Mummy, my legs hurt

Where: Wollongambe River near Mt Wilson Distance: Bushwalking, Liloing and Swimming all up close to 20km Duration: 7 hours This was a bucket list trip for me. I'd always wanted to lilo down a river! When a kid-free weekend presented itself (thanks mum), Richie and I decided to take advantage of our free time and do a Wollongambe trip with the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.  Richie has been canyoning multiple times with these guys and its always been a great experience. I've been with him once and loved it. We trusted that the guides would provide a fantastic experience that was safe as well as being totally EPIC. And of course, we weren't disappointed! Fortuitously, the other people that were supposed to be joining the trip didn't turn up so we had a private guided tour. After a relatively easy walk in with BMAC guides Nick and Greg, we started to head downhill, ending up at a very busy junction that involved a bit of a scale down a hand line.  ...

Where: Leura, Blue Mountains Distance: 4km Duration: About 1.5 hours We decided to brave the rain that was forecast and go for a wander along the very popular Prince Henry Cliff Walk that hugs the cliffline of Leura and gives gorgeous views out to Mt Solitary and across the Jamison Valley. Access is super easy when you park on Olympian Parade - just 50 metres or so of track takes you to one of my favourite lookouts, Elysian Rock. Now, I've been very slack with my blogging and am writing this many months later - from my Strava activity it appears that there was much crying and whining on this walk so perhaps that's why I don't have a pic of the view from Elysian Rock! Ah yes, it's coming back to me now. Holly was happy and bouncing along, Ty was not. Not. At. All. We didn't end up going very far, just a little out and back along the cliffs towards Katoomba, and then back past where we began, through Gordon Falls picnic area and to the Pool of...

Near Wolgan Valley Distance: 7.5km Duration: Around 2.5 hours A magical walk we did in winter, with crystallized frost on the grass and an interesting assortment of ruins from the old mining days. You've got to be pretty self sufficient for this one; Newnes itself is one hotel and a road - that's pretty much it - so bring lots of snacks and water, more than you think you'll need as you're a long way from anywhere if you get delayed! There's interpretive signage everywhere so you can see what's what. You can just explore a little area or do the entire site if you feel like it. We were lucky enough to see a wombat in broad daylight, hanging around the nearby campground and generally nonplussed about us staring at him. The kids got really close before he skittered back into his burrow! This was a really lovely walk with something everywhere you look to keep the kids occupied. The ruins are scattered on the side of a s...

Hi everyone! Hope your training is going really well. As I begin to write this on the 21st June, it's the shortest day of the year, which means as of tomorrow the mornings and evenings will gradually start to get less dark and miserable! I quite like the cold but getting home from work in the dark every day is a real drag. Lucky I have a top notch head lamp for early morning weekend adventures! The last few weeks have been all about... - getting my nutrition sorted - learning to pace myself better - studying the course from afar - setting up my fundraising page for One in Five This month I ventured out in some crazy cold, windy and dark conditions.,..with snow forecast above 700 metres in the mountains, I didn't venture too far up the hill, but the trail I was on at 450m elevation was still damn cold! It was one of those days where the RFS and SES advise the public to 're-think outdoor activities'... but this spot was relatively sheltered, well populated and...

Where: Glenbrook, Blue Mountains Distance: 2.5km Duration: Approx 1 hour Despite living a stone's throw from Glenbrook and exploring the national park almost weekly, we hadn't yet been to this peaceful track overlooking Erskine Creek. First up however, we stopped along the way at Blue Pool, a great walk for the smallest of people that still feels interesting and 'bushwalky' enough, even if you happen to be going at toddler pace. I've been here a few times solo and always find it a stark contrast to the busyness of nearby uber-popular Jellybean pool. With Jellybean having its own large carpark it is a rare occasion when you can enjoy it without crowds. Unfortunately with crowds comes irresponsible people and in turn lots of rubbish. It's crushing to see how much litter is left carelessly at Jellybean, and likewise, how much makes its way down the creek to its confluence along the Nepean River. On this day, we were able to enjoy the rubbish-free Bl...

Another amazing weekend in the mountains, done and dusted! Last year I decided to sign up for the 22k race at UTA, having done the 50K twice before. I really enjoyed the alternative 2017 course for the 50K, which was changed at the 11th hour due to weather concerns. This new, more runnable route took in most of the first half of the 100K course. I would have loved to have done this part again, but knew I wasn't ready to commit to the full hundo, so decided to have a go at the 22 and really try and run it strongly. Usually I would tell myself that I'm just 'here for a good time' and perhaps not push as hard as I could when things get tough. This time, I wanted to do better and not just waddle along like it was an everyday training run. UTA weekend often coincides with a huge work event for me, so after running Narrabeen Allnighter in January and doing some sporadic, non-specific training in the month or so following, I just didn't have the mental space to...