Written by Brooke Wilson
Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely not a morning person.
And yet, for some reason, I agreed to a 6am start on a Sunday morning to go climb a mountain. The mountain in question is Mount Walsh, about 10 minutes’ drive from the town of Biggenden.
Having never climbed it before, I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but still didn’t really know exactly what I was in for.
Shortly after you turn off onto the road into the national park, the sheer enormity of the mountain looms ahead, and any thoughts that it might be a light stroll are quickly dashed.
It had rained the night before the day that my friends and I went, so naturally the track was muddy and slippery.
Still, we had come all this way, and weren’t going to turn back now, so off we went.
The first half wasn’t too dissimilar to any walk, a steady incline meandering through the shrub, but enough to get the calves burning.
About halfway up, we rounded a corner and were confronted by a sheer rock face, with a crevice up the middle barely wide enough to fit one person, and due to the recent rain, a steady flow of water coming straight down its centre. Certainly not for the faint hearted. Through utter stubbornness to not let it defeat us, and perhaps with a touch of dare devilishness, we shimmied our way up, one at a time, using whatever nooks and crannies we could find as handholds.
The rest of the way up the summit was much the same, albeit a little easier to manage.
Still rivulets on rock faces make for slippery footing, so it was slow going.
All of this was worth it though, as at the top, we were rewarded with stunning 360-degree views across the North Burnett region, beautifully lush and green. After a much-needed breather, we started the long walk back down, slipping and sliding and collecting far too much mud.
Maybe one day, I will give Mount Walsh another go but for now, my calves are still crying out in pain. All I know is that I am really proud I made it all the way to the top, and I am certain I earned the chicken parmi I had for lunch that day!