Mt Maria
Maria Island is one of my absolute favourite places. So when the opportunity came up to go there with 7 of the best people I know (I went to call them the Magnificent 7 but then I got a call from the lawyers so I won’t), I was seriously excited.
The weather was forecast to be wet enough to feature in Cardi B’s latest song, but that did little to dampen our spirits as we arrived at Triabunna to get on the ferry. The crossing was a little bumpy, but the views from the upper deck of the boat were amazing. The island itself soon came into view, although the peaks of the mountains were hidden by dark clouds of rain that hung around them like criminals and grifters around the Trump administration.
The weather was forecast to be wet enough to feature in Cardi B’s latest song, but that did little to dampen our spirits as we arrived at Triabunna to get on the ferry. The crossing was a little bumpy, but the views from the upper deck of the boat were amazing. The island itself soon came into view, although the peaks of the mountains were hidden by dark clouds of rain that hung around them like criminals and grifters around the Trump administration.
It was wet underfoot, but there was no rain falling when we arrived and headed up to unpack at the penitentiary. In little time we were ready to run and it was time to decide where to go first. I got a bit of a shock when I heard we were going to Mt Maria.
My concerns about balrogs and goblins (I know I should feel bad about that terrible Lord of the Rings joke, but I don't) were ignored and off we went, so I had to console myself that hopefully Bouch was savage enough to frighten anything else we came across.
We cruised south out of Darlington, noting the numerous wombats that roamed the island as indifferent to us as Peter Dutton is to the suffering of refugees. The sun was shining as we climbed a long gentle hill and soon the Painted Cliffs were in sight below us as we cruised down the other side of the hill. We turned left and followed a track inland that quickly became muddier and uneven.
My concerns about balrogs and goblins (I know I should feel bad about that terrible Lord of the Rings joke, but I don't) were ignored and off we went, so I had to console myself that hopefully Bouch was savage enough to frighten anything else we came across.
We cruised south out of Darlington, noting the numerous wombats that roamed the island as indifferent to us as Peter Dutton is to the suffering of refugees. The sun was shining as we climbed a long gentle hill and soon the Painted Cliffs were in sight below us as we cruised down the other side of the hill. We turned left and followed a track inland that quickly became muddier and uneven.
There had obviously been a fair bit of rain recently and a couple of creeks that crossed the track had swollen and spread like the damage caused by gaming venues since they reopened. As a result, we ended up slowing down and making a few careful river crossings before continuing.
The track began to rise after about a kilometre and following a short muddy climb we hit a junction. We took the narrower path to the left which began to climb more steeply. Another 2km from the junction, the path cut back sharply to a lookout, where we paused to look back out over the thick forest that dropped away below us. After a drink, a few jokes and few chips and we were off again, ducking under overhanging branches and stepping around vegetation as we climbed higher.
The track began to rise after about a kilometre and following a short muddy climb we hit a junction. We took the narrower path to the left which began to climb more steeply. Another 2km from the junction, the path cut back sharply to a lookout, where we paused to look back out over the thick forest that dropped away below us. After a drink, a few jokes and few chips and we were off again, ducking under overhanging branches and stepping around vegetation as we climbed higher.
The muddy track became harder and rockier under our feet as we climbed higher, before it all but disappeared, to be replaced by an uphill scramble, picking your own path over slippery boulders and following the occasional track marker.
After a couple of hundred metres up the open scree slope, we were briefly back onto a path, weaving through red-leafed trees before we soon emerged for the final climb. And it was literally a climb from here, using hands for balance and at times to heave ourselves up onto ledges and large boulders. I was pretty careful going up too, as any slip or mis-step here would be as dangerous as umpiring a game for Novak Djokavic.
After a couple of hundred metres up the open scree slope, we were briefly back onto a path, weaving through red-leafed trees before we soon emerged for the final climb. And it was literally a climb from here, using hands for balance and at times to heave ourselves up onto ledges and large boulders. I was pretty careful going up too, as any slip or mis-step here would be as dangerous as umpiring a game for Novak Djokavic.
A harsh drop is not much fun (just ask the Australian economy) so the trip down was considerably harder and slower than the way up. The first 500m or so were over steep and slippery rocks without much in the way of defined track of useful handholds so we took our time and my hands were starting to go numb from the cold by the time we came off the rocky section onto the narrow muddy track we had come up on.
Aside from being a little slippery in places the descent from here was pretty easy. We alternated between a gentle jog and a quick walk as dictated by the terrain. Because of all the time stomping through mud and brushing past wet vegetation it is easy to pick up leeches on this particular track and our group came home with a heap of them. I was a little surprised, as a number of our group had downloaded the much-hyped COVIDsafe app, which I had been led to believe magically protects you from everything; but it turns out the best way to avoid something has nothign to do with downloading an app, but to actually not expose yourself to it in the first place. Who knew?
Aside from being a little slippery in places the descent from here was pretty easy. We alternated between a gentle jog and a quick walk as dictated by the terrain. Because of all the time stomping through mud and brushing past wet vegetation it is easy to pick up leeches on this particular track and our group came home with a heap of them. I was a little surprised, as a number of our group had downloaded the much-hyped COVIDsafe app, which I had been led to believe magically protects you from everything; but it turns out the best way to avoid something has nothign to do with downloading an app, but to actually not expose yourself to it in the first place. Who knew?
As we dropped altitude it was notable how the temperature rose and the rain lessened. By the time we were back near the coast, it was quite mild and the rain had stopped entirely. I forgot about being cold as quickly the media and most of the public seem to have forgotten about climate change this year (spoiler alert- things are not going well and maybe Scott Morrison suspending parliament and putting a bunch of mining CEOs in charge of the country wasn’t a great idea).
We rejoined the main track back to Darlington just north of the Painted Cliffs and turned for home. We crested the final hill and coasted down towards the penitentiary, before jumping in the sea for a quick swim to cool off (very quickly as it turned out). I really enjoyed the variety of this run. The rocky part towards the top is difficult to move at much more than a quick walk on, but the rest is very runnable (I never knew this was a word until I started trail running). On a wet day, the scramble towards the top requires a bit of care and I probably wouldn’t advise doing it solo in those conditions, but other than that I would strongly recommend this as a walk or run.
We rejoined the main track back to Darlington just north of the Painted Cliffs and turned for home. We crested the final hill and coasted down towards the penitentiary, before jumping in the sea for a quick swim to cool off (very quickly as it turned out). I really enjoyed the variety of this run. The rocky part towards the top is difficult to move at much more than a quick walk on, but the rest is very runnable (I never knew this was a word until I started trail running). On a wet day, the scramble towards the top requires a bit of care and I probably wouldn’t advise doing it solo in those conditions, but other than that I would strongly recommend this as a walk or run.