Ultra running – should it be an Olympic sport?

The Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are fast approaching. There is always a lot of talk about what new sports should be included in the Olympics and with two new sports in the 2016 event; Rugby Sevens (a 7 player a side version of rugby union) and Golf added to the schedule. There has been some controversy with the 2 new sports especially Golf with many of the top players not competing sighting scheduling issues, no prize money or Zika virus for their non-attendance.

It got me thinking should we see ultra running and trail running added as an Olympic sport?

I can definitely see cases - for and against.

From a spectacle perspective for a country to showcase their local scenery around a city it would be amazing to watch. A long course event would definitely present a great opportunity for spectators to get out to see an Olympic event and mostly likely for free.

There may be some concerns about logistics and finding a suitable course in host locations, plus safety concerns for such a large event. Picture crowds like on a Tour de France mountain stage especially if the event was short course event like a vertical k/sky running race.

It would be great to imagine the world's best like Spain’s Kilian Jornet vs American Rob Krar or Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg vs New Zealand’s Anna Frost towing the line for Olympic Gold. They are usually racing for belt buckles and bragging rights.

There is a case for not including it as an Olympic sport, for pure nature of trail running and the freedom of mountains makes me feel it would be like if surfing (which has just being announced to be included 2020 Olympics in Tokyo) was included too. Does a sport need to progress to achieve a level of validation by being labelled as an Olympic sport? It would create a greater profile for the sport post-Olympics which does create some positives with sponsorship money, new races, more product and equipment advancement but negatives too such as increasing entry prices for races and probably more or higher qualifications required for some races.

There would also be the organisation of the various sporting bodies including IAAF, ISF, WMRA, IAU to facilitate the race.

The sport is growing in popularity like triathlon was a decade or so ago, as people look to explore different sports outside traditional team sports and new challenges.

It will be interesting to watch this space. Ultra running – Olympic sport does have a certain ring to it doesn't it?

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Film Review - 2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

10 Must Watch Trail Running Films

Film Review – 2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

I recently had the chance to attend an International screening of the 2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Each year a pre-selection committee shortlist from the approx. 375 entries to about 80 finalists which screen at the Banff Mountain Film Festival each October in Banff, Canada. The Banff Mountain Film Festival started in 1976 by The Banff Centre.

This year’s world tour selection showcased over 2 hours of touching films from scenic backgrounds to enthralling sports including 2 of the festival’s award winning films, Eclipse, Best Snow Sports Film and Unbranded, winner of People’s Choice Award.

The screening kicked off the highly entertaining 55 Hours in Mexico, an ode to the weekend warrior to pack as much in a weekend as possible. A group of four mates travel to Veracruz, hire a car, ascend the third-highest peak in North America, ski down the slopes and head back to work Monday morning.

Following last year’s world tour film Sun Dog, about a man’s best friend, we get to experience Denali, a film about the special bond between Denali the dog and adventure photographer Ben Moon. A very touching story.

UnReal featured widely renowned as the top slope style mountain biker in the world, Brandon Semenuk as he attempts to become the first mountain biker to film a full segment in a single continuous shot. A custom built trail which took 3 weeks was built in preparation for the film.  An amazing sight to watch!

Freeskier Tim Durtschi drops tram laps at Jackson Hole and great mountain skier Angel Collinson tears up some Alaskan lines in a sample look at the feature length film Paradise Waits, which shares an entire season of the vibrant characters who are some of the best snowboarders and skiers in the world.

Builder showcased the love construction with the creation of some amazing dirt tracks and jumps for some of the best riders to enjoy.

Women’s Speed Ascent was Mayan Smith-Gobat and Libby Sauter’s goal. They were after the women’s speed record for the climb of The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. An ascent of fast proportions!

The main feature film from this year’s international screening was Unbranded, People’s Choice Award Winner at the festival. The film documented four young Texas horseman hatch an extreme idea to adopt, train and ride a group of wild horses 5,000 kilometres from the Mexican border to Canada through some of the American West’s wildest terrain. Their aim is to prove the worth of wild horses and raise awareness about their plight.

Nature Rx was a clever satirised commercial focusing on prescription medication with witty humour and a hit of the outdoors.

My favourite film from this year’s Banff Film Festival World Tour was the final film of the night Eclipse, with photographer Reuben Krabbe’s unparalleled determination to capture an incredible photo of a skier in front of the 2015 solar eclipse in Norway. The challenge of dealing with weather elements high up in the artic and pressure to find the right spot to capture the shot added to the complexity of the project.

The World Tour screenings provide a bit sized sample of the films chosen for the festival each year and I enjoyed yet another great night of adventures from the outdoors. However, I would love if there was a 2nd night of screenings so we get a chance to see a wider range of films including a few more of the award winning films which I imagine don’t get presented due to being feature length or maybe there could be a Banff Film Festival movie marathon!

Find out more about the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the International World Tour.

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Image Source: By Enricokamasa (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Race report: Ultra Trail Australia 100km Ultramarathon

The Ultra Trail Australia 100km Ultramarathon (formerly known as The North Face 100) a race which has grown quite rapidly from its inception in 2008. The race is now part of the international Ultra-Trail World Tour Series, which includes prestigious trail running events such as the Western States 100 in the USA. The Ultra Trail Australia Ultramarathon is situated in the Blue Mountains, approximately 1.5hrs car drive from Sydney in Australia.

I was quite nervous (and excited) in the lead up, not sleeping very well early in race week. I was thinking all the usual thoughts I have prior to a race - hoping the day goes well but also realising I was about get out of your comfort zone on a bigger scale than I had ever before in a race. My previous longest trail running race was The North Face 50km at the Blue Mountains in 2014.

My nerves settled a bit once I got up to Sydney on Thursday night prior to race day.

Race Day

The weather for race on Saturday presented perfect conditions with mild weather, fine and sunny afternoon, with a maximum low 20 degrees Celsius during the day, which is very mild for mid-May.

I waited patiently at the start line for my run wave to start at 6.57am. My race plan was to be conservative in the first 50km and see how I feel from there as I had limited preparation with only 14 weeks of training after spraining ankle at the start of the year and missing 6 weeks of running.

The initial 5km is an out and back section along the road away from the start line and coming back past the start line, it was great see all the cheering spectators as we went past and then we headed down into the valley below via the Furber Steps (I will see these again much later on!).

Once down in the valley, we traversed across a rocky section of trail and then up the first challenging section of the course, Golden Stairs. At the top we went through Checkpoint 1 (11.4km - Narrow Neck), I struggled to find a rhythm during this tough section and it took a bit more out of me than I expected. I tried best to recover over the next 5km or so. It was good this was a fairly flat section as we headed to the Tarros Ladders. These are ladders specially installed for the ultra-marathon. As it single file down the ladders, there was a bank up of runners waiting to descent the ladders, this single kilometre section took me approx. 27 minutes to complete.

During this section it was good to chat to fellow runners including an athlete from Brunei, who said his training for the race involved multiple ascending and descending of the only hill he had near where he lived, 100m height hill.

I was feeling good as I continued descent down to CP 2 (31.6km - Dunphy’s Camp). I stopped to top up water and eat some food. The next section was short steep climb up Ironpot Mountain, I found this to be the steepest section on the course but the reward at the top was the magical music performance of didgeridoo and clap sticks from the local indigenous people, it was an amazing sight to behold. It added a bit of a spring in my step.

I continued onto CP3 (46km - Six Foot Track) and it was great to arrive here and got my gear check done and quickly went to the toilet, only to realise I had been wearing my running shorts backwards for the past 46km! After a quick swap around I was on my way again.
It was now getting to mid-late afternoon and I noticed it started to get a bit cooler, I was joined by about 5-6 other runners as we started to ascent Nellies Glen with darkness arriving as we started to climb!

I got my headlamp out and continued to ascend, but after about 10 mins my headlamp completing stopped working. I was not sure why, so quickly grabbed my 2nd headlamp out and was on my way again.

I was glad to arrive at CP4 (57.3km - Katoomba Aquatic Centre) and get to sit down for a few minutes while having something to eat and change into a long sleeve running top and short sleeve thermal top underneath. The aid stations were fully stocked with so many food choices, but I stuck with what I had in my aid station drop bag.

I found it quite exhilarating to have my first night race run, I only had done a couple of night training runs prior to race day.  I loved the mystery and the challenge the night added to my race experience, the heightening of your senses and learning to adapt to different conditions. I did keep repeating to myself ‘Watch your step - Don’t fall over’.

Photo Courtesy: Aurora Images

I headed back out into streets of Katoomba and towards the Giant Stairway, when the wind started to pick up a bit as I began to descend back into the valley once again, but I enjoyed amazing views of the famous 3 Sisters under the clear night sky. I continued down through Leura Forest, where the course crosses path with the final stages for runners heading back to the finish line, I saw a few runners heading back the other way.

At about the 75km mark, my GPS Garmin watch went flat, so from this point I had pretty much no idea what pace I going or how many kilometres to go.

Once up and out of Leura Forest there was fairly flat section as I headed out to the final checkpoint at Queen Victoria Hospital, Checkpoint 5 – 78.4km. It was great to finally get there as I had started to get cramps in my groin and right hamstring a few kilometres prior, slowing my pace.  

I felt a sense of relief leaving the final checkpoint as I descended into the valley for the last time, knowing once I reached the bottom it was uphill to the finish line.

I kept a steady pace as I travelled down the fire road and the only company I encountered was wombat in the middle of the road, I don’t think he appreciated me interrupting his exploration of the trail. I was surprised how much speed the wombat could get up to as it ran into the bushes.

I did see a support vehicle a few times shuttling runners back to the CP5 medical tent, that would heartbreaking to get so close to the finish line and have to pull out.

I made it the final emergency aid station at 91.2km, where I topped up my water for the final assault up to Katoomba. I started to hike up towards Leura Forest again, I briefly stopped a few times as the steep ascent started to take hold, and my pace was slow but steady.

I still remember a piece of advice, a previous run coach said to me as I prepared for my first marathon quite a few years ago, ‘When the race gets tough, run 1km for each important person to you’. They are wise words for a 100km race, you definitely have a lot of thinking time!

I thought extreme fatigue was starting to take hold and my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I soon realised it was actually my headlamp battery which was slowing dying, so I stopped at the Sewerage Treatment Works, not the best place to stop amongst the mud and sledge to swap the batteries over.

As I continued along I noticed the sun start to appear on the horizon, it had been a big day out! I still had no idea of the time as my watch had died earlier.

Now I could sense the finish line was not far away, but at the same time the famous Furber Steps still awaited! A 951 step, 220m elevation gain in the final 1.2km to the finish line. I powered up the steps as best I could after 99km and was relieved to get to the top.

It was great to cross the finish line with the support of a cheer squad, appropriately named ‘OzSquad’ who formed a guard of honour as I ran down the finishing chute, that was a great moment to cap off an epic day!

Photo Courtesy: Aurora Images

A day like this is simply not possible without the great support from family and friends. I would especially like to thank the support of my wife, daughter and all family and friends who helped in training and sent best wishes on race day! Plus my physiotherapist, Felicity who worked miracles and got me to the start line in one piece!

Nutrition
3 vegemite sandwiches
10 servings of macadamia or almonds
1 x gel
6 x 200g sachets of tailwind nutrition (approx 3 litres)
4 litres of water

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Why I Run

Main photo courtesy: Aurora Images

Why I Run

I have been thinking about writing about why i run for a while, i have had so many thoughts running through my head (no pun intended). I thought it was the perfect time to reflect on why i run as i prepared for my first 100km ultramarathon this past weekend.

I have heard some people say to me you are crazy, weird or fanatical about running that far or why would you do that? Maybe i am a bit crazy (but aren’t we all?). We all have activities or things in our life we are passionate about and mine is running (apart from my family and friends).

I run for so many reasons...

I run because i can. There are so many people who are unable to. I plan to run or walk for as long as i can and continue to run for those who are unable to.

 The joy i experience when i lace up my sneakers and head out on the trail ( or road) brings a smile to my face. I love the chance to enjoy the great outdoors, the peace and quiet of the trails, listening to the sounds of the birds and local fauna or the wind rustling through the trees. I love the feeling of the twigs  breaking under your feet or sound of your heavy breathing as you reach the peak of the hill climb. Plus enjoying the views from those very same peaks and taking in the sights across the landscape for as far as the eye can see.

I enjoy the alone time, a chance to switch off from everything else happening in your life and be free for a moment or a few hours. An opportunity to clear the head from life’s stresses and concentrate on one foot in front of an another. Also to disconnect from technology for some time, to run and chat with some mates.

I feel it makes me a better person, i always feel happier after a run. I know my wife knows i am happier after i go for a run, especially if i haven't been able to go for a few days.  

I get inspired while running, i come up with ideas.

I like to get outside my comfort zone.

It provides me a chance to challenge myself and push my boundaries of what i think is possible, especially with signing up for this 100km ultramarathon, its both the physical and mental challenges i will face, how i will react and the decisions i will make.

I run for my health and fitness, i started running with little athletics when i was 7 then onto school cross country and being inspired by my dad to run marathons. His best marathon time still eludes me, his best time was a 3hr 4 minutes, maybe that’s why i decided to take on even longer distances again?

The idea of being a role model for my daughter and inspire her to go outdoors and give things a go whether it be running or not. To show dedication and passion for something in life.

The sense of achievement and setting a long distance running target to aim for, but also enjoying the journey along the way and the joy of crossing the finish line.

I am lucky i can run and don’t take it for granted maybe that's why I feel so alive and why i run!

Why do you run?

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Race Report: Maroondah Dam Marathon

I was ummming and ahhhing about entering a race so close to the upcoming Ultra Trail Australia 100km ultramarathon with this marathon scheduled only 3 weeks prior that race but i felt i needed a solid race/training session in the lead up to build my confidence. Therefore i left it to the last minute to enter, only registering the weekend prior to the Maroondah Dam marathon.

Maroondah Dam is located about 1hr drive from Melbourne’s CBD in the Yarra Ranges National Park. It has been many years since i have visited the area. Melbourne’s weather had put on a perfect Sunday morning with mild and sunny conditions.

The marathon was one of the running distances on offer at the race, which also included a 10km, 21km, 30km and 50km ultramarathon.

The 50km ultramarathon and 42.2km marathon began together with the race starting from the Henderson picnic area just below the Maroondah Dam wall, and began  with runners heading straight across the wall and up and over Henderson Hill and down to Donnelly’s Weir car park where the first aid station was located about 5km mark. I took a very conservative approach to the initial hill climb knowing we were about to ascend from the 5km to 15km mark up to the top of Mt St Leonard, this climb’s average gradient was between 9-17% and peaking in the last 2km to the top at a challenging 22% gradient. I enjoyed chatting to a fellow trailrunner during this section, he told me he recently celebrated his 50th birthday and decided to celebrate this milestone by running a 50km ultramarathon. I love hearing stories like these out on the trails. The majority of this part of the course was along fire trails but the last section became extremely rocky and would have been very treacherous in wet conditions. I was very happy to get to the top and descent down the other side to the 3rd aid station. It was now time to head onto the single track around the Tanglefoot loop. This was a beautiful section of the course, traversing through the rainforest gullies and mountain ash trees. I was feeling good and kept a conscious effort on my nutrition with regular small amounts of food and liquid.

Photo Courtesy: Trails Plus

I continued onto aid station #4 where i needed to complete a 3km loop before heading back to aid station #3, as i was running through aid station #4 i heard an official say make sure you turn right at the next track turnoff, as this where the 50km and marathon runners courses split, as you didn't want to do an extra 7km if you took a wrong turn. I took the turn to the right but then i had a moment of panic as i wasn’t sure if this was for this first loop as i also heard them say after you complete the first loop you will come back past aid station #4. I stopped for a moment and checked the course map on my phone but was still was not certain i had headed the right way as i hadn’t seen any runners for a while, fortunately about a minute later another runner came by and confirmed i was heading the right direction, so i continued on with the loop and double checked again when i made it back to the aid station to be sure. It was a bit stressful and later heard there was a few runners from the 50km event who had taken a wrong turn (and would end up only running 47km).  I felt much better when i was on the main track heading back to aid station #3, where i stopped and topped up my water and sports drink for the final 14km or so kilometres.

I now had the fun of climbing up to the top of Mt St Leonard from the opposite side, this section is just as steep as on the way out but a much shorter climb ( approx. 1km) , so i hiked this section and then onto the big descent! I took the first section carefully as I  didn’t want to blow out my quads but also fall on the rocky section of trail. I made it safely back onto the main fire trail and continued descending back to aid station #2. I kept reminding myself to be conservative with my running especially in this later stages of the marathon remembering there is a much bigger challenge coming up in 3 short weeks, it was a challenge as I’m very competitive with myself to give my best, so i decided the best way to do that was to alternate with some short sections of hiking and running. This was a good idea as i got into a good rhythm and felt the kilometres tick by at a consistent pace. I quickly stopped at aid station #2 to grab some fruit cake to break up the liquids i had been consuming. It was nice chew on some food. I caught up to a fellow runner during the later stages and we chatted briefly then i hiked up Henderson hill for the 2nd time and enjoyed seeing the Maroondah dam wall but didn't realise my favourite part of the run was yet to come. My daughter came and joined me for the last few hundred metres as ran together to cross the finish line. That was a very special moment!

I enjoyed Maroondah Dam marathon and the overall running event organised by Trails Plus.

 I felt it was a good, solid hit out with 1902 metres of elevation gain/descent prior to the upcoming race.

Now to fine tune, recover and taper...

Nutrition

3.5 x 200ml sachets of tailwind nutrition

2 handfuls of almonds

Half a vegemite sandwich

1 x piece of fruit cake

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The Fear of Missing Out

Main photo courtesy: Trails Plus

The Fear of Missing Out

FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out, is a term regularly thrown around in society and I think it has definitely driven further by social media.

You see all the cool things and places your friends are sharing online. It makes you think i would love to visit that place or go and do that activity and definitely evident in the trail running community too.  You’ve probably felt it before. You might have not known it… We’ve all done a run or race you were on the fence about because it you knew the race was going to sell out fast or the run was in a place you had not seen before.

I encountered this recently when I was looking at choosing a lead up race in preparation for the Ultra Trail Australia run in May this year.

I texted a mate who is also preparing the 100km ultra-marathon and mentioned I was thinking of doing a lead up race and found a 30km event I was interested in running. My mate also noticed they offered a 50km and said why don’t you do the 50km instead of the 30km?

It got me thinking, that would be good to do another ultra prior to the 100km. However, it generated quite a number of questions. Would it the longer run ideal for my run preparation? However, the 50km is only 3 weeks prior to the Ultra Trail Australia race, is this a good idea? Is there enough recovery time? Which is better to test my nutrition plan? Would a shorter race be better to run and then follow up with another run the next day to test running with leg fatigue in preparation for a longer 100km coming up?

There is definitely peer pressure to do everything but FOMO can lead to strain whether it is physical, emotional or financial on an athlete if they let their fear of missing out get out of control.

Have you experienced the Fear of Missing Out?

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Getting Uncomfortable

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Getting Uncomfortable

Sometimes you go out for a run and it feels great and you could run forever. I love days like that.

And then there are those runs where you go out and you feel flat with each step you take.

I felt like the latter over the past weekend (and the soreness in the couple of days afterwards) as i did my longest run for a few months, as i continued to build up my run distance after spraining my ankle in early January. It has been frustrating but it got me thinking about my training prior to Christmas and the progress i was making with my training in preparation for my first 100km ultramarathon vs the minor setback i was currently experiencing.

I came to the realisation (and acceptance) that your feet are going to be sore, your arms are going to be tired, your hips are going to tighten, your calves are going to hurt, your stomach could becomequeasy/upset, you can relax into all of those feelings of discomfort and focus on what you’re doing.

The longer my run training goes, the more the challenge shifts to be more mental than anything else. You have to let yourself accept you are going to experience highs and lows during training (and races too) but then let it go in order to have a solid run. If you focus on the discomfort, this concentration will eat away at you and no good comes from that - that’s for sure.

When you’re working it out in a hill or speed session, you expect to start to feel uncomfortable. Working hard, pushing the pace will get your heart and lungs pumping, this is what will help you achieve new levels of endurance. These types of workouts are what prepares your body for those long runs and conditions your mind for the discomfort you will have to, on some level, disregard in order to get to the end goal.

I believe that to be a good distance runner, or endurance athlete for that matter, you have to be prepared to get uncomfortable.

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Hiking On The Trail – Mt Macedon

I decided to take advantage of our recent Cup Day public holiday to explore the trails around Mt Macedon. It’s pretty amazing we get a public holiday for a horse race!
It has been quite a while since I had been out to Mt Macedon, so was good to get out of the city and explore this beautiful area again. It’s under an hours’ drive from Melbourne’s CBD.
We started outside the local Mt Macedon pub and headed up to the Macedon Ranges Walking Track via Douglas Road.
The hike started off well with my mate dropping and shattering his drink bottle, despite it been plastic bottle, think it might have been due to the ice cold water!
The walking trail starts after a short but steep section of road, and then you continue up along steep single track towards Memorial Cross at the top. It is a great spot to stop and enjoy the views plus admire the local gum tree forest and short walk further on to the Major Mitchell lookout also provides a great vantage point to see the local landscape.
We continued past the local tea rooms, which also provide you another great spot to relax and enjoy the surrounds.
We continued along the trail through Camerons Picnic Ground and around the Camels Hump. The Camels Hump is a popular rock climbing spot in the Macedon Ranges. We spent a few minutes watching the rock climbers traverse up along the rocks. We then returned to the track and continue around Days Picnic Ground which we decided was a good spot for lunch. It was a popular spot, with many families taking advantage of the public holiday to enjoy a nice day out with a family barbecue.
A short stroll from Days Picnic Ground is the Eco Tourism Trail which leads to Sanatorium Lake. The lake was built to supply water to the local Sanatorium which was set up to care for patients with tuberculosis in the early 1900’s. The Eco-Tourism Trail offers beautiful high eucalypt forests and a wet fern gully.
Once going past the lake we continue on to the Sanatorium Lake Picnic Ground and down towards Barringo Road and then onto the beginning of Zig Zag Track. The Zig Zag Track winds its way down through local forest to Hemphills Track andwe turned off the Hemphills Track and carried on along Mount Towrong Track towards the peak. As you come out from the treeline of Mount Towrong, you get a great view of the local township of Mount Macedon and beyond. There is a steep section of track as you descend towards Anzac Road and back into Mount Macedon.

This was a great 17km loop along the Macedon Ranges Walking Trail, with the Macedon Regional Park offering around 30kms of walking track to explore the local attractions it’s a great spot to get out of the city for a day trip. It is also popular trail running spot with Macedon being the location local Mountain trail run series each year around May, with 10km, 30km and 50km ultramarathon available.

Hiking on the Trail: The Grampians

With the recent announcement of a new state based public holiday, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to head away for a long weekend hiking trip.

I decided I wanted to explore a place I had not visited for a while and with the recent opening of the first section of the Grampians Peaks Trail. I thought why not! The first section is a 36.6km loop around Lake Bellfield and taking popular viewing spots of The Pinnacle and Mt Rosea. The Grampians National Park is situated about 3 hours drive north west of Melbourne.

I packed my hike pack and headed up to the Grampians on Thursday night with my sister, staying in one of the local caravan parks that night. 
On Friday morning we were up early as we had about 5-6 hrs of hiking ahead of us and with a perfect weather forecast of 25-29 degrees celsius scheduled for the weekend, it was going to be warm hiking on the trails. We logged our hike itinerary at the local cultural centre and then we were off!

Ready to Go!

On Day 1 we started in the town centre of Halls Gap and headed off towards Borough Huts, the first section was along a sealed walking track out of town and then onto Terraces Fireline track, after the initial sealed track the first few kilometres was quite undulating. We decided to have our lunch break beside Lake Bellfield where we looked straight across towards Mt Rosea, where we would be heading tomorrow! We continued along the firetrails down to Borough Huts campsite. This was a beautiful, spacious campsite situated beside a creek. We set up camp and then headed down to the creek. The creek was the place to be, with kids and parents alike enjoying the water. We decided to tip our feet in, the cool water was perfect remedy after 14km of hiking! We enjoyed an early dinner and a few games of UNO then it was off for an early nights’ sleep. 

On day 2 we were up early again with challenging day ahead planned for us which involved climbing Mt Rosea. We began through sheltered forest on single track as we began the 8.5km ascent up to the peak of Mt Rosea. After the initial kilometre or so of reasonably flat terrain the trail continued to head up and we kindly greeted by a kangaroo on the path, it stared intently at us for a minute or two then bounded off into the bushes. 

The trail became increasingly challenging as we came closer to Mt Rosea which involved several kilometres of rock scrambling and rock hopping, which was challenging with hike pack on your back!

We finally made it to the top of Mt Rosea after our 700m+ ascent from Borough Huts. The views were amazing and well worth it despite the windy conditions, which led to my sister’s hat being blown of the cliff’s edge. We enjoyed an early lunch and took in the views!

View from Mt Rosea

It was now time for the fun part of rock scrambling downhill, we took it slow and steady and chatted to quite a few hikers heading up Mt Rosea from the other direction. We continued along the ridge across the sandy track and down into Messmate forest past Rosea car park and travelled the remaining few hundred metres into Bugiga hiker campsite. The Bugiga campsite was quite unique with 12 purpose built camp platforms for hikers to camp their tents upon.

Bugiga Campsite

We didn’t enjoy a very good nights’ sleep due to quite windy conditions also losing an hour’s sleep due to daylight savings commencing overnight, we were up at 6.30am (5.30am pre daylight savings time).

Lakeview Lookout

Day 3 began with an ascent towards the ridge line as we headed over to Lakeview Lookout. The lookout provided stunning views of Lake Bellfield and beyond! It was great to remember we were on the other side of the lake only a day and a half ago. After Lakeview Lookout we continued our ascend up to the famous Pinnacle Lookout. It provided a spectacular view across the Grampians National Park. 

Panoramic View from The Pinnacle

We continued our rock scrambling down the other side of the Pinnacle down through Silent Street and past many day hikers as they headed up to The Pinnacle. It was great to see many family groups enjoying the perfect hiking weather.  We continued our descent towards the Wonderland car park and planned to go through the Grand Canyon, but unfortunately this section was closed to track renovations, we went past the car park and followed the path to Splitter Falls and enjoyed the undulations as travelled beside Stony Creek and down to the Venus Baths. The baths were a very popular spot for the nice Spring day we had. We enjoyed the leisurely stroll back into Halls Gap which included going through the local Botanic Gardens.

The only downer for the trip came as we arrived back to the car to find we had a flat tyre, other than that it was a great long weekend.

I thoroughly enjoyed following the Grampians Peaks Trail in reverse to the suggested loop, despite the 8.5km ascent up to Mt Rosea on the 2nd day, I found the 2nd and 3rd days’ scenery and views to be thoroughly more enjoyable compared to the first day along the fire trails and this only happened due campsites being fully booked at Bugiga for the planned first night, so we decided to follow the loop in reverse.

I look forward to heading back to explore more sections of the Grampians Peaks Trail as it continues to be constructed to form the 144km (13 day/12 night) walk across the Grampians National Park, which is due to be completed in 2017.

See you on the trail!

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