Day 7: Sun 2 Jul 23 - Gladstone

Sun 2 Jul 23 - Gladstone 

Weather: 10 Deg this morning with a slight SSW Breeze, a partly cloudy day reaching 23 Deg with at times winds gusting to 40km/hr. 

As planned, I stepped out the door this morning at 0630, and drove 25km towards Targinnie to the start of the 6.8km (return) Mount Larcom walking trail. I set off from the car park at 0700 and made my way up the steep climb to the Mount Larcom peak in just 67 minutes - much faster than I expected or planned. The beginning of the track is about 2kms and winds towards the base of the climb. From here, the climb to the peak is almost vertical - a bit of a lung buster and a leg burner. Most of the trail is covered in very loose rock and dirt, with a lot of fallen trees and exposed tree roots, so you need to concentrate carefully on your footing. Unfortunately it was very windy at the top, and as I was soaking with sweat, it was also very cold, so I didn’t hang around as long as I would have liked to enjoy the stunning 360 deg views. It took me only 54 minutes to return to the carpark, and the quads were certainly feeling every step by now. This is the second time I have done this climb, the last time was more than 25 years ago, so I was a little younger and fitter then. Including stopping for photos, I took just over 2hrs for the return trip today, so I'm very pleased with the effort, especially given 4-5 hours is suggested for planning. I was back home much earlier than expected, and I had a fairly quiet remainder of the day visiting one of my brothers and helping him with a few garden chores, while Noeleene and Mum went to Bingo for the afternoon. Later in the afternoon I treated myself to another couple of refreshing (and delicious) ales at Ward's brewery, before returning to Mum's for a roast dinner, then back to the van for an early night. Today was a very satisfying day, unfortunately, the rain is expected to roll in from tomorrow, but hopefully this weather forecast is as accurate as most others. 

Covering the first section of the climb to Mt Larcom

Covering the first section of the climb to Mt Larcom

The trail is getting rougher

...and steeper

Destination in sight - Mt Larcom Peak


Rewarding views part way up the climb


Mount Larcom Peak - amazing 360 Deg views, but very windy this morning

Mount Larcom Peak


Mount Larcom Peak - spectacular views

Mount Larcom Peak


Mount Larcom Peak

Mount Larcom Peak

More amazing views on the way down 

Not easy walking down

Not easy walking down


The trail 3.4km each way

Elevation profile (632m) overlaid with my heart rate (reached 150-160on the steeper sections)

My reward - An award winning Wards Lager


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