Chasing the Sun Episode One (Cathartic-Ella)

The day was a miserable one. Sky overcast, chill in the air. My partner and I had been bickering all morning, who was appreciating (or not appreciating who). No schedule or plans except to “chill”. The same regular routine we have recently become accustomed too.

Then the text came in, “I’m thinking of doing the 1000 steps, want to come?”. Mediocre-Melly(MM) to the rescue.

For those who know Melbourne, 1000 steps is a fitness challenge ranked with the likes of Jacobs Ladder in WA. It is an opportunity to see how fit/far one has come with their journey and get a real good “workout” in. MM and I have accomplished this feat once before we committed to fitness, this blog and each other and I was ready to give it a crack.

So I convinced the boyfriend to let me go (although he didn’t need much persuasion and likely needed the break as much as I did), and set off. It’s a decent drive (depending on where you come from) which gave MM and I a chance to catch up.

While chatting like old wives, we arrived at our destination only to learn that the track is currently closed until further notice (thank you COVID19). Disappointment and threat of a fine almost ruined the adventure until I remembered there was a track I had done previously with the partner not too far away. Sherbrooke Falls, an easy walking track was a further ten minutes up the path and a potential solution to our otherwise ruined walk.

If you have ever taken the track, there are a multitude of places to park and our choice seemed obvious. Park with the least amount of mud. So we found a place at the bottom of the track and began our journey. We started at the bottom of the Hill Climb track, a seemingly simple path that would lead us to the top of a waterfall. You would think with the muddy car park and overcast skies that we would have been mentally prepared for what came next, but we weren’t.

What came next was a plethora of trying not to fall. The path was slicked with a mud track that at times had me worried I might actually end up bogged and stuck. The comfort of trekking with MM kept the situation light and airy, while the princess I am slipped and muttered of how dirty I was slowly becoming.

After an hour of exploring this dense Lyrebird sanctuary (which we were able to witness two creatures with outspread tail feathers), resolute that we were going to be filthy at the finish, we arrived at our destination. A small lookout overseeing the Sherbrooke Falls.

My hands were dirty (I might have had a significant slide not long before reaching our destination), MM was in need of water and a breather but we had arrived. After a few video’s (hello Tik Tok content), a quick appreciation of how we had not needing to pause during the climb, we began the descent.

So we started on the Ridge Climb, heading down the side of the waterfall. A path much less treacherous (but still mud covered) with a relatively low decline and wide pathways had us excited by our choice of taking the “hard” road first. At this stage, a mist had risen through the Forrest. It was like we had been transported to a scene from Harry Potter where a hippogriff would appear through the woods.

7500 steps, a little mud and two hours later we arrived back at the car. My rating of the adventure a 10/10. It was an easy climb, an adventure full of laughter and appreciating the nature around us. Well worth the mud and the real potential I might need to replace my shoes.

Cathartic-Ella over and out.