Lerderderg Gorge - Bears Head Circuit - Dec 2014

I joined a great crew today from the Happy When I'm Hiking MeetUp group to walk the Bears Head Circuit Walk at the Lerderderg Gorge, in the Lerderderg State Forest, about 70 kms west of Melbourne.

The walk for the most part followed the route described in Walk 33 of "Day Walks Around Melbourne" by Glenn Tempest (available from Opens Spaces Publishing), with the difference that we started out following the Ah Kow Track, rather than the Lower Chadwick & McKensie Tracks, as per the guide book.

We started at 9:15 and finished the 18km route by 3:30, including 20 mins for lunch, at the point where the Bears Head Range Track meets the river.

There was plenty of water in the river and I enjoyed a swim during the lunch break. (No - it wasn't particularly cold!)

Despite the gorge's reputation for snakes, we encountered none.   We did spy a wild boar, some noisy goats, a wedge-tailed eagle.

This walk has it all - woodlands, scrambly descents and ascents, rock-hopping, river walking (for those not so accomplished at rock-hopping!).  With the river flowing, it is a great time to visit the Lerderderg.

 

Walking solo vs social

Five Mile Beach, Wilson's Prom

"No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it." Seneca - Letters from a Stoic.

My walking over the past few years has mostly been solo and I have to say that it is a mode that I relish.

There are some sublime, top-of-the-Maslow-hierarchy benefits that can only come from extended solitude in remote places: meditative walking ... the sense of connectedness to the natural world ... being lost in your own thoughts without interruption ("cortex interruptus") ... the simple feeling of being alone - even lonely - are all things to be savoured on the solo trail.


There are also other more practical advantages.  Like being able to stop, move, eat and sleep whenever you choose.  Or being exempt from behaviours not particularly acceptable around your fellow humans (insert your favourite anti-social body function here).

When you walk alone the tempo of the march is yours to make - the rhythm of "the dance' is set by you.

For all the joys and benefits of solitude I have nevertheless found myself with others a lot of late.  It started innocently enough - A casual search brought me to a hiking group online.  I saw that they were doing an interesting day walk that weekend and - in a (probably wine-fuelled) moment of social enthusiasm - I clicked the "RSVP Yes" button.

I joined the small group for a walk in the Mt Cole State Forest and had a thoroughly good time - enjoying both the walk and the company.    It was great to be able to share the experiences of the track with the others.  Like me, they were on the walk to connect with nature, to take time out from the work-a-day world and to give their bodies a good workout.  That our demographics and dispositions were different only added to the enjoyment of a shared passion.

Hard Core Hikers at Bivouac Hut, Mt Bogong

I wanted to try some more of this social style walking, so I decided to start my own hiking group, where I can continue to do the sort of off-trail, multi-day walks I love, but to add the social element to the experience.   I named the group the Melbourne Hardcore Hikers and sent a shout-out to like-minded souls to join me in my back country adventures (and mis-adventures).

The group has now been operating since June this year.   There's currently 215 members, with around 30 people who've come on at least one of the hikes.  It has been fantastic finding so many people who like me, just love getting out into the wilderness areas.


The only downside to all of this is that organising the group hikes is very time consuming!  One consequence is that I haven't had much time for blogging.  Hopefully I can catch up with this over the xmas break (Oh, hang on - I'll be hiking for much of it!)

If you're interested in coming along on one of my hikes, feel free to join the Hardcore Hikers Group.