Sure I have been out on family camping trips. We all know the trips I'm talking about. you pull up the car unpack while the kids watch DVD's in the backseat and in the middle of the night if the kids aren't warm enough you send them to the car & turn on the heater. These are great family memories that the whole family is involved in.
Then it happens, maybe a week or even a month later. your sleeping sound in your bed and you toss and turn a couple times. You hear it. You think to yourself my shoulders aren't sore. My back is confident and supple. My mouth is well hydrated and my skin lilly white. You hear it again.
Its the call....... of the bush!
I haven't had a full pack on since Novembers attack of Mt Shillinglaw. I've trained like mad since then so I don't have to carry so much weigh in November up & down the Australian Alps Walking Track. But does that count. Am I bush hardened. Have I confirmed the exact weights of everything I'm taking...have I completed the list of everything to take!
Now I'm anxious. The answers are no.
I have to get out. I have to get some fresh air. I need to get out into the fresh air and only hear my thoughts and the voice of the person or two that I'm walking with.
But its a thursday night & I have appointments. I know in a couple weeks I'll be out for a couple over nighters, what can I do now. I'll just walk around doing some gardening around the house in my hiking boots. That will do. okay no it didn't.
So I took Judd for a walk. We do live around some great parklands, lets see what we have in our backyard. I packed Judd up into the pram and put on the boots. We walked down a couple side street that we've not been down before and before we know it Judd has a small collection of special sticks and leaves he has collected. He has also brought a rope that he found in our garage a couple days ago and he says its his mountain rope. He's caught the bug.
I then see an interesting sign, "Walk through to Burke Rd North". Walk through, I've never seen a walk through around here.... I take a look and the night glow of the sunset comes glaring down this secret walkway completely tree'd on both sides. I've not been hiking for a while so this has hit me in the teeth! Wow - how cool is this. It has a wonderful damp smell from the early rain and all the plant are vibrant and healthy. Judd loves it, I love it. The entry starts with about 12 steps of blue stone stairway then uphill back to....our street. What. It comes out at the entry to our street & I've never seen it. Next time I hear the call but am trapped in the house I'll be heading down to my secret pathway to just soak up the smells.
I'm looking forward to March & April with a couple outdoor evens planned. Stay tuned.
