Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 018 - Buckwong Creek to Cowombat Flat Tk

 

Day:	018
Date:	Friday, 1 April 2011
Start:	Buckwong Creek plus 1km
Finish:	Cowombat Flat Track
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	20.7
Total Kilometres:	391.0 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies
People Encounters	None
Weather:	Cold early then mostly sunny and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I had a good night's sleep and set off at 9 AM in good spirits, a little cold and still wearing warm gear. The guide book indicated there was a lot of "poorly defined" trail today and I was determined to be careful. The early trail was through the eucalypt forest with some scrub and my route-finding was helped by someone who had put out pink ribbon as markers to compensate for the paucity of official markers. I disturbed a couple of families of brumbies on the way and stopped after an hour take off my warm gear. Trail-finding without the markers is very difficult because the brumbies have worn many trails and it's easy to follow a wrong track. At one point I came across a dead horse lying in the middle of the track. Pretty smelly and fly-blown and I was holding my breath as I walked past. I eventually reached the mis-named Misery Trail on a ridge and enjoyed walking along through the snowgum forest. Around 11 AM I followed a wrong trail and found myself off-trail and trying to work out where I was and in which direction I should go in the forest. My mood sank, and I wasted 30 to 45 minutes crashing around on the scrubby hillsides. I fell twice in 10 minutes, twisting both knees in succession quite awkwardly. At last I located Macs Creek Track and found the right route soon after noon. After a break, I continued on the next "poorly defined" section of trail which again proved difficult to follow and included a very steep and awkward descent. Without getting lost on the section, I made better time than expected and reached a nice lunch spot next to the very pretty and fast flowing Dead Horse Creek. I took advantage of the sun to dry my tent and sleeping bag while I ate. Alas, as I left I followed some wrong ribbons and misunderstood where I was on the map, made a navigational error and wasted another hour crashing around on scrubby hillsides following misleading brumby trails. Eventually I got back on the right track and reached Limestone Creek Track in the mid-afternoon. After a slippery steep descent (falling once) and fording the fast flowing Creek, I had my last break before tackling the final "poorly defined" section of the day. I was tired and the 6 km of following faint trail on the steep sides of Stony Creek wasn't much fun. I strayed a few times but didn't get badly lost. The section finished with the steep and rocky ascent of a spur and I reached Cowombat Track, my goal for the day, at 7 PM. It was getting dark and I quickly set up camp, washed and ate. It wasn't as cold as last night but I expect a heavy dew again.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 017 - Johnnies Track to Buckwong Creek

 

Day:	017
Date:	Thursday, 31 March 2011
Start:	Johnnies Track & Beloka Range Track Junction
Finish:	Buckwong Creek plus 1km
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	26.2
Total Kilometres:	370.3 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies
People Encounters	Two 4WDs, two logging trucks
Weather:	Cold foggy and overcast in the morning, sunny and mild in the afternoon
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I woke at 7 AM to a fairly thick fog and still air. Everything was very damp and it was cold. Still that way when I started walking at 9 AM along Johnnies Top Track. After a couple of kilometres on the fire trail I reached Johnnies Top (1556m) and then began following a faint trail down a long spur. The trail was easy enough to follow and I enjoyed walking through the snowgum forest on the gentle downgrade in the fog. After a few hours the fog cleared and after a final steep descent I reached the end of the spur and Buenba Creek. I was supposed to follow it upstream but first had to cross Corner Creek, which turned out to be very marshy with several channels. My feet got wet again. Curses! Eventually I reached drier ground and then followed brumby trails parallel with the creek along the treed grassy flats. There were lots of horse droppings but no brumbies. There were also lots of boggy bits. Pleasant walking, nevertheless. Eventually I reached the Buenba Hut site on a grassy plain. The only evidence of the hut was a couple of poplar trees. It had been farmed once and there were traces of fences and gates. I had lunch under the poplars and spread out my tent, sleeping bag, etc., to dry in the pleasant sunshine. After lunch the trail, again faint, climbed gradually through scrubby country to eventually reach Mt Hope Road, where two logging trucks were parked with the drivers having a yarn. They chatted with me for a while and offered me water and to charge my phone. Nice guys. By now it was after 4 PM and the balance of the day was easy walking down a fire trial as far as Buckwong Creek. From there I followed the creek upstream for a kilometre until I found a campsite by a small tributary after seeing some brumbies along the way. It was all a little damp and grassy and will be wet in the morning. I could hear dingoes or feral dogs howling as I went to bed at 8:30 PM.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 016 - Taylors Crossing to Johnnies Track

 

Day:	016
Date:	Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Start:	Taylors Crossing
Finish:	Johnnies Track & Beloka Range Track Junction
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	21.6
Total Kilometres:	344.1 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, cows
People Encounters	Bridge workers, one vehicle
Weather:	Mostly overcast, intermittent showers
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	During the night some people turned up on the other side of the river and were walking around the construction site (the bridge is being worked on) by torchlight. Later I heard a couple of gun shots. However, no-one came near me. I had a good night's sleep and got up at 7 AM to a very dewy and damp camp. Lots of condensation in the tent. I didn't hurry my packing and left at 9 AM. The first 6 km was along quiet rural roads, the first and only time that the AAWT passes through a "settled" area. I enjoyed the easy walking. Then it was back onto faint foot trails as I climbed over a hill then made a long slow descent on a narrow difficult hillside path to Morass Creek, which lived up to its name. It was dirtyish water (came from farmland), quite wide and very marshy with multiple channels. I could not be bothered changing into my running shoes and gradually worked my way across the channels. The water was knee deep and flowing and my boots and socks got wet. On the other side I scrambled up the bank and climbed away from the valley on another faint trail through scrubby forest. However a little higher up it became open forest and grassy underfoot and quite pleasant walking. I crossed the Corryong-Benambra Road and began a steady climb up onto the Beloka Range. It was mostly gum forest with some scrub and occasionally rocky outcrops. The forest obscured views and nearer the top the route followed an overgrown firetrail. However, it wasn't as bad as past days and my pace was reasonable. I had lunch in a saddle about 1:30 PM, knowing I only had another 10 kilometers to go. Soon after, I joined a clear fire trail and the rest of the afternoon was spent following cleared fire trails higher and higher along the Beloka Range. Just before 5 PM I reach the Johnnies Track Junction where I had hidden my next food dump. I didn't find it first go, which was a little concerning, but found it easily on the second go with my GPS. I then had a drawn-out evening meal along with my treats and definitely over-ate. I was in bed soon after 8 PM.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 015 - Mt Wills Hut to Taylors Crossing

 

Day:	015
Date:	Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Start:	Mt Wills Hut
Finish:	Taylors Crossing
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	26.1
Total Kilometres:	322.5 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, snake, kangaroos
People Encounters	One hiker, several vehicles
Weather:	Partly cloudy and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I didn't sleep all that well. Maybe the metal bed was too hard. I got up at 7:30 AM to what looked like another perfect day. The hut was on a clear grassy crest on top of Mount Wills (1757m) and had great views to the east. I didn't leave till around 9 AM and after a little bit of initial trouble finding the trail to Mt Wills South (1621m), I picked it up. It went through grassy wooded snowgum forest and although faint, was followable. The views east and west were great and I really enjoyed the walking. There were also boulder outcrops adding to the beautiful scenery. No views from Mt Wills South, which was the last peak of the Bogong High Plains. From here I followed overgrown foot tracks and fire trails through increasingly dense forest. Also some blackberries. On the way down I met a hiker on the way up who had just started a week's hike south along the AAWT. We had a brief chat and continued on our separate ways. I reached the Omeo Road about 11:30 AM and had my first break. The next sections involved quite a lot of scrub-bashing along older overgrown fire trails though not as bad as a few days ago and not wet. On the other hand I picked up lots of spider-webs and bugs. It wasn't very pleasant hiking but I could follow the trail and make reasonable time. The route went downhill to Gill Creek which was ankle deep and, after working out the shallowest route, I dashed across. On the other side was more very old overgrown fire trail which climbed steeply uphill for a few kilometres until it reached a ridge where I stopped and had late lunch. Another tedious section. Here I joined a better forest road for another long descent into the valley of the Mitta Mitta River in a semi-rural valley. I reached Taylors Crossing, a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Mitta Mitta, where there was a designated hikers campsite. It was 6:30 PM and I had time for a quick nude dip in the river before cooking dinner. I'm a little ahead of schedule and have a relatively easy day tomorrow to my next food dump. Went to bed at 9 PM. Star-filled night but already a heavy dew.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 014 - Edmondson Hut to Mt Wills Hut

 

Day:	014
Date:	Monday, 28 March 2011
Start:	Edmondson Hut
Finish:	Mt Wills Hut
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	29.0
Total Kilometres:	296.4 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	One southbound AAWT hiker
Weather:	Sunny and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I forced myself to get up at 7 AM even though it was barely light and quite cold. The sky was clear and it promised to be another sunny day. I didn't get going until nearly 9 AM because I lost time dealing with prickles that had attached themselves to some of my clothes and towel. I hiked cross country up the slopes of Mt Nelse to rejoin the AAWT and avoid backtracking a kilometer. Once on the trail, it was about 5 km of easy walking across more High Plains with stunning views of Mt Bogong. Along the way I met Paul, a young southbound AAWT hiker, travelling a bit slower than me, and we had a brief chat. At Roper's Hut the descent of the Duane Spur began. It seemed to go on forever, though wasn't too tough. Eventually I reached Big River and decided to take off my boots and socks and put on my spare running shoes for the crossing. I also packed a few things more securely in case I fell in! There was a wire rope across which I used to help me and the water was deep enough to wet the bottom of my shorts.  On the other side, I took a break and put boots and socks back on leaving are my runners on the outside of my pack to dry. Then I had a long ascent up T-Spur which also seem to go on forever. It was hard work though the shade was cool and the views great as I got higher. Around 1:30 PM I reached Maddisons Hut site and had lunch lying in the sun with the tent out to dry. It would've been easy to have a nap after the exhausting climb. After checking the map, I decided to try to get to Mt Wills where there was a hut with water for the night rather Big River Saddle where I would have to camp and water was not convenient. It was going to be hard work. The long journey down Long Spur wasn't too bad in terms of grades but it was very rough track. I was now heading east away from the High Plains. The spur was quite narrow and the views were marvellous. Lower down the track was more overgrown and some of it was blackberry vines which was annoying. I didn't get to Big River Saddle until 6:30 PM, but decided to continue the last 3+ kilometres even though it was all climbing and likely to be rough trail. It was very slow going, and was getting quite dark by the time I reach a fire trail where I had less concern about losing my way. It was almost too dark to see when I eventually reached the summit of Mt Wills and the hut at 8 PM. It was empty and in good condition. I picked a bunk (hard metal) and unpacked and had a wash outside before cooking dinner. It wasn't that cold and quite comfortable. Having gone a bit further and not having to pack up the tent, I may have a bit of a sleep in tomorrow. I went to bed at 10.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 013 - Daveport Village to Edmondson Hut

 

Day:	013
Date:	Sunday, 27 March 2011
Start:	Ski Lodge at Davenport Village
Finish:	Edmondson Hut
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	32.3 AAWT, 1.0 to hut
Total Kilometres:	267.4 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, snakes, brumbies
People Encounters	Several groups of hikers, two mountain-bikers
Weather:	Sunny and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 6 AM with the goal of leaving the Lodge around 8 AM. I was mostly packed but wanted to grab a quick shower and then had to clean my room, etc., before leaving. As I ate breakfast, Ken came out and offered to drive me up to the Mount Loch Car Park where I had left the AAWT to come down to the village. I accepted his kind offer and we left soon after 8 AM. A part of me would have liked just spending another day hanging out at the lodge and bistro, but there was no point in staying and it looked like being superb weather for hiking. For almost the entire day I would be in very familiar territory. The AAWT across the High Plains is the same route used for much of the Rooftop Run (a.k.a. Bogong to Hotham 64 km) run each January and I have completed it three times. I also used to come up to the High Plains in summer about 30 years ago when a serious athlete to spend a week or two training at altitude with friends. As I started walking it warmed up rapidly as the sun rose in clear skies and I was soon wearing shorts and T-shirt. There was a very light breeze and a great sense of stillness about the mountains and plains.  As I left the ski fields behind me, I descended a rocky foot trail to the Cobungra River and then climbed up the other side to reach the start of the High Plains. The descent and ascent were slow but not particularly difficult. As I reached the Plains, I caught a school group and chatted for 10 minutes with one of the teachers. It was then about 15 km walking across the tussocky grass snow plains following a narrow track that followed a very long line of numbered snow poles. It was quite wet underfoot compared to January when I ran here. It was a picture perfect day and I had the place to myself as far as the eye could see apart from a couple of small groups of brumbies. On some of the hills and in the distance there were silver forests of dead snow guns, presumably from the bushfires of 2003. I had lunch at 1 PM sitting on some rocks and then kept moving. (For the interest of my Bogong to Hotham running buddies, they were starting to construct a professional foot trail from the road towards Hotham, which should make the run easier next year.) Around 2:30 PM I crossed a sealed road and after a short descent the trail began following an aqueduct that contoured around the eastern edge of the High Plains and gave extensive views to the east. It was easy walking and I was making good time for the day. Finally the AAWT climbed away from the aqueduct (I was ready for something else) and climbed to the High Plains again. I reached my goal, Edmondson Hut, an old cattlemans' hut, just before 6 PM and was in bed soon after 8 PM. I could have slept in the Hut, but decided to sleep in my tent.  When the sun went down it got very cold very quickly. I suspect I've been quite sunburnt by the High Plains sun today, but it was memorable and special hiking.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 012 - Davenport Lodge

 

Day:	012
Date:	Saturday, 26 March 2011
Start:	Ski Lodge at Davenport Village
Finish:	Ski Lodge at Davenport Village
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	0 (day off)
Total Kilometres:	235.1 AAWT
Animal Encounters	None
People Encounters	Plenty
Weather:	Foggy early then mild and sunny
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	The day was spent drying out all of my wet and damp gear, washing everything I could, updating my diary, reorganizing the way I packed my gear to try and ensure greater waterproofedness in wet scrub, and reading the paper and eating junk food. The weather forecast for the next few days looks good for high country hiking and I will be passing through some familiar and spectacular country and am looking forward to it.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 011 - Selwyn Creek Road to Davenport Village

 

Day:	011
Date:	Friday, 25 March 2011
Start:	Selwyn Creek Road
Finish:	Ski Lodge at Davenport Village
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	24.9 AAWT, 3.5km Twins Tk detour, 2.2km to Davenport Village
Total Kilometres:	235.1 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	Two trailbikers, many others
Weather:	Mostly overcast, cool and breezy. Cold and foggy at Mt Hotham
Pictures:	No pictures, iphone not working
Journal:	It again drizzled during the night and there was heavy condensation in the tent despite a rising wind, so everything was damp when I began my early rising at 6am (no light til 7am). I knew I had a lot of ground to cover if I hoped to get to Mt Hotham in time to be sure things would be open. I am unfamiliar with the ski village there and didn't know what I would find. To get there, I figured I had about 30km of walking, predominantly uphill, with a pack loaded with five days food and plenty of wet (and therefore heavy) gear. My guess was 25+kg. I hid my food drum, now containing mostly rubbish, but also a few things I didn't think I would need, e.g., extra gas canister and extra peanut butter. The first 20km was going to be on the Twins Jeep Track where the going was quite good underfoot and no undergrowth to deal with. It was quite clear and, as I kept my pace solid, I enjoyed the expansive views over the mountains, many valleys still filled with fog. The trail either followed the ridge of The Great Divide, or followed the contours. The pack was heavy, but I was optimistic and, apart from my wet socks and boots (for the third day in a row), I felt dry for a change. I took a break after 2 hours at the Mt Murray turnoff, and decided in the interests of staying dry and on time, to avoid some "faint trail" official AAWT route along the crest of the ridge and later over The Twins. This meant walking an extra 3.5km along the Guide Book alternative, but was probably faster and drier. The Twins were lower than Mt Hotham that I would be climbing later. After a brief lunch in a pleasant grassy saddle under The Twins, with great views north and south, it was only another hour before I reached The Great Alpine Road, and the 8km uphill slog on the bitumen, obligingly waving to every grey nomad RV that gave me a toot (which was pretty much all of them, plus most cars) as they ground down the long hill in low gears. Although a grind, the grades weren't too bad and I maintained a reasonable pace. Near the top the road disappeared into fog and about this time my route left the road to follow a foot trail from Diamantina Hut to the Mt Hotham summit (1868m). It was a cold lonely foggy and windswept place which I had all to myself. The Rooftop Run, which I've done a few times, finishes here so I was familiar with the place. No views because of the fog so I made a quick exit and embarked on the road walk down to Davenport Village where, with the help of a friendly barmaid in the only apparently open establishment in the largely deserted ski village, I got a room in a Ski Lodge, 50m from the bistro which doubles as the General Store. I was to be the only resident apart from the caretaker, a friendly guy named Ken. I emptied my pack and all contained bags and hung or laid everything out to dry from every available place in my room. I didn't have any clean clothes, so had a lovely hot shower and put some dirty clothes back on for dinner at the bistro. I'm booked in for two nights and will be washing clothes tomorrow morning. Did I mention that one of the first things I did on entering my room was to smash my head onto a protruding bunk causing a substantial bleed down my forehead into my eye. Apart from that it was a day which largely went to plan and I'm looking forward to my day off. Ken said he had a couple of Army guys here a few days ago walking the AAWT, who chucked it in here. As the leader of the Trail Crew I met yesterday said, you have to be pretty hardcore to walk this first third of the trail at present. The terrain is tough enough, but the bushfires of a few years ago combined with the wet summer mean that the scrub growth has been prolific. It's much worse than 30 years ago when I hiked the same stretch.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 010 - Barry Saddle to Selwyn Creek Road

 

Day:	010
Date:	Thursday, 24 March 2011
Start:	Barry Saddle
Finish:	Selwyn Creek Road
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	22.6
Total Kilometres:	210.2 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	Trail-clearing crew and one 4WD
Weather:	Mostly overcast with some fog, rain and drizzle
Pictures:	No pictures, iPhone stopped working
Journal:	I got going about 8:45am. It had rained overnight and all my stuff out "drying" was saturated. It continued drizzling through breakfast and almost everything was either wet or damp, including my sleeping bag. I rugged up in all my wet and cold weather gear and started hiking for what should have been an easier day than yesterday. The old firetrail was overgrown and I quickly got saturated again, though it was still easier walking than yesterday. However, sadly, in mid-morning on one of the more overgrown parts of the firetrail, I missed a sharp left turn onto another overgrown old firetrail and continued straight ahead down a very difficult and dense wet scrubby descent. I reached a saddle and worked out I had gone off course. After crashing around for probably two wasted  hours, I eventually made it back to the missed junction. I suspect I'm not the first to miss this turn. There were signs of others having crashed around in the same scrub - broken branches, scuffed logs, etc. It was extremely disheartening and tiring and I didn't reach the Barry water tank (put out for hikers on this remote and usually dry section of the AAWT) until 1pm when I should have been there by 11am. I was VERY unhappy, not to mention cold and wet. While having a 15 minute break, I realized I could hear a chainsaw going in the distance. Not long after, I was surprised by a worker who was the lead man of a trail clearing crew from Mt Beauty Fire Station. He was a very nice and knowledgeable young guy and we chatted for about 15 minutes during which time we were joined by a second chainsaw guy. I had seen a chainsaw blade stuck in a partially-cut log a kilometer back and they said they had to leave it there a week ago. I continued on down the still very overgrown firetrail, though with fallen trees now cut and  making life a bit easier when, about 15 minutes later, I could hear a loud brush-cutter getting closer and closer from the other direction through the very dense scrub as I muscled through. In the end, there was a brief pause in the noise and I shouted I was coming through, much to the surprise of the guy wielding the brushcutter. More chatting, and I thanked them all for their work. A little later, I met a group of Australian Conservation Volunteers - four backpackers, three girls and a guy, three of them foreign, and a supervisor - clearing the cut brush off the trail. They were very pleased to meet someone actually using their cleared trail. I enjoyed their cleared trail for the next kilometer or two until I joined the Selwyn Track which was much easier walking. Along here I encountered a guy driving a new-looking 4WD with a baby strapped into a child seat in the front passenger seat looking bemused by the whole thing. The weather began clearing a little and I hung some things on the outside of my pack to dry, but it was soon raining again. I left the nice, though hilly, firetrail to climb Selwyn Mt South (1398m) which was a wet steep ascent into the clouds. Pretty country, though, with long grass, open snow gum woodlands and ghostly big boulders in the mist. After a short descent, I made the (poor) decision to follow the official AAWT route over Mt Selwyn (1424m) rather than taking a slightly longer firetrail alternative I could see on the map. It was getting late and I should have dodged the "faint trail" descent that followed Mt Selwyn, especially since it was in cloud and not much higher than Selwyn South. Predictably, I lost the faint trail and had trouble orienting myself because of the fog. I ended up crashing around on the steep and difficult wet scrubby slope for 45-60 minutes. Eventually, I climbed back to where I should have been and carefully made the descent to a road. It was already 6:30pm and I covered the remaining distance along a firetrail to Selwyn Creek Road, where my next food dump was, by 8pm, just on dark. I found the drum easily and repacked food and then ate dinner (and food dump treats) by headlamp. I didn't wash for the second night in a row and wore damp clothes to bed in the hope they would dry a little. I'm hoping to cover the 30km to Mt Hotham/Davenport Village without problems tomorrow and then get a room for two nights and dry everything out. Everything is damp and it's still drizzling a little outside.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 009 - Camp Creek to Barry Saddle

 

Day:	009
Date:	Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Start:	Camp Creek
Finish:	Barry Saddle
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	15.3
Total Kilometres:	187.6 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	None
Weather:	Foggy with rain or drizzle most of the time
Pictures:	No pictures, iPhone stopped working
Journal:	It rained frequently during the night and was still drizzling when I got up at 7am. Everything was very wet outside including puddles right outside the tent. Inside the tent was damp as well because of the condensation. I packed everything I could while inside the tent before getting out then ate breakfast clad in my raingear in the drizzle. I set off at 8:45am quite anxious about the day. Only 15+km to go, but very tough trail and the scary ascent of The Viking in prospect. I couldn't afford to get lost or take my time. The early walking was along a rocky old firetrail that had become a stream in the rain. But it was pleasant enough walking and I made reasonable time for a couple of kilometres. Then I left the firetrail and began carefully following the faint trail through the very wet undergrowth. I soon became very wet. I took a break at the top of Mt Despair (1464m) in the rain and fog then headed towards The Razor in increasingly dense scrub, a couple of metres high, that was soaking wet. Soon I became totally saturated and quite cold. There were no views at The Razor because of the fog. It was very hard to follow the trail and I had to concentrate hard. Near Viking Saddle, I could hear faint music and eventually worked out that my iPhone had turned itself on through either becoming damp or a knock in a fall. It had been turned completely off! Battery was now down to 10%. Hope I haven't written it off. It was inside a small closed dry bag in a side pocket of my pack, but had still become damp. I buried it inside my pack. I was so cold and wet now, I got out my lightweight down jacket and put that on under my Goretex rain gear to try and warm up a little. The dense scrub was sopping wet and I could not have been more wet and cold if I had been ocean swimming!  Conscious of the time and The Viking ahead, I had minimal breaks and kept moving. The ascent of The Viking was steep and wet and capped off with a scary clamber up a narrow rock chimney. I was wet, cold and nervous, and the wet rocks were slippery. Not a good combination, but I took as much care as possible and made it to the top (1519m) with great relief. It was foggy, windy and cold and there were no views. The trail followed the base of a craggy ridge and became even harder to follow and I took great care. Nevertheless, I managed to get off course and probably wasted 30-45 minutes crashing around on a sodden rough scrubby hillside trying to work out where the trail was. Did I mention that it was foggy and raining? Eventually, with the help of my GPS, I got back on course and continued on. Soon after came a very treacherous and long steep descent that was almost as scary as the ascent. I slipped and fell a number of times. It was very slow going. Eventually the grades became a bit easier and the last hour became a slog through the usual dense sopping wet scrub over a few knolls until I reached Barry Saddle at 7:15pm, totally saturated. I put up the damp tent and ate while still in my saturated clothes, figuring they might start to dry a little with body heat. I then put on my dry thermals, hung my wet clothes out in the forlorn hope they might dry a little overnight, and jumped into a slightly damp sleeping bag at 8:45pm. Some stars were just visible through the fog directly overhead.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 008 - Chesters Yard to Camp Creek

 

Day:	008
Date:	Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Start:	Chesters Yards
Finish:	Camp Creek
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	18.7
Total Kilometres:	172.3 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	One hiker and a group of Outdoor Ed trainees
Weather:	Mostly overcast, some fog and rain
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 7am when it got light and hoped for a better day. The weather looked OK. The early walking was along an old firetrail made boggy in places by cows. What are they doing here!  I didn't bother climbing King Billy 1 or 2, given there were other, higher, mountains coming up shortly. I made good time along the trail through the visually pleasant alpine forest -  gnarly snow gums, tussocky grass and saplings. After a while I left the firetrail to head east towards Mt Magdala and was pleased to find the foot trail was easier to follow than yesterday. It was like a freeway by comparison, though still quite hard walking. The views from the grassy top of Mt Magdala (1725m) were fantastic as promised by the guide book, with mountains rolling off in all directions. On the way up the next mountain, Big Hill, I met a guy day-hiking from a nearby hut and we chatted for about 15 minutes. The subject of water came up and I mentioned that I needed to make Camp Creek tonight or would be a bit short. He immediately offered to give me the litre he was carrying, but I politely declined. How nice was that?  On top of the grassy Mt Howitt (1738m) I had lunch enjoying the stupendous views and spread out my tent and sleeping bag to dry in the sun and wind. After lunch I had to negotiate the aptly-named Crosscut Saw (up and down, up and down, you get the picture) where I was often on a very narrow ridge with very steep drop-offs on both sides. The constant climbing and descending was slow and tiring but the views were great. This was the start of a declared Wilderness Area. Then followed the also aptly-named Mt Buggery (1605m) and the descent to the also aptly-named Horrible Gap. Hard work! There followed a very challenging ascent of Mt Speculation (1668m). In some places it involved virtual rock-climbing with the heavy pack that had the heart pumping with a combination of work and fear. It had been raining so the rocks were slick. Then the fog closed in and I couldn't see anything from the top anyway, though I could smell wood smoke from somewhere. Half a kilometre later, I came across a group of about six Outdoor Ed diploma students (including instructor) on their expedition - only 3 days into their 7-day hike and they had already had two drop out!  I had a brief chat and continued on another kilometre to Camp Creek where I could get water, arriving at 6:30pm. The rain held off until I had almost completed dinner then came bucketing down for 45 minutes. Everything got a bit damp - it was very sudden and dark at the time - but nothing too bad. I finished eating dinner in the tent. Happy with the day, but conscious that I had been averaging 2kph for much of the day with another hard day coming up tomorrow. In bed by 9pm.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 007 - Mt McDonald to Chesters Yard

 

Day:	007
Date:	Monday, 21 March 2011
Start:	Mt McDonald
Finish:	Chesters Yards
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	19.2
Total Kilometres:	153.6 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	None
Weather:	Mostly overcast
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	The early walking made up for the hard work of yesterday as I followed the crests of Mt McDonald round to the east. Although overcast, it was clear and I could see many kilometres to the north, east and west. The ski village on the peak of Mt Buller across the Howqua Valley seemed almost touchable. I remembered a year ago, having run a race that finished at the top of Mt Buller, looking across to these mountains knowing that was the route of the AAWT. Despite the pleasant views, the going was slow and there was no real track to follow. It took me far too long to eventually descend to Nobs Track junction which I reached at noon. Aware that water was scarce ahead, I hid my pack and walked 1.7km down a firetrail to a pretty little creek and then hauled about 5 liters back up, having drunk my fill from the pure little stream. By the time I had done that and had a snack, it was after 1pm and I knew I might be pressed to make it to Chesters Yards for the night. My pace improved along the firetrail, and then on the vague foot track on the climb of High Cone (which I actually sidled across, rather than climbed) and I started to think I might be OK for time and enjoyed the faint trail through the snow gum forests. However, when I decided to follow the supposed trail that crossed the slopes of Square Top, I just could not see the track at all and ended up wearing myself out making progress cross-country along the very steep slippery and scrubby slope. My feet and legs became so sore and my progress so slow, I gave up on the route and hauled myself up the steep slope to the top where it was a relief to stand on flat ground. I had wasted at least an hour. I still had to descend from Square Top and then climb Mt Clear (1695m). I picked up a faint trail on the Square Top descent. By now it was 6pm and getting foggy and raining. With some misgivings about the risks of proceeding at this hour in these conditions, I pressed on, often losing the trail and saw nothing in the fog from the top. By the time I started my descent from Mt Clear, it was very gloomy and I slipped and fell on the wet rocks several times but managed to stick with the faint trail. By the time I reached the bottom, it was dark and I had to get my headlamp out. The 3.5km to Chesters Yards in the fog and rain was no fun on the boggy firetrail. I could barely see 5m in any direction and worried I would miss the Yards where there was supposed to be a place to camp and fresh water. The GPS came in handy and I arrived at 9pm. There were cow pads about (shouldn't be cows in a National Park, but there's a political dispute going on between the State and Federal governments) and they had churned up the road and round the stream. The rain fortuitously stopped, I set up camp, cooked dinner, gave the wash a miss and was in bed by 10:30pm.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 006 - Rumpff Saddle to Mt McDonald

 

Day:	006
Date:	Sunday, 20 March 2011
Start:	Rumpff Saddle + 1.5km
Finish:	Mt McDonald
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	22.4
Total Kilometres:	134.4 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	One 4WD
Weather:	Mostly sunny and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I woke during the night to bright moonlight and no fog. On the road soon after 8:30am and spent the morning following the ridge of the Great Divide on old firetrails. The walking was pleasant, though the constant ups and downs were taking it out of me with a full pack. Through the trees on both sides of the ridge were tree-covered valleys and mountains as far as the eye could see. I reached Mt Sunday (1407m) at lunch time having made a few decisions about the hike going forward. I had set myself an aggressive 26 day schedule in the hope I would finish in Canberra in time to see some friends run the marathon there. However, I now don't think that's realistic and I want to enjoy the hike so will now aim for roughly 30 days including a day off in Mt Hotham and Thredbo. Also, the solar chargers I brought for my iPhone don't seem to be working very well and, since I had to discard my usual camera which had ceased to function, I need my iPhone for pictures. Therefore, future reports will be minimal and I'll keep a written journal. After lunch, the descent from Mt Sunday was made much easier because someone had been through with a brush-cutter and chainsaw. It was virtual jungle and would have been really tough bush-bashing. I even found a trickle of water near some ferns and was able to fill my bottles. The climb to Mt McDonald (1620m) that followed was another challenge following an overgrown ridge and slow work. There was not really a trail, just occasional signs someone had been there before. As the ridge climbed higher it became very rocky and I didn't enjoy the boulder hopping with my heavy pack and fatigue. Kept thinking about the movie 127 Hours!  At the higher altitudes the brush thinned, though still a tough climb but the views were fantastic. Real wilderness. Then I started to hear some thunder coming from the south and decided at 6:15pm I was better to make camp while dry rather than continue on across some bare peaks. I found a small partly protected dip near the peak, and enjoyed dinner on the edge of a high bluff watching a beautiful sunset with the storms missing me to the south.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 005 - Black River to Rumpff Saddle

 

Day:	005
Date:	Saturday, 19 March 2011
Start:	Black River
Finish:	Rumpff Saddle + 1.5km
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	16.7
Total Kilometres:	112.2 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	5 motorcyclists, 3 cars
Weather:	Cool and damp early, mostly sunny and mild later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 7 and left soon after 8 as planned and that was about the extent of things going to plan for the day. Firstly, the log crossing of the Black River turned out to be a figment of the guide book's imagination and I ploughed across the shallow river as quickly as I could hoping that my Goretex boots and gaiters would do the job, which they did. Then the guide book suggested I needed to head downstream to pick up a trail up a spur, but everything was very overgrown and the only path I could see seemed to go straight up the bluff. I followed it and after some precarious moments reached the top of the spur where I needed to be and saw a marker on a tree, the last I would see for 4.5 hours. It took me that long to reach the top of Mt Shillinglaw (1305m) 5 kilometers later. I didn't get lost, but it was impossible to follow what faint trail there was through the incredibly dense vegetation. Basically, for hours on end, I was just muscling through the jungle, clambering over fallen trees, many of them burnt and black, and forcing my way through. So long as I was heading up, I knew I was on track, but I did use my GPS for occasional reassurance. Eventually I picked up a faint and overgrown firetrail and followed it to the summit of Mt Shillinglaw, more than two hours later than planned. Anyone who has hiked this section will understand what a relief it is to have that bit of trail behind me. I reached the Jamieson-Licola road about 1:30pm and found my food dump intact and enjoyed some treats for lunch. I've had to revise back my goal for today and will remain about half a day behind schedule. I set off after lunch and a repack with my fresh supplies that took 1.5 hours, but was a much needed break after the travails of the morning. I now had a couple of kms on the J-L road, then I decided to take Middle Ridge Road, a guide book alternative, rather than the official AAWT route which climbed higher for some views. I had seen the views when I put out my food dump, and I had to gather some water before camping, including enough to see me through tomorrow, and the only convenient stream was the way I was going. I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon following the road which contoured the mountain and gave great views to the east until fog began to close in around 5pm. The only downside to the afternoon was my increased pack weight because I was now carrying 5-6 days of food, made even worse when I added 5 liters of water to the load 3km before I camped in a quiet little saddle about 1.5km past Rumpff Saddle soon after 6:30pm. In the fog and a breeze it got cold very quickly and, after a flannel wash, I was wearing most of my clothes while I cooked and ate. The fog is making everything damp and the trees are dropping water on my tent, but I'm cozy and hoping tomorrow will be at least a little easier than today. I'm now following the Great Divide, and water is scarce for a while.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 004 - Short Spur Track to Black River

 

Day:	004
Date:	Friday, 18 March 2011
Start:	Short Spur Track
Finish:	Black River
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	14.4 AAWT, ~14 other
Total Kilometres:	95.5 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	Three forestry workers
Weather:	Cold and foggy early then mostly sunny and cool
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	It was still quite dark at 7am when I got up after a long and comfortable night's sleep, though I'm bothered by some pain in my right shoulder. It was cold and foggy outside and I quickly put on some extra clothes as I began pottering around the cabin packing up. Visibility was still only about 30m when I set off at 8:30 and it was cold for the first half hour, but then I climbed above the cloud into beautiful clear skies with various mountain tops poking through the sea of clouds below. The walking was pleasant along a logging road but mostly uphill until I passed Mt Singleton (1343m). Then it was more logging roads along Champion Spur which was being actively logged and the new work meant that I missed a turn and ended up walking a few km further. It also made navigation difficult later on as I sought a deviation trail recommended by the guidebook because of bad conditions down along Black River. I stopped for lunch on a log in the sun, still a bit unsure of whether I was on the right trail. And as it turned out, I wasn't. But I didn't find out until I had walked about another 5km and descended some treacherous firetrail for an elevation loss of over 600m!  Curses! I was on some cliffs overlooking the Black River, but about 5km downstream of where I needed to be. I considered a few options but, in the end, decided I was safest to return the way I had come. Two hours later and very dehydrated, I reached the track junction I had dismissed on the way down. In my defence, a number of the trails have different names on maps and this one wasn't marked at all. Anyway, my plans of reaching my food dump at a civilized hour and partying were abandoned and I descended again to the Black River, reaching it at 6:45pm. There was a small place to put a tent a short distance up a track from the river and I camped there. I had time to have a total immersion wash in the shallow and cold river before having dinner. I have about 6km of tough trail to my food dump and have decided to postpone breakfast until I get there, then try and make up most of the ground I have lost today. There were plenty of places I would rather have been on a sunny Friday afternoon than unnecessarily slogging up that extra hill with no water.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 003 - Thomson-Jordan Divide Rd to Short Spur Tk

 

Day:	003
Date:	Thursday, 17 March 2011
Start:	Thomson-Jordan Divide Road
Finish:	Short Spur Track
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	26.0
Total Kilometres:	84.2
Animal Encounters	Birds
People Encounters	One trail-biker, three forestry workers
Weather:	Mostly sunny and cool
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 6:45am when it was just light enough to see and, wearing all my rain gear as mosquito protection, was breakfasted, packed up and on my way by 8:50am. The first couple of hours was spent following a faint trail up a ridge to the summit of Mount Easton. It was slow steady work through the forest, but quite pleasant in the cool and away from the mosquitoes. At the top (992m) I was in the clouds and it was cold and damp with no views because of the trees. After that I reached a firetrail and had pleasant cool walking at altitude along tree-fern bordered firetrail and later more open Eucalypt forest. Then began the very steep descent to the Jordan River. I was very cautious and slow taking baby steps the whole way on the loose gravel firetrail. It took a long time, but I made it safely down to the river which had seen a number of old mining settlements many years ago, but most of the remnants are now overgrown. I stopped at one of them, Red Jacket, for lunch at 1:15pm in pleasant sunshine.  After lunch I had the choice of following the official AAWT route up the crest of a wooded ridge with difficult trail, or following an alternative given in the guide book along a firetrail which ended up in the same place but was 2.7km longer. I chose the latter which climbed steadily for 6km with nice views out to the west, but hard work all the same. I was starting to worry about water for camping tonight and was very happy to come across a small waterfall. I drank my fill and filled my two litre water bottles figuring that would be sufficient to get me through til tomorrow if necessary. The firetrail continued to climb and eventually passed the summit of Mt Victor (1185m). The air was cool and clear and there were occasional good views across mountains as far as the eye could see. I then followed some gravel roads, encountering three forestry vehicles going home. With only a two kilometers to go to my planned campsite (waterless) I took a short deviation along a firetrail to get off the road and came across a cabin in the wilderness with a rainwater tank. There was nobody about and it looked like a weekender. At first I thought I would camp outside and "borrow" some of their water, then I thought maybe I would sleep on their roofed deck, and then when I tried the doors and it was unlocked, I decided to stay inside. There was lots of food, etc., but I didn't touch any of it. Just used a little water and camped on one of the beds. The interests of the owners can perhaps be deduced from the magazines on the kitchen table - Guns & Game and One Hundred New Bikini Babes!  Hopefully I'll have a quiet night and be able to get an early start.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 002 - Rock Shelter to Thomson-Jordan Divide Rd

 

Day:	002
Date:	Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Start:	Rock Shelter
Finish:	Thomson-Jordan Divide Road
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	27.1
Total Kilometres:	58.2
Animal Encounters	Birds, rabbits, lizards.
People Encounters	One southbound hiker
Weather:	Mostly sunny and cool
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I slept quite well and didn't get up until 7am mainly because it was cold and very dewy outside, not to mention the sun wasn't up. When I did get up, it took me forever to get going and I didn't hit the trail til after 9am. Not too bothered, though, it always takes a few days to get camp-efficient. For the first half of the day the trail wound its way across the Baw Baw plateau through snow gum forests with views of small snow plains to the side and occasional distant views. The going varied from easy to very tough through chest-high gnarly scrub, but was undulating at worst. I was quite tired and the pack seemed heavy and by lunch at 1pm I was behind schedule. My tent was wet from dew and I unpacked it to dry in the very light breeze and occasion sun. After working out I had better get a move on if I wanted to reach my target, I continued through the snow gums gradually descending from the plateau. The vegetation became more dense and temperate and I finally reached Thomson Valley Rd leaving Baw Baw National Park. Then there was some little-used and difficult trail that passed through a fern gully and climbed a spur. Finally I reached a nice firetrail and picked up speed. It was gradually descending at first and was pleasant walking in the late afternoon sun. But then it began descending steeply towards the Thomson River far below. At 5pm I met a Canadian, Beau, heading the other way. I had expected to meet him at some point, aware that he was trying to set a speed record for a supported trip along the AAWT. He had a crew meeting him at various points. He was in good spirits, expecting to finish tomorrow night. He warned me of a big tiger snake just ahead, but I didn't see it. After a long arduous descent, during which I lost my footing several times (no fun with a big pack), I reached the river and followed it downstream to a precarious log crossing and a place to camp. The mosquitoes were murder as I set up camp in the dusk. I arrived at 7 and was in bed by 9 after a hard day. And I know I have two very tough days coming up.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 001 - Walhalla to Rock Shelter

 

Day:	001
Date:	Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Start:	Walhalla
Finish:	Rock Shelter
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	31.1 AAWT
Total Kilometres:	31.1
Animal Encounters	Birds, rabbits, lizards.
People Encounters	Four tourists at Mt Baw Baw Car Park
Weather:	Mostly sunny and cool
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	My old running friend, John, was kind enough last night to come and retrieve me from Pakenham station at the end of an 18-hour Fawlty Towers train trip down from Gosford. We got to his place at 11pm and were up again at 5am for breakfast and the drive to Walhalla, the old gold mining town in the mountains from where the AAWT begins its 650km journey north through the Australian Alps to near Canberra. By the time I had stuffed around a bit, it was 7:30 before I started walking on a cool sunny morning with some wisps of fog. Although the early walking was easy and scenic as it followed the contours of the steep-sided forested valley on an old tramway, I struggled with balance with my fully-loaded 25kg pack, and some remnant fatigue and stiffness from Saturday's 45km Six Foot Track trail race in the Blue Mts. Not to mention two nights of less than 5 hours sleep. Anyway, I was fortunate the early going was easy and I gradually got into the groove. After 10km on the tramway and a restored footbridge high above the Thomson River, the day's work really began with a steady and quite warm climb of around 1100 metres up Mt Erica through pretty rainforest with an abundance of ferns. Near the top the vegetation changed to snow gums and Myrtle shrubs and it stayed that way as I followed a beautiful path across the Baw Baw plateau. In places it was almost park-like and there were some interesting boulders at Mushroom Rocks. From 4pm, fatigue started to set in and I slowed and didn't reach Rock Cave, my goal until 6:45. I ended up camping literally on a side trail near a swampy alpine creek and hastily set up camp, had a quick wash and dinner and got into bed at 8:45. I had done 31km for the day, including the long climb, and felt pretty satisfied.  My new pack, boots and gaiters had all done pretty well, though I had collected a few leeches during the day along with heaps of spider webs....and some spiders!