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Hike report.Last weekend Tex and I went on a hike down in Namadgi National Park, south of Canberra. Starting near the former Orroral Tracking Station we walked up to Cotter Flats where we camped overnight before returning along the same path the next day. Overall it was a good hike, if at times a little wet.So, on Saturday morning i picked up Tex from the deep south of Canberra and we made our way the Namadgi Visitor Centre. There we picked up a PLB for the weekend before making our way down to the start of he track at the former Orroral Tracking Station, which was part of NASAs former tracking network down in the ACT, i believe. From here we had a 5km or so walk along the slowly ascending firetrail before we hit the Australian Alps track.From this intersection we climbed up the track to the Cotter saddle which had a maximum height of about 1350m. The track was overgrown in many places, and the recent rain made for an interesting walk - as the person out in front on day 1 my pants were drenched within 5 minutes of walking along the trail, and my shoes and feet were pretty much soaked by the time we hit the saddle. At the saddle we crossed a low alpine swamp with an amazingly clear creek, at which point we lost the track by all of 4m. After some backtracking and circling we relocated the track and continued on our way. The track down the other side of the saddle was equally interesting - we crossed a couple of creeks and at times it seemed that the track itself served as a creek. Thankfully we made it down without any incidents and eventually we joined an old firetrail which appears to have been in total disuse as a path for vehicles since the Canberra bushfires. At theend f this old trail we encountered a current firetrail and were greeted by the sight of Cotter Flats - where a river flows through an open expanse of grass nestled between the lowlying peaks of the ACT.Once on the flats we looked at the river ford and rightly decided that there was no need to cross. We then located a good spot for the tents and went about establishing a campsite for the night. Tents up, we settled in to eat some food, drink some wine and wait for the light rain to stop. Eventually the rain stopped and we set about cooking some dinner before turning in for the night. Over all this time we were monitored by the local residents - a group of kangaroos. They were quite inquisitive, something that was even more apparent the next morning.The morning brought some fog, and despite expectations it wasnt all that cold. As noted, the kangaroos continued their watch, and they became so interested that they actively interrupted our bathroom breaks. I even had a group follow me up into the hills when i went to drop a deuce without interruption - thankfully the kangaroos turned up after all was done!Anyway, once packed up we set off on the return leg of the walk. Nathan took the lead this time and though the track was a little less wet on day 2, his pants were still drenched before we had reached the Cotter Saddle. My pants and shoes, of course, were still soaked from the day before so i also had a pleasant time walking up that hill.The second day of walking was largely uneventful - we managed to return to the car in good time, passing some crazy mountain bikers on the fire trail. We then made our way back to civilisation and all the pain that a long hike brings.In total we walked for about 32km. Overall it was a very pleasant walk, and one that could prove to be quite good in the winter if theres a low level snow fall. Key lessons learned on the hike included - less than a bottle of red per person works well; cheap hiking boots arent worth the overall monetary and non-monetary price; water proof pants would be a good investment; we really have to learn how to properly read topographic maps using the prercise references provided on a GPS unit; and, a lesson from this report rather than the hike, I really need to work on story telling skills.

So Nathan and I went on a hike. Cotter Flats, down in Namadgi National Park in the ACT. Leaving aside the close encounter with trenchfoot I think that it went well - even the overly inquisitive kangaroos were, in hindsight, a hilarious plus!Tomorrow night I plan on typing up a proper blog, complete with a google map view of the track.

So I was driving down the M4 one dayWhen a rock came a-flyin my wayIt hit the windscreenspoiling the new car sheenwhat a way to ruin the dayBuilding on that hopeless little rhyme, on Saturday I was driving on the M4 when a rock of some sort was dislodged by an SUV and hit my windscreen at speed. The windscreen of my new car, the car that I had only picked up 25 hours before. I now have to spend however much to replace the windscreen... My car insurance may help, but me being a tightarse of epic proportions (when it comes to additional features, anyway!) wont make it easy - when I changed my policy a couple of days ago I stupidly decided against including the windscreen option. $45 a year and this could have been a non-issue.Anyway, if you leave aside the above I am really enjoying the new car.

So I bought a new car. A Golf Comfortline wagon. Im collecting the new car (and droppig off the Getz) this Friday. It should be a good car for years to come with plenty of space for bikes and hiking stuff and whatever else the future may bring.In the end it was a choice between the Golf and the Peugeot 308 wagon. The Peugeot seemed quite good on the test drive but the Golf had the slight edge. I also thought that the Golf would likely be a tad more reliable, but I must admit some minor regret at the Golf not having the Peugeots glass roof as standard and the option to come in babylon red.Anyway, I pick up the car on Friday morning and then its off to Sydney for the weekend. Highway and proper city driving on the first day in the new car... I cant wait!

My sister just arrived home from a month long trip to Central America and I was lucky enough to receive a fairly cool piece of art from Guatemala and a nice bottle of Scotch Whisky from the airport... This got me thinking, I really should learn how to drink Scotch. To help me in this endeavour, I was wondering if anyone would be free to catch up in Parramatta one Saturday afternoon in late February (or maybe early March) for a drink and maybe to try some Scotch? Im hoping to be in Sydney city on Friday the 2nd of March (assuming I can get my position covered for the day), so Saturday the 3rd of March could be a goer.Theres also the option of a day walk if drinking doesnt appeal. I came across this one a little while ago - http://fatcanyoners.org/2012/01/12/paradise-found/. Its only a short walk from Linden station, and given that it is listed on the website of the fat canyoner I can only assume that it is lazy person friendly!Anyway, I guess that the overall point is that it would be good to catch up at some point!