Climbing Mt Hartz/My New Years Resolution

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DATE: FRIDAY JANUARY 1ST, 2010
CLIMBING MOUNT HARTZ/MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTION
I decided I wanted to go down southwest of Hobart towards Cockle Creek. Cockle Creek is the most southern of Tasmania and all that stands between it and Antarctica is the Arctic Ocean. I drove down to Huonville where I stopped at an Apple Museum. The region I was driving through is famous for fruit production evidently. There I tasted liquidized apple (not apple juice, better) and saw how they used to harvest, peel, etc the apples. Then I went to Hartz Mountain National Park where I climbed Mount Hartz. The views from the top were outstanding. I could see all the way back to Hobart as well as down to the Southern Ocean. It was perfectly clear so I could see the whole way I had drove along the Huon River. There were also really good views of Southwester National Park. This national park is serious wilderness. There are no roads through it and people often do two or three week treks through it. Unfortunately my camera batteries were dead so I have no pictures from the summit. Bummer, but maybe I will go back and do it another time later in the year since it is relatively close to Hobart. I did carve my name and the date onto a rock at the summit though so I do have evidence that I did the climb. Also on the walk were two really pretty glacial lakes and a marker of where two prospectors died in a snowstorm in 1897. They were so close to their cabin; it was only maybe 500 ft away although in a blizzard it probably doesn’t seem so close. After I got done I decided to go back to Hobart because the Southern Ocean was still a long way south and there was not much else to do on the way besides a thermal hot springs and a cave which cost like $60. Bruny Island is pretty close to this area and from what I have heard it is fantastic. A lot of people have actually told me it’s the best place in Tasmania. There is tons of wildlife like seals, penguins, whales, and even albino wallabies. I am saving this excursion till my dad comes though in just a few weeks. That night I slept at a small town cricket oval in Geeveston and started on my new year’s resolution, to work on my upper body. I decided I am tired of being really scrawny so I am going to try and build it up a bit, especially my shoulders. For now this is just consisting of daily push-ups but we’ll see how it goes. That night I did 50, although it was right after dinner so I felt weird.

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