21 May 2013

Off my arse, into the sticks


Cooler weather is back in South East Queensland and that prompted me to get off my (kayaking) arse and head for the hills.
Summer just doesn’t cut it for donning a pack and walk in the heat; I don’t do well schlepping a load on my back when the heat and humidity is high and that’s why years ago I started sea kayaking anyway.
4 days away from salt water (and fibreglass) is what I really wanted.
I have my favourite destination in the bush (what my American cousins call “Outback”): it's a place where granite boulders litter the landscape.
 
Girraween sbr_c
 
Nothing feels more like home to me in nature than granite.
When I lived in the USA my favourite trips have been to the East side of the Sierra Nevada, above tree line. Here in Australia tree line is a long way away from where I now live and the closest feeling I can get to feeling on top of the world is spending a few nights on the open granite slabs.
Temperatures at night hovered just above freezing and the feeling of being cold is something I wait for all summer long.
I love sea kayaking but every so often I seek a reality check where all my gear for a few days has to be minimal and crammed into a small backpack.
There is something about travelling light and finding my way off track through the granite boulders and thick vegetation.
And then, at sunset, be somewhere high and just take it all in waiting for the sky to change to red, purple and then starry black. 
 
Sunset camp on top_c
a view money can't buy
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