Mt. Townsend

Landed in Australia! Officially have traveled to all the continents now which is kind of fun to think about.

Got a rental car and quickly adjusted to driving on the other side of the road.  I met a person named Thomas that is a videographer and going to help with the filming of this hike/climb. I landed before he did so I went to the grocery store to buy some snacks.

So nice to be in a store again with fresh fruits and vegetables, drink choices, and fresh bakery items! It’s the little things that can feel grounding.

Thomas landed and we started our 6 hour drive down to Thredbo.  On the way we stopped at a gas station and I was introduced to meat pie with tomato sauce. It’s an Australian thing. He got one for lunch – I stuck with a kombucha drink.

Drove through all country roads. They have cameras to keep track of people’s speeds so it has felt a bit mind numbing at times staying in the speed limits.

Did have avocado toast for lunch which was again another little moment of comforting familiar bliss.  The plan is to check into the hotel and do the big hike tomorrow! (On my mom’s birthday which is kind of fun.)

Learning lots of Australia language:
Thongs = flip flops
Trolley = grocery cart
Lollies = hard and soft candies
Jelly = Jello
Tomato sauce = ketchup
Petro = gasoline

xx,
Jenn

We found a hotel in Tredbo which is a ski resort in the winter (our summer).  Chair lifts run year round to allow people access to some really nice hiking trails and cut out the more extreme vertical at the base of the ski mountain.  However, we didn’t want to wait for the chair lift to open at 9am so we got up early and just hiked the face of the ski resort.  Definitely steeper and took longer than we expected but hey – what adventure goes to plan?

At the chair lift top, we saw a map to Mt. Kosciuszko.  It’s a very well marked hike that is well  maintained. We are hiking early in the spring/summer so there was still snow on some parts of the hike.  When we got to the top of the chair lift the weather changed from warm to COLD with some extreme winds.  I put on all the gear I packed with me, including a down puffy jacket, wind-breaking pants and jacket. Honestly, there was a long moment of, “This was supposed to be the easiest of the summits and I don’t know if I am going to summit in this weather. And do I wait till the lift opens to ride it down and get warmer clothing?”

The hike was just shy of 14 miles and I was going to be moving so decided to just continue forward.  It was cold and extremely windy but again the trek to Mt. Kosciuszko (highest point in Australia) is pretty straightforward and took us the expected amount of time. I thought we would do it faster but since we were walking into what felt like gale force winds we took maybe even a bit long for the average hiker.

Once we got off the Summit of Mt. Kosciuszko, it was time to continue onward for Mt. Townsend.  Mt. Townsend is not a well documented hike and at this time of year it’s entirely covered in snow with zero signs as to which direction to go. Luckily for me someone did record themselves doing this hike on AllTrails a while back and I had downloaded this map to my phone.  So I was using Alltrails and doing my best to not posthole while trekking forward.

What I thought was going to be an additional 1 hr to get this hike down really ended up being about 2.5 hours.  That is how bad the conditions were.  Wind was in our face AND snow was the kind that wanted to test your will.  If I was not sinking to my knees or thighs every other step I was sliding and not trusting the steps where I didn’t fall through.  I decided to go off route a bit which actually ended up being in my favor due to conditions.  Rocks were easier to scramble over than the snow was to navigate.

Finally got to the top of Mt. Townsend and started heading back home which was at least marked this time with our footprints from the way there. Wind was a bit less and at our back, so we used that momentum to get back to the base.

Once we got to the base it was almost an 8 hour drive back to Sydney.  I started the day at 5:15am and got to the hotel after the epic day in the mountains at 11:30pm. When I got to the hotel, I was so tired I could barely think straight. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement!

While recovering in a warm bath, I reflected on why I succeeded on this climb even though it came together last minute.  I planned for the worst (which pretty much happened) and hoped for the best.  There were moments (like 45 minutes at a time) on the hike that was a total foggy whiteout – so aside from footprints behind me, I could only see about 5 feet in all directions. I had no clue what was ahead or on either side.  Rather mind-numbing when you have nothing but your phone screen to confirm you are headed in the right direction.

This was definitely a mentally challenging hike that I was not expecting. I would actually put this summit as more challenging than the one in Chile. Under normal conditions this summit would have been the easiest by a long shot, but in the mountains weather plays a HUGE role, and due to conditions, this was a simple hike that turned extremely challenging.

So grateful to get this one done.  I have a few days in Sydney and then fly home Thursday of this week to be reunited with my crew.  I can hardly wait!

xx,
Jenn

h… The summit is done, it is still sinking in and I am processing bits of it.  I am so happy that I drove all the way to Sydney and had no travel today… It seems I have been traveling nonstop since leaving the USA.

Today I toured Sydney a bit.  Took a ferry to see the coastlines and spent a little time at Manly beach. Gorgeous beach that has crystal clear water and white sand.  Water is still a bit cold…everyone in it was wearing wetsuits.

Looked at the Sydney Harbor Bridge and ran up the Sydney Opera House stairs a few times. Ever since starting Vertical 40 I have been in love with stairs and try to do new stair sets that I see a couple of times.

Walked around the city some and just took in all things Australia.  So nice to be in a developed country for a bit to unwind before heading home.

I met a fantastic camera person named Thomas Horig.  He can be found on instagram at @thomashorig. He is usually a wave surfer photo/video guy and travels all over the world doing that.  If you come to Australia and are doing something cool he is a person worth having along for the adventure.  Great personality, tons of energy, and a helping hand.  My trip has been so much less stressful and I have been able to do so much more in such a short period of time because of him being along for the journey.

One more day of adventure before I am on my way back to the comfort of my home and starting to work on losing all the fried food lbs I have put on since being away.

xx,
Jenn

Slow….

Today was a day to be slow.  One thing to see and the whole day ahead.  So instead of Uber we got to take the train system.  It’s a gift to have a slow day.  To just be a witness to all that is going on around you and be in awe of how it all comes together.

We arrived to Bondi beach, surfers in the water, families on the beach, and a look of the sky holding off a storm the entire day.  A total gift – it kept everything cooler than normal for this time of year and allowed us to walk around without being sweltering hot, which was what we should have expected based on this time of year.

We sat and watched the waves come in and an older man named Hal who lived in the area came over to point out dolphins playing at the sea.  He was excited to hear my accent, as I suppose I get excited to hear an Aussie accent in the US.  Quick to share his wealth of knowledge of the area and enough time to take up his suggestions on ways to spend the afternoon.

I keep coming back to the concept that the true beauty in adventure is the people you meet along the way. From Hal sharing his local wisdom, to Thomas sharing his love of capturing moments, and my friend James who gave us a list of things to experience if we felt so inclined in the area.  These little moments in our lives when we have all the time in the world to notice.  Where there is so much new that our brain doesn’t know how to filter it yet so it’s capturing more of the moments, and from the calm place of center the experience feels a bit deeper and richer for it.

Today the Harbor was filled with sailboats of all sizes going every which way… and as I type the word Harbor I can hear the Aussie’s pronunciation of it, holding onto the “A” a bit longer than we do in the US, and it makes me smile.

We took the ferry back to town and walked back up to the hotel.  Thomas gave me a copy of a book he printed – a book filled with wave photos he took while in Scotland during COVID. Much like the day, having the opportunity to look at the details was a welcome way to spend the time. Each wave is different and I have preferences, but there is beauty in all of them. I am quite confident that water in motion has a therapeutic effect on all of us.

Tom left for the airport and I am left to pack up for home.  I ordered a few things at the grocery store so when I get home I can be surrounded by favorite people and favorite food items! (the rootbeer scene here is something that could be massively improved upon).

Grateful for this adventure that is now part of who I am.  So many valuable lessons in such a quick snippet of time.  Grateful for this adventure we call life. There is magic in all of it.

xx,
Jenn

Back with the family and grateful for so many things. Thanks for following along!

xx,
Jenn