Bushwalking on steroids

I love bushwalking but I also love mountain biking. Both get me out wandering and exploring and "being" in the bush, immersed in nature.

On a mountain bike I can go further and faster than if I am on foot. It is bushwalking on steroids.

Cranky Penguin says "You'll need the granny gear to get up this hill!"

This is me a few weeks ago about to tackle the big ride up Mt Dial - just inland of the little Tassie north west coastal town of Penguin. Now, I am much better at riding downhill than up. I am not too proud to get off and walk the bike up the hill when my legs hurt. The trip up Mt Dial and return would probably have taken four or five hours totally on foot, but with the bike it was 1 hour and 40 minutes to go up, 10 minutes of admiring the 100km views of mountains, farmland and the ocean from the top, and then only 20 minutes of speed induced fun riding back down.


Ready for the fun Dial descent

Just this last weekend, I went bushwalking on steroids in Victoria. This involved boarding the Spirit of Tasmania ferry to travel overnight across Bass Strait from Devonport to Melbourne, driving about an hour and a half west of Melbourne to drop my son at the Melbourne International Airshow at Avalon airport and then driving another 20 minutes to the You Yangs for a morning of exploration, meeting up with my son at the airshow in the afternoon, staying overnight at Point Cook, dropping my son at the airshow on Sunday, driving one and a half hours to Forrest to ride, driving back to Avalon to pick my son up from the airshow and driving to the ferry for the overnight trip back to Devonport and then off to work almost immediately after arrival on Monday morning. Doesn't sound like a relaxing weekend, but actually it was - very relaxing.

So on the Saturday, I rode at the You Yangs. It was 30 degrees. Is it ever not hot here? But I enjoyed the challenge of the rocks and the strange landscape.


Near the top of the Junction Trail on my way to ride the down hill trails from the Stockyards

Winding through the flat Plantation area

On Sunday, I drove a bit further, for an hour and a half to the lovely little village of Forrest to explore the trails in the forest. A totally different experience to the You Yangs and one I do need to do again as there are many more kms to explore there, and it is pretty and flowy and fun and beautifully green. It feels to me that there is more life in Forrest than the You Yangs.


Ferns and tall gums in the forest at Forrest

As my lungs were bursting, and heart pounding, and sweat pouring, I did pause to think, why is this fun? Why do so many people enjoy mountain biking? Enjoy the pain and sweat and dirt and the risk of injury? Why do I enjoy it so much? I do enjoy pushing my body. I also find it helps still my mind and reduce stress. The beauty of bush, of trees and ferns and rocks and views - all have a restorative effect upon me. The physical exertion is good for my mental health as well as my physical health. It releases endorphins and strengthens my muscles and helps satisfy my wandering whims, although I am not entirely sure this is possible.