Mt Warning tips

If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that a few weeks ago I climbed Mount Warning. The Mount Warning rainforest park is located between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay and is in New South Wales. It's a beautiful area even if you don't want to climb a mountain. There's some cost villages, waterfalls, flat rainforest walks and much more to be discovered. 

After climbing the mountain, which don't be fooled is hard work, I found I wish I'd been told a few things before hand. So I figured to help any of you lovely readers who might find yourself wishing to climb Mount Warning, I'd compile a list of tips for the experience. You can also visit the Mt Warning experience website but I didn't find their tips all that useful but it's great for letting you know about what's around the area and also about the sunrise walk if you wish to do that and the option of doing it with a group from Byron Bay. 

So here's the list. 

1. Find a map to Mt Warning and double check it before setting off. This sounds obvious but I type Mt Warning rainforest park into Google maps without checking where it was taking me and it tried to take us up a very wet, boggy track through the park the base of the mountain when there is in fact no reason to go on this route unless you want to. In the end all you need to search on Google maps is Mount Warning but that would be too obvious right?
2. Be aware of when it gets dark. When you're climbing there are signs telling you not to climb after a certain time in the winter. However, even if you're climbing in the summer I would say it's still important to know when it gets dark. The climb and descent takes roughly five hours but add an hour to be safe and take that into consideration when you start climbing to work out whether it's safe due to light fading. 
3. Light loose clothing and good shoes. Again obvious but needs to be stated. I did see people in flip flops/things and even bare feet but I really wouldn't advice it. There are sharp, uneven jagged pieces of rock, not to mention snakes so a decent pair of running shoes or walking boots I think is a must. Also don't wear anything to tight or uncomfortable, definitely not a walk to do in jeans. In the winter it gets cold quickly as you climb so you might want to take a light jumper however, when we climbed (in February) we definitely didn't need any jumpers. 
4. Take your phone and no heavy cameras. The website tells you it's not necessary to take your phone as you won't get any service. However, I had one bar right until the last minute and even if you don't get any signal there is an emergency number you can call without service which is on the sign posts along the climb. On a climb you never know what could happen and if you did get injured you wouldn't really want to be without your phone. It will also make a good light camera. Unless you're some crazy photographer I really wouldn't want to take my big camera on the climb as it's just too much weight. A compact camera, GoPro or phone would be much more ideal.
5. Fruit and water. Obviously water, obviously. We took two, two litre bottles and finished them both. You'll definitely need it, but don't gulp as you may make yourself feel sick. You'll probably feel peckish when you get to the top but don't gorge yourself, again you may make yourself sick, I found an orange and a nectarine was all I needed for a bit of energy and to fill that hole. 
6. Stretch. This may sound odd and you might think 'but I don't want to look like a crazy' but stretching before you climb, at the top and when you reach the bottom again will help your muscles recover quicker and prevent too much aches and pains afterwards. Seriously, it helps. 
7. Down is not better. People will tell you it's easier on the way down, it's so much better. IT'S NOT. Going down was so much worse. By that point I was tired and aching and losing my footing a lot more, it actually took us longer to get down. So that's also something to consider before you climb in terms of daylight. Just be really careful with your feel coming back down and take your time because you really don't want to trip.

So that's it, a few tips for anyone thinking of climbing Mt Warning, or I suppose any mountain for that matter. 

Have you done it? What tips would you give?

Until next time,

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