Maria Island: Bishop & Clerk

Clerk is pronounced "Clark" in Australian, by the way. Also: Australians also say "no worries" constantly, and even seem to mean it. It's not like when someone asks "how's it going?" and they 1) don't really care how it's going and 2) your response "fine" or "good" isn't accurate.

Anyway, up Bishop & Clark (er, clerk). We were told it was an easy hike -- and it was. Kind of. Except it was pretty hot. And the last third, before you get to the top, is scree, those sort of loose rocks that can hide a lot. And then to get to the top, you have to climb over some bigger rocks. I was a little wary.

Justin starting out across a field. Like most of Maria Island, it is littered with little square poos. The square poos are made by wombats. Wombats have a plate by their butt area that protects them from predators. They burrow face-first, and when a predator thinks it can take a nice big chomp out of wombat ass, it gets a nasty surprise. The plate is what makes the poos square.


I digress. This is Justin.

These are some early views, as you are heading up the first, grassy hill:

This hike is a good, solid one. I'd give it about a 6.7 out of 10 for difficulty. And SO WORTH it. And SO satisfying when you are at the top, knowing that you made it that far. And the descent, just taking it one slow step at a time over the scree, keeping balance, not looking at the whole scary downhill scree field, but just on what's in front of you. Yeah yeah, I'm going to metaphorville, but whatever. And that feeling when you are back and finished and take a shower with good, hot water and strong pressure, it's like that shower after a day at the beach. And you have a glass of fantastic Tasmanian savignon blanc, a wine which you normally eschew because you taste in the acidic corners of your mouth, but here it is marvelous and gentle and soft, and cheese from happy Tasmanian cows in one of the purest parts of the world. This is your vacation.