Down and Out

We were procrastinating. The hike back up to Long Point was going to be tough. By now it was the middle of the day and we were feeling lazy having spent the last few hours chilling out on the banks of the Shoalhaven. When you climb a mountain you know that your efforts will be rewarded. Your goal is the summit and each step is one step closer to the top. Once you reach your destination the rest is easy, a downhill cajole to the bottom. We did the opposite, which I guess is what happens when you live at the top of an escarpment. The morning was spent meandering our way down a narrow and steep spur line. The views were spectacular and what was best of all was that we had them all to ourselves.

The track down from Long Point to McCallums Flat is not on your typical tourist walking map. It was perfect, we felt like we were in the middle of the nowhere but we didn't have to hike for three days to get there. The spur at times dropped off on both sides being perhaps only a couple of metres wide in sections.

The valley below slowly started to encroach and the winding river became more visible. We dropped off the side of the spur to avoid King Pin Mountain and before we knew it we were there; on a grassy flat, shaded by Casuarinas, on the banks of the Shoalhaven. Our little oasis for the next couple of hours.

After sitting in a back pack for what seemed

like an eternity it didn't take Tahlia long 

to strip off and jump into the river. 

She could have stayed there all day. 

At her age it seems the world is full of little 

adventures to be had. Wet bare feet on pine 

needles.....it's what childhood's all about right?

Eventually we had to face the fact that there would

be no escaping the steep climb back out to the car.
So we reluctantly dried our feet in the sun, dusted
off the dirt and put our shoes back on. It's worth
noting that only 1km into the walk that morning, both
of Marty's trusty old hiking boots lost their soles at the
exact same moment that one of mine also lost it's sole.
Luckily strapping tape comes in handy for all sorts of
things. It's also worth noting that Tahlia, despite being
given a talk about appropriate foot attire for such an
outing, insisted on wearing her 'pretty' shoes. Seems
that she is much more fashion conscious than her
mother and although she didn't say anything at the
time I think she was secretly quite smug that her shoes
were the only ones that actually made the journey
without falling apart!