. By the time Alan arrived home from work he was chaffing at the bit! " Please don't use the "S" word!" But I'm STARVING - he said. I quickly threw 6 Vita Wheats and vegemite at him and started with the dinner preparations. He no sooner scoffed down the Vita Wheats and he was eyeing off the Kendall's vegetable soup.
Dinner over and done with. All good. Managed to source out these little beauties for Alan for dessert : (only 160 cals and he did have 300 cals up his sleeve!) He was chuffed - they tasted so good.

Feel asleep watching "Master Chef". (Must have been that early rise!) Will need to get my body clock into sync.

Good news of the day : Day 1 down only 83 more to go!

12 Week Body Transformation

It's official!  I am now off chocolate for the next 12 weeks as  my commitment to Michelle Bridge's (aka Biggest Loser's personal trainer) 12 Week Body Transformation challenge.    It is not going to be easy - I kid you not.  I'm already beginning to have cravings and I haven't even started!  Tomorrow is "D" day.   The alarm has been set for 6 a.m.;  the weekly nutrition plan and exercise program are stuck to the fridge door.   There's no turning back now.    Kendall and Alan are both joining me on the challenge so at least we will all be able to suffer get fit  together.  First up tomorrow morning we have the weigh in and measure up plus the optional taking of "before" photos.   Alan is still to be convinced that the "before" photos are a good idea.  There's something about being photographed with no shirt and a pair of briefs which doesn't sit quite right with him!   I will blog our progress and I have promised Alan that I will NOT be including photos.

The Pyramid

This is my nemesis - the Pyramid!   The symmetrical  Pyramid (922 metres in height)  is located just south of  Gordonvale and is the highest free-standing mountain peak in the world (not part of a mountain range).   My Valley flanks the western side of the mountain and there is not one single day that I don't either see it or drive by it.  For 27 years it has hovered over me like some giant impossible goal.    I am determined that one day I am going to climb this mountain.   I have actually managed to almost get to the half way point.   However my lack of fitness and incredible fear of heights has prevented  me from getting any further.   It is amazing just how many people actually make the trek up and down the slope on a regular basis.   On weekends there is almost a "traffic jam" up there as people scramble to get to the top.  I can only imagine how beautiful it must be to see the sun rising from the top of the Pyramid.   Hopefully one day I will get the chance to see it!

Kendall and I made the trek to Behana Gorge this afternoon.  It is such a tough walk but I always feel such a tremendous feeling of achievement when I reach the end.    Such a beautiful place.

Public holiday here tomorrow.   Hopefully I will get the chance to do some more work on my "Breast of Friends" quilt.   Would love to finish it by the time I finish decorating my bedroom although the hand embroidery is really slowing me down.   Thankfully there are only a couple of blocks with embroidery detail.  I am really looking forward to getting stuck into the applique work.  

Treetop Walk

Checked out another walking track this afternoon with Liz, Julie and "Mr Chips".  We really enjoy finding new places to walk and sights to see.  This particular track is in Lizs' stamping ground at the back of Forest Gardens so she (and Mr Chips) took on the role as our tour leaders.

Bouganvillea in full bloom out the front of Liz's house.  The colours are just magnificent.  Must be in a perfect position.  Liz says it is Bob's favourite plant in the garden.......

A lake (complete with lilypads!) along the way.

Amazing to think that this beautiful little water feature is in the middle of suburbia.

 

"The Bridge Keeper" - not sure how much ($) the bridge toll is but I'm keeping an eye on this fellow.  That beak looks pretty sharp!

Mr Chips leading the way.  "Come on you guys - keep up!"

Ok Liz - "smile for the camera"!

New Walking Track

 

Decided to check out a new walking track this afternoon not far from work.  In fact it is the mountain directly in front of the school.  Not sure of the name of it but believe it is part of a group of mountains called Isley Hills - so we have called it the Isley Track.    One of my work colleagues has been regularly walking (part way) up the track every Thursday afternoon and suggested that we might find the steep inclines a good challenge.  Never a truer word!

 

The track actually starts off gentle enough but before too long starts to rise quite steeply and after about 15 minutes we found ourselves scampering up a narrow, slippery  track.

 

Fortunately we were able to use some exposed tree roots for footing however it was pretty tough going. 

Finally, after about 25 minutes of climbing we got to a tree called "the turn around tree" and that's exactly what we did!

No surprisingly we didn't pass anyone else on the trail. 

It is apparently a 3 hour climb to the top however somehow I don't think I will ever get to see it.  There's something to be said for reaching a destination point - I guess that's the reason I enjoy the walk to Gorge so much. 

Good News of the Day :  A new challenge completed without injury!

Behana Gorge

It had been a couple of weeks since Kendall and I had been to the Gorge so we decided to head up there this afternoon and check out how big the waterfalls were particularly after the rainfall of the last couple of days. There were only a couple of vehicles at the carpark when we arrived. Obviously the ridiculously high humidity and heat we have been experiencing has proven to be a reasonable deterent. How I hate January in the tropics!

The first hill. What a killer!

Water was spilling over the causeways and it became a bit of a tricky manoevre trying to cross over without getting our feet wet!
Once the creek came into sight we were rewarded with fabulous views. The water level in the creek was really high and the water was gushing over the rocks creating a mystical mist. This is such a beautiful place.

Next up - "heartbreak hill". This is even tougher than the first hill- sustained agony! Every time I walk this track I wonder why I put myself through all this pain. However once at the top - the sense of achievement is totally overwhelming.