Once More unto the breach........

The thinking about it was done.... it was time for action.

Muscles were tensed, sinews were stiffened and whatsits were girded. It was time to tackle Brooklyn to Apple Tree Bay in one hit.

On the whole, we've been having a blast training for the walk, but it seems that everyone on the team has their 'least favourite bit' somewhere in these sections of the Trailwalker, the bit you build up mentally to mountainous proportions!, so we thought we'd share:

The never ending fire trail: y'know the one, you've started out, keen as mustard and glad to be off the tarmac. The first of the hills is out of the way and you're ready to get into the winding trails through the bush that make the start of the trailwalker what it is....... and that bloody fire trail outside Brooklyn goes on and on and on.... can we start please? can we? oh good - here's the turning onto the trail - oh no it isn't, bugger.

Crossing the Rubicon: yep, that little stream, that tiny unimposing blue line at the bottom of the valley after Cowan, the chuckling brook with its gentle rippling water.......... until, of course, it rains. Then you watch 50 billion gallons of water accelerate down the hillside as you are making your way down the valley and about half way down you start thinking 'my, that's quite a bit of water, wonder where that's all going?' - In your shoes son, that's where it's going, and up your trousers. We walked this bit after an intense but short rainfall - take walking poles to help you across, and if you can manage it, a kayak.

The Berowra Burn: yes folks, it's graded a '5' for a reason! Just when you thought you'd got your sanity back after the fire trail and the Rubicon. You've dropped down to the beautiful Berowra Waters, had a much-needed pee in the little white facilities building and a stretch on the railings just opposite, now the burn to Berowra starts -and we're going up, and back down, and back up and now we're starting to sweat, and now back down...... I don't actually remember much of this bit - which means it must have been horrible.

The Gully: But then you hit Section 3 and it's gorgeous* - the beautiful Lyre Bird Gully and its still silent pools of water with a meandering track, hey this is what it's all about!

*except when it's dark (which it will be unless you're running), or it's been raining (which it will have 'cos it'll be August) - then it's more like being in a washing machine.

Heartbreak Hill: The climb out of the gully is, in short, a complete bastard. No amount of hot sweet tea is going to make this look nice. The road is tarmac, which should help but doesn’t, and it goes up at an insane angle, forever.

Generally we felt OK after Section 1, buggered after section 2 and surprisingly alright through section 3, which just shows you how amazing at recovery the human body is. We were all encouraged by our condition after tackling these, the three hardest sections of the Trailwalker and I think on the day we'll have crossed a significant mental hurdle once all eight of us hit the carpark at Apple Tree Bay. With only another 57.5km to go.....