OUR 22KM RETURN HIKE - MOUNT FEATHERTOP!
(The second highest mountain in Victoria. Yes. You read that right!)
It's been a little while since this adventure took place - (Hello full time work! Hello adulting, and hello life!) You know how it is. We aren't the only ones - That I'm sure of. You get it - We get. Well - Seeing as that's the case - Let's inspire each other to get outdoors more! On that note - Let's chat you through what was an epic day out and about exploring by foot.
Yep. We saw. We hiked. We conquered.
Only just. Eek!
SATURDAY, 27TH OF JANUARY - RISE & SHINE - IT’S HIKING DAY!
Note: If you haven't already - Check out our previous blog to give you more background on where we were, where we stayed, and what we got up to pre-hike. If you're all caught up - You'll remember me saying something along the lines of...
So, Matt and I are naturally very planned. Matt even more so. Like, almost superhumanly so. But! As a couple, we have a motto, and that motto is: "Embrace change" - You might be intrigued to know that a tarot reader from the Queen Vic Market actually gave us that advice, and no kidding - We have found this to be a very handy saying! Especially for two very orderly, (but also very adventurous) systematic individuals.
If you are curious to know more about the tarot reader we saw - Feel free to get in touch - Send us a DM! The Queen Victoria Market hosts great night markets and there is plenty on offer. More info on opening days and hours right here - https://qvm.com.au/
*You may have also noticed that our very first collection was inspired by the tarot deck. If you clued on to that - Give yourself a big pat on the back. Our mission of mindful exploring goes hand in hand with embracing the spiritual aspect of life and that of nature. All things are beautifully connected.
EMBRACE CHANGE - IS THE MOTTO FOR THE DAY!
Stop #1: Nature calls!
- As we left our eco-friendly village (Gee, it really was magical)! - It was a short walk to our car which was parked in the nearest open car park. Was there a drop toilet there? Yes. Could I make up my mind to go? No. We get in the car, excited to get this show on the road. We are 15 minutes into our drive, heading to the start of the hiking trail, when I realise - I need to go. "Embrace change, embrace change!" After quickly searching Google, there would be no other toilets on the way and no toilets at the start of the trail - ONLY AT THE 10KM MARK - That's half way in to the hike. Uh uh. Nope. That won't do!
- So we head back to our starting point where the drop toilets were. Sigh. Relief. YEP. I'm comfortable and ready to rock and roll. TAKE TWO!
- Lesson (One that I already know but my excitement gets the best of me sometimes!): Ensure you address when nature calls before a long hike. Tick!
Stop #2: The entrance to the trail - The Razorback Walk - We begin!
This is a Grade 4 Hike. Total climbing = 595m - It is one way.
- We were hoping we would beat the crowd, if there was one. Especially as it was a beautiful Summer's day! Once we arrived, there were many cars parked along the mountain side. Note: There isn't many designated parking spots here. We parked at least 500m from the entrance point - Which didn't seem far at the start of the hike but gee wiz, at the completion of this hike - It felt like forever! By the end of our hike, there were so many cars parked on both sides of the road. Anything goes basically! (That's what it seemed!)
- Remember how I said that we can be spontaneous? Well... Get this for spontaneity!...
DID SOMEONE SAY, "SPONTANEOUS?!"
I'll paint the picture for you. Look, we're both naturally athletic and physical. We have been our whole life. Not much time passes inbetween activity. However, the exception has been that lately, our constancy has been a little... Inconsistent! Our last 20km hike was during our trip to the Grampians. Get this - One whole year go. Yes. One. Whole. Year. Ago.
I knew we were hiking over this weekend. But I didn't ask how far we were hiking. I did however, ask how difficult this hike would be, "Is it as hard as that hike we did at Cathedral Ranges that one time?" Matt assured me that it wouldn't be. I felt relieved! The night before the hike I eventually asked - (You see, I'm a sucker for details but not all the time and not for all things. See, I can go with the flow... Ha!) "How far is this hike?" I'm clearly late to the party. I didn't do my research and usually my curiousity gets the best of me but, like I said - I can go with the flow, and that flow can be slow! Matt tells me it's a 22km hike. Return.
"It's a what?! We're hiking 22km?! Return?!"
I'm also a sucker for adventure, nature and the outdoors, and - I was told by both Matt and JF (our host for our stay), that I'd "be right!" - Matt reassured me - If we needed to turn back, we could. The advice we got from JF? - It's very exposed, he said. On the way back, you will find that you really do end up slowing down - (He was so spot on. I wasn't laughing in the end. Insert wincing face here*).
And so, we put on our hiking boots. We put our snacks in my little bag. We grabbed our water bottles. Our camera equipment (Drone, Insta360). Put some sunscreen on. It was sunny but still chilly. I had leggings on, a t-shirt, a long sleeve jacket and my puffer on top. Nicely layered. Matt on the other hand - Standard - Shorts and a t-shirt. Thumbs up. He's good to go!
We thought, "Heck - Let's get out there and enjoy this!"
OUT OF THIS WORLD, STUNNING, BRUTAL, BREATH-TAKING!
I don't really know where to begin. Our surroundings were so magical. We were surrounded by beauty everywhere we turned. It was hard to imagine what this mountain would look like with snow on it! Now, that would be mind blowing!
The sky was so blue, the mountains were layered with shades of green. Our eyes could not get enough of what we saw, and our souls? Well - They were so joyful. So full of wonder and joy. This is what it's all about.
It went from cool to hot, depending on our pace, the gradient of the path and how much energy we had to exert. There were a few gradual inclines but most of the path was fairly flat. Mostly.
*Insert shameless plug here! We both wore our 100% organic tees and no kidding - They are so light, comfortable and also do well in repelling the heat - (We both were wearing the black version too!)
It was wonderful to see so many others attempting this hike. We always make an effort to say hello and smile. Making sure to share the path and give way when necessary. We had a few quick chats as we passed by other hikers - Some who were hiking the 10km and staying overnight at the half way point before continuing to The Summit the next morning.
(We had the bright idea of completing The Summit in one day!)
We enjoyed quiet moments and we enjoyed moments of chitter-chatter.
We shared random, profound thoughts, as well as encouragement.
Making it to The Summit of Mount Feathertop was indeed a physically gruelling task. The climb to the top was really quite impressive, and I would be lying if I said it didn't take us some serious grit to make it to the top.
I kept saying, "This is actually so brutal but I'm so glad we're doing it!"
JF was right, it was extremely exposed. Lucky we both had our hats on. That sun had some serious sting to it! Advice: Bring sunscreen with you! (That, we did not do and we ended up with nasty burns to certain exposed areas. Neck and arms mainly - We reached for that aloe vera pretty quick smart when we got home to start the healing process!)
We were ecstatic to make it to The Summit! Now we just had to make it back!
Our legs and hips had locked up by this stage but we were oh-so-determined.
One foot in front of the other. Just put one foot in front of the other.
That's what we kept saying. I don't think we've ever walked that slow in our lives but, there's nothing quite like a Leo and a Sagittarian as a duo. If you are in need of optimism and a bottomless pit of positivity and encouragement, we will give it to you in spades, and that's exactly how we operate with one another. Always checking in on each other - "How are you doing? Do you need a break? Water? Snack? You're smashing this! You've got this! Proud of you!"
Our love for adventure and our gratitude to be able to experience moments like this creates a limitlessness within us. It allows us to dig deep. Yes, we weren't entirely prepared but even when challenged, we choose to see the beauty that Mother Nature had to offer - Making sure to keep our heads up, and to thankfully take in what our eyes could see and what our bodies could do.
As we saw the road in the distance - We were elated to know that we made it!
We reached the road, could see our car in the distance, and as we very slowly walked the false incline towards it, a group of young adults called out, "Woo hoo! Would you like some champagne to celebrate?!" We politely thanked them but declined their celebratory offer. All we could think of was getting back to the car to grab more water, take off our boots and cool off. By this stage, the heat of the day had really set in and we had spent a large amount of our hike in it. We enjoyed their enthusiasm though.
You might be wondering - How long did this hike take us to complete?
It took us exactly 6 hours, 43 minutes and 14 seconds.
Specifically, 23.23km in total.
Did someone say stupidity?
We're going to go with spontaneous!
Until next time, explore mindfully.
We thank you for being here.
One half of Joopiter's Sun,
Vicki.
Ps. If you haven't already, follow us on Instagram. We would love to connect! You can find our journey here: https://www.instagram.com/joopiterssun - See you there!