Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 028 - Honeysuckle Creek to Tharwa

 

Day:	028
Date:	Monday, 12 April 2011
Start:	Honeysuckle Creek Campground
Finish:	Namadgi National Park Visitors Centre, Tharwa, ACT (finish of the AAWT)
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	15.4 AAWT
Total Kilometres:	659.6 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, kangaroos
People Encounters	Three day hikers and one runner
Weather:	Cold and partly cloudy in the morning, sunny later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	It rained during the night and I slept fitfully, probably in anticipation of finishing my trek. Everything was very wet when I got up at 5:30am and I transferred all my gear to the camp picnic shelter before packing and breakfasting. I was on my way on a very cool and sunny morning by 7:30am. The single-track hiking trail through the Eucalypt forest was very nice apart from those sections where it was a bit overgrown with sopping wet scrub and I was soon very wet and quite cold too. I resisted the temptation to stop and put on my clothes, deciding to walk briskly to warm up instead. I was sure it would warm up a bit in the next hour or so, and so it did. The scenery was a mix of forest dotted with huge boulders before the trail moved out into pasturelands belonging to an old farm that was now part of the Namadgi NP dominated by the towering Mt Tennent (1384m). The last part of the hike involved more nice single track onto the slopes of Mt Tennent then a long descent, involving a lot more steps than my knees would have liked to Tharwa and the Namadgi Visitors Centre, and the end of my hike. I arrived just after noon and was greeted by a friendly NP ranger who prepared a laminated AAWT Finisher Certificate for me and a free cup of coffee. Not long afterwards, my cousin-in-law, Chris, turned up to drive me into Canberra from where I will catch a train back to Sydney tomorrow. I am sad that the hike is over, but looking forward to seeing my loved ones again, and to some of the benefits of civilization - hot showers, junk food, TV, en-suites, etc. No doubt I will soon be thinking nostalgically back to the good times on the AAWT, and there were many.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 027 - Oldfields Hut to Honeysuckle Creek

 

Day:	027
Date:	Sunday, 11 April 2011
Start:	Oldfields Hut
Finish:	Honeysuckle Creek Campground
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	34.2 AAWT
Total Kilometres:	644.2 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, kangaroos
People Encounters	People at start and finish, nobody during the day
Weather:	Cold and raining in the morning, some sun from mid-afternoon
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	The night seemed long, sleeping on the floor of the hut, but eventually 5:30am arrived and I got up and quietly packed up and breakfasted. It had started raining in the early hours and was still raining steadily when I left at 7am after a chat with one of my fellow campers. The clouds were low and the rain looked set in, though forecast to clear in the afternoon. The trail climbed through temperate forest to Murray Gap before descending into Cotter Valley. I was wet and a bit cold, but the damp forest made a pleasant contrast to the dry plains of yesterday. The pleasantness ended on the long climb to Cotter Gap that was mostly on single-track overgrown with sopping wet vegetation. Not quite as bad as back in Victoria, but pretty bad. Soon I was very wet and quite cold. Having to ford the swollen Cotter River, giving me wet boots and socks didn't help my mood. I was ready for it to be over. However, there was no alternative to moving briskly to keep warm, and I made reasonable time, passing through the small alpine valley at Cotter Gap and then beginning the descent to the Orroral Valley. Soon after lunch, I reached a gravel road and knew the wet undergrowth was behind me. My mood lifted as the occasional rays of sun made it through the cloud. The picturesque Orroral Valley, bordered by craggy ridges, had once been grazing land but was now the home of many grey kangaroos. I had my afternoon break by the Orroral River with 8km to go to Honeysuckle Creek (the site of a dismantled space tracking station), that started with an ascent I dreaded. The climb is part of the Deep Space Mountain Marathon course and I still had vivid memories of my struggle up the climb a snowy November a couple of years ago. It wasn't any easier this time, but I just kept plugging away and eventually made it to the National Park Campground soon after 5pm. I have just 16km to go to the end of the AAWT from here and should be there by noon tomorrow. Looking forward to it, though enjoyed my peaceful last evening setting up camp and eating by the light of a setting sun.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 026 - Tantangara Creek to Oldfields Hut

 

Day:	026
Date:	Saturday, 10 April 2011
Start:	Tantangara Creek
Finish:	Oldfields Hut
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	33.8 AAWT
Total Kilometres:	610.0 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies, kangaroos
People Encounters	Couple of vehicles, two families at Hut
Weather:	Cold early, partly sunny and mild later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I got myself up at 5:30am, knowing I had a potentially long day if I was to make it to a hut tonight, which seemed like a good idea given the forecast of rain. There was a heavy dew overnight, so both my tent and sleeping bag were quite damp. I started walking about 7:30am and had two kilometers to walk to rejoin the AAWT after leaving it yesterday to retrieve my food drum. Once on the AAWT, the first thing I had to do was ford the Murrumbidgee River. At first I thought I might be able to rock hop, but soon gave up and just waded through, getting wet up to my crotch. There followed about 12km of mostly cross-country walking to compass bearings. Although it was tiring walking through the tussocky grass and low scrub, it was easy enough to see where I was supposed to be going as I followed several watercourses and climbed over some low saddles. The last part involved following a line of old telephone poles that once served one of the old homesteads. I reached a gravel road around 10:30am and the remainder of the day was spent following disused 4WD trails across a series of plains interspersed with low timbered saddles. At times on the plains it felt like I was in the arid outback, with saltbushes-like scrub stretching into the distance. I kept up a good pace and, nearing the end of the day and Oldfields Hut at 4:30pm, caught two families struggling up the hill from the last plain obviously destined for the same hut. I easily overtook them and beat them to the but by about 30 minutes giving me time to wash and unpack before they arrived. There were three rooms to the hut, so I took one. They also had a few tents. It was pretty noisy with young kids running everywhere. I hope they appreciate me getting up at 5:30am!

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 025 - Four Mile Hut to Tantangara Creek

 

Day:	025
Date:	Friday, 9 April 2011
Start:	Four Mile Hut
Finish:	Tantangara Creek
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	29.0 AAWT, 1.1 from Hut
Total Kilometres:	576.2 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, small snakes, brumbies
People Encounters	Vehicles on highway at Kiandra, two horse riders
Weather:	Very cold and foggy early, sunny and mild later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	It was another cold night, though not too bad in the quaint old hut. There was a heavy fog when I woke at 6:00am, but it had receded down the valley by 7:00am revealing another cloudless sky. I started walking at 8:00am and quickly covered the kilometer back to the AAWT and began following the route north along the same closed and disused old 4WD tracks passing through alpine valleys and over a few low ridges. I was close to the Mt Selwyn ski field and there were a number of marked cross-country ski trails crossing the trail at various points. I met a highway at the old mining town of Kiandra, now uninhabited with just a few buildings remaining. There is also a Roads Depot here and I have vivid memories of sheltering inside it 7 years ago when caught in a November blizzard while riding my MTB to Melbourne down the Bicentennial Trail. I took my morning break at Kiandra and then continued on. I was now back in brumby country and felt my nose watering and eyes welling again in reaction to the horse droppings everywhere. Of course, it's nice that there are wild horses in the mountains, but they are feral and they do have a significant impact on the landscape. I think that their numbers need to be controlled, but know this is a sensitive issue. The remainder of the day was spent walking from one long flat alpine valley to another via low snowgum wooded hills. The average altitude was about 1400m, but you couldn't tell from the terrain. It had all been high country sheep or cattle stations at some point and there was evidence of fences and gates here and there. Around 3.30pm I deviated from the AAWT to go cross-country for a couple of kilometers to the place where I had hidden my food drop using my GPS. I hadn't been able to find a good hiding spot right on the trail near here so had hidden it on the access track. I found it without much trouble by 4:30pm and had a relaxing evening eating my treats. I hear on the radio that my run of good weather will be coming to an end tomorrow and I'll be wet for the last three days of my trip.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 024 - Mackays Hut to Four Mile Hut

 

Day:	024
Date:	Thursday, 8 April 2011
Start:	Mackays Hut
Finish:	Four Mile Hut
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	30.7 AAWT, 1.1 to Hut
Total Kilometres:	547.2 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, small snakes
People Encounters	None
Weather:	Very cold early, sunny and mild later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	There was again a heavy frost, but it wasn't as cold in the hut as it was in the tent the previous night. I packed and left by 7:45am, and set out eastwards into the rising sun. In fact, all day the route seemed to adjust itself so that I always seemed to be walking into the sun. The walking was easy, along disused but clear 4WD tracks, and it was easy to maintain a good pace. The trail generally crossed grassy alpine meadows, occasionally crossing small streams, and every so often climbing over a low spur or saddle. The crowns of most surrounding  hills were lightly timbered with snow gums. There were not as many abrupt peaks within view, although Mt Jagungal was often visible behind, and Tabletop Mt (1784m) loomed ahead. Most of my walking was around 1500-1600m. The countryside began to show signs of its history when sheep and maybe cattle were brought here in the summers to graze. Occasional bits of fences and gates. Towards lunchtime the trail began to climb onto the crest of The Great Divide again as I approached Tabletop Mt and I could see vast distances to the east to the Monaro Tableland and glimpses of Lake Eucumbene. The trail passed over the shoulder of Tabletop Mt during the afternoon and then descended through an old mining area though there were few obvious traces. Around 4:30pm I reached a junction where I left the AAWT to walk a kilometer through snowgum forest to Four Mile Hut which is an original miners hut, clad with flattened (and cleaned!) fuel cans, with lots of historic junk around and set in its own little alpine valley. Magic!  I was early enough to have a wash and wash out a few clothes and had double dinner again because I get to my next food drop tomorrow night.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 023 - Whites River Hut to Mackays Hut

 

Day:	023
Date:	Wednesday, 7 April 2011
Start:	Whites River Hut
Finish:	Mackays Hut
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	37.6 AAWT
Total Kilometres:	516.5 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	Two hikers and about ten electricity and National Parks tradesmen
Weather:	Very cold early, sunny and mild later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	It was very cold when I got up at 6am, having woken a number of times during the night with the cold. There was heavy condensation in the tent, and a heavy frost on the outside. Once I was up and outside the tent, the condensation inside turned to ice. As I packed up and breakfasted, the other residents got up and did the same, and we chatted as we prepared for the new day. By the time I got around to packing my tent, it was pretty much frozen solid and I had a lot of trouble getting the ice off and out of it before packing it, getting very cold hands in the process. I bade my fellow campers farewell and headed off soon after 8am in bright sunshine though I was still wearing warm gear. After about an hour, I needed to strip down to shorts and t-shirt because of the warmth. Most of the day was then spent traversing the Jagungal Wilderness Area on old, now unused, 4WD tracks. The route followed alpine streams through alpine meadows, frequently forded the streams (which were often a challenge to cross without getting wet), and climbed over low passes or sidled around mountains. I seemed to have it to myself and relished the isolation, wilderness, and perfect weather. I had decided to try and get to Mackays Hut, which would make it my longest day yet. Doing that would put me on track to get to the end a day earlier than planned. I wasn't getting particularly tired walking, the weather was great, and it seemed sensible to make maximum use of the daylight available given that the days are getting shorter. At lunch I laid out my tent and sleeping bag to dry. The tent was still full of ice!  However, as usual, it dried quickly and my afternoon's walking passed the same way as the morning as I skirted the imposing Mt Jagungal. At 4:30pm I passed O'Keefe Hut and found some workers there installing a new environmental toilet amongst other things. I decided to stick to my plan and carry on even though I still had some way to go. I ended up walking into almost total darkness by the time I reached Mackays Hut at 6:45pm. It was empty and reasonably good though, annoyingly, it was now too dark outside to work out where the nearest water source was. Instead, I had to backtrack about 300m to where I knew there was a stream. Not far, I know, but irksome at the end of a long day. Knowing I was saving a day, and being very hungry, I ate two main courses for dinner. It was a very clear and brilliantly starlit night outside. Probably going to be cold again. I'll wear extra clothes tonight. Went to bed around 9pm.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 022 - Thredbo to Whites River hut

 

Day:	022
Date:	Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Start:	Hotel in Thredbo
Finish:	Whites River Hut
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	31.8 AAWT
Total Kilometres:	478.9 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	Plenty
Weather:	Very cold early, sunny and cool later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I left Thredbo at 6:30am and was told at hotel reception that it was -2C. It was foggy outside but following the Merritts Spur Track up from Thredbo to the top of the chairlift, I was soon above the cloud and warm enough. The climb was steep with big steps in places and was a test for my knees with the heavy pack. I took it slowly and steadily and enjoyed the early morning views over the cloud-filled valleys. From the top of the chairlift, it was easy walking along a metal pathway (to protect the alpine vegetation from heavy foot traffic) for the 6km to Mt Kosciusko and I had the place to myself. It was sunny and still - perfect. The official AAWT doesn't go to the top of Kosciusko (2228m) but I dropped my pack at the track junction and walked the 1km to the top. There were already a couple of day hikers there, but they left soon afterwards and I had the highest mountain in Australia to myself. By the time I returned to my pack there were lots of hikers on their way to the top (having taken the chairlift up from Thredbo once it started operating). From Kosciusko I followed the Main Range northwards and had superb views in every direction on a sunny day. The track kept high on The Great Divide and I stopped on Carruthers Peak (2145m) for a panoramic lunch at noon. From there the track was less defined but, being well above the tree-line, it was easy enough to work out the route from the topology. Later in the day, the navigation became harder, but I never got lost. I decided to push on to White Rivers Hut, even though it was going to be a long day. It would get me past the higher ground in case there was fog in the morning, and it would save me putting up my tent. The last high section was across The Rolling Ground where there were no tracks and just rocky outcrops on an otherwise featureless alpine landscape. It would be easy to get lost, especially in foul weather. It was starting to get dark when I finally found the track down to the Hut which I reached at 6:00pm. There were some National Parks workers there, rebuilding the Hut (which was unusable), along with two northbound AAWT hikers, Rob and Jill. I put up my tent in a less than ideal spot in the dark and then cooked and ate my dinner by their fire while we all chatted. The workers had a generator right next to my tent, so it wasn't a very quiet night!