We Climbed A Mountain (Kinda)

The goal was to get the crew out of their comfort zone and do something a little bit different. Sure we do our Run Club meet ups outside of the gym every month or so, those are great, but we wanted to chew off a bit more - have more time to digest.

When I put it to Liam he mentioned we should climb Bluff Knoll. For those that don't know Bluff Knoll is the highest point in South West WA, part of the Stirling Ranges about 4.5 hours from Perth. Kinda on the way to Albany.

So we booked a date and let people know where we were staying. Mt Trio Bush Camp & Caravan Park.

That's kinda all we did. We didn't have an itinerary, we didn't have an ETA. Just: "we are going to climb this hill on the 21st March, come with us".

There was a handful of gym members who were keen for the adventure and as the date got closer we started to get that little bit excited for the weekend.

Personally, I was keen to take the new car camping, it was my first proper trip away since getting the Ranger.

I left home nice and early on Friday the 20th, scooped past Liam's to grab him with the plan to take it cruisy on the drive down. We met Auzzie in Dwellingup for a coffee and a skate. After an hours drive, the legs took a while to wake up but eventually Auzzie and I had a fun little session while Liam took some photos.

I love Dwellingup man, from the little general store, the pub, the trails centre and the awesome new Skate Park. Any excuse to stop off there is good enough for me.

I'm not sure what time we left but about half an hour into our drive we noticed a sign for

"Ye Olde English Inne" in Quindanning,

Pub Lunch you say - you've twisted my arm.

Now I'm not sure what else there is in Quindanning but this place is definetely worth a stop. An old pub with the exact type of interior decor that you would want from an old pub. With plenty of space outside to stretch out, have a yarn, a beer and a feed.

and we did exactly that.

We probably could've stayed for another beer (or 10) if we didn't have 3 hours left to drive. After Quindanning there isn't much to see until you hit Albany Highway, bust a right at Williams and settle in for the drive.

We stopped in Kojanup for a terrible coffee and to stock up our beverages for the weekend. I was stoked to finally put my ute/fridge setup to the test.

After a couple more hours of driving we finally spotted our intended location. The Stirling Range cuts into the typically flat landscape and upon first site always excites someone more intune with the flatness of the big smoke. "These look like actual mountains" - or something like that.

A quick pitstop in Cranbrook to have a rip on the zipline and climbing wall and before you know it we had arrived at Mt Trio Bush Camp.

The Campsite is very relaxed, pretty bare bones but has all the amenities you need for a camping trip. It allows caravans or camping with no bookings necessary for unpowered camping - a first come first serve situtation. Perfect for us. We had a 5-10 minute look around for a good spot to setup camp before deciding on a little tucked away spot sheltered from any wind that might pick up overnight.

The Bushcamp has a huge "ski lodge" camp kitchen setup which is exactly what you need for a camping trip like this. There is also a few games strewn about the place including what could only be described as a "well used" ping pong table. Liam, Auzzie and I battled it out, having a blast as we got way too competitive in hopes to remain king of the table. I'm claiming the win btw ;P

The rest of the crew had gathered at the camp: Jo & Quentin in their caravan; Rhys, Jaime, Katie, Lauren & Sarah in their swags and tents and finally Lachy and Sheri to complete the crew. After a quick dinner and a couple of drinks it was time to hit the hay.

6am to Bluff Knoll was the call.

It was more like 6:20am by the time our convoy left the Bush Camp enroute to Bluff Knoll about 25 minutes to our South West.

It was a very still and very dry morning compared to most I've spent in the Stirling Range. Normally there is a fair bit of dew in the cold of the morning but the day was perfect for a climb.

Bluff Knoll rises to 1099m above sea level, which is high for W.A. It's the most popular and accesible climb in the Stirling Range, with a carpark a third of the way up and a mostly manicured trail with steps and sleepers for the majority of it. Most people who regularly attend a gym should have no real problems getting up and down. The biggest real threats are the drastic changes in weather as you get higher. Huge winds can whip you at the top, it can rain hard and quick, very rarely there is even snow. I haven't been lucky enough to catch one of those days yet.

Our crew did well to stay relatively close together during our climb, taking time to have a break, enjoy the view and let others catch up. Whilst the challenge of the climb is worth it, the veiws are really what it's all about. You catch a spectacular vista of the rest of the Stirling Range Mountains of which there are a few; Mt Trio, Toolbrunup, Mt Hassel, Talyuberlup, Mt Mogog, just to name a few. Each of these with their own trails ready to be conquered on another trip.

With a decent mix of fitness levels and care for speed the crew arrived at the top in twos and threes. The early ones waited in anticipation to share the view and snacks. Whilst is was very windy it was otherwise pleasent at the summit. Sometimes it's too cold and you're too underdressed to hang around too long, but we explored, took photos and refuelled for a good 30 minutes or so.

I've gotta give props to the whole crew for jumping onboard for a bit of a challenge. For some of us this is right in our wheelhouse, for others it's quite a challenge. I'm a happy coach and gym owner if I can get even one person out of their comfort zone and revelling in my type of "fun".

After our little soiree at the top we headed back down chuffed that the hard part was over.

Most of the crew were keen to head into Albany for a pub feed so off we went to fill our bellies safe in the knowledge we had definitely earned it.

After devouring a serious 9/10 pizza and a couple of Stone & Woods Liam, Auzzie & I had a much needed stroll about Albany to let the feed settle before hitting Australia's only heritage listed skate park the Albany Snake Run. This one has been on my hit list, but I've never gone to Albany with anyone keen to hit it before so shout out to Auzzie.

All I can say about the Snake Run is that it's poorly made by todays standards in simply the best, most skateboarding kinda way. I love it!

Auzzie and I had an absolute blast figuring out how to skate it while Liam snapped a couple of doozy pics for us, cheers again mate.

After a decent session it was getting darker with rain on the horizon and no place organised to sleep we headed off and found the last site at cozy corner where we tucked in for the night with yarns and beers.

Thanks again to the whole crew for jumping on board this little adventure, time to get planning for the next one and we'd love for you to join us.