16 July 2012

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After a slow start to the day we geared up for a trek through Speewah Conservation Park.<span><span>We had around a 10 km loop pencilled in and thought that may not be enough as we had the entire day ahead of us but as it turned out we nearly bit off more than we could chew.

As we started we realised what a unique opportunity we had walking through wet tropics, woodlands and mountain heath.<span> Early on it was clear we would have to be on the ball as it was extremely damp on the track and you could quite easily lose your footing and do some damage.<span> Apart from that the walking conditions were great; it was mild and overcast and even when the sun did sneak a peak from behind the clouds there was the natural protection of the canopy of towering trees and vines above.

There were steep climbs and drops that we had to navigate along the way and some pristine creeks that we needed to cross.<span> Walking 10 kms on flat ground is one thing but in these areas it is slow going and it became evident after lunch we would have to cut the journey short to ensure we were back by dark.

Fatigue really set in on the final stretch and we trudged back to camp late afternoon.<span> All in all it was about four hours of hiking and we were beat when we made it to the finish line.

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