Brisbane, QLD


Thursday, December 29, 2011

FOREST ESCAPADES

I am trying to get rid of kilos that I have put on from the last holiday and two Christmas dinners, so I have been walking every morning but it hasn't made any difference yet. However, some of the walks have been interesting. Most mornings I walk on my own to the forest then around the ring road and then home again. This takes about an hour. On Saturdays I drive to the forest and walk with two friends and we go deeper  into the forest, where it is shady and pretty. We walk for about an hour, taking different tracks each time.


A lot of mountain bike riders use the tracks too. On our last walk we came across a rider who was in a heap on the ground and his bike was dangling from a wire fence some way from the track. The skin was missing from one side of his face and his jaw was agape as if it was broken. Luckily a group of bikers had found him just before us and they had called the ambulance and they stayed with him. Some of the riders go at crazy speeds and fly over crests. We always have to listen out for them coming and get out of the way but most do the right thing and slow down and give us a warning. The rules are that bikes give way to pedestrians and horses.
We continued walking towards the gate exit and expected to see an ambulance coming but none did. We walked for another 30 mins before reaching the gate where we saw the ambulance and a fire truck. The gate was locked with a padlock. The firemen were trying to cut off the lock.                                                              

Finally a forest ranger turned up with a key.(There were no rangers on duty as it was 7:00 am)  As we passed, I heard the ranger chastise the ambos and fireries for not having a key. She said that Logan City emergency services all should have a key. They then told her that they were from Brisbane not Logan (They are adjoining cities and we were close to the city boundaries.) What a stuff up!! I kept thinking of that poor guy lying there injured and suffering from shock. Anyway the gate opened and off they went and we returned to the car park and home.
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ANOTHER DAY
Every Thursday the Logan U3A bushwalking group walk in the forest. I usually play tennis and can't join them. However, tennis is not on during the school holidays, so I could join the walkers today. Wow, what a walk. These guys are not faint hearted they hiked along at a cracking pace. We took a track that I have never been on and it was very hilly and scenic, almost a rainforest in some places. The track was narrow, windy and steep but on the return walk we came via the wider track as seen above. We hiked for two hours at pace. I loved it but I was tuckered out when I got home.

26 comments:

  1. I hope Qld's fire authorities have common keys for city buildings. It is quite unfortunate that common keys have not been worked out between authorities. They are not bad photos for an ancient phone.

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  2. Brave of you to walk an hour, very good. I did last week too on my own, halfway it started to rain, but I kept going. December is month with too many food temptations. What a terrible accident with the biker, but they ride like fools, here too. No bells, but shouting you to get out of the way.

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  3. What pretty surroundings you have to walk in, Diane. I hope the cyclist/biker is on the mend - perhaps a useful reminder to us all to take our mobile phones with us for potential emergency call outs! Bravo to you for being so active and energetic. (I'm still bound to a desk as am working on my late father's life story which needs to be finished for a special occasion in 3 weeks' time!) Happy New Year.

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  4. a place i would love to hike in. glad they got inside, had not thought about being inside the locked gate and needing help, we have done that in the park here, just walk in before i opens.

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  5. Now that's really something an ambulance which can't get through !
    I too think I put on some weight, but besides my acqua gym and yoga exercises I will eat "half", but after New Year. I still fit in my jeans, although I think they shrinked a bit, lol !

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  6. Two hours at a quick pace is very good! I would have been extremely tired afterwards too. And dragging behind everyone else on the steep bits.

    I'd love to have a forest so close by to go walking in!

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  7. It sounds like a really lovely place to walk! How nice to have walking partners who keep you going at a good pace.
    How awful that the poor man was left lying there in pain for so long. You would think the fire department could just take metal cutters and cut through the lock lickety-split! Apparently the Park Rangers and ALL the local emergency departments need a better plan.

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  8. Great expression - tuckered out! I'll bet you were after all that walking - but you will lose the extra kilos for sure if you keep this up. Poor cyclist - hope he was OK.

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  9. What a stuff up indeed -- that poor guy. It's fairly typical that something like this has to happen BEFORE the powers-that-be figure out how to cooperate with each other.

    But the walks sound great -- that last one should have helped get rid of some of the weight I would think. Walks are good for your bones anyway! And your spirits.

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  10. That's what I hate about walking with other people, young kids in particular, they go at such a pace I can't keep up and don't enjoy the experience at all.

    Got a bike for Christmas and am terribly worried about turning out like that poor fellow though it will just be my very wobbly riding not speed that will kill me.

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  11. It is nice to hear of your relaxing walk there, but please be careful when by yourself or with another lady. I watch the shows on serial killers too much I guess, but please be careful. Maybe take some pepper spray with you perhaps.

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  12. What a stuff up with that gate!
    One would think that emergency services would have those "skeleton" keys to open such gates etc. I wonder did this incident get any newspaper coverage?
    It will be VERY interesting what transpires from this?????
    And you be careful IF walking alone in these areas - savvy????
    Better still DON'T walk alone!
    Cheers
    Colin (HB)

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  13. We usually don't have to worry about mountain bikes on our hikes for which I am grateful. We have come across locked gates a few times, and I have wondered what would happen if there were an accident. I'm not sure I could have kept up with that walking group. I definitely would have been tuckered out.

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  14. That's a shame about the key mix up. I know the emergency crews have keys to most gates and buildings. Many of the buildings have a little box with a set of keys, only emergency crews have the key to those boxes.

    You have some really beautiful forests areas Diane. It looks like a great place to hike.

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  15. Hey Diane
    Gosh, it must be quite a sight. Poor guy, sounds too painful to imagine.

    I love walking, especially nice places like this. Your phone photos are not bad :D.

    Hope you had a great Christmas. Ev

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  16. Happy new year from Ola and me!

    Looks like a great hike! Now that I decided to live here, I miss Australia quite a bit, so I love seeing all your pictures.

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  17. Crikey - imagine that poor cyclist lying there in agony listening to the various 'authorities' squabble over who has what key!

    And I can't remember who it was, but someone said that they deliberately avoid power walking or running 'because they're the poor bastards who find the dead bodies.' !!

    ....terrific pics from your 'ancient phone' too.

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  18. Looks like great fun. Too bad about the person on the bike. Hope he wasn't too badly injured. I sure wish I knew a group of seniors that would like to go walking/hiking. It would be fun to do it with more people.

    Kay

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  19. What lovely surroundings for your morning walk. You have inspired me to get cracking on the fitness trail now.

    That poor fallen biker must have been in agony!!! How foolish to not sort out a common key for the emergency serviceproviders. Red Tape at its worst. Must have been terrible for the rescuers too.

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  20. Hi Diane, I wish I could walk more during the week but work gets in the way. This forest looks like a great place for walking, you took some nice photos with your phone. I hope the cycklist is OK and something changes with the locked gate and the keys. I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year!

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  21. Wow! You have such an active routine, Diane. I like to bushwalk too - am going for one this morning - but have to go slow and steady rather than bull-at-gate.

    Happy New Year to you and to Bill. May it be filled with health and with contentment. And may you wish a happy and healthy new little person into your lives.

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  22. Good luck with your walking and weight...I could walk to kingdom come and back it wouldn't make any difference to me.
    The bush looks good and your phone photos are alright...have fun and a Happy New Year.

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  23. oooooops, I wrote a 'thing' and it didn't go through..oh well will try again.

    Your photos are ok with your phone.
    Good luck with the walking in the bush, love the smell...

    Happy New Year.

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  24. What a weird incident!
    But you do well…walking! We have to take care of our body!
    Kiss
    BShell

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  25. What an adventure. And the pictures were just fine. I hardly know how to use the camera on my phone. :)

    Sounds like you can set a pretty good "cracking pace" yourself.
    Happy New Year! ...Marsha

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  26. hi diane,

    i'm on holiday...just wanted to stop by and wish you and yours a very happy new year!

    wishing you the best for 2012!!

    xx

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