Australia's highest, Our finestHike 25: January 18th
Dressed for Snow at PeakBack into the park to face Mount Kosciu...chefsky, no that’s wrong, Poland’s…, we mean Australia’s finest...hm, highest. We might also add, one of the country’s most difficult names. If one mentioned to a person from Colorado that the highest mountain in Australia is 7,320 feet, the person would ‘crack-up’. He/she would be rolling on the ground hysterically. We, however, don’t even raise an eyebrow. As we mentioned in the last narrative, it’s the beauty in this area that counts and we think it’s particular beautiful. We walked 12 miles today and there was nothing funny about it, Mr. Colorado. Looking down and across into the valleys gave us a very satisfying feeling even without binoculars. Our expectations were on the low side so we have been most pleasantly surprised. By the way, the elevation gain from the base at Charlotte’s Pass was a mere 1,300 feet. Hey, don’t laugh. The Australians are sensitive about their height issues.
Now that's a snake
Down into Valley, up to PeakOn the way up, we came across the family we met the day before on Mount Caruthers. It was quite a coincidence and gave us further opportunity to exchange stories. They looked fine except Mike who had one day’s extra growth on his face; the rest of the family didn’t. Kids of 12 and 14—what a great way to bond. It follows our philosophy that the more you sweat together, the deeper the bond. Plays havoc with the deodorant bill but so what.
Ex-Malawian, two days in a row
At Peak of Mount KosciuszkoWe enjoyed the forest and gorges of the Blue Mountains but much prefer the open alpine regions. The Snowy Mountains fits the bill. It also helps because we think we can spot snakes a lot easier than in the tight jungle type terrain. We made extremely good time down today, averaging a brisk four miles an hour. Our only complaint, should we have one, is that the trails are too luxurious in the ‘Snowies’. The authorities have withdrawn some of the challenges by making it too ‘comfortable’. The peak is far too easy to reach. Nevertheless, after 12 miles, our editor proclaimed: “I intend to lay on my bed and moan when we return.” We were only too happy to hear her say that. It gets lonely whining all on our own.
A Break on the Way Up
Facing Destination after a mileWhile we write this we are acting innkeepers. Why's that? We booked ahead for our room, fearing the school holidays would create havoc with accommodation. Pretty wise of us. Tonight we are the only ‘guests’ in the motel. (Don’t you love that term used in the hospitality industry. If we are guests, why do we pay?) Earlier, the owner asked us rather shyly whether we would mind if she and her husband went out to movies and left us alone. We were very excited. Our editor all to ourselves...the imagination pales... We asked them to let us know when they return home...we don’t wish to spend the night worrying about someone else’s children as well our own.
Rolling Mountains, very attractiveCheers,
The Innkeepers
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