West Head photos....a beautiful morning...

Started from Mackerel at 5:20 with a window of opportunity for a 2 hour trundle. Goal was to get to West Head and then a few more trails and if I had time, also to 'The Basin'.

A total of about 20kms would bring a smile to my face. 



 This is the entrance to West Head lookout aka 'Commodore Heights''.

 

 This is the path leading to the lookout at West Head. The first full sun beams through the trees and stings the sweat filled eyes.

 

More of the same. I could never get tired of this view or the feeling that this view gives you, part way through a run. 

 Here is the panorama you see from the lookout. This is looking due East and using the panorama function on the iPhone 5.

 

 Here is a view looking NNE from the lookout at West head. Hawkesbury on the left and Pittwater on the right.

 After a few moments to take in the view, I then continued back up the hill, away from West Head. I was then looking for a little trail with more views. I found a little track called 'Koolewong trail' which had 2 entrances about 200m and 250 m back from West Head lookout. It was a loop trail that had a beautifully maintained path, neat hard-wood sleeper edges and freshly trimmed natives lining the path which guides you to a lookout over the Hawkesbury to Lion Island. The path takes you to a hand-cut sandstone bench with a memorial plaque to Doris xyz, who donated her estate to the maintenance & upkeep of West Head National Park. The view above is what you see from the bench seat. Nothing short of spectacular! I must have run past this 50 or more times and never bothered to put the 1km loop into my itinerary.

 

Here is one two Angophoras (that stand as sentinels to the view) on either side of the lookout over the Hawkesbury.

One last photo of the view over the Hawkesbury to Lion Island.... I then continued onto West Head road for another 4kms and then onto the Basin trail, down to The Basin (about 5 kms). There were so many tents at The Basin that I could not see any grass at all - unbelievable. The road leading away from The basin is about 1km long and definately a Grade 5 climb - great for Six Foot & North Face training. Then back to Mackerel Beach trail and home again by 7:30 before the family & friends have gotten out of bed :-)

Testing new gear

I am in need of new shorts for the long run. I prefer to run in compression pants and have seen a new set of Salamon twin skin shorts that I liked - http://www.salomonrunning.com/au/product/exo-s-lab-twinskin-short-m.html. I went to footpoint clinic in Mosman to buy them. This shop is is linked to the Ultra168 site - http://ultra168.com/ You can also get the latest Salamon gear at reasonable prices.
However there is some stitching on the inside that chafed me terribly, so badly in fact that I bled through the pants - so this was a bad purchase indeed.
All the other Salamon gear has been fantastic. The salamon S-Lab shoes & the Sense 5L pack are all great and fit beautifully. I will keep buying Salamon gear even though my experience has been poor with the pants.
So, I am on the prowl for a new set of Salamon pants. I am going to the US in January so will search for a new set of pants over there....

Anyway, off to the trails....