Camp #10 – 2023; We’ve hit double digits!

A return to old trusty, Hill End on camp number 10 for 2023. It has been a big year for camping and there is nothing better than getting out there with nature. TBH it’s been a blessing in disguise travelling so often for work, there has been many a weekend where it’s just a little too far to get back home on a Friday evening and return back for a Monday morning start.

Being based at Bathurst meant I arrived a little earlier than normal to Hill End, and as has been a bit of a norm I set up camp amongst some sleet, small hail, showers and sun.

It was freaking cold, therefore the wood collection and fire game needed to be strong!

And what better way to keep warm on a cold night; sitting by the fire drinking top quality port.

Fortunately the weather put on a great show over the next couple of days with enough warmth in the sun to keep at bay the crispness in the air.

A trip to Mudgee for a pie and a few snot blocks (aka vanilla slice for the uneducated) added to the ambiance of another bloody dak creaming camp. Fuelled with enough carbohydrates to jump start a third world nation the wood gathering duties were second to none, and they were needed as night two was fucking cold! A big fire is warmth for the soul…

Speaking of fuel for the soul, a Sunday morning big brekkie in prep for the pack and saddle across the Bridle Track was required.

Sunday was another fine specimen of a day; the Bridle Track is a drive that I don’t think I will ever get sick of doing – yeah it’s dusty and too well graded these days; it’s missing the road less travelled feel and shit yourself experience traversing the skinny Monaghan’s Bluff, but I still enjoy every moment of it.

There’s always a pretty place to stop and enjoy a scene of snot blockraphy (the art of photographing a snot block in an exotic location).

And what better way to finish the Bridle Track with a stop off at Annies Ice Cream Parlour Bathurst for a couple of scoops of Bridle Track ice cream 🙂