20230519 Rosie at Wilson's Prom--Victoria
=========================================
Recently, two mates and I bunked out at Wilson's Prom. We
wanted to get in a couple days of trail hiking. The goal was
to do one mountain track before taking it easy on the second
day along the coast.
The trip down was a bit of a day in Dad's Army. We made
stops along the way for all the things we'd forgotten, such
as most of the food. We also stopped along the way for pics
of the scenes that we fancied. I was testing the video
capabilities of various cameras. The idea was to see how
well they would capture the conversations in the car and the
passing scenery outside as we bumped along.
Upon arrival we discovered that the bunkhouse wouldn't be
ready for a few hours. So we made the decision to leave our
non-hiking kit in the car before taking off up Mt. Bishop.
The first part of the hike was a bit eerie. The folks at the
National Park had decided to burn off a strip of bushland
along the trail to eradicate a highly infectious fungus
(Cinnamon). Unfortunately, it's easily tracked in from other
places on the soles of hiker's boots.
The trek was gorgeous after that section. However, we kept
waiting for a Velociraptor to come tearing out from between
the primeval tree ferns and the large gum trees that
overhung the trail. We discovered that we weren't too far
wrong about predators. To one side of the track we kept
seeing tufts of grey and white fur. Then, we discovered the
entrails and jawbone of a large wombat just off the path. We
speculated to ourselves that it might have been a fox or,
perhaps, a dog. We strained our neck muscles a bit as we did
keep looking over our shoulders for any sign of
Velociraptors.
Sadly, one of my companions twisted his knee badly. So, we
decided forgo the climb to the summit and satisfied
ourselves with a more level path on the circuit. Well, it
did level out eventually. At one point, the elevation rose
about 200 metres in less than a kilometre. Yowie (an apt
description of the man) was a real trooper and soldiered on.
My ibuprofen didn't hurt.
I was in charge of ensuring that the knee was properly iced
upon our return. So, while Pappy went to hand over pictures of
the kill to the rangers, Yowie and I went to the Tidal River
shop. We had thought a bag of ice might do. But, it was $6
Australian. I suggested a bag of frozen peas. The $4 price
tag was a turn off. So, Yowie and I (Doc) settled for a small tub
of chocolate icecream for $10. We both agreed that the value
point was acceptable. He would have the swelling reduced,
and we three would enjoy a tasty desert after our ravioli
dinner.
I'll spend the next few days working with the videos and
photos. But, I thought that a couple might suffice for now.
I've made them as small as practicable to account for cases
of low bandwidth.
GIF Rosie eyeing my chip...credit to Pappy
GIF A view too cold for a dip...credit to Yowie