A man and his boots

I wasn't hiking naked with just my boots on, I was wearing clothes too! I thought I'd better get that out there right up front...Although there was this one time, back a while, when I went hiking and...That's a whole different post and one I'd have to word carefully. 😉

Anyway, as you might be able to tell I got a pretty legit hike in today, four hours all up although I had a sit down here and there also. I'm not sure how much ground I covered, I'd say fifteen kilometres all up considering I wasn't going very fast and stopped for photos, to admire the scenery, listen to the birds and just sit with nature a little.

Warren Reservoir

My hike was actually a recce, reconnaissance, mission for an area I'd not hiked before and an area at the Warren Reservoir that I'd been told had a large trailer-friendly car park, picnic grounds and water access for kayaks.

My usual spot is very small holding only about six cars and no trailers; since the State Government opened this reservoir to non-permit recreational kayaking and kayak-fishing with a permit it's been difficult to get a park unless I'm there at 06:00. I heard about this new spot and figured I'd check it out.

When I got there I realised the area was far better set up than my usual spot so when I go yakking I'll put-in at this spot from now on. It has a loop road and loads of car parking so there'll be no need to back my trailer up (the trailer holds the kayaks) and no worries about lack of parking. I didn't grab any photos of it as there were too many people, kids and car number plates around so I felt it might not be prudent to get an image and post it here. You'll have to picture it in your minds eye.

A small part of the reservoir above. I'm not sure what the capacity of the reservoir actually is but it's pretty big, and just up the road from the next one that is even bigger.

It's been so great for the State Government to open up a few reservoirs to recreational kayaking and fishing; I know it happens in other places and I suppose they didn't want to do it here for fear the water we drink could become contaminated. They did some studies on the environmental impact though and I guess decided it'd work out ok. It means people who would normally have to drive quite a way to get their yaks into water can do so reasonably close to the main city of Adelaide. This spot is about thirty minutes from my front door and the drive is stunningly beautiful.

After scouting around satisfying myself that this spot it\s totally legit I hooked my hydration system around my shoulders and headed off into the forest for a hike. I knew I'd not see many, if any, people in there which suited me fine and I was looking forward to the human-silence I knew I would find, but the sounds of nature which I love.

For me there's something cathartic about hiking, the motion of one foot in front of the other, and pine forests are so great for it, especially after the rain we've been having as it's quite wet underfoot; perfect for masking the sounds of my walking. There air is often quite still in there also which is nice.

I walked in and looked up above me where the trees contrasted pleasingly with the blue sky and felt deep contentment. I'm no photographer, but there's a snap above although in real life it was way better.

As I walked the birds kept me company and I revelled in the fresh air. It was a very nice day today, about 21 degrees and sunny, which made for excellent hiking weather. It was really cool to walk along with the waters of Warren Reservoir on one side and the pines on the other. Of course the ever-present Australian gum trees were nice company also.

The pine forests around these parts are all commercial, meaning they are planted for logging purposes when mature enough.

They rotate the crop of course, rest the ground, and sometimes bush fires sweep through here and totally wipe them out as happens at the end of 2019. But there's always enough forest to have a decent hike and today that's exactly what I did. I was so peaceful and relaxing, and people-free despite it being school holidays.

This image above shows a few snaps in the pine forest area. Top left is a bog-hole which demonstrates just how much rain we've had lately. I grabbed the image of the emu warning sign on the road for fun. You'll not see one of these signs outside of Australia! On the road today I passed kangaroo signs, echidna and koala signs and this one above.

The below set of images are also from the forest. The moss growing there is all over the place, a testament to how moist it stays. Really moist. Super moist. Also, here and there one will find fallen or cast-off trees that the Earth is slowly reclaiming. It's a slow process but over time the tree will just disappear altogether. In the lower right image below you can see one in an advances stage of decay and new one growing.

About mid-hike I decided to pay homage to my very legit 5.11 Tactical boots with a photo and some words of praise. No, I didn't really talk to my boots. Much.

I didn't think it all through very well though as once I took the boots off the ground wet my socks pretty well so...Hiking with wet socks...Not legit. Still I grabbed the photo and think it came out well. Trust me folks, there's nothing like having the right boots as the wrong ones can be painful! I've learned that lesson the hard way. Paying respect to one's boots is a thing you know.

I also sat there for a while, on that felled log in the main image above, to listen to nature, dry my socks out a little, and let the sounds of the world settle upon me. It probably sounds like a cliché but the sounds of nature is like music to me - It reaches inside. I've been feeling a little out of sorts recently so it was a welcome interlude and I walked away better for it; more settled and centred.

---

My afternoon at Warren Reservoir was exactly what I needed. The exploratory mission to scout out the car park and kayak spot was a huge success but, if I'm honest, it was more about being away from society, deep within nature and deep within my thoughts; I find I'm more in-tune in those moments. I find value there.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it.