Autumn in Australia, fall in Canada, whatever you call the season, this has to be the best time of year. Crisp clear days, cool nights, and, if you are lucky, a wonderland of wilderness to explore out your back door. On Friday morning I ran the Durras Lake trail which I have not done for a couple of years. There was a faint mist over the lake as the warm water steamed into the cool air, and no-one about until I got to the ocean and even there only a couple of people were on the beach.
With all the wet weather, Durras Lake is open to the sea, and today would have been a very easy paddle over the bar into the lake. My to-do list of trips, which percolates away at the back of brain, still has paddle from home to Durras, cross the bar and paddle into the lake to camp overnight. We have paddled into Durras Lake as a day trip from home, but on that occasion had neither the time nor energy to paddle around the lake as well.
The day we paddled into Durras Lake, it was just Doug, myself and Speedalot Blacklock which meant we were cracking along at between 8 and 9 kilometres the entire way, with a headwind approaching Durras Lake and then the inevitable sprint intervals on the way back to catch runners. Gosh, I feel tired just remembering.
On Saturday, we went rock climbing and we are slowly dragging ourselves back into decent climbing shape. With all the rain, the usual ramp up to climbing season has been slower than normal as we can only climb on the second day after rain as the ground is so saturated that the day after rain the crags are seeping and wet. As it rains almost every second day, getting out climbing has been tricky.
When I talked to Speedalot on Saturday night to organise paddling on Sunday, he claimed to be tired, but Doug and I have learnt to take that with a silo sized serving of salt. We decided on a lap out to Montague Island followed by a cruise south from Glasshouse Rocks back to Mystery Bay as there are interesting slots, caves and other features along that section of coast.
It was a very calm launch from Mystery Bay and one of those days where Montague Island looks about half an hours paddle off shore when it is actually between 9 and 10 kilometres away. The tiredness factor did not appear to be in evidence as we got out to Montague Island the fastest I ever have in just five minutes over an hour.
Then it was up the east side of Montague Island in very good conditions, it is seldom so calm on the eastern side, and around to the northern end where we paused for a few minutes among a large pod of seals. The air was so clear we could see the peaked triangle of Glasshouse Rocks just south of Narooma about seven kilometres away so paddled back across and weaved around the rocks before heading south and inspecting a series of small beaches before deciding to land at a little pocket beach just south of Hankerchief Beach. None of the landings were particularly difficult but some would involve more wetness than others and none of us were too keen on getting doused; the sun was lovely but the air was cool.
We paddled in over a sand bar and landed for a quick lunch and as, Speedalot helped me carry my boat up the beach, the front toggle pulled right out and the boat crashed to the ground. Speedalot was worried about how close to his foot the boat had landed but I was more concerned with the new hole in my bow which would undoubtedly be difficult to patch.
The last five kilometres south to Mystery Bay is past a series of small beaches and then along a rocky coast with slots, caves and arches. A really excellent day out and a reminder that I need to add, walk the coast at low tide around Mystery Bay. Years ago we had walked from Narooma to Mystery Bay, but that seems so long in the past that I have quite forgotten the trip.
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