NSW Central West - Day 5

 What a difference 24 hours makes! Cool, gray, and rainy conditions for my second mountain peak in two days - Mount Exmouth. I do prefer the cooler weather and, unlike the previous day, I only saw a single person on the walk and that was on my way back.

The major downside to this 17km walk is that the first 6km (so 12km out of the return distance) is along a maintenance trail and is really quite boring. There’s not much to look at apart from the forest immediately on each side of the road and it becomes tedious quite quickly. The persistent rain also made it a little muddy underfoot, particularly on the return leg.

It is a significant relief to hit the turnoff for Mount Exmouth - immediately, the track is more interesting and some good views appear within the first few hundred meters. The track is only steep in a few places but it is a steady uphill climb the whole way (approximately 2.6km). The flora along the way is very varied and pretty and good views present themselves a number of times along the way. There are a couple of rock slip areas to navigate and one section narrows and runs along a rocky ledge (with a length of wire strung to assist with balance).

The track to Mt Exmouth - lovely and green, with a variety of foliage and views

The peak is very rocky (much of it mossy) and obviously very exposed, so the cold wind and drizzling rain were magnified - so much so that I had to hurriedly search my pack for gloves. The viewing distance was initially very good but the low cloud and mist continued to roll in as a sat down to eat lunch and by the time I left a lot the distant mountains were beginning to be obscured.

The walk back down gave more opportunities to enjoy the track and views but without the effort of making a constant ascent. I found some of the lower views perhaps even more impressive than those from the peak, possibly the framing of the trees or just being surrounded by verdant flora helped somewhat.

The final 6km was back on the (now muddier) maintenance trail and, while now predominately downhill, was still something of a slog and I was quite relieved to be back at the car park. Still, an enjoyable walk with some amazing views.