Profile for Rey Leon - Aussie Bushwalking

This Year

Number of Walks Ticked

0.0m

Total Distance Ticked

All Time

Number of Walks Ticked

130.1km

Total Distance Ticked

Ticks

Name	Date	Difficulty	Distance/Duration
Lincoln Wreck Circuit (Main Range National Park)	7 Jul, 2018	Very Hard	12.4km 8 hrs
The last few kilometers of the road in were very muddy and slippery - a 4WD with good clearance was essential. The mud was sticky too. We were sliding around in the ruts, and it caked onto the wheels and mudflaps several inches thick. • Track is currently well-marked with pink and orange tape • Very muddy and slippery everywhere when we went up • Lots of stinging nettle and a few stinging trees • Low-lying cloud shrouded the mountaintop • There is a lot of the wreck still there, and worth seeing The first 2/3 are on mostly level terrain, but nettles often fringe the track. Our group, which included several very experienced hikers, agreed this was the muddiest, slipperiest hike any of us had done. Both upper and lower body strength (as well as caution) were required on the later sections of steep, muddy slope - where grabbing onto convenient vines, roots and trees was the best way to make progress. Recommend long pants, gaiters, long-sleeved shirt and possibly even gloves in damp or wet conditions.
Mt Maroon (Mt Barney National Park)	17 Dec, 2017	Hard	6km return 4 hrs
Went up 17th December 2017 about 7:15am and it was hot. Steamy in the trees and baking on the exposed top. I went through most of my Camelbak water bladder. Wore ankle-high hiking boots and wished I'd worn sneaker-style ones instead. The ankle-height ones don't allow enough ankle flex to push off with your calves enough on all the steep slopes. On the way down we met a group who'd headed down 20 minutes before us but got lost around the rocky gully not far from the top.
Mt Cougal (Springbrook National Park)	2 Dec, 2017	Hard	10km 5 hrs
EAST SUMMIT • Initial steep dozer track - muddy and boggy from recent rain • Path along the rabbit fence - fairly clear with some lawyer vines here and there. It is very tempting to keep reaching out to grab the barbed wire fence for support but it is a tetanus shot waiting to happen. • Jungle, and tree root staircase - wet and slippery • Ascent of the East summit - no real dramas. Some thick foliage. Views obscured by low clouds settling in. When we arrived at the peak we could see the West peak above the clouds clearly. Five minutes later it was hidden. WEST SUMMIT • Razorback - dense foliage • Ascent - I found it fairly easy to get lost despite the regular pink tape. There were one or two false (perhaps alternate) tracks that can lead you away and areas of very thick foliage. • Two or three scrambles up small rock faces, which were made awkward by being wet • No great viewing opportunities at the top, which is covered in bush and small trees • On the descent, we got lost and descended a much harder rock face and spent 30 minutes wandering around till we found the pink tape again. • Started to rain and everything was very wet, slippery and muddy, making it more arduous. TIPS • Highly recommend at least long pants and gloves, and possibly long-sleeved shirt and gaiters, due to lawyer vines, sharp grass, the possibility of snakes, and the track running next to the rusty old rabbit fence. There were many instances on the descent where the wet rock offered no grip for shoes or hands. In these cases I often ended up grabbing handfuls of the thick, sharp-edged grass to lower myself down - because I had gloves on. • Road to the parking area was narrow, unsealed and a few spots were taped off due to erosion or slippage. In the wet it was muddy and rutted. • Parking area is not very big and a bit tricky to maneuver if there are other cars there. Overall I'm glad to have done it, but it felt like a slog on this particular day - wet, humid, hot and muddy. One guy who had done it before said that on a fine winter day it's a doddle, so perhaps that's the best time to give it a go. We were the only people there and the track didn't seem heavily used. Left about 7:30am and were back at the car park by 1:30pm. Someone said that was an hour or so quicker than the last time they did it.
Bally Mountain (Gold Coast)	28 Oct, 2017	Hard	9.5km return 4 hrs
NOTE: The grading I gave this hike takes into account all ages and levels of fitness. For a fit, experienced hiker this is a relatively easy walk, especially in the cooler months or early in the day.
Mt Warning Summit Trail (Wollumbin National Park)	22 Oct, 2017	Hard	8.3km return 5 hrs
Started up at 3:45am. Raining, windy and pitch black the whole way up. Nobody else ahead, so lots of spiderwebs. Reached the top at 5:15am and hunkered down to wait for dawn, but it was a wall of white as low cloud and fog flowed up the mountain. Because of the rain I was glad someone suggested wearing gloves - made grabbing wet, cold rock on the final section easier. The walk down was beautiful. Forest sounds punctuating the misty quiet.
Mt Blaine Base Trail (Ipswich - Flinders Goolman Conservation Estate)	14 Oct, 2017	Medium	2km return 90 mins
This hike leaves from the same carpark as Flinders Peak - Flinders Plum Picnic area. We went up in poor weather: rain; wind; low cloud, and had a blast. The approach is steep forest trails, then there's rocky slopes with some tangled foliage. We went up one path and came down another, but the routes both led back to the start. Flinders Peak is still my favorite of the walks here, but Blaine is 2nd, over the Flinders Goolman trail.
The Pyramid (Girraween National Park)	Sep, 2017	Hard	3.8km return 2 hrs
This is a fun climb. I have mild vertigo but made it to the top, thanks to the fissure/crevice that runs a lot of the way up, offering hand grips and some security. The main issue when I was there was the rain. It made the rock slippery and I felt mildly unsafe in a few spots. But in the dry I think it'd be fine. People of all ages were up the top, including a lot of kids.
Castle Rock (Girraween National Park)	Sep, 2017	Hard	4.4km return 90 mins
This would be a fairly straightforward walk in good weather. I was there in the rain though, and it made one or two of the upper sections a little hair-raising due to the rock being slippery, and the slopes that lead to drop offs. Those with no fear were still strolling around in these spots, but I hugged the sides like a limpet.
Girraween to Bald Rock Circuit (Girraween National Park)	Sep, 2017	Medium	46km 2 days
Mt Norman (Girraween National Park)	Sep, 2017	Hard	10.4km return 4 hrs
There are several ways up, and I took the easier one - a mix of forest trails, rock formations, open rock plateaus, and a few sections of sloping rock face with drop offs that gave me the willies, because it was raining and slippery. in the dry it would have been no problem. The recommendation is that the climb at the peak only be attempted by people with experience.
Granite Arch (Girraween National Park)	Sep, 2017	Easy	1.7km return 30 mins
Flinders Peak (Ipswich - Flinders Goolman Conservation Estate)	Aug, 2017	Hard	6.5km return 3.5 hrs
One of my favorite local hikes. A great cardio and leg workout at the base, followed by nice ridge trails and some easy rock hopping here and there. Only one straightforward and small climbing section near the top that an elderly woman with an ankle injury completed on one hike up. No scary dropoffs or death-defying cliffs here. Just a great view at the top.
White Rock Multi-User Trail (White Rock - Spring Mountain Conservation Estate)	Jul, 2017	Easy	6.5km return 2 hrs
The walk itself is pleasant but not thrilling. The rock formation is definitely worth seeing though. Apparently some people climb it, although the indigenous caretakers request that you don't.
Mt Cooroora (Sunshine Coast)	Jun, 2017	Hard	2.6km return 2.5 hrs
A fun way to get some exercise. The stairs and chain make it navigable pretty easily - it's just down to your fitness. Views at the top are nice, but not the best on the Sunshine Coast.