Scott and I are in-flight to Auckland, having finished 5 days of walk planning in Australia’s Blue Mountains and in the Sydney area. It’s been a satisfying time and I can safely say one of the most intense periods of walking in terms of distance and, in the Blues, difficulty! But it has been rich – a walker’s delight; the scenes of the trail have been as varied as they were iconic.
In the Blue Mountains, after two and a half days of exploring and brainstorming, we finally figured out a way to offer trails that don’t require a high school age fitness level or special climbing gear – we’re excited to share this outstanding area of scenic and geological wonders.
In Sydney, we revised the route used on past tours in several value-adding ways, including a section in the wonderful Botanic Gardens that are celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2016, and an intriguing, upscale food court for lunch in the classy mall at the base of the 1000 foot-tall Sydney Tower.
After an absence of nearly 20 years, we are returning to the excellent Spit to Manly track along the seemingly endless Sydney Harbour. We spent a good part of yesterday reviewing and documenting that trail, then returning through the harbour to Sydney via the Manly ferry.
After all that, Scott spent a few hours last night climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the epic bridge climb excursion we plan to make available on an optional basis, of course.
Now we’re bound for New Zealand with two more trails to either upgrade or preview before we meet the incoming group on Wednesday, when the Adventure officially begins.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery interval=”0″ images=”7232,7236,7234,7235,7241,7247,7250,7239,7229,7249,7230,7246,7238,7243,7244,7233,7245,7231,7240″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
