End to End Six Foot Track Adventure

One at a time we all made the nerve-racking 100m trip across - some more tentative than others.

By Michele

All the necessary prep was done- transport booked, campsite booked, gear list distributed, backpacks diligently packed, the order put in with the powers above to be kind to us weather-wise!

Now just turn up - and so, Sue, Bernadina, Fiona, Denise, Lozz, Karen, Margaret, Barbara and coach Michele, did. Early Friday morning, March 12, at the Explorers Tree Katoomba - the weather memo clearly hadn’t made it and it was WET! Oh, well - what can you do - “accept the unexpected”?

The first stop was the dry Jenolan Caves café - we were not in a hurry, so took the time to have a coffee, a bite to eat, weigh the packs (OMG they were between 14 and 18 kgs) and waited for the rain to ease up - just a bit.

Soon it did ease off - just - so we were on our way-looking forward to the next 3 days and 45 km of iconic Australian bush. It is a very long climb out of that valley, especially when you are still trying to become accustomed to carrying your house on your back...about 800m of ups with 300m of downs between. Luckily not too technical a hike, a pleasant mix of bush tracks and management trails. Stopping to regroup every now and then - we made it to our first night of camping at Black Range Campsite by 3.30 pm. This well maintained, large, fenced, grassy campsite, has a couple of sheltered picnic tables, toilets and a rainwater tank. With the sun now shining we soon spread ourselves out and tried to dry off our wet gear, set up tents and generally fluffed around, the way you do when camping and sharing stories of our morning.

Taking advantage of the luxury of covered picnic tables - we all got out our various cookers and prepared our dinners. Some chose dehydrated meals, others cooked up fresh and some ate straight from their pre-prepared containers. The rest of the evening was spent chatting and playing a fun and easy dice game, Left Right Centre!

Up with the birds and a bush sunrise - time to pack up our tents, wet with condensation…(argh- the extra weight) and hit the trail. A surprise awaited us! Not far up the road was the first of the many support tents manned by the Rural Fire Service - no, not DITRA going above and beyond! March 13 was Six Foot Track Marathon Day.

We knew we were in for a 21 km fire trail day – with over 1000 m of downhill to complete. The distraction of having the runners whizz towards and past us was a great distraction…it was lots of fun shouting encouragement and good wishes…some returned the support and gave us a thumbs up on what we were doing. Them, not enjoying the huge uphills - us, not exactly revelling in the equally huge downhills. All the RFS support tents were so friendly, we were given so many bananas and even used their services to administer some blister management. We felt like part of a much larger team of adventurers.

The relentless downhill was hard on our knees and toes, so the lunch stop at Alum Creek Reserve was a welcome relief- taking the time to dry off those wet tents and tend to hot spots and potential blisters, in the sunshine. After lunch it was back for more downhills as we made our way to Coxs River Campground. Entering our private campground to set up for the night followed by a refreshing dip in the river was pure bliss.

More pampering as we took advantage of the Eco Lodge’s home-cooked meal deal - it was a lovely evening sitting on the lodge’s balcony sipping a refreshing beverage, enjoying a hearty kangaroo or veg stew with mash and pasta...seconds anyone? - hell yeah! More interesting conversations and another fun round of “Left Right Centre!”

We knew we had to secure our tents and gear that night and we weren’t wrong when the storm came through! Another wet pack up - but at least we were well and truly fuelled by the delicious hot breakfast of eggs and bacon back at the lodge to face our steep walk out. Again, our good weather request was ignored as the rain tumbled down!

Not long out of camp is the Bowtells Swing Bridge- originally built in 1992 to provide an alternate route for when the river is in flood- this is now the main way hikers cross. So, one at a time we all made the nerve-racking 100 m trip across, some more tentative than others- but all with great style! Just as a point of interest, we learned that the marathon runners must cross the river and do not use the bridge.

The final leg of our journey to the Explorers Tree, Katoomba is the most scenic of the entire track. It moves from single bush tracks, through grazing fields and spectacular views to the farmlands and the mountains around. We made the most of the day despite the challenging weather. Being all well prepared with the right gear to keep us warm and dry, allowed us to relax and feel the unique way the bush comes alive with the rain, passing pristine flowing streams and waterfalls and having fun sloshing in the mud.

The final challenge is the well-known and sometimes feared, climb out of Nellies Glen from the valley floor to the top of the escarpment. One by one we emerged looking a little worse for wear, muddy boots and sodden from head to foot, BUT with smiles on our faces for a job well done. Each in the group had taken on something big and felt the joy and satisfaction of meeting the challenge.

Soon enough we were able to get out of the wet clothes and enjoy -under shelter- salty potato chips and sweet sparkling grape and apple juice….and talk about what the next adventure should be.