And on Sunday I climbed another mountain. I hadn't intended to, but I did, and maybe learnt another lesson along the way.

It started simply enough in that Jo wanted to go for a walk with the dogs. We walk them a lot, and both enjoy doing so. There are things to see on the way, and we talk, and the dogs enjoy it too. This time Jo wanted to see where a particular track went. Previously we'd walked as far to underneath the freeway, and a little bit further. Now Jo wanted to see where one of the tracks that led from there went.

This sounded like a good walk, and it seemed a good way to spend a Sunday morning. I took a small backpack with a toilet roll (I'd been caught short in the bush before), a orange and a couple of cans of coke with me. I was dressed in blue tights, top and cardigan, and wore an old pair of boots and socks I'd had for ages. Jo was wearing jumper, T-shirt, shorts and boots. He also carried spare plastic bags to put cans in (he collects them for the recycling money) and a packet of cigarettes. And that was it. We put the dogs on their leashes and off we went.

Well, after an hours walk we reached the furthermost point that we'd been so far. We'd passed through Killingsworth and by the power sub-station. There were heaps of motorcyclists about, and folks in 4-wheel drives as well. Then we decided top pick the north track and started walking along it.

The track like so many out here follow the power lines. The 4-wheel drive owners and motor cross riders have used this to their advantage in making tracks and courses to run down. Every so often we'd come across them. And we walked and walked and walked. We discovered large clearings, dead cars and an almost endless number of bush tracks leading to destinations that we could only guess. And all the time we got closer to the mountain range in front of us.

Jo had said that he wanted to take the dogs to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain and maybe this was the day. Now Jo has asthma and we had to take regular rests on the walk. The land rose gently at first and all the time it followed the power lines. Then it seemed we reached the foothills, and the track pulled sharply away and back. It was harder to go along it but we kept on going.

The stops became more frequent, but it also gave us time to sit and look at the view. From where we were, we could see Barnsley, Killingsworth, Holmesville, West Wallsend, and a portion of Lake Macquarie. The view really was panoramic.

Then, perhaps 2/3 of the way up, the 4-wheel drive track that we'd been following just shrunk to a single bike track. Still we followed it, because it seemed to follow the power lines. We could see the next set of poles, and the ones behind that. We could also see the tracks of motor cross bikes on it. So we continued. Pegasus and I lead, while Jo and Maxine followed. At some point the track became just a trail, barely visible and maybe not really there anyway!

Pegasus and I love this sort of thing. I wasn't yet tired and though he was panting I could tell that he was enjoying it too. So was Jo, but his vertigo was starting to kick in, and the fear of falling down the mountain can be a powerful one. We got to a point where I was above and ahead, and Jo was a few meters below me with both dogs, and afraid to move in any direction.

We were stuck.

Now I knew that I (and Pegasus, and maybe Maxine) COULD get to the top. I didn't know exactly what was up there but I expected there to be an access track from which we could walk back easily. I hadn't seen it yet, just expected it. There looked like there was only another 20 meters to go, but I also knew that this was deceptive as well -- there might have been a series of ridges that went much further up. I asked Jo what he wanted to do.

We could have gone back down, but it would have been just as hard as how we got there, and much slippery as well. Then Jo found a leach on Maxine, and had to get it off. I knew that Jo was spooked, and told him that I'd support whatever choice he'd make. Jo told me that he wanted to go on and get to the top, but only if he knew for sure there was a track up there.

I went ahead and above to see what was there. I went up 5 meters and then to the left saw a 4-wheel drive track about 5 meters away! I went across and checked it out. It seemed OK and went straight to the top. If we'd have come across that one earlier we could have simply walked up it! Then I went back to Jo and told him what was there. Jo had both the dogs and I called them and they helped pull him up. Then he went ahead while I held the dogs and came up the rear. Soon we were on the track and taking a rest.

I was proud of Jo, because he'd conquered his fear of heights to do this. It's one thing to go for something and knowing that you can easily get it, quite another to attempt something without knowing what the outcome is.

It wasn't long before we did get to the top. As I expected there was an access road running along the ridge-line of the range. It was quite a popular track too, as there were vehicles along it every ten minutes or so. We started walking the dogs north to where we thought the main road would be. The track connected to a picnic area and from there we went back down the mountain. A sign said that it was 412m above sea level.

To take a shortcut, Jo suggested we follow another track down. This was a BMX track and had notices up saying "NO HORSES OR MOTORBIKES ALLOWED ON THIS TRACK". I was starting to tire, but went that way anyway. It was slippery and treacherous downhill (obviously meant to be ridden UP) and I had to let Peggy off the leash for this bit. Finally we got to the bottom and to a point that we both knew, as we'd walked the dogs there before. The rest was a simple walk home. I was feeling progressively more tired and my left foot was beginning to ache. It was another hour and a half before we got home.

I ordered a pizza and had a bubble bath while waiting for it to come. And I discovered on taking off my boot that I'd caught a leach too. There was a great trail of blood from where it'd been -- no wonder I was feeling tired. I couldn't find the leach but maybe I'd squashed it in the boot. Jo joked that both the bitches had caught leaches!

After pizza I went straight for bed and slept almost 12 hours. That day we'd walked over 20km, and climbed even more -- no wonder I was tired.

And this morning when I reflect upon the experience I'm glad to have had it. Some years ago I'd had a car accident and climbed Spirit Quest Mountain in Hope's Valley to get my confidence back. This time around I think I got something else. Maybe these are all cliches, I don't know, but it seems to me that:

• Sometimes it's better to take the hard way to something, even when there's an easier route available.
• Courage is feeling the fear and doing what you have to anyway.
• Things go better with help, with friends, because not only do I get help, I can give it too.
• Keeping my mind not only on the main goal, but also on where I was, minor annoyances are unnoticed.
• Maybe sometimes the path is more fun than the destination.

Like I said, they sound like cliches, but I feel good today, and ready to face the future. Maybe the thing about Mid-Winter is not what it is, but knowing that Summer is on the way again. *smile*