Pemberton isn't somewhere we need much convincing to visit. Only a few days after I joined Jonno for a night on the trail, Leanne and I packed our bikes and headed down to Pemberton to meet him again.
On Saturday morning we joined the Pemberton Cycling Association's weekly social ride and enjoyed another session in the Arboretum trails, followed by morning tea. Still recovering from the Blackwood hike, ocusing on mountain biking set me up for a shorter hike with Jonno that afternoon.
Pump Hill Cottages
After the ride, we dropped by our accommodation to pick up my lunch and found a few distractions.
Gloucester Tree to Cascades - Bibbulmun Track
I met Jonno at the edge of town for the scenic walk into Gloucester Tree. The 1km bitumen path makes a worthwhile extension to the hike to Cascades.
We climbed the newly reopened tree, impressed by the quality of the rebuild.
From there we descended towards East Brook, passing more enormous karri.
In the valley, lichen and moss took over.
Fallen trees were another regular feature, affecting the trail in different ways.
Thankfully, the shorter hike was proving manageable for my injuries.
Just before Cascades, Leanne surprised us by appearing on the trail early.
Together we continued the short distance to Cascades.
Sunday
Jonno had agreed to shuttle us for Sunday's ride, but first we had some animals to say goodbye to.
Only to be surprised by more of them at the trailhead.
We took Jonno to Hidden River for one last treat before returning him to the Track.
We'll catch up with him again when he reaches Walpole.
