For the love of a mountain

This isn’t a post about how I’ve smashed an amazing goal, or about how I’ve overcome some major hurdle, or describing a current struggle.

 
This is just a post about how I set a simple goal and how achieving it meant more to me than I realised.  There’s no amazing feats in this blog post, just to let you know from the outset. :)

So there’s this mountain in Brisbane: Mt Coot-tha.  It’s a tiny mountain, and it’s one of the main heart points of our city.  There’s a planetarium and Botanical Gardens at the bottom of it, many hiking and cycle tracks around it, and at the top there’s a restaurant and a tourist hub lookout with beautiful views right over Brisbane.  There’s heaps of picnic grounds and it’s also home to the Channel 7, 9, 10 etc. stations and towers.  The looping road is popular for cyclists.  Last year Mt Coot-tha was one of the Top 10 stretches of road tracked in Strava in the world.  There’s also usually a string of cars that pull over to the side of the road on Friday and Saturday nights with couples at the end of dates. ;)  There’s fun on that mountain for all ages! :P           

I made a Week 11 goal to walk Mt Coot-tha via the road that loops around it.  I got a few friends lined up to join me and we set out to conquer it just before sunrise on Saturday morning.  I didn’t know why I wanted to do this, or why each round I make a goal that involves Mt Coot-tha.  Usually it’s conquering the Kokoda track – one of the full on hiking tracks on the side of the mountain. I didn’t know why I kept making goals on this mountain.  I just go with it!

The loop road is about 10.5km.  I always drive up the road – to get to somewhere else on the mountain.  But this time I wanted to do it via foot.

I met up with the awesome girls who were joining me and we set out.  And as we walked around it I had a bit of a “This Is Your Life” moment.  Suddenly it was like I was remembering all these memories I had had on the mountain.

-When I was a kid my family had picnics on the mountain.

 
-In the house I grew up in, if I strained my neck in a certain position while lying on my bed, I could see one of the red flashing lights from the top of the TV towers.  When I was going through a difficult time as a teenager, I used to strain my neck each night before I could go to sleep to catch a glimpse of the red flashing light, like a nightly comfort thing.

-I’ve had dates up there...16 year old Kate making out with Rob at the summit...ahhhh Rob...I loved Rob... *move on Kate!*

With my cousins on a family picnic.  I'm on the far left in the middle.

-In Year 12 I organised work experience for myself at Channel 7, 9 and 10 and adored it – a bright eyed teenager speeding off to press conferences in station cars and helping film TV shows: what my heart desired.

-I’ve had auditions at the stations – cattle calls of girls with stars in their eyes...

-I’ve seen friends get married there.

-I’ve had coffees, icecreams, breakfasts, lunches, dinners and catch ups with friends there.

-I’ve found myself on the top of the mountain during some particularly personal heartbreaking moments.  I’ve just literally escaped and ran away up there to look at the view and just sit and cry.

-I’ve climbed Kokoda and done heaps of bushwalks there with 12WBT friends and met heaps of lovely friends.  Including having breaky there with Mish herself once!

-I’ve just been to the top to admire the view and put the world into perspective.

Rhonda, Alana, Bron and myself

-I even decided when I was 14 that I would get proposed to up there!

So many moments up there – and walking it by road really brought all these moments back to me.  I realised I usually rush up that mountain and don’t allow myself to remember these moments.

We did the ring road and it was great – just under 1000 calories, just under 3 hours, some great girls by my side and a whole lot of memories to make me smile.  And I finally worked out why I keep making goals there and going back to that mountain.

Sometimes we need to slow down and not rush through things to see the special stuff...the stuff that matters...

Thanks to Alana, Rhonda, Bron and Sarah for sharing this goal with me.

Love that mountain :)

Top of the mountain!

LOL!  The girls said there was a dead animal.  It was safer for everyone if I didn't look.

Jumper fits both of us!

My beloved TV stations...10, 2, 7 & 9