Trig #9 - Mount Taylor

Goodness me! 

I have walked up Mount Taylor dozens of times, but today I found it really tough! 😵

I had been putting it off, as I know how busy it can get on the Mount Taylor trail, but today I needed something close and relatively quick. Ha! 

Mount Taylor is one of the nicest walks I’ve been on, in that it is easy to access (a nice carpark at the bottom), it's a well-maintained trail, and there is plenty of nice plants, wildlife and views. But it is hard! Well, for me it's hard! There were plenty of people running up and down it when I was there! That's the other reason I was a bit nervous about it: I know lots of people that go up regularly and probably go really fast! So I was a bit embarrassed about how long it took me! But then I reminded myself that the only person I'm competing against it myself (cue inspirational quote...)

The walk is pretty relentless. Right from the start it’s up, up, up. 

There’s a flattish section for about 200m about halfway up, with a couple of seats to take in the amazing views over Tuggeranong; but then there are the stairs...

...and another steep bit (probably the steepest)! And then just when you think it’s getting easier, there's another steep push to the top. 

But, I made it. And despite the cold wind, was rewarded with amazing sunset views and not too many other people. 

 

Weirdly, it was one of the slowest ascents I've done on Mount Taylor, so I'm not sure what's going on there. I haven't been 100% well (some asthma and sinus issues), so perhaps that was why. But it will be good to try it again in a few weeks. At least it's nice and close to home.

Mount Taylor 

Elevation gain - 857m

Time to trig - 37 minutes 

Difficulty - medium-hard. It's a steady uphill climb all the way.

Best part - the amazing views, lots of wildlife and the well-maintained track.