Thursday, March 28, 2024

Stockyard Spur and Mount Gingera

The track up Stockyard Spur comes with a warning, which I neglected to take a photo of, but something about over 500 metres of gain in a couple of kilometres. On my topographic map the elevation gain is about 500 metres to the end of the Stockyard Spur fire trail which continues to gain elevation as it undulates along a ridge through a beautiful open eucalpyt forest. Stockyard Spur peaks at about 1700 metres before descending a short distance to Mount Franklin fire trail.


Stockyard Spur Fire Trail


Apparently, this is a popular walk but midweek there was just a solo runner coming down as we walked up. The track is so good, it took us only an hour to join Stockyard Spur fire trail which provides lovely walking along a broad ridge through an open and mature forest. There are a couple of good rock slabs, one to the left of the track and one to the right, which make good rest stops with views.


Snowy Flats


We joined Mount Franklin fire trail at the base of Little Ginini Mountain and walked along with the open plains of Snowy Flats to our east to Pryors Hut and the small plantation of Scotts Pines – untouched by fires while the snow gums were burnt. Then another kilometre along the fire trail to the foot path that ascends Mount Gingera where we had lunch on granite slabs overlooking familiar peaks like Namadgi, Burbidge, Kelly, Bimberi and Murray.


Summit of Mount Gingera


Doug returned via the track to the fire trail, while I walked along the ridge top to the northern end of Mount Gingera before dropping down to rejoin the fire trail. At the junction with the final spur track down Stockyard Spur, I caught up with Doug having a last stop at the end of Stockyard Spur fire trail and the start of the foot path.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Tidbinbilla Skyline: Camels Hump, Johns Peak, Tidbinbilla Peak and Tidbinbilla Mountain

There is great bush-walking in the ACT, which should surprise no-one as Canberra is surrounded by bush land. I’d only done one walk in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve before, Mount Domain from Fishing Gap (it appears I never wrote that trip up for the blog). Anyway, when we walked up Mount Domain (1506 metres), I thought we were walking up the highest peak in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve but we were not. Tidbinbilla Mountain, about four kilometres north at 1615 metres is the highest peak in Tidbinbilla NR.


Camels Hump


ACT Parks, who seem to be eminently sensible compared to many other state Parks and Wildlife government bureaucracies, are clearing a grade 5 track which will, when complete run along the spine of the entire ridge crest that divides Tidbinbilla from Namadgi. The trail will start at Fishing Gap in the south (fire trail accessible) and run all the way along the ridge top to Camels Hump in the north (accessible via various fire trails). Note that the fire trails in Tidbinbilla are, appropriately enough, walking or bicycling only.


On the Camels Hump looking towards John Peak


This is not a new route as bush-walkers have been trekking along this ridge for many years, likely decades. No real major work is required, just a little cutting back of brush. Certainly, ACT will garner a new high quality bush-walk for far less than the recently opened “new” Clifftop Walk in the Blue Mountains, which ran at a cost of over $500,000 per kilometre to essentially upgrade an series of existing tracks. Publicity, I guess, costs a lot these days.


The Pimple


With that digression out of the way, on a wonderful clear blue sky day, we parked at Mountain Creek car park in Tidbinbilla, and walked along the fire trail that runs north below the ridge crest until we reached the ridge crest at a saddle immediately south of the Camels Hump. A short walk up a steep track (the grade 5 bit, I guess) and we were on top. Second breakfast or first lunch, was taken on a rocky overlook just below the top in the sun with grand views.


Along the ridge to Tidbinbilla Peak


Back at the saddle, a good track runs along the ridge crest to Johns Peak which has some rock and scree on the northwest side. Beyond Johns Peak, the track is not yet complete, but it is easy enough to walk along to Tidbinbilla Peak, a kilometre to the southwest. Tidbinbilla Peak has an old burnt down trig which makes a good spot for second lunch. From Tidbinbilla Peak, we wandered down a good track for about 100 metres vertical chatting away before I thought “Wait a minute, this track is going down too steeply to be heading for the pass with Tidbinbilla Mountain.” Indeed it was, we had inadvertently wandered off the ridge and down the spur track which leads back to the fire trail. Doug decided to keep going down, but I turned around and walked back up soon regaining the ridge that runs along to Tidbinbilla Mountain.


Good to see the bureaucrats have a sense of humour


The two kilometre section to Tidbinbilla Mountain has only a vague track and some flagging, but it is easy enough to follow if you don’t get drawn into conversation with your hiking partners. I was longing to walk out to The Pimple from point 1555 metres on the ridge, but was aware that Doug would be waiting for me back at the car, so I continued past. Tidbinbilla Mountain has probably the best views, but, with Doug waiting at the car, I did not linger long but found the track that plummets down a steep spur ridge to join the short nature trail at Mountain Creek. This section of track loses about 600 metres of elevation in about 1.5 kilometres so plummet is a good adjective, or even a verb as I was plummeting down the track.


Ridge to Tidbinbilla Mountain


If I were to do this walk again, and I might, as I did not tag The Pimple, I would walk up the steep track to Tidbinbilla Mountain and take the fire trail route down.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Mount Rufus

A maintained trail to the top of a mountain with the opportunity to walk a loop is about as good as it gets in Tasmania, especially if it is a clear sunny day. And, if it matters to you, Mount Rufus is also an Abel.





There is not too much exciting or different to be said about following a well marked track. However, I’ll try and pad the photos out with some words. The start of the track is also the end of the Overland Track although I don’t imagine many people walk the lake shore when the ferry is running. In any event, a short flat section along the lake shore on wide and well graded track leads quickly to the Mount Rufus track which climbs steadily but never steeply to reach an alpine plateau in a couple of hours.





This is the best part of the walk as you are out in the open with views all around including southwest to Frenchmans Cap. Of course, it was windy on top of Mount Rufus so we found a sheltered spot for lunch while playing the usual “identify those peaks” game.





The track then heads northwest down a broad ridge to the saddle with Mount Hugel before turning east and following a valley down to Shadow Lake where Little Hugel is framed across the lake. Down another ridge so broad and forested it is hard to tell you are on a ridge and then the track joins the Overland Track at Watersmeet, and a couple of kilometres walk to the ranger station.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Projection Bluff

Another good short bushwalk when you are driving past is Projection Bluff. There is a small (1 to 2 cars only) carpark on the western side of the Lake Highway. The map shows the true highpoint is (probably) the spot elevation on the northwestern end of the bluff. It’s possible a track does lead through the scrub if someone is compelled to gain an extra five metres of height.


View from southern high point


The track is good and goes pretty much straight up from the car park (yep, my favourite). And emerges onto the plateau through a gap in the dolerite columns. There are tracks going both north and south with cairns and I visited both while Doug went to the southern one. The best view might be from the southern end. Projection Bluff is not an Abel, but, it does overlook Rats Castle, another nearby Abel.


I'm pretty sure this is Rats Castle

Monday, March 18, 2024

Quamby Bluff

We are on our way up to the Lake St Clair for a bush-walk. The driving route passes the track that leads up Quamby Bluff. Quamby Bluff is an Abel, which is surprising on a couple of counts. The first is that Quamby Bluff does not seem a very impressive peak, the second is that I wonder how the term “Abel” has been able to persist in these anti-colonialist, inter-sectional, critical theory times. I am sure it is just a matter of time until the term is replaced with something much more palatable to the progressives.


Quamby Bluff


Anyway, the trail head is easy to miss but comes soon after you pass the small community of Golden Valley (heading south). The trail head sign indicates that five hours should be allowed for the return walk. I do not profess to understand how Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service manages their tracks. It’s not altogether clear to me (unpopular opinion ahead, brace yourselves) that the agency is not staffed by petty bureaucrats drunk on power; but it won’t take that long. Just over two hours should be plenty for most regular bush-walkers.





It’s a pretty nice walk when you are driving by. I like tracks that go straight up. Why faff around. If you are going up, go up, if you are going down, go down. I once walked up a mountain somewhat ostentatiously called Matterhorn Mountain in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness (it didn’t look much like a Matterhorn). The route to the top branches off Ice Lake trail and requires a short easy “off-track” section which was all well and good. It was the 7,000 switchbacks needed to gain the ridge that were tedious. I think I walked about 38 kilometres that day and I was foot sore at the end. Thirty of the 38 kilometres were on unnecessary switchbacks.





But back to Quamby Bluff. The track leads past a small monastery and then proceeds uphill through some forest to cross a talus field and emerges onto the plateau via a shrubby gully. From the top of the gully it is a gentle stroll south to the top.


Sunday, March 17, 2024

Minimum Effective Dose

Everyone should know the concept of the minimum effective dose. The smallest amount of anything, be it medication, supplementation or training, that produces the desired effect. As a concept, it is worthwhile to think about when planning your training for a big event or trip, but, in practice, it is impossible to determine in advance, and probably equally infeasible to estimate afterwards. You might get through the trip but perhaps, with a little more or a little less training, you might have been faster, or less tired, or more able to do extra distance.


Camp near Mulcahy Bay


After a big trip, I always think about whether or not my training was adequate. Less often, I wonder if my nutrition was adequate. Nutrition on trips is much harder to control than training. I would love a steak, salad and potatoes every night on a sea kayak trip but it is just not possible. Nutrition often falls into the category of just doing your best while recognising that best is nowhere near ideal.


First real meal after finishing at Southport


Before we started and certainly once we finished paddling from Strahan to Southport, I was convinced I would never undertake such a trip again. It was not so much the trip that put me off but the training. As I enter my 7th decade on this planet (I’m 61 this year), I realise, with a good dollop of dismay, that while I can continue to stay active and do lots of things, my ability to recover from “lots of things” is reduced and takes more time; steak, salad and potatoes for dinner every night notwithstanding. The corollary is, if I’m doing more kayak training, I have to decrease the other activities I do in order to recover. Trail running, bush walking and climbing all fell away in the months leading up to our Tasmania paddle trip.


Nick and Doug at Southport


My schedule was roughly – every seven to ten days (dependent on recovery): one long paddle day up to 50 kilometres, one day working speed: 12 to 15 kilometres on the ocean maintaining as fast a pace as possible (trying to maintain a pace of about 8 km/hr), one day on skills, and one day paddling in “Tasmania like conditions” – wind, rain, big swells (or all the former together). Additionally, I strength trained three days per week, albeit focusing on maintenance not building, and, I ran the Saturday Park Run for metabolic conditioning.


Plugging into a 20 knot wind on a training day


Doug and I did all our training, with the exception of two days, on the ocean. While I think it is possible to train for flat-water paddling on the ocean, I don’t believe one trains appropriately for ocean paddling on flat-water. The two are different in so many ways, not least getting comfortable paddling in difficult conditions.


Early morning start on a long training day


Various friends and acquaintances had different ideas about how we should train for such a trip, and these varied from doing all our paddling with loaded boats, to training almost entirely using intervals or sessions of no more than three hours. As none of these folks had successfully completed a trip like ours, I felt confident giving these ideas no further space in my mind. Talk, as Mark Twight said, minus action equals zero. Additionally , there is fairly well supported research evidence to suggest that none of these suggestions is actually a good way to prepare for long endurance events.


Entrance to Mainwaring Inlet on a stormy day


Overall, I think my training was effective, although towards the end, a good deal of mental discipline was required as I was thoroughly sick of spending so much time in a small boat on a big ocean, week after week, and month after month. I don’t think I could have got away with less, but I’ll never really know. I was certainly tired after a long days paddle with a loaded boat but not overwhelmingly so. Weather days were occasionally welcome!


Weather day at Spain Bay


When the trip was over, I felt surprisingly “run down.” It’s hard to explain, but I did not have my usual energy and, although we did some bush walking afterwards, the bush walking trip we did was much less than I would normally have been satisfied with doing. I lost three kilograms on the paddling trip, a percent of my body weight that would be declared a rampant success for any weight loss program or treatment. In retrospect, I think the weight loss was the cause of my general run down feeling.


On the Du Cane Plateau overlooking Walled Mountain


It’s not quite three weeks since we finished up our big trip with an easy 18 kilometre paddle into Southport on a sunny and calm day. I swore I would never do a trip that required that much preparation and training again, but, already this morning, as I strolled along my local beach on a drizzly morning, I started thinking, maybe it wasn’t so bad.


Friday, March 15, 2024

Mount Stokes

I can’t speak for Doug or Nick but I felt some relief paddling past – or more appropriately being blown past – the Breaksea Islands and into sheltered waters. The west coast of Tasmania is a bit like the black dog of depression, it lurks about in the corners of your mind taking up space. As we neared Bramble Cove, we passed, very quickly as we were getting blown along speedily by our kayak sails, a guided group with Roaring Forties. “You must be the group from Strahan,” the lead paddler said. We only had time to nod before being whisked past.


Mount Stokes


Bramble Cove has several beaches and, as they came into view, Doug also noticed the white streak of a track heading up the hillside behind the most westerly beach. We love a good walking track beside a campsite so we decided the westerly beach should be our camp for the night.


Looking down on our camp beach from Mount Stokes


It was a lovely spot. White sand, the amazing surrounds of Bathurst Harbour, and a stream running with fresh water. After another long mid-40 kilometre day out on the open ocean, it was delightful to land on a sheltered beach with the sun still shining. Perhaps we could even dry our paddling clothes.


Mount Rugby from Mount Stokes


But, before we could relax, the walking track beckoned. At least it beckoned me. A “vigorous cold front” was forecast for the next day and I wanted to get up the view point when the views were good. From the eastern end of the beach, after jumping another fresh water creek, I found a little track that led up over Aylen Point and down to the next beach. At the end of the second beach, the track runs almost due north up through low vegetation – the views start right away – to a ridge that runs west from the saddle between Mount Stokes at 484 metres and Mount Berry at 651 metres, a couple of kilometres to the north.


View towards Bathurst Harbour


Soon, after a very pleasant walk, I was wandering up the last 80 metres to the top from the saddle. The view is magnificent spanning all of Bathurst Harbour and Port Davey as well as far off islands and rocks out to sea. Doing what every good peak bagger does, I used my compass and map to identify various peaks and was also surprised to find I could see across the south side of Port Davey to Flat Witch Island near Maatsuyker Island.


Looking over Bramble Cove towards Spain Bay


Looking over the north side, I could see Nick and Doug almost at the final climb so soon we were all on top marvelling over the view. A quick walk back to camp and then it was time for the tents to go up and dinner to be cooked. It was 7:00 pm when we got back to camp and we had been on the go since our usual wake-up time of 5.30 am. It felt like a full day, and I went to sleep glowing with satisfaction.