More Tramping

Easter Weekend

Plan was to attempt Mt Bowen (1955m). Failure. We decided to take a more round about route than the standard route up Mikonui spur. Reports were that the Mikonui spur route was overgrown and difficult to follow on to the tops. So we decided to try via Explorer Hut and then along Miserable Ridge.


Exlporer Hut took 7 hours to reach (instead of the suggested 4). River travel and boulder hopping is really slow going. On the second day we were defeated in the thick scrub belt below the alpine zone, on a track that had not been cut since 1980. Armed with a machete and a pruning saw we managed to recut about 100 metres of track in 2 hours. Running out of daylight and water we ended up retreating to Explorer Hut and abandoning the attempt to get up Mt Bowen. We walked out a day early (probably lucky cause on Monday there was quite a bit of rain and we may have become stuck with rising river levels).

Mt Bowen from Mikonui Flats

Explorer Hut

Where's the track?



Ahh... Mud



River travel



Mikonui Flats Hut



Old Farmstead

Last Weekend: Kirwans Reward Track

A nice, although at times a slog up hill, track through a historic goldmining area on a well formed pack track. Starts at about 200m and 12 or so kms (and 6 hours later) emerges at around 1300m. Nice Hut, and really good views from the tops. Gave me a few blisters this one though. It seems a well form track has it drawbacks - you're only using your feet and legs. On the really steep stuff like Mt Bowen and Mt Alexander most of the time you're hauling yourself up with your arms by grabbing scrub, tree roots etc - more of a whole body thing.