Up and Out

Green Gully Track Day 4: Monday December 24, 2018

Calwells Hut to Cedar Creek Lodge – 17.5km

Final day of the hike and the much anticipated long climb out of the gully.

We left the door of the hut open overnight. It was nice to listen to the sounds of a distant owl calling in the forest as we were falling asleep last night.

We woke this morning to suns rays illuminating the edges of the pillowy clouds we could see above the valley. In the valley it was still dark and cool as we slowly started to pack up. It looked like another beautiful day was ahead, if only we could get this dreaded long hill climb out of the way.

The ascent out of the valley started almost as soon as we left the hut. It didn’t take long to start breaking a sweat. It was a tough 4 kilometres of the steepest trail we’ve walked for quite some time. In really steep sections it was hard to get traction and I found myself sliding backwards if I stopped. Slowly, slowly we made our way up stopping a few times to see the few sections of remnant Gondwana rainforest surrounded by dryland forest. It took us just a bit over an hour to climb the steepest 4km of the trail.

After that the trail was of a much gentler slope until we rejoined the Kunderang trail for the remaining 10km to Cedar Creek. A cool wind was blowing along the ridge. We had to keep moving to stay warm. We did this section of trail on Day 1 and it was nice to experience it in reverse. It was nice to be able to just walk and talk.

Finishing at Cedar Creek Lodge was such a bonus. We had a shower, some lunch and drove back to Port Macquarie to spend Christmas Eve with family. The Green Gully Track was better then I expected. The dreaded march flies were around but not as prevalent as expected for this time of the year. Each days hiking was challenging but not overly so. We were finishing each day pleasantly tired. The length of the trail was perfect for a short getaway immersed in nature and ‘washing your spirit clean’.