Australian Alps Walking Track - West Peak Mt McDonald to Square Top Mountain

Day: 07
Date: Tuesday, 23 April 2019
Start:  2km south of the West Peak of Mt McDonald
Finish:  Atop Square Top Mountain
Daily Kilometres:  15.0 AAWT plus 4.0km looking for water
Total AAWT Kilometres:  147.2
Weather:  Mild and mostly overcast with some rain.
Accommodation:  Tent
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Trail Mix
  Lunch:  Chocolate
  Dinner:  Rehydrated meal
Aches:  Both very tired, yet again
Highlight:  Walking the last hour along the flat top of Square Top Mountain through light snow gum forest and occasional breathtaking views of the sunset over the cloud-shrouded mountains to the north and west.
Lowlight:  Walking 2km downhill and off-track to "reliable" water sources that proved non-existent.  We managed to drain a few hundred muddy mils from a rainwater puddle, but that was it.
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:

The day didn't start well when we overslept, missing what would prove to be valuable daylight.  Having almost no water, we set off to climb the West Peak of Mt McDonald, and then Mt McDonald (1620m) itself en route to a firetrail down which were supposed to be some running streams.  Crossing the two mountains was, as usual, much slower than we expected.  The views were fantastic over the rolling forested mountain ranges to the north and west, and we were sometimes above the tree-line, but the climbs and descents were steep, the trail hard to follow and very technical in parts.  It took us four hours to cover the 8.5km to the firetrail, where we hid our packs and headed off downhill and away from the AAWT, keen to get a drink and restock at one of the two creeks that it supposedly crossed.  Alas, both were bone dry, and despite descending a bit further, we made do with a little puddle water before returning to our packs.

The situation was now a little concerning, since it was likely to be another 12km along the AAWT before we reached the next reliable water, and since we were so thirsty, we didn't feel like eating our dry trail mix.  We decided that we could make the 12km, though were also concerned about our slow rate of progress and whether we would need to travel after dark.  It turned out our concerns about travel time were well-founded, but we did find some rainwater puddles on some rocks and managed to collect another two litres of water.  We pressed on towards the next water source, but as we travelled across the high "lost world" plateau of Square Top Mountain with the sun setting, we decided to play safe and found a campsite there just before 6pm, some 6km, and one more mountain crossing, short of our destination.

Evening washes were done with a couple of tiny "wet ones" each and we used the water to rehydrate meals and enjoy very welcome hot chocolates.  We are still both thirsty, but have a little water left, and are confident we will make it to Chester Yards and water for a late breakfast tomorrow.  Our slow progress is also making us rethink our schedule, but we'll go for an earlier start tomorrow and hope to make up some time.  Despite all of this we are having a great time and savouring the wilderness and challenges it brings.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Rumpff Saddle to West Peak Mt McDonald

Day: 06
Date: Monday, 22 April 2019
Start:  Rumpff Saddle
Finish:  2km short of West Peak Mt McDonald
Daily Kilometres:  21.7
Total AAWT Kilometres:  132.2
Weather:  Foggy all day and cool
Accommodation:  Tent
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Trail Mix
  Dinner:  Trail Mix and ANZAC biscuits
Aches:  Both very tired

Highlight:  Getting into our tent after a wet, cold, foggy, windswept and increasingly gloomy traverse of the rocky spine of the Great Dividing Range south of Mt McDonald.  It had been hard to find somewhere to pitch the tent and we finally settled on a rocky patch literally on the trail where we had to use rocks instead of pegs to secure it .  It was dark and we were both shivering violently when we finally got it erected and crawled inside.  Heaven!

Lowlight:  Taking three hours to walk 3.5km downhill on a barely distinct trail overgrown with sopping wet vegetation and criss-crossed with large and slippery fallen logs.  There were enchanting fern forests and tree-fern glades along the way, which were magic, but we frequently lost the trail in the thick vegetation, each had a few falls, and collected plenty of leeches as a bonus.

Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:

It was a stormy night with persistent and occasionally heavy rain from 6pm to 10pm, but our tent held up well.  We were a little slow leaving camp as I wasted time trying to find out why my blog posts weren't being distributed as intended, but were on the trail soon after 7:30, having secreted our drums which now contained unused food and trash and will be collected in a month's time. It was a clear cool morning and there were some impressive views of rolling forested mountains with valley fog pouring through gaps like cloud glaciers.  The trail was a very rough 4WD track with some very steep ascents and descents that made for slow going.  We also were soon in fog and that persisted for the rest of the day, marring what would have been some impressive views.

We encountered a couple of hardcore 4WD groups along the very challenging trail, but otherwise had the misty and quiet forest to ourselves.  As has often been the case on the AAWT, very hard work was interspersed with exquisite wilderness experiences.

We eventually reached Mt Sunday (1407m) having averaged a slow 3kph, and hoping we would be able to pick up the pace on the next downhill section but, alas, it turned out to be anything but easy (see above).  The only water source for the day was supposedly a 300m steep downhill bush-bash from this trail,  but we couldn't face the thought of doing that (since we thought we were already bush-bashing), so decided to forgo evening washes and cooked meals and continue on with what water we had left, about 1.5 litres between us until our first water mid-morning tomorrow.  We were already behind our day's schedule and didn't want to slip further behind.  Eventually we reached a maintained firetrail and had our first break for three hours, eating trail mix while picking leeches off our legs.

The balance of the day was spent working our way along a narrow ridge through sopping wet vegetation trying to follow the faint trail.  It was obvious we would have had great views to the east and west if not for the fog.  It was hard to find somewhere to pitch our tent as the sun set (see above), but eventually we did and enjoyed our cold dinner rugged up in our sleeping bags.  Hopefully it will be clear tomorrow and we can enjoy the views.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Black River to Rumpff Saddle

Day: 05
Date: Sunday, 21 April 2019
Start:  Black River
Finish:  Rumpff Saddle
Daily Kilometres:  15.2 AAWT plus 1.5 detour
Total AAWT Kilometres:  110.7
Weather:  Cool early, then mild and overcast with thuderstorms and rain in the evening
Accommodation:  Tent
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Trail Mix
  Dinner:  Potato chips, rehydrated meal and chocolate
Aches:  Both tired
Highlight:  Getting to Rumpff Saddle in time to collect our food cache, do some chores, repack food for the next six days, and enjoy our treats while taking it easy.

Lowlight:  It took 3.5 hours to cover the 5.5km to the top of Mt Shillinglaw (1321m) to find a tree-covered summit preventing views.  It was exhausting and almost relentless slogging uphill on faint, or non-existent, trail, through prickly scrub and over fallen logs.  Having said that, it was kind of neat walking where few people go, and there were some very pleasant sections.

Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:

The day started with a ford of the Black River, which we managed without getting our boots too wet, followed by another crossing of the river, this time across a large log high above the river.  Then started the neverending slog up Mt Shillinglaw (see above), which although tough, was better than I remembered from my previous ascents.  We just kept plodding away, climbing over fallen trees, finding and losing the trail, and eventually reached the top.

From there, the day's walking became much easier, though it still seemed to take longer than we liked as we followed a forestry road, then a firetrail, to our destination, Rumpff Saddle.  I guess we were anticipating an early stop, and collecting 4 litres of water each from a stream (so that we could do some washing at the campsite) with 4.5km to go made that last hour or so, drag.

We again encountered a number of 4WD enthusiasts, and feared there might be some already camped at our destination, but we had it to ourselves until a couple in an SUV arrived in the evening.  We found our food cache and enjoyed the treats it contained.  Both of us have been eating less than the daily rations I packed, so we went through our next six days supplies reducing the size of the daily rations of muesli and trail mix to lessen our loads (we'll leave it in the drums to be collected later) which will be heavy for the next few days with all of the food, plus plenty of water for what is a dry stretch of trail.

Thunderstorms moved in around 6:30pm, and rain began falling, but we had achieved most of what we needed to do and retired to our tent to eat chocolate, drink Diet Coke, and plan tomorrow's hike.  We had a good day.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Red Jacket to Black River

Day: 04
Date: Saturday, 20 April 2019
Start:  Red Jacket
Finish:  Black River
Daily Kilometres:  25.2 AAWT plus 3.8 on recommended detours
Total AAWT Kilometres:  95.5
Weather:  Cool early then warm and sunny
Accommodation:  Tent
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Trail Mix
  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals
Aches:  Both very tired
Highlight:  Finding our way to the Black River despite the best efforts of the guide book, maps and State Forests to send us elsewhere.  Thank goodness for GPS phones and the Maps.Me app.
Lowlight:  For Julie it was when a swarm of bees joined us for breakfast beside the trail.
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:

We got away just before 7:30 without being arrested for illegal camping, though it didn't look like anybody used the local roads anyway.  The guide book suggested a firetrail route as an alternative to the official AAWT route which supposedly followed a faint trail up a spur.  It proved a good choice, despite being relentlessly uphill for 5.8km and 2.7km longer than the official route, because when we eventually we reached the point where the AAWT route rejoined the firetrail, the AAWT was taped off and closed for some reason.

Having reached the top, the walking became quite pleasant in breezy morning sunshine with good views of rolling forested mountains through gaps in the eucalypt forest.  Eventually, the trail joined a forest road that had some traffic, being Easter weekend, and the sun was now blazing down on us.  To be honest the road walking, though easy enough, was quite tedious, and we took the opportunity of using a firetrail alternative that passed a cabin I had stayed in, uninvited, eight years ago when walking the same trail.  Nobody was home this time either, so we ate our lunch on their deck, and filled our water bottles from their tank.

After lunch there was more forest road walking, including one big and long hill to Mt Singleton, before we turned north on a freshly-graded firetrail.  There was no shade and the forest was mostly saplings, making this part of the day also tedious.  We had some navigational challenges (see above), but eventually found the right firetrail to take us down to Black River, our destination for the day.  This firetrail was much more pleasant forest walking and our spirits lifted despite the long day, though the final descent to the river was steep, with the mountain goat (Julie) again leaving me well behind.  On this firetrail, which was very rough and narrow, we encountered several four-wheel-drive groups out scratching their paintwork and denting their differentials, though all seemed in good spirits.

At Black River, we made our way upstream, with difficulty, for a hundred metres to find a nice campsite around 5:30.  After setting up camp, we both had a wash in the freezing river before enjoying our meal as the stars lit up the sky.  A very satisfactory end to a long and hard day.  Tomorrow starts with a steep bush-bash up a spur across the river, which we are not looking forward to, but then we have a shorter day and reach our first food cache which has some goodies for us.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Stronachs Camp to Red Jacket

Day: 03
Date: Friday, 19 April 2019
Start:  Stronachs Camp
Finish:  Red Jacket
Daily Kilometres:  24.0
Total AAWT Kilometres:  70.3
Weather:  Cool early then mild and sunny
Accommodation:  Tent
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Trail Mix
  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals
Aches:  Both very tired
Highlight:  Finding a new log bridge had been erected across the Thomson River when we were expecting, as per the guide book, to have to wade across.
Lowlight:  The climb up Mt Easton along a new firetrail that seemed so steep our noses were in danger of getting gravel rash, and it went on forever.
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:

We woke at 6am and were walking by 7:15, glad that the forestry vehicle that drove by our illegal campsite 15 minutes earlier, didn't seem to notice us.  Again, it was a beautiful morning for walking, though the trail soon left the forestry road and progress slowed as we followed a barely distinct trail through a dark and damp forest of tree ferns.  Emerging from the valley, we then descended through a forest on another indistinct trail that seemed to have a log across it every ten metres.  When we finally reached a firetrail, the 2km had taken us an hour and a half of exhausting work and the day had barely started.

Fortunately, we then a some kilometres of lovely firetrail wending its way through tall and shady eucalypt forest on a glorious sunny morning.  All good things have to come to an end, and the firetrail plunged steeply down into the Thomson River valley with very loose footing that had me taking great care with every step while the mountain goat, Julie, descended at twice my pace.

Down in the valley we had some easy hiking through a recently burnt section of forest.  All ground cover had been burnt and the tree trunks were black, but the crowns of the towering eucalypts were still green and apparently healthy.  The fire yielded a benefit to us, because forestry workers had set up a burnt log bridge across the river where we had expected to wade across.  They had also carved a new firetrail down to the river, which was now the AAWT instead of what was another indistinct trail.  However, the new firetrail was steep, and we were both totally spent by the time we reached the summit of Mt Easton on what had become a warm afternoon.

A few kilometres of pleasant undulating firetrail was followed by another long hair-raising descent that had me sweating while Julie raced to the bottom and waited for me.  The last 45 minutes was lovely walking in a setting sun along the Jordan River valley that still had remnants from the gold rush of the 1860s.  We again illegally camped, this time at the site of the now-disappeared mining hamlet of Red Jacket, at about 5pm and enjoyed a nice evening that was balmy by comparison with the last few nights.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Talbot Hut Site to Stronachs Camp

Day: 02
Date: Thursday, 18 April 2019
Start:  Talbot Hut Site
Finish:  Stronachs Camp
Daily Kilometres:  21.5
Total AAWT Kilometres:  46.3
Weather:  Cold early, then mild and sunny
Accommodation:  Tent
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Trail Mix
  Dinner:  Rehydrated meal
Aches:  Both tired.
Highlight:  The early hours walking along a soft leafy trail amidst wiry snow gums illuminated patchily by the orange of the rising sun.
Lowlight:  Getting up in the cold
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:

I had a lot of trouble putting together last night's diary update because of technical issues, and stayed up later than my exhausted body hoped, eventually putting my head down at 9:30.  I seriously considered giving up on the whole idea.

It was a wild night with the wind roaring in the trees and occasional rain, making it difficult for Julie to sleep, though I was so zonked it didn't bother me.  Fortunately the rain had gone by the time we woke at 6:00, but it was cold, and we were both shivering with frozen hands by the time the tent was dismantled and we hit the trail at 7:30.  The early hiking, however, was magic through the sun-dappled snow gums on soft leafy trail.  Totally quiet apart from the occasional bird call.

This excellent trail, though with a few ups and downs, continued for most of the morning.  Either Julie was slowing down, or I was travelling a bit better, but we hiked together most of the time, though rarely spoke as we soaked up the peaceful alpine scenery.  We met four day hikers along this section, but nobody else for the rest of the day.

The afternoon was harder work on little maintained trail, that was overgrown and had many treefalls to negotiate.  Progress was slow, with 3kph seeming to be our sustainable speed.  Much of the trail was covered by long strands of tree bark, which often got tangled in our feet and sent me hard to the ground on one occasion.  However, we only had a short day scheduled and reached our planned campsite at 4:30 to find a large sign saying no camping.  It's in a water catchment, and we know there are restrictions, but the guide book clearly said a stay of one night was permitted.  We decided to camp there anyway, and will be gone before anybody sees us.

It was nice to set up camp in daylight, though I suspect this will be a rarity, with longer distances and shorter days ahead.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Walhalla to Talbot Hut Site

Day: 01

Date: Wednesday, 17 April 2019 

Start: Walhalla

Finish:  Talbot Hut Site

Daily Kilometres:  24.8

Total AAWT Kilometres:  24.8

Weather:  Warm and partly sunny

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Toast and peanut butter, hot cross buns

  Lunch:  Trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  None for Julie. Dave exhausted.

Highlight:  Making it through the first day with no dramas.

Lowlight:  Finding a large spider inside our tent as we were going to bed.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

My brother, Pete, and wife, Chris, drove us to Walhalla from nearby Rawson where we had all stayed last night.  Walhalla is a well-preserved old gold mining village, nestling in a forested and steep-sided valley and was a very peaceful place, with no-one about when we arrived about 8am to begin our trek northwards.  Pete and Chris walked with us for the first 5km which followed an old path along the side of the valley.  There were lots of good viewpoints and it was a very pleasant way to start our hike, and settle into our packs laden with five days of food.

After Pete and Chris left us we followed the Thomson River northwards on a pretty trail that passed by several historic sites before we crossed the river on a 120yo steel bridge and began climbing.  I'm not a fast walker and it soon became apparent that the order of the day was for Julie to gradually disappear into the distance ahead of me, especially as the trail climbed higher and I became more tired.  However, this arrangement was fine and we both had plenty of opportunity to enjoy the peaceful eucalypt forest as we ascended the side of Mt Erica.

After lunch at the site of an old mill, the track became more overgrown and climbed steadily and there were many fallen trees to negotiate, which made for hard work on warm afternoon.  I didn't spend so much time savouring the peaceful forest on this stretch, and was very glad when we reached a forest road that we followed for three kilometres to the Mt Erica carpark.  I expected this first day to be tough, with a full load of food and unpracticed legs and backs, but I was finding it really tough.

Anyway, with the bulk of our distance for the day behind us, and the sun beginning to wane, I struggled on.  The towering Mushroom Rocks were a highlight as we wended our way through cool chasms, but my legs complained mightily as we climbed over Mt Erica, from which there were no views, and descended to the Old Talbot Hut site where we camped by the brick chimney stack, the only surviving remnant of the hut.  By this time it was almost dark and quite cold.  It’s snow country up here on the Baw Baw plateau, and we are surrounded by lovely snow gums and huge boulders.  It wasn't fast, but we got the tent up and had a wash with some heated water before changing into warm clothes and enjoying our dinner.

I'm hoping my body recovers a bit overnight, and am looking forward to less climbing tomorrow.  Julie is cruising and I think I'll be seeing a lot more of her disappearing into the distance.