Clear Hill and The Thumbs day walk - December 18 2011

So after beginning to write up my latest trip reports, I have decided to write up a few older trips that I have done. Over the coming months I hope to add many more to this page. I will begin with a walk that I did with friends Nick and Simon last December, the destination, The Thumbs.

Lake Gordon

After hearing of the feats of other walkers completing a walk to The Thumbs via Clear Hill in 10.5 hours, the challenge had been set. This was a walk that Nick and I had been wanting to do for a while, so we picked our day and set off. And what a day we got! We set off from Hobart at around 6am, and we arrived after finding the start of the track around 2 hours later. The track leads only as far as the summit of Clear Hill. The start of the track is marked by a few tapes, but is rather inconspicuous. It took us quite some time to find. If you reach a high point on Clear Hill Road, you have gone too far. The road begins to head back down to the shores of Lake Gordon, with Wings Lookout - worthy of a visit in its own right - on the left. We got all of our gear on, and it was quite cool to begin with, but the skies were clear, and it was now that we knew that we had picked a perfect day.

Morning light on Clear Hill

The track initially heads steeply through a mixture of bauera and tea tree, but quickly opened out to a gentle gradient, surrounded mostly by button grass and large conglomerate boulders. As the landscape opened out before us, the first opportunities for some amazing photos was upon us. After a few quick snaps we were on our way again. The track heads uphill using a series of rocky slabs, then sidles a false summit, before reaching a small boulder field that leads to a trig point at the summit. After about an hour we had reached this point. Clear Hill itself makes for a beautiful short day walk.

Mt Anne from Clear Hill

The open slopes on Clear Hill

Simon hugging the trig point

The views were amazing!

Looking out over Lake Gordon

Summit Snaps

Nick and I on Clear Hill

From the top of Clear Hill, we proceeded to make our way down to one of the many open leads down to the Clear Hill Plains - a sparse open field of button grass, and more button grass. It didn't take us long before Nick had lead us straight into a tree filled gully, that proved to be a little tougher than expected, but it was the fastest feasible way to reach the spur that we were aiming for. After many tangles with tree branches, jumping between boulders, and pushing though bauera, we had reached our open lead. The slopes of Clear Hill had been burnt some years before, and regrowth is still low. This made walking very easy, although the temperature was beginning to rise. The nice cool breeze that started our day was completely gone, instead a nice warm northerly was blowing our way. After 30 minutes or so, we had dropped almost 600 metres to the plains from the summit.

I think we need to go down there!

Looking for a way down.

One of many scoparia filled gullies

We crossed the plains three abreast, doing our part for minimal impact walking. The plains stretch for several kilometres, bordered by the Gordon Gorge to the north, and the abandoned osmiridium mining town of Adamsfield. In the 1930's, Adamsfield was a booming town, although all that remains now is a few old huts. As we continued to cross the plains, the heat continued to soar. After another hour we had reached a point of ascent, choosing the most open spur up the slopes of The Thumbs. There were many options to choose from, but we took the most open lead, furthest to the north. It would take us straight to the summit ridge line.

Descending into the plains

Having a well earned rest

Nick taking a break

The Stepped Hills

The Stepped Hills and Gordon Gorge, on the slopes of The Thumbs

Ascending a gully near the summit

As we began to climb, Nick had found an extra burst of energy and began racing ahead, while I was stuck in the middle, Simon lagging behind. It was on the lower slopes that I stumbled across our first snake for the day, a little baby tiger. I didn't dare mention it as Simon, a Kiwi, would quite probably packed up and walked home at that point. After several breaks on the way up, I had caught up to Nick, resting on a large outcrop with an amazing view of the Gordon Gorge, and the Stepped Hills further to the north. We waited here for Simon, but after 20 minutes of waiting, he was nowhere to be seen. We decided to go looking for him, and it turned out that he had traversed on the southern side of the buttress that we had gone around, and he was sitting in a prime location, about 60 metres higher in elevation, trying to find us. From here, some large boulders had to be negotiated before we reached the final ridge. We had been climbing for some 70 minutes by now. 

Our rest stop

Clear Hill, almost at the top!

We continued up the boulders, then encountered our first real patch of scrub, a valley of knee-waist high scoparia. This was easily negotiated, and after a further 30 minutes, we had reached a small plateau, where we could see the summit spire not too far away. The ridge is fairly open, but a few places required some rock hopping. The heat was sweltering by now, easily reaching above the 30 degree mark, with a warm breeze blowing. After 20 minutes of hopping along the ridge, Nick and I had reached the sloping conglomerate slab that is the summit. The extremities of the summit were covered in a dry green moss, but climbing was easy. Simon was behind taking some photos, but joined us on the summit shortly after, followed by many shouts from the top. After about 4 hours and 45 minutes, we had reached the top.

The Denison Range

Tim Shea and The Needles

Mt Field West

The southern ridge of The Thumbs

Now we had to turn around and go the whole way back!!

Two figures on the summit

But not before we had some well earned lunch.

After a lengthy break up on top to regain some energy, we started to head back down. Initially we moved quickly, but as we kept moving, we realised how sapped our bodies were becoming, and that we needed to find water soon. Unfortunately there was not a lot to be found anywhere near the summit. We would have to wait until we reached the plains. As we reached the point where Simon had been waiting for us a few hours earlier, we all lay down, exhausted, but still a long way from home. The next part of the descent passed quickly as we pushed for the nearest creek. After about 80 minutes, we had reached a creek, just past the base of the spur. We lapped up precious water and filled our bottles, and had a well deserved rest.

Descending off the summit

Large rock formations

As we crossed the plains we kept an ear out for a second party, who we knew were heading in, with the intention of camping near the Gordon Gorge. We didn't hear or see them, but we must have only just missed them.

Almost there - Clear Hill

It took less than an hour to cross the plains for the second time, the daunting slopes of Clear Hill now directly in front of us. At only 4 metres lower in elevation, the climb back up was going to be a hard slog. After crossing the hot plains, we were again exhausted, Simon was especially beginning to feel the effects of the heat. I can best describe the heat on the plains as a giant hotplate, or perhaps a sauna - although it was not like the German sauna we have all been seeking!

Nick getting some much needed water

 We picked a different lead to ascend Clear Hill. The spur that we aimed to climb was mostly open, and used some large slabs or rock to gain height quickly. The spur lead just to the south of the summit. We had to cross a few small gullies, one containing a welcoming creek, in order to reach our final lead. It took us almost  two hours to climb to the top, although it felt much faster than this. We reached a point towards the top and beginning to become concerned with finding the track again. Our brains certainly weren't at full operating capacity after more than 9 hours of walking. We waited for Simon at this point, while we were still searching for sign of a track. Simon arrived and I decided to jump down off the boulder that we were all sitting on, and to my surprise, I landed on the track. It had been no more than 15 metres away from us all that time! From here we continued on down the track, finding some interesting rock features, one being a giant overhanging bivy cave. We reached the car at about 7pm, after setting out some 10 hours earlier. We had achieved our goal, and in good time too! We stumbled across the car of the other party parked behind us, with a banana peel on my bonnet proof that they were up to no good. We drove back to Hobart very tired, but very satisfied of our days work.

One last look back at our achievement. The Thumbs

To this day The Thumbs is up there with the best walks I have ever been on. I would love to do it again, perhaps from a different point, and spend some time exploring the area around Adamsfield. Attempting The Thumbs via Clear Hill is a very big undertaking and I suggest that is may be better enjoyed as an overnight trip, or if you do decide to attempt as a day walk, allow yourself a minimum of 10 hours, but ideally about 12 hours. Most of all, be prepared for everything. Carry plenty of water and food, and a shelter, even if you are attempting a day walk. 

Thanks to Simon for sharing some of his photos with me.

A winter wander: Mt Mueller - August 12 2012

After a weekend of heavy snowfall on the previous weekend, the thought of walking this coming weekend was enticing. After much deliberation, it was decided that a trip to Mt Mueller in the states south-west was to be our target. Three others joined me, James and Ben from the Tasmanian University Bushwalking Club, and Marco from the Hobart Walking Club.

To reach the start of the track, turn off Gordon Road onto Styx Road, a few kilometres west of Maydena. The road swings under the main road and heads south. Follow the road for 4.7km and turn right onto Mueller Road. It pays to check with Forestry Tasmania to see if a key is required for the boom gate on this road. Mueller Road is followed for 5km until a right turn onto Mueller Spur 6. Turn on your odometer, as this spur is not sign posted. The spur heads downhill for 2km, then a left turn onto a final spur leads to the track head, about 200m down the road. The start of the track is flagged with several orange tapes.

The track follows an old dozer trail, and is essentially straight right up to Fossil Lake. It was a little wet underfoot, but the solid base made for easy walking. The four of us set off from the car at about 9:30am, and almost immediately we discovered that the track was becoming quite overgrown, with bauera tangling around our ankles, making progress slower than anticipated. After 20 minutes of tangles and trips, the track opened out into a rocky base, surrounded by sphagnum moss and tall snow gums. After 50 minutes we had reached Fossil Lake. We were already walking through snow at this point. The lake had a thin film of ice over the surface. At Fossil Lake, with a bit of rummaging around, some old fossils can be found in the rocks. Due to the cold conditions, we did not stop for long, but we managed to find one fossil in a rock. From the lake, the track heads up a steep ridge to a false summit. The track to the top is quite old, and is typified by the old markers, at times nothing more than a piece of bailing twine or rope. The track became vague in places and at one point we had lost it, deciding that it was just as easy to ash our way up to the ridge. After ploughing up a few snow drifts, we reached the spine of the ridge and made good ground up the small boulder field. We stopped for a bit to eat at the top of the ridge.

A typical track marker

This one has been there for a while

The top of the ridge

Marco reaching the top of the ridge

Lunch up the top - a stunning view

The ridge continues along for almost 2km, with a highpoint just 5m lower than the true summit, an easy place to turn around, just at the beginning of the ridge. Luckily we had prior knowledge of this false summit, and we continued down the ridge to a short drop into a saddle, where the climb to true summit begins. The sky began to tease us with patches of blue appearing every few minutes, but alas, it was never sustained. We reached the summit after about 2 and a half hours of walking. We stopped for some snacks and some summit photos, before heading back about 20 minutes later.

Summit break

Ben at Fossil Lake

The view to the top

Fossils at Fossil Lake

The walk back down took about the same amount of time as the walk up. The small boulders, covered in deep snow, made for a potential broken ankle, so great care was taken on the descent. After arriving back at the lake, we made good time back down the straight dozer trail, and we arrived back at the car at about 3pm. Snow walking always makes for tired legs at the end of the day, and this walk was no exception. We were back on our way and we were back in Hobart around 4:30pm. I feel that this won't be the last time I visit Mt Mueller. The views went begging this time, and we expected that to some degree. It was more a chance just to get out of the house for a day and climb a mountain, but I suspect that I will be back on a sunny day sometime in the near future.

Mt Murchison, Lake Dove and a long drive around Tasmania

After meeting up at the university at 6:30pm on Friday the 25th of November, five of us squeezed into my little car to head up to Lake Mackintosh, eager for the walk up Mt Murchison the following day. The five were a mixed bunch. Myself and Nick from Hobart, Judith from Spain, Aye from Myanmar, and Simon from New Zealand. We would meet Alex, the crazy Uruguayan tomorrow morning.
We set off up the winding roads towards Queenstown, the sunset quite amazing as we were driving around Tarraleah. As we approached the hill descent at Gormanston the fog closed in. I could barely see 5 metres in front, so driving was very slow and cautious down here. We eventually arrived at Lake Mackintosh at around 10pm. The ground was quite hard, but we found a site that we could camp on. The mosquitoes were in full force, but they were rarely biting, just attracted to the light of our torches. We headed off to bed, and awoke to a bit of drizzle. It had rained most of the night, but we were all dry inside the tents.

The weather cleared a little and we headed into the Tullah general store to meet Alex who was coming down from Burnie. We had some breakfast and coffee, and we introduced Simon to kiss biscuits here. It was shortly after 9pm and we were off to the start of the Mt Murchison track. We signed in at the logbook at about 9:45. The sign said the walk was 5 hours return.

We set off up through the rainforest on the wide track. It was quite slippery in here, but it wasn't muddy. There was much conversation throughout as we had all only just met. Alex was very hard to keep quiet, especially around Judith! The forest ended and we were walking up a scrubby open ridge, still on excellent track. This was where I turned around on my first attempt. It started to drizzle again, but it was quite warm, and walking conditions were almost perfect. We had some good view early on heading up this ridge. It was an eerie feeling, walking up around these jagged and twisted rocks, shrouded in mist. It reminded me of something from Middle-Earth. The first major hurdle that we found was a small rock scramble. It was steep and slippery, so we made sure that everyone was up there safely before we continued on. As we got higher, the walk flattened out, and we were walking past small groves of pandani and pineapple grasses, as well as some early flowering Richea Scoparia. The summit was feeling close, yet we could not see it. As we continued up and around a large buttress, we stumbled upon another party of 5 who had started some half an hour before us. They had taken the wrong route and were looking for the track to the summit. Alex wasted no time in introducing himself, such was his character. We headed up the track, and with a bit of route finding, we were on the right path. There were several false leads up near the top. I started to get summit fever, so I dashed off in front of the group, eager to reach the summit first. I ascended a flat-walled buttress and I could see the trig station. From here there was no looking back. I waited on the summit for about 5 minutes before Simon, Nick and Alex arrived. The girls were following behind the other group of walkers. We had a short stop on top, with no views, and decided it was best to head back down as it was getting cold. It had taken us 90 minutes to reach the summit. The other group left before us, and we expected they would reach the bottom first. We ambled along, making good time back down. The track seemed much muddier on the way down. Judith and Alex were giving out Spanish lessons on the way back, and then by means of shouting, some playful flirting between Nick and Alex began, with Nick shouting out that he is guapo (good looking). We were just about to enter the forest and we looked back and could see the other group following further up the hill behind us. We couldn't figure out how they were behind us, as we hadn't passed them on the way down. They must have taken one of the false leads and fallen behind. Nick and I arrived back at the car before anyone else, but we were all out within 3 hours. The sign is very generous. We certainly weren't moving quickly and still completed the walk in under 3 hours.

After Mt Murchison we dropped into Rosebery for fuel and to have lunch, before heading down to Montezuma Falls for a quick walk. The walk in is completely flat and follows an old tramway. There are remnants of some of the bridges and there are railway sleepers on the ground in places. Near to the falls we had a peek in an old mining tunnel, where we saw some Tasmanian cave spiders. The tunnel now has a boardwalk into it, but stops after about 20 metres. I don't remember it being there 15 years ago when I first visited. Five minutes later we were at the falls. There was quite a lot of water pumping due to the amount of rain we had that day. We took some photos from the newly built suspension bridge, and stopped at the rest point at the base of the falls and then headed back to the car.

Montezuma Falls

Montezuma Falls suspension bridge

We decided that night that we would search for a better campsite, one with some shelter preferably since it was raining. I decided that we wold head up to Fossey River, which is a drivers rest area. It had toilets, a lunch shelter and an information centre, as well as soft grassy ground. It was close to the Cradle Mountain turn off which suited us as we would be going there tomorrow. We set up, some of sleeping in the information centre, some in tents. We got the gear out to cook dinner, brought out the Eski, and brought out the guitars and conga drums. We drank and sang for hours, various covers being played. It was a good night, and the rain eventually eased up. All this time there were drivers dropping in and out of the site. We were all in bed by 12:30am, ready for a big drive in the morning.

The following morning we arose to head to Cradle Mountain for a short day walk before heading off home. A few of the group had not been to Cradle before, so it seemed like a good idea to go there while we were in the area. As we drove in to the national park, the mist was thick and our hopes of a nice day were diminishing, but to our surprise, most of the iconic mountain was in view when we arrived at the Dove Lake car park. The sun had begun to shine through the clouds and it was looking like we might have a pleasant day.
We set off around Dove Lake, and after 20 minutes we hit the junction of the Mt Campbell track. The track up Mt Campbell is well marked, and climbs steeply through bands of Nothofagus gunni. After 45 minutes we were all sitting atop of the large plateau summit of Mt Campbell. We had very little visibility up the top, so we did not linger on the top, as it was also quite cold. After picking up the track again, we head on up and over Hansons Peak, and dropped down past the Twisted Lakes to have lunch at the rangers hut at the Lake Rodway track junction. We found ourselves enjoying the company of a very friendly forest raven who was intent on playing games. After lunch Simon and I decided to tackle the Little Horn. Nick had given us information on the track that leads to the summit. The rest of the group continued down the Lake Wilks track to join up to the Dove Lake track again to head back to the car. It took less than 10 minutes from the hut and we had reached the cairn that indicated the start of the Little Horn track. The track was steep, and very slippery, but we pushed on anyway. It took us no more than 20 minutes and we were on the top. We had some interesting views up here. Although we couldn't see the full bulk of Cradle Mountain, the mist surrounding Weindorfers Tower had an eerie feeling to it, and the green valley that leads to Lake Rodway looked inviting. We could see the rest of the group having a rest at Lake Wilks, in fact they spotted us first and started to yell at us. In return we mooned them, and proceeded to head back to the track, determined to catch them before the car park.

Lake Wilks

Lake Dove from Little Horn

Looking towards the Cradle Plateau

Mt Emmett and Lake Rodway

Looking east from Little Horn

Hanson's Lake 

Looking at Cradle Mountain

Weindorfer's Tower

We descended down to Lake Wilks using the chains that are in place. It was still quite slippery despite the well used track being in place. We spent a bit of time admiring the old trees in the forest, and the tangled nature of the Ballroom Forest. The old myrtles and sassafras were simply beautiful. We caught the rest of the group not far past the boat shed, and we walked on in to the car park together.

The rest of the day would be spent in the car, heading back to Hobart, via a compulsory coffee stop at Elizabeth Town. We had just completed over 800km, and travelled around the entire state in only 2.5 days, as well as climbing a few mountains. We had a great time despite the weather not being ideal. The places we visited are certainly ones I will happily revisit in the future.

8 Days solo in South-West Tasmania

For anyone that knows me, you would know that I am never shy of a challenge. The prospect of spending 14 days in the wild south-west sounded like a challenge that I was up for, both mentally and physically. I was probably in as good a shape as I have been since the days of my distance running phase. Although the longest walk I had completed previously was a 6 day walk, spending each night in a hut (I know its a little hard to believe), I thought I was up for this. The challenge was a full traverse of the Western and Eastern Arthur Ranges in the South-West corner of Tasmania. This rugged quartzite range is exposed to the worst of Tasmania's weather, taking hits from the Roaring Forties from the west, as well as the cold chills that drift north from the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It was highly likely that in a two week period, I was going to see some of this wild weather that the Arthur Range is renowned for. This is my day by day account of my trip.

The Western Arthur Range (November 9-16, 2011)
Day 1 (Wednesday)
Fresh out of my final university exam the previous day, I knew today was going to be a long day, and possibly physically the hardest of my planned trip. I knew I had to lug 22kg up the steep Moraine A.
I set off from Hobart at 3:30am, half an hour later than planned. I had not slept much that night, exciting in anticipation. I fumbled around in the dark, trying to find my tent poles, which were no where to be seen. It wasn't looking like a good start. I eventually found them in the back yard, exactly where I had left them the day before. I finished packing my bag and I was off. It was a pleasant drive out to Scott's Peak, with a bit of mist about, but it was mostly dry, which was a good sign.
Arriving at Scott's Peak just before 6am, it was misty, but warm - around 15 degrees. The mist had me worried that I was in for a wet, miserable day. Despite my pessimism, I trekked off down the track. I seemed to be making far better progress down the Port Davey Track than I had remembered. On my first trip in here it had taken me almost 5 hours to reach Junction Creek. I was there in half the time. The creek was barely a trickle, not even ankle deep. I scrubbed down my boots and had a snack stop before the big climb.

After another 40 minutes later I was at the foot of Moraine A. I had barely been able to see the range due to the thick mist, despite the fact that I was standing right underneath it. I started climbing, and I was quickly above the mist. I tackled the moraine in short sharp bursts, trying to gain 100m at a time where I could. I found that regular breaks helped me to keep a steady pace.

The mist over the Arthur Plains, Mt Anne in the distance

The sun was out, and the further up I climbed, the more I was struggling. I finally hit the summit of Mt Hesperus at 12pm, much faster than my first attempt. I was impressed by reaching this point in 6 hours. I kept moving, skipping past Capella Crags and Mt Hayes as I had already climbed these on my first trip in here. I found the descent off Mt Hayes a bit of a struggle, my body was starting to cramp up, and it was getting quite windy. I pushed on and hit the saddle below Procyon Peak. I dropped my pack and ran off to bag the summit. I followed some well worn pads around some buttresses, then up through the boulders near the summit. I had a decent break up on the summit, with views west towards Mt Hayes, south the the Norolds and Port Davey, and east to Mt Sirius and Orion, which were in my plans for today. I returned to my pack, and began to head down to Square Lake. It took 20 minutes from the saddle to lake. It was now 4pm, and knowing that with side trips to Mt Orion and Mt Sirius, my tired body was not going to reach Lake Oberon before nightfall. I decided to set up camp at Square Lake in a little grassy patch to the south of the lake.

Square Lake and Procyon Peak

 The sun was shining when I arrived, and I was keen for a swim, so I stripped off and jumped in the lake. This lasted about 30 seconds. It was freezing to say the least. I got the tent set up and dinner cooked, and jumped into bed. A 10 hour day had me wrecked. At about 6pm I woke to light drizzle, but still light. Then the heavens opened. A spectacular thunderstorm ripped across the range, luckily for me it only lasted a couple of hours. It was a nice way to end the day, despite the heavy rain. I was nice and dry in my tent, and the patter of the rain was somewhat soothing. I drifted into a fairly deep sleep, exhausted after a long day.

Day 2 (Thursday)
Today didn't start well. It was raining pretty constantly, and I was resigned to having a tent day, after all I was still pretty tired from the previous day. The sun was trying to break through, and the wind was blowing a gale. It came to 9am and I decided to bite the bullet and pack up and move. It was only going to be a short day carrying the pack. It was about 9:30am when I left the campsite. The climb up to the Orion-Sirius saddle was not as bad as I had expected. From Square Lake the climb looked imposing, but I made good time up there. I dropped the pack and went for a quick run up Mt Sirius, following a fairly good pad most of the way. I returned to my pack and ambled along the track for 5 minutes until I reached the Mt Orion track turn off. I wandered up the track, and then lost it, bashing my way through low scrub and boulders. I reached the saddle between its two summits, and found the track again. I followed the cairns until the block below the summit. The cairns seemed to head further west and come up the western side of the summit. I didn't see the need to use the track, the boulders seemed easy enough to scramble straight up. They were a little steep and slippery, but there were no major dramas. After a short break on top, I decided to follow the cairns back the to the saddle. It took much longer than the direct route that I had used. At one point I found myself squeezing through a narrow crevasse to negotiate a large block that was obstructing my path. I picked up my pack and started to head to Lake Oberon where I would spend the night. I had heard many stories about the descent into Lake Oberon.

Lake Oberon

It is reputable for its steep scramble down the gully, and I had heard that if this was found to be difficult then you should not continue through the range. I started wandering down, wondering what all the fuss was about. The track was quite slippery, but at no point was it extremely steep or dangerous. Then after a few minutes of descending, I found the section that people were talking about. I can see how groups could have trouble with it, but even in its slippery, wet state, I had no issues scrambling down. The traverse across the ridge top and down into the lake was a little monotonous, It was raining and windy, and I was keen to just jump into the tent. To my surprise it was only 1pm when I arrived at the campsite. The designated platforms had to be the worst I had ever camped on. There were very few nails in the platforms to hook the tent into to achieve a good pitch, and the track to the toilet and water sources was a mess, mostly underwater, with bog all around it from where people have been avoiding the water. I set up camp and had some lunch, and decided to make the following day a bit shorter by going for a run out to Mt Pegasus and its southern neighbor.

Square Lake and Mt Sirius

The walk up Mt Pegasus would give me an idea of what I was in for the next day, I had heard of a few tricky bits going up there. I made really good time heading up, I found a couple of slippery sections, but had no real issues. Close to the top there is a boulder squeeze, which was great fun with just the day pack on, but I knew this was going to be tricky with the full pack. I reached the summit of Mt Pegasus in 45 minutes. It was fairly clear up on top, but extremely windy. I wondered if the wind was ever going to settle down. I headed off the summit and bashed down towards the open ridge that lead out to Pegasus South. The scrub was low, and I found pads in places. Once on the open ridge it was easy, with a few small buttresses to sidle, but as long as I kept to the western flanks I was fine. After a short scramble I was on the summit. It was so windy I could barely stand. I snapped a couple of quick photos and headed back to the main track. On the way back I discovered a clear cut track from the beginning of the ridge back up to the main track. It sticks very close to the western side of the buttress that must negotiated. I eventually hit the main track again and headed back to Lake Oberon. There were a couple of spots where I lost the track, but some airy scrambles saw me back on it again. I was back at the campsite by 3:30pm, very surprised, since Chapman's guide to the Western Arthur's suggested it takes 2 hours to do the trip to Pegasus South from the summit of Mt Pegasus. To do both from Lake Oberon in 2.5 hours seemed to be a good achievement.

I cooked up a big dinner and had a cup of coffee, the rain threatening, but with the wind as strong as it was, it was never going to stay around for long. Every time it rained the wind would push the storm on and it would be clear again. I was hoping for a good nights sleep, knowing that the next 2 days of the trip would be the hardest.

Day 3 (Friday)
I didn't sleep well at all that night. It rained constantly, and due to the horrible tent platforms, I had to wake up every 30 minutes or so to push off all the water that was pooling on the bottom end of my tent. I now wish I had a free standing tent, I would have slept well in one of those. It was still pouring when I woke up, and I had very little energy. I decided this was definitely a tent day. By late morning the weather had cleared and it was a beautiful day. I should have been out walking, but it was going on too late now. I got a good rest and was primed for the next two hard days ahead.

Day 4 (Saturday)
I woke up bright and early for the walk to High Moor. I had had a pretty dry night, I was glad to have a dry tent to pack up. The climb up Mt Pegasus was relatively event free, only having to take off the pack in the boulder squeeze. The descent off Mt Pegasus was quite steep, but no major dramas. Before I knew it I was almost at the top of Mt Capricorn. The ridge up to the summit seemed effortless. It was 11am when I reached the summit, I'd been walking for about 3 hours. I had a quick snack and off I went. The descent off Mt Capricorn is unreal. I had heard that it is becoming impassable, but the muddy slopes were quite dry and I had a good track to follow down. The track heads almost straight down, a series of muddy steps showing the way. I reached the bottom and looked back. It looked impossible. I wouldn't like to have to walk up it thats for sure. I continued on and left my pack on the high point of a small sidle of a knoll. I climbed up the knoll and found a pad that lead down the other side. The pad would lead to the saddle of the knoll and Dorado Peak. It dropped off the knoll steeply, but the track was easy to follow. From the saddle it was very quick to the summit. The sun was out and it wasn't too windy.

High Moor and Mt Columba from Dorado Peak

I quickly retraced back to my pack and was ready to tackle the slopes of Mt Columba. This didn't take very long, and before I knew it I was walking down duckboards to High Moor. This was probably the best campsite on the range, despite its apparent exposure. I had only just set up the tent when I saw a figure walking down the hill. He stopped in and said hello. I was relieved to have finally seen someone else on my trip. He had walked from Lake Cygnus that day. He was considering continuing on to Haven Lake, but he decided against it. It was only about 3pm when he arrived. His plan was to get off the range the following day. Only two nights on the range seemed a little strange to me. Why not spend some quality time embracing the remoteness and wildness of the south-west? I couldn't understand it. He set his tent, and I had a cup of coffee and then shot off up Mt Columba. I had some good views up here, and I was hoping to make it back up for sunset since it was clear. I got back and had a short nap before I cooked some dinner. The sun was setting, but it was not a spectacular sunset like I had hoped. I decided to call it a day, with a big day to come.

Evening at High Moor. Dorado Peak in the background

Today was the first day I had started to doubt my 14 day plan. I still had until Thursday before my Eastern Arthur's plan became a no-go. The mental challenge of getting up and moving was starting to get to me. Luckily for the next morning I had someone there to wake me up and give me a kick along.

Day 5 (Sunday)
When I woke, the conditions were almost perfect. There were almost no clouds in the sky and the sun was out. And as an added bonus, my tent was dry from the clear night. Today was the last hard day of the Western Arthur's, the Beggary Bumps. Breakfast was eaten and we were on the track by 8am. It didn't take long before our first obstacle was reached. I had a struggle on a little ledge that required sidling across. The weight of my pack made it a little difficult. After getting down the ledge we headed to the Tilted Chasm. The Tilted Chasm follows down the side of a large buttress, with a scree-like slope to follow down.

The Tilted Chasm

It was loose and slippery so we took our time to make sure we got down safely. We were quickly at the next major landmark on the Beggaries. We reached The Dragon. This was where I had planned to leave my friend and tackle Mt Shaula. I wandered up to the summit of The Dragon to try to find a route down, but I could not find one. Then an almighty hail storm hit. I decided it was best to head back to the track, where to my surprise I found my campsite companion wandering aimlessly, having lost the track. After a bit of searching I found the track and we were off again. We dropped down a gully and then the track turned to head back uphill again. It was still hailing quite heavily. The track seemed to go up an awful long way, and it didn't feel quite right, despite being on a well worn track. We got to a high point only to realize that we were heading back up the other side of The Dragon. We were on the wrong ridge line. I think I just found the way out to Mt Shaula. Due to the persistent hail I decided to leave Shaula for a day trip later in the summer, where I hope to summit from the plains below. We headed back down and found the track and followed it without too many issues to Mt Taurus and Haven Lake. This was my stop for the day. It was 1pm when we reached the lake. My friend continued on, he was hoping to reach Cracroft Crossing by nightfall. He still had quite a way to go. I could hear him cooee from the top of the ridge above the lake as I was setting up my tent. After getting the tent set up, I grabbed a few bits and pieces and threw them in the day pack and headed off for Mt Aldebaran. The guidebook said it was going to take 2-3 hours. There was a reasonable pad out most of the way, at least where it was needed. The views from the summit were amazing. I could see quite a distance, with good views of the Eastern Arthur's, West Portal, as well as the range I had just walked across. The Beggary Bumps looked insignificant, and Mt Sirius was still an imposing figure.

Western Arthur's from Mt Aldebaran

Wind blown tree above Haven Lake

I had decided by this point not to continue across the Eastern Arthur's as my body was hurting, I had hurt my shoulder somewhere in the Beggaries.  I got on my phone and let a few people know my revised plan. I felt that I had still made a significant achievement by completing all but one peak in the range so far. Having already been through the Eastern Arthur's before, it was a pretty easy decision to make anyway. I returned to the campsite, it took me well less than 2 hours for the return trip to Mt Aldebaran. Again I had beaten Chapman's times. I must be getting fitter I thought. The evening was amazing at Haven Lake. The sun was reflecting beautifully off the lake, and the wind had died down. I cooked up dinner and headed off to sleep, ready for a relatively easy day tomorrow.

Sun shining on Haven Lake and Mt Taurus

Day 6 (Monday)
Today didn't start well. It was raining heavily, and the thought of packing up my tent wasn't a welcome one. I decided to wait it out for a while to see if the front passed. About half an hour later it passed and I packed up and got moving. Just as I started to move, the rain came down again. I was aiming to camp at either Lake Vesta or Juno tonight, just under Mt Scorpio. I headed up across the ridge to the descent to Lake Sirona, and then up to Mt Sirius. It was quite windy on the ridge top. After getting a few photos up on Mt Scorpio I proceeded to descend down the Kappa Moraine track. I turned off the track to head down to the lakes. Both the Lake Vesta and Juno campsites were waterlogged, so I had no choice but to continue to Promontory Lake. The walk around the lake shore was tedious to say the least. It was boggy, and it was raining. The designated camp site here was also a muddy quagmire, so I was forced to camp on an exposed grassy ridge. It was a good spot, except for the howling gales that were blowing in from the west. It was 4:30pm by the time I had my tent set up. Not realizing how late it had got, I decided that I better go for a quick run up Carina Peak. I found a pad and cairned track to follow up. There is only 3 metres in height difference between its twin summits, so I climbed both to be sure I had climbed it. I started to descend, and it started to snow. Now I'd had it all. I somehow lost the track I came up, so I just bashed down, descending some small cliffs with the assistance of scoparia branches.

View from my tent at Promontory Lake (Carina Peak)

I made it back to camp and ate some food and curled up to read a book for a while before sleeping. Only 2 days left and I would be home.

Day 7 (Tuesday)
The wind didn't relent at all overnight. I slept reasonably well still. I got up early ready to tackle West Portal as a day trip. I was expecting to spend somewhere between 8-10 hours to get out and back. I made my way up the ridge to The Sculptor and then descended into the saddle above Lake Venus. I picked up the track and made quick progress up The Phoenix. I was up on the summit of The Phoenix after half an hour. It was quite clear, but still windy. I could see what I had to negotiate to get to West Portal. There were two major bumps to climb over before a steady climb to the top. I headed down off The Phoenix and headed to the first bump. I was up in no time, and then the track flattened out for a while. I reached the second bump, but the track sidled around the southern side, meaning less climbing for me. After 1.5 hours I was on the final ridge to the summit. It took around 45 minutes from here to reach the top. I climbed the first summit, which is an easy scramble up boulders. It is not the highest point, but in my opinion, had the best views. I could see the entire Western Arthur's, and the Eastern Arthur's looked very close. Federation Peak looked very attractive from here. I dropped off this summit in search of a route up to the high point. I had heard that it was an airy scramble to the top. I found a gully to scramble up. It was a little airy, but nothing too difficult. I had a snack up on top and took some photos, then tried to find a better way down. I found a gully that was far easier than the way I came up. It wasn't airy at all.

Federation Peak and the Eastern Arthur's

The Western Arthur's from West Portal

I continued to retrace my steps back to the track. The weather started to close in as I was climbing back up The Phoenix. I still had a trip out to Mt Canopus to do before I could go back to the tent. I left the track at the bottom of The Phoenix and sidled around The Sculptor to the ridge that leads to Mt Canopus. I made the mistake of trying to gain height too early and found myself having to drop back down a few times. It was relatively easy walking, the wind making it harder. I reached the top and the rain and hail started to come down. I thought I better get back to the tent as quick as I could.

Looking at Promontory Lake from Mt Canopus

By the time I got back to the camp it was pouring and very cold. I stripped off quickly and jumped into the tent to warm up. It had taken 7 hours to walk to West Portal and Mt Canopus. Much faster than I anticipated. It was only about 4pm, so being my last night of the trip, I finished reading my book, Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden. I recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction. By 8pm I was asleep, resting up for the tedious walk out across the Arthur Plains.

Day 8 (Wednesday)
I got up early and packed up, heading for the Kappa Moraine track. It was sunny in the morning which was a nice change from the last couple of days. I passed Lake Juno and Vesta and headed down the track. I planned to take the shortcut off the moraine to the McKay's Track. I left the track and headed down through the button grass. I must have picked a route slightly too far down the track. I hit a forest, and could see a spot on the other side that I set a bearing for. Entering the forest I encountered some thick scrub, but after a bit of pushing, I entered an open rain forest. It was quite pleasant walking. I followed a creek down, then I could see the button grass clearing. I pushed through the scrub to the clearing, where there was a large rock that I climbed to pick out the best route down to Seven Mile Creek. It was open walking down to the creek. I picked a spot that had been burnt out by a bush fire. It had a little bit of scrub, but was fairly easy to negotiate. I crossed over the creek, about thigh deep, and headed up to the button grass plains until I hit the McKay's Track. I don't think the shortcut saved me a lot of time, but it cut off about 5km of walking. I plodded along the muddy track until Wullyawa Creek. I stopped for a break and I decided to put some music on my iPhone to hopefully make the time pass a bit quicker. It was quite warm down on the plains. I made much better progress walking with the music. I was aiming to cover about 1 kilometre every 15-20 minutes. I think I was achieving this. I ran into a guy at Two Mile Creek who was planning to go up Kappa Moraine that day, it was about 1pm already. He was going to head to West Portal and then up into the Eastern Arthur's. It seemed like a lot of effort to go to, but good on him I guess. I made it to Junction Creek about an hour later. I headed back down the Port Davey Track, heading towards the car park. It was getting cloudy, and rain was threatening. It started to drizzle just as I was entering the forest half an hour from the car park. I was back at the car at about 5pm, taking about 3 hours from Junction Creek. I was glad to get out of my wet, muddy clothes and into a clean set, and glad to be at the comfort of my car. I drove on home, getting home at about 8pm. I was exhausted, and slept very well that night.

This was by far the most rewarding trip I had ever been on. I learnt a lot about myself, and pushed some mental and physical boundaries. I recommend that anyone who is fit and able visits this range, at least as far as Lake Oberon. I would be very happy to revisit this part of the state, hopefully in better weather next time, although I think I had it pretty good up there!