Mt Fainter North 28th -30 March

 

Headed off from Melbourne around 7:30pm on Good Friday eve for the long drive to Tawonga to car camp at Mountain Creek campground , the Hume Highway was busy with caravans making a dash out of Melbourne for the Easter long weekend. On arrival to camp at midnight the car park was full of cars as expected and suspect most headed for a stiff climb up to Mt Bogong and beyond the next day, not my thing walking with the masses best to avoid on long weekends.

Settled in quickly rolled the matt and sleep bag out in the back of my van and was asleep within 20 minutes waking up at around 7ish and snoozing to 8:30 next morning.

Was on the road by 9ish headed for the trailhead at Big Hill via a coffee and egg bacon roll in Mt Beauty went down a treat!. Drove an extra 20 minutes up a dusty dirt road which runs parallel to Falls Creek Rd arriving around 10ish

Made my way up the firetrail was beautiful day, passing on the left a km up is Roper Track which I  come up on a bike packing adventure in 2017 was happy to be avoiding it this time as its a steep climb up and real lung buster

Got to Spring Saddle by 11:30am dropped the pack and had a little break.

Spring Saddle

Was back on the trail and entered the the Alpine National Park and the Fainters Trail,

Almost stepped on a copperhead snake so decided to put my gaiters on , out of nowhere a group of 6 walkers come up behind me thought I had the trail to myself, after a chit chat they were on there way.

To my left the trail started opening up to high country views its a cruisy walk up to Bogong Jack Saddle arrived by about 2pm and decided it was time for lunch of tuna and cucumber bread roll.

Bogong Jack Saddle

After lunch headed up to the trail which sidles the Fainters, plan was to spend a night on Mt Fainter North since the weather gods were looking ideal. Was on the summit by before 4 pm 360 views all around of high plains to the north Mt Bogong and south Mt Feathertop its spectacular.

Pitched my tent and walked back down 15 minutes to collect water from a boggy marsh trickle of water, settled in for the afternoon with a cup of tea using my pack as pillow and lying down on the shady outside of the tent was perfect. Had a great sunset and sunrise, the temperature dipped to around 9 so got the puffer jacket and beanie on whilst enjoying golden hour.

Slept well and was up for sunrise before packing up and heading back down to the car, was back in Mt Beauty for lunch and coffee before heading back to Melbourne, a great quick  overnight hike with easy walking and no one around, will make a point of coming back in winter.

Sunrise

Looking east from Fainter North

Morning rays

Wilsons Promontory Northern Circuit - March 1-3

 

Looking Northward vast wilderness

The last time walking this circuit was around 9 years ago , 6 of us battled it out over 4 days on a circuit not to be taken lightly only for the faint hearted who like pain type 3 fun.

We decided to do it over 3 days , yeah stupidity. Partner in crime Spira was also up for the challenge , no doubt will be another epic. Leaving Melbourne late Thursday afternoon and arriving at 5 mile car park around 10pm we were soon off to bed , I slept in the back in the van , full moon was out and having speaking to the park ranger the previous day about permits and filling out a Hiker self Assessment form, she told us we were the only ones out on the Circuit for the next 3 days.

So hearing a car and headlights shining coming towards the car park I shat my pants , I peered out the window and a black van drove in and drive back out again... some time later I heard footsteps and flash from a torch my heart racing again I could only think Spira was going to be murdered and hopefully "Mr Murderer"will not see me in the van.....and I could still go hiking tomorrow 😆... I soon fell asleep after telling myself off for having silly thoughts, I watch too many true crime stories.

After breakfast and last minute preparations we started the walk up the vehicle management track was a little after 7am , weather was coolish crisp and sunny very pleasant for walking. Reaching the trailhead to Lower Barry Creek we turned left, the walking was nice until we hit a road block in the track which required a bit of a bush bash and where the hell is the track, like a pair of old wogs there was a bit of disagreeing and trying to agree to disagree on correct way to use the GPS, and which way is the best way to go, we both had our own ideas "you do it your way and ill do it my way!"  took us an hour longer than expected to reach L.B.C, the track was def not over grown in this section last time so was thinking we are in for a hell of a day ahead.

Lower Barry Creek

Reaching the creek was a relief already feeling stuffed we collected water and filled up our water bladders as there is no water until the next days camp.... I stripped down to my dickjocks and got in the creek so refreshing!..... I tried to climb out of the creeks walls but kept slipping .... before I knew it I was falling backwards back in the water I felt a sharp tree branch stabbed my leg calf at least 4 cms deep, looked horrific I quickly pulled it out which felt disgusting & blood spewing out, with a bit of a panic Spira helped me out and I gave it a clean and wacked a band aid on it.  Decided not to walk out back to the car and just keep walking and hope it gets better , was a discomforting ache for the rest of the day and knew when I stopped and cooled down was going to be  pain to extend and walk on.

After a long break we got going again , the trail varied with Banksias to sharp prickly Heathland bush  head high on non existent trails , was a constant battle of pushing down walking thru the shrub, the GPS was invaluable, pink flag tape would appear and a orange star picket would come into site sometimes, guiding us in the unforgiving wilderness.

Happy to see a marker.

Reaching Chinamans swamp was somewhat a relief which marks approximately the half way point to the beach on the west coast.  The swamp had an inch of water and boggy to walk on sinking down past our ankles, the second arm of the swamp was like quick sand Spira sunk both legs to the knees while I tried to take a different route across I sunk to one leg up to knee, now all muddy from head to toe I changed tack and bashed on the sides and reached the other end it was fucking exhausting,  but wait "There is more!' as Pete Smith from CopperArt would say , 

Was never ending as another part of the swamp was knee deep water now wet boots and feet and an ache on my calf was worried about the mud that would be getting into my wound.

Bogged down

After both having a fair share of tripping and falling more than a handful of times, the trail mentally was wearing thin and become real grind trying to reach the beach before sundown, was a sense of frustration and angst.

Finally after 13 hours the bushland thinned out, the ground become sandy and could see thru the trees the shoreline, the bush spat us out on the beach was a welcoming sight with the bushbash ordeal finished I stripped my muddy sweaty clothes off to dickjocks again and jumped in the water in the beautiful sunset and disinfected myself hoping my injured wound would benefit from the salt water.

Sunset

A sight all day

We setup our tents on opposite sides of the beach and settled in for the night, feeling somewhat nauseous I forced my vegetable vindaloo down was missing an appetite surprisingly , my leg was hard to move as I had cooled right down and very sore, I knew it wasn't good but hoped tomorrow once I get walking I would warm up and be all good to push on.

As I looked up in the sky I saw something out of a sci-fi movie I thought maybe I was hallucinating due to fatigue and a slowly infecting wound, a perfect line of stars stood out in a series of 5 in a row stood out, it started moving at a rapid pace and disappeared . Next morning Spira also saw this and exchanged opinions of what it could of been, he captured this photo

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2020/04/21/what-are-those-strange-moving-lights-in-the-night-sky-elon-musks-starlink-satellites-explained/?sh=3dce9ed17cbc

After breakfast and tea and a slow pack up of tent etc... we headed north up the beach towards Tin Mine Cove and the turn off inland to reach the east coast and Johnny Souey Cove for the next camp and water source another 20 something kms away, the wind was cold and overcast which was good for walking.

Started off ok walking, putting up with pain with each step and hoping to warm up , but kept getting worse and hobbled the 3 kms to the trailhead , was physically impossible unfortunately had to abort the hike , luckily having some phone signal and not needing to set off the PLB I rang the rangers office at Tidal River and asked what best option of rescue is, suggesting 000 and after an hour of talking to police and ambulance services they decided to send out Air Ambulance by 11ish am 2 hours later a chopper came and circled us a few times was thinking have you not seen us, turns out they were figuring out where to land on the beach and if not too soft to plant all 3 wheels on the sand.

A paramedic was lowered down from the chopper onto the beach "Bear Grylls style" and came over to give us instructions on evacuation, original plan was for us to be winched up from the ground but the chopper changed idea and landed the two back wheels on sand and kept the front above the ground so no Bear Grylls style this time damn it!, given ear plugs and being sandblasted with sand from the down draft from the propellas we were loaded onto the chopper and flown to Tidal River where a ambulance was waiting for us to give us a lift back to the car, the views were awesome over the Promontory.

Once back at the car a quick coffee and made our way to Foster hospital for some antibiotics and a tetanus shot, was 43 years ago I had entered the world at the same hospital... a full circle.

 A trip to remember and one hell of a days walking , we will return another day to hopefully complete the circuit but in 4 days what "normal" people do

Coffee post hike 

The Route

Pink Waypoint rescue

Kudus to Air Ambulance Vic and its paramedics for a smooth get out of jail... the 15 minute trip back to Tidal River cost 18k but with Ambo membership free of charge.

Photo Blog Baw Baw Plateau

 📸 Credits- Varrisara R. Tyrone B. 

Gear Review Salomon Mid 4 gtx Boots

 

Brought these as a lighter weight option than my full leather Vasque goretex boots.

Was wearing a pair of Under Armour hike boots I found online for $100 lightweight felt like I was wearing sneakers, not too bad after thrashing them on 3 hikes can't imagine them lasting too long, only problem is they are not waterproof , I like to walk thru streams creeks puddles etc... without thinking twice of keeping feet dry also for snow so a fully waterproof boot must tick the box.

Black Friday sales were on so I picked them up for $260.... took them for a test run in Sherbrooke Forest covering around 12kms got to test them out thru longish wet grass and some puddles I submerged them for half a minute, feet socks all dry very nice , very light feel like a trail runner.  Only problem I had was a blister on the heel right foot. The heels are quite stiff not much padding so I brought some heel grips from Chemist Warehouse , took them on a 19km walk thru Bunyip state forest and had no blisters.

Last hike I did in the High Country I got a blister on the left heel this time, was quite disappointed , so I have ordered some wider heel grips and some spongy blister tape and lined the heels of the shoe.

Will report back and hopefully have no problems.....or il'l be in search for another brand....

Big River & Fainters Bikepack March 2017

Timms Spur 

The 4th quarter of 2016 I started to develop a mild foot pain which escalated quickly into a diagnosis of arthritis in the talonvicular bones of the mid left foot, left me some days unable to walk as it would swell into a balloon  so hiking was off the agenda.  After some weeks of frustration i come up with a plan to ride my bike into the wilderness surely pedalling is user friendly for my arthritic foot.

Started doing some research into bike packing and sourcing the equipment I would need mainly being the bags to store the essentials tent etc.....  Commuter Cycles in Brunswick had everything I needed, an empty wallet and trip to their store later I was excited to start kitting out my Kona Kahuna.

No room for food storage was the only problem so I figure a day pack will be sufficient , I stored the cooking utensils in the frame bag along with spare tube and pump. I could of used panniers but they would stick out too much on the sides and I know some of the tracks it would be getting caught so not a good idea, more suited to road touring and back dirt roads.

Now it was all set for a maiden voyage I ripped out the map and started looking at possible routes and regions a circuit using the fire trails keeping off the walk trails. With some more research confirming I can use these trails I was good to go, Labour day long weekend was a couple weeks away.

Chosen route would be starting from Bogong HighPlains Rd up the Fainters and riding around on the high plains and returning down to my car via the Big River trail happy days woohoo!

Day 1 Bogong Jack Hut via Fainters Trail

The long weekend arrived and I left Melbourne around 10:30am its a long drive, between bathroom breaks and food I got to the head of Ropers Track around 3pm found a clear area on the side of the main road to park and was keen to get going, the first part up Roper track is around 1.3 km. and 600 meter elevation gain so I knew I was up for a early lung buster and surely not a rideable one! Was on my way half hour later.

Cycled the first 30 meters and instantly the gradient was impossible so I pushed and pushed my heavy bike up , couldn't get traction under foot as it was slippy with leaves and fine loose dirt , had to lunge and push the bike up whilst trying to get traction, I tell you what I was blowing steam huffing and puffing and thinking to myself what have I got myself into , thoughts of stupidity come to mind and what a bad idea this was, but I battled on and finally got up to the start of the Fainters trail.

The end on top of Roper Track

Plan was to camp at Bogong Jack Hut for the night, with now a trail that was ridable I could finally get some better progresss as it was now just after 5pm an hour and half later was thinking its getting a bit late in the day I should of left Melbourne a bit earlier oh well.

I Pushed on it was slow going was a gradual up hill and got  steeper and steeper in places forcing me to again get off the bike and start pushing  "Hike n Bike style" yeah was getting used to not what I had in mind my foot was ok no pain, as light started to fade I gave up on trying to make it to camp in the full daylight , ripped out the head lamp and forged on.

Rolling into camp

As the gradient started getting much easier to ride I started rolling down and entered thru old rusty cattle gates and a pair of illuminating eyes looking at me it spooked me out , some animal I hope, and realised I was at the camp area was just after 9pm relieved because I was hungry and tired. Tucked into dinner after pitching my tent of fusilli pasta the wind had a chill so I was quick to eat and hop into bed.

The wind had eased off  I dozed off but woke a few hours later and was spooked out to hear sound of my bike making noises, a humming metal on metal sound , I put it down to wind passing thru the frame I put my head under the sleep bag hoping it would just stop , had those lit eyes I saw earlier back to scare me.

Day 2

Woke up to a beautiful morning and with daylight could see my surroundings of the area and the little hut, not much of a hut more like a storage shed.

Was on my way around 8am I made my way up the Fainters , was more pushing no riding all an uphill slog , I started to see this trip as a failure and defeated the purpose of carrying all my belongings on a bike it would of been quicker walking and much easier !

Got to crest and levelled out and was able to ride on the rough path , to my left I could see in the distance the clearing I had camped at and into the valley towards Tawonga.

Leaving Bogong Jack 

Somewhere on the Fainters

Started to descend in a a valley and riding on a narrow windy path thru the scrub was fun going.

I reached Tawonga Huts at around 11 and had a good break and a snack, before making my way up again , aim was to reach Ropers Hut the sun was out and was warming up I lathered on the sunscreen ,

Made my way out to the open plains mostly rideable but slow, got to Cope Saddle Hut or also know as the SEC and veered up the AAWT and Pretty Valley Rd got to a point where there was a big hole in the middle looked like it was dug out by machinery for some purpose with flagging tape around it, looked like a grave, impassable around it I lowered my bike into and scrambled with bike up out of it, was difficult and taxing.  Finally I reached the Bogong High Plains Rd.

I didn't know there was a cycling event on I think Peaks challenge so the road was full of lycra hardcore fast cyclist I headed left for 3 kms on the smooth road with cyclist looking at me as if I was lost and what the hell is this guy doing !

Tawonga Huts

Turned off the main road and onto the start of the Big River trail was a little hot by this stage and riding become a problem was too steep and rocky , I reckon with my proper gavel bike I used at French Island trip it would be easy to cycled up.

I pushed and pushed in the blaring sun I run out of water and was dry and parched, I felt dizzy and light headed dehydration was certainly a factor , come to one point I had to lay down for a 20 minutes, plus my 30 litre backpack which was full to the brim with food was giving me sore shoulders and neck.

Had some Pringles and trail mix and kept going , skirted around a highpoint and could start rolling down the hill , I made it to Ropers Hut around 5 pm , dropped bike and went straight to the creek to collect water I was well and truly buggered.

Was a nice evening and being a long weekend I expected some other people to be here but surprisingly  no one, I flicked thru the log book inside the hut and found an old entry from early 2016 a group hike we did in the area. Ate my veg stir fry and settled in for the night.

Day 3

I broke camp around 7 am and headed back up to where the Big River trail continues thru to Timms Spur , all down hill today to the main road , weather was looking bleak some dark clouds were building and a fresh wind blowing , I packed on a layer and my rain jacket to break the wind chill and started the long descent. 

Was a very rocky affair negotiating boulders was hard work on the legs trying to keep up right in some parts I had to stop for a quick break. with bags full of gear attached I lost the agile response I would normally get , steering was the hardest I reckon a fat bike fat tyres would of been great thru here.

Took me 2 hours to get down to Big River saddle from there it was another 2 hours to the main road, one last obstacle of a closed gate 100 meters before the bitumen high plains road, I used the last of my reserves to pick my bike and hurl it on the other side and hike and bike up to the road. from here another 1 km and I was back at my car was great sense of relief  definitely type 2 fun- approx 60kms covered

Note- later that year May 2017 I had foot fusion 12 months later I resumed hiking

Ropers Hut

Approaching Big River trail

Leaving Ropers Hut

Big River  half way down