Cycling and walking in the mist

December is probably too busy a time of year for Scout hikes, which may explain the low numbers for our cycling and walking trip to Wellington Falls, but neither this, nor the less than clement weather, prevented us from having an enjoyable day of it. We cycled along the Pipeline Track from Neika, with the irrepressible J cycling through every puddle she could find, and R trying to get some air on some of the dish drains along the way.

The occasional mizzle was enough to dampen the surroundings but not enough to demand the wearing of wet-weather gear, just generating that refreshing “damp bush” smell. There were plenty of wild flowers in bloom (including a lone waratah which I managed to fail to get in focus when I photographed it). The cheeseberries were a quite spectacular pink while there were numerous lichens in lots of different shapes and sizes.

The last 2km to the falls are done on foot, and we arrived just in time for lunch with the roar of the falls in the background indicative of a stronger flow than on my last visit. I had vague recollections that the cache that I couldn’t find on that occasion had been replaced, and while I was pfaffing around digging up coordinates, confirmation and a clue, one of the Scouts found a container which, we later realised, was actually the original—thought to be missing—that had been replaced not once but twice. We also located the second of the replacements.

While we were here the mist came in a bit more closely creating some eerie effects, and giving a different but still enjoyable atmosphere to this spectacular location.

On the way back out we detoured to St Crispin’s Well (still one of my favourite spots on the mountain), and when the kids decided to run back down the path to the main track I hared off after them as if I wasn’t 50 years old (which still kind of disconcerts me!).

We finished the trip quite a bit earlier than planned, and so had a bit of a wait for parents but there were plenty of puddles and other distractions for the irrepressible J. Although it was “one more thing” at the end of a crazy-busy year in an over-committed week it was really nice to do this trip, for the exercise, the scenery, the company, the smells, the rejuvenation, the unwinding, the sore muscles, the food, and the muddy bits. 🙂