Flinder's Peak

Flinders Peak about halfway up the Trail

Today was a family outdoor adventure with all of us climbing Flinder's Peak, about an hour southwest of Brisbane. It was probably the hardest hike Erik has done to date with a total elevation gain of 3600 feet (according to Mark's heart rate monitor/GPS) over just 6 kilometers. Needless to say, it was pretty much like climbing stairs with quite a few ups and downs and obstacles, in the form of large boulders, to add to the challenge.

At the Top

Most of the adults who crossed our path were amazed to see a little kid heading up the trail. One bloke commented, "He's a regular rock wallaby (a bounding small forest cousin of the kangaroo)!" We did have one melt down when Erik freaked out over a narrow (two foot wide) section of trail with a 50 foot drop on one side. I tried to convince him that moms were the ones who were supposed to worry, but it wasn't until after lunch when Mark headed up by himself that Erik plucked up the courage to get past the sharp drop and continue to the top. The view stretching from Toowomba in the west to Brisbane and the ocean in the east was worth the effort. Mark especially appreciated the peaks to the south where he had gone mountain biking just a week ago. Erik was quite intrigued by the radio or TV transmitter at the top. There was no fencing around it, and we could freely explore the towers. Apparently, vandals don't climb mountains.

Looking South

The hike down, especially picking throught the boulders, was a bit of a slog with the whole adventure taking us four and a half hours. For dinner we ordered take away pizza, and Erik scarfed down five slices of ham and pineapple. It's the most I've ever seen him eat.

Big Boulders