Straight Line Hike Challenge - Karawatha Forest

Video on this challenge: https://youtu.be/QZXzo2xK9VY

Now this was an interesting concept I got from "Adventures with Grunt" on YouTube who did his straight line hike at Bunyaville Forest.

I plotted my track path on Garmin Connect on my PC, uploaded it to my Garmin Fenix 5x watch, selected Navigate Course, and hit start. The challenge is to follow a straight course.

My start point was the Wembley Rd entrance to Karawatha Forest, right next to NQX Trucking Logistics. This is one corner of this bushland, and head all the way to the direct opposite corner which is the fence post at the corner of Compton Rd and Logan Eight Mile Plains Motorway.

Took me 1 hr 20 mins and I lost my sunnies on the way.... but I left a 'trail biscuit' or one of my Jelbuilder Coasters with Attitude at the finish point for any explorer that ventures to that corner!

I have to say that this wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be, but nevertheless, there was still a fair bit of bushbashing, and countless spiders (orb weavers and christmas) that ended up covereing me! The most difficult aspect of this hike was try to stay on the straight and narrow - this I found difficult as you'll see on my GPX but I still think I did ok.

This is certainly a very different way to explore a Forest that I know inside and out, and I saw it from an entirely different perspective. Heck, I even found some segments that intrigued me.... such as a rocky gully with water streaming down it that was both beautiful and absolutely new to me.

I have to also say that Karawatha is unfortunately so damaged from the recent inundation of rainfall, that the trails were so badly damaged from both treefalls, and were pretty much flowing creeks now where I've ridden my MTB for years. It's gonna be a very long time before its good to ride out here again.