Kurdnin Scenic Reserve & Skyhawk Mesa

After having a blast exploring Kalajun Scenic Farms Reserve, Vela caught some sort of bug, causing a mild fever and sore throat. This meant a couple of slightly quieter days. We did spend one night glamping in Kurdnin scenic reserve. Fortunately there was a heater in our tent but we still didn't get the best sleep. Our luck also ran out and while in Kurdnin we had drenching, misty rain - not ideal for camping. We made the best we could of the situation.

After Kurdnin we headed for another little town - Nalati - nearby to another scenic reserve. After a good night's sleep with a solid roof over our heads, it was time to get some fresh air and stretch our legs. So we hit the Skyhawk Mesa hiking trail. 2777 steps taking us from 1500m to 1800m - it was a reasonably demanding hike.

Vela still wasn't 100% but managed to get about halfway before turning back with Sunny and Clara. Nathan and Mei continued on to the top and were greeted with some pretty epic views of the mountains and valleys. While they were busy getting their photos, there was some movement in the ground nearby. A little video showed this busy little guy, beavering away conducting earthworks. We think it was a vole.

On the way back down Mei taught Nathan some new Mandarin - Wo Men Hui Lai Liao, meaning "we made it back!" There were also some interesting/funny motivational signposts on the trail, too focused on making it to the top on the way up, Nathan stopped to have a read of them on the way down and took photos of the best ones.

Ready for a nice hot shower to recover from that one!Read more