Hit the car-park just after 7:00 am where it was hovering around the zero degree mark. Layers were chosen carefully (ie, what clothing did I have in the car?) As you will see from the elevation graph below, the first kilometre or so is all downhill and steep at that. This always come back to bite at the end of the walk. It is more pleasant in colder weather than mid summer.
21 caches were waiting to be found - and 1 still is as I write this. Yep, a DNF on a cache that required a bit of clambering. Clamber I did but it escaped my eagle eyes! The Powertrail ends before the actual summit so it would be crazy not to go the last few hundred metres, steep as it is, to the fire tower. Views to the North are magnificent but hard to capture as it is directly into the sun. The walk down is easier, especially with trekking poles that absorb some of the shock from the knees. Saw 3 cute little brown piglets (not black like the all the other pigs I have seen in my wonders). I wondered where their Mum and Dad were so kept on walking (a bit more quickly).
Yep, the last bit to the car is a killer. My tactics are to keep the head down and wait until I walk into the gate.