Hume & Hovell Walking Track - Day 005 - Log Bridge C/S to Bossawa C/S

 

Day:	005
Date:	Saturday, 11 May 2013
Start:	Log Bridge Creek Campsite
Finish:	Bossawa Campsite
Daily Kilometres:	20.7
Total Kilometres:	107.8
Weather:	Cold early and warm and sunny later.
Accommodation:	Camping at Bossawa Campsite
Nutrition:	Breakfast:  Muesli Lunch:  Just some snacks during the day Dinner:  Soup, Beef & Pasta Hotpot, Chocolate
Aches:	None.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	My plans to listen to the AFL game on the radio were abandoned after five minutes last night when sleep suddenly seemed the more attractive option.  (Fortunately, I heard on the radio in the morning that Geelong had won without my help.)  I had intended to get up at 6:30am, but it was cold outside in the narrow valley and I decided that rather than pack stuff up damp and put on some damp clothes (it was a mistake to wash them out last night), I would leave rising to 7am in the hope that sun would hit the valley floor before it was time to leave.  Alas, that was a foolish hope and I starting hiking in very cool conditions wearing a freezing cold damp T-shirt at about 9:15am (no more washing gear unless I'm confident I can get it dry for the next day in these conditions). It didn't take too long to warm up and I enjoyed the early morning light while hiking through some silent eucalypt forest on a grassy foot-trail that gradually climbed higher into the sun.  My day was to be spent hiking through State Forest and I soon emerged on a forest road bordered on one side by eucalypt forest and the other by pine plantation.  There were some lovely aromas.  The State Forests don't allow logging near streams and rivers and the Hume & Hovell Track did its best to exploit this rule by following streams for much of the day. In late morning, my route diverted from a forest road and became a narrow, and at times technical, foot trail descending by the side of a cascading stream through a steep narrow rocky gorge, and then ascending alongside another stream in a steep-sided valley to pass, along the way, Pompey Pillar, a slender rock spire in the forest.  It was slow going and quite hard work, occasionally needing hands to climb tricky rocky sections, but never dangerous and always scenic.  I had it to myself apart from some loud unidentified birds at various times. There followed some more walking along forest roads past pine plantations before my route again became single track and dropped to the quite large Micalong Creek.  The remainder of the day was spent following the creek upstream.  At first it was wide and rocky and cascaded down some small picturesque falls with large dark pools.  I stopped for a break at the Micalong Creek Campsite, which was adjacent to a forest road, and was disappointed to find a lot of litter, empty beer cans and spirits bottles and some spent rifle cartridges.  One of the fire-places still had a log smouldering, so I suspect the culprits were camped there last night.  I was happy to have missed them. The path continued to follow Micalong Creek upstream past some spectacular falls and pools and was still slow going but very pleasant in the waning sunshine.  Eventually the trail reached a sort of plateau and Micalong Creek became  smaller and darker winding its way along a flat almost boggy ferny valley.  My route followed a forest road bordered on the other side by a recently cleared pine plantation.  Being Saturday, no work was being done, but there were plenty of signs of recent logging activity. Around 3:30pm I reached the Bossawa Campsite, which was about 50 metres from the forest road, but considerable effort had been taken to make it inaccessible to vehicles and it was much cleaner than the other campsite I had passed.  The elevation is higher here, but still no mobile phone reception.  There are no high hills around so I'm hoping it will get the sun earlier in the morning.  I have a longer day tomorrow to reach a campsite near where I have hidden a drum of food to see me through another five days.  I better get there, because I will be out of food.  I'm a bit disappointed with my daily mileage at present, but the amount of light is a limiting factor and my body is still getting used to the hiking life and large pack. It was totally dark by 5:45pm and I finished updating my diary before cooking dinner.  While eating I heard a couple of gun shots not too far away and then, about twenty minutes later, heard vehicles and the reflection of headlights on the trees.  I turned off my headlamp and watched the approaching vehicles which passed along a forest road about 100 metres to the north of where I was camped.  The front vehicle was set up for spotlight shooting with spotlights on the cab roof and a couple of people (presumably with rifles) standing in the back of the ute and the second vehicle followed along behind with spotlights also shining bright.  Both vehicles sounded like they had souped-up engines and they ploughed across the Micalong Creek and gradually disappeared into the forest to the north.  Shortly after I heard more shots.  Hopefully they were shooting rabbits (I have seen a few) and not kangaroos.  I don't know if spotlight shooting from the back of vehicles is legal, but I suspect not. I went to bed around 8pm and wasn't disturbed again.

Hume & Hovell Walking Track - Day 004 - Wee Jasper to Log Bridge C/S

 

Day:	004
Date:	Friday, 10 May 2013
Start:	Wee Jasper
Finish:	Log Bridge Creek Campsite
Daily Kilometres:	16.7
Total Kilometres:	87.1
Weather:	Cool early but warm later.  Sunny all day.
Accommodation:	Camping at Log Bridge Creek Campsite
Nutrition:	Breakfast:  Toast and peanut butter. Lunch:  Muesli bars and chocolate Dinner:  Soup, Chicken Tikka Masala and chocolate
Aches:	None
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I slept well and, having decided there was no rush to leave early after a long day yesterday and a short day in prospect, had set the alarm for 7am.  I managed to set off the smoke alarm while toasting my now mould-free bread but it didn't seem to attract any attention and I knocked the alarm off the ceiling with my trekking pole and removed the battery (all replaced before I left). I departed the Tavern around 8:30am, having to climb over a wire fence to get out because the entrance gate had been locked.  The roofers were at work (they were from Albury, my final destination, and were driving back this afternoon to spend the weekend at home.....they suggested last night that I jump in the back of their ute (pickup) and give the walking a miss), but none of the tavern personnel were about. It was yet another beautiful morning and I'm starting to suspect I'm going to pay a price for all of this good weather later in the trip.  I retraced my steps through the hamlet of Wee Jasper and followed a H&H sign that directed me past the town dump where a couple of guys were at work.  They were the last people I saw all day, apart from a couple of cars in the distance on a road I crossed. Once past the dump I began the climb to a ridge in the Wee Jasper Nature Reserve that was described in the trail guide as hard, but I didn't find it too bad.  It was just a steady climb on a dusty, and occasionally rocky, foot trail in the cool morning air with the sun shining on my back (not that I could feel it because of my pack).  The forest was eucalypt and scrubby bushes (sclerophyll) and pleasing to the eye, but very dry.  The ridge provided good views back to the Goodradigbee Valley I had hiked along yesterday and Wee Jasper and, in the other direction, the forested peak of Mt Wee Jasper (1121m) that I would shortly be climbing. At the highest point on the ridge, where I had good mobile phone coverage, I took an early break to check my email and post my diary.  The air was still and the temperature just right.  It would have been easy to stretch out and read a book or have a nap.  However, even though I had a short distance for the day, I knew I would be slow because of the steady climbs and descents and couldn't afford to loiter for too long. I descended along the foot trail to the next valley which was farmland at its base and followed the H&H markers across some fields, over a minor road, and then up the lower slopes of Mt Wee Jasper.  The climb was steady, slow and sweaty as the day warmed, but not too bad.  At the lower elevations it was scrubby and dry eucalypt forest again, but higher up the forest became greener, the undergrowth primarily ferns, and the trail often grassy as it climbed through the higher sub-alpine valleys. Eventually I reached the summit of Mt Wee Jasper, but was disappointed to find that the forest obscured most of the views.  There were a couple of benches there and I sat and had my lunch in the grassy clearing.  Soon I was joined by a dark-coloured wallaby with a joey that occasionally stuck its head out of her pouch and sampled the vegetation.  I was surprised how unafraid it seemed because there would have been few visitors to this peak.  I checked the log book there and hikers only came through every week or so.  Anyway, it was nice to sit and eat and observe the wallaby hopping around and grazing just a couple of metres away. After lunch, the trail descended steadily through a mix of silent eucalypt forest and pine plantations and around 3:30pm I reached the Log Bridge Creek Campsite in a narrow valley and quickly set up camp.  By 4pm the sun had gone and the temperature dropped quickly.  The adjacent stream has very cold and slightly murky water, though it should be fine to drink at this elevation.  I washed myself and some clothes and updated my diary before eating dinner.  I toyed with the idea of lighting a fire, but in the end couldn't be bothered.  It's very cosy in my sleeping bag and I'll head there after dinner and listen to the Geelong vs Essendon AFL game on my radio.

Hume & Hovell Walking Track - Day 003 - The Captain C/S to Wee Jasper

 

Day:	003
Date:	Thursday, 9 May 2013
Start:	The Captain Campsite
Finish:	Wee Jasper
Daily Kilometres:	38.6 (32.7km walking and 5.9 by boat)
Total Kilometres:	70.4
Weather:	Cool and foggy at first, then mild and sunny.
Accommodation:	The Stables Tavern, Wee Jasper
Nutrition:	Breakfast:  Muesli Lunch:  Pie and sausage roll Dinner:  Lasagne and garlic bread
Aches:	None
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I slept long, but woke up quite a few times during the night.  The floor of my lightweight tent is slippery and, because it was pitched on a slight slope, my air mattress kept sliding down to the bottom of the tent.  I need to put something on the tent floor to make it stickier.  Anyway, I rose at 6:30am in the pre-dawn light to find a light fog and very still air.  Ghostly.  The previous evening I had finally spoken to Steve, the ferry man at Burrinjuck, and he said that the earliest he could ferry me across Burrinjuck Reservoir was 3:30pm, about two hours later than I had hoped.  This took the pressure off me for an early departure and I had a leisurely breakfast and packed up, leaving the campsite as the sun burnt off the fog at 8:30am. Two kilometres later, I became less leisurely when I remembered that I had left my waterbag back at the campsite.  I don't use it to carry water while hiking, but it's very useful around camp and I did not want to lose it.  So, after a few curses, I hid my pack behind a tree by the road and began to jog and walk back to the campsite where I retrieved the bag.  The round trip took about 40 minutes making it likely I would not now reach the Burrinjuck Store until after 2pm.  Suddenly, I was glad the ferryman was not booked for 1pm. Thereafter, I had a very pleasant walk along rural back roads, frequently shaded by trees with almost zero traffic until I reached the boundary of Burrinjuck State Park and the track became more of a fire trail as it descended through forest until nearing the shore of Burrinjuck Reservoir.  At that point my route left the fire-trail and became a foot-trail that followed the shore for about 5 kilometres around to Burrinjuck Waters camp.  The Reservoir was very low and this meant there was a cleared rocky sloping area between the forest and the water all around the Reservoir which, to my mind marred the spectacular scenery just a little. At the camping area I found my way to the Store and was greeted by the friendly proprietress who confirmed that Steve the ferryman was expected at 3:30pm.  It was now 2:30pm, so I bought some lunch and a paper and sat outside in the sun at a picnic table and enjoyed the warmth and mountain scenery.  A couple of kangaroos loitered outside the store and the proprietress turned on some music for me.  Very pleasant. Steve arrived a little late and very apologetic before towing his small boat down to the boat ramp, along with a visitor.  We launched about 4pm for the fast trip across the Reservoir to a point on the southern shore where he dropped me off.  The low water level meant he couldn't take me as far as I might have hoped, but he did his best, dropping me off on a barren shore and pointing out a gravel road in a saddle which I should make for. After wending my way cross-country over the barren shore, I finally reached the track and then followed it south across some farms until it finally reached a more-travelled road and I found a Hume & Hovell marker confirming I was heading in the right direction.  The sun had set and I enjoyed walking through the rural landscape in a valley bordered by forested mountains in the increasing gloom.  My feet were starting to get quite tired and I kept peering into the distance hoping to see some lights that might be from the tavern I was heading for.  Soon it was dark and I was on a sealed road with just enough star light to stay on track.  I had a headlamp, but preferred to rely on the ambient light and not to use it unless absolutely necessary.  I did nearly miss the turn-off to the tavern before arriving there at 6:30pm.  There was very loud juke-box music playing and I was told that they had given my room to someone else because I was later than scheduled.  I had thought about phoning ahead when I knew the ferryman was going to be later, but decided against it.  Bad decision.  It also turned out that the proprietress was unwell and not about.  However, what seemed like a problem was soon resolved by some very helpful people and the proprietress, who got out of her sickbed, and I was given some dinner and a TV to watch in the rustic bar (as the sole occupant) while they sorted out another room for me.  The jukebox noise was generated by a building crew working on some new accommodation who were having a few beers and barbecuing their dinner.  Everybody was friendly and they offered me a steak, but the lasagne was already en route. The tavern was originally a police station dating from the 1880s with lots of historic stonework, woodwork and artifacts.  I was very tired and badly in need of a shower by the time I finished my dinner at 8pm.  As I headed to my room, they offered me some bread, butter and peanut butter to use for breakfast since they did not expect to be up.  It was very generous of them and I just cut off the mould that was on the bread when I reached my room. I showered and washed out some clothes before updating my diary while watching a DVD on the TV which had no aerial/sattelite connection.  What had seemed like a day of small problems had turned out OK and I had met some very nice and helpful people along the way.

Hume & Hovell Walking Track - Day 002 - Yass to The Captain C/S

 

Day:	002
Date:	Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Start:	Yass
Finish:	The Captain Campsite
Daily Kilometres:	26.2
Total Kilometres:	31.8
Weather:	Cool and overcast in the morning.  Mild and mostly sunny in the afternoon.
Accommodation:	The Captain Campsite
Nutrition:	Breakfast: Pie, apple slice and flavoured milk. Lunch:  Muesli bars and chocolate. Dinner:  Soup, Moroccan Lamb and chocolate.
Aches:	None.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 6am after a good night's sleep with the intention of being on the road (at least to the bakery 500m away) by 6:45am, but ended up stuffing around trying to pack my gear in the most efficient manner.  This always happens at the start of a hike and I'll have it down pat in a few days.  The pack was heavy, with three days food and 1.5 litres of Pepsi Max, not to mention the discretionary laptop and other electrical gear, but not overly so and I was sure I would adjust.  I would guess it's about 20kg. I finally did leave around 7:15am and wandered up to the bakery (adjacent to last night's supermarket) where I bought some breakfast and ate it on a bench, somewhat disturbed by the guy cleaning the parking lot and surrounds with an industrial strength leaf-blower. At about 7:45am I set out westwards along the edge of the main road which I was sharing with plenty of early traffic.  Apart from local commuters, this road was also the link from Yass to the Hume Highway, the main road between Sydney and Melbourne, so was carrying some long-distance trucks and cars as well.  After a couple of kilometres, I was very happy to turn left onto the much quieter Black Range Road which was to be my route for the remainder of the day.  The traffic went from a vehicle every ten seconds to every ten minutes and the traffic noise gradually abated though, for most of the morning, I could occasionally hear the distant low rumble of big trucks tackling the hills on the Highway out of my sight to the right. The road was sealed at first which made the walking quite easy, though I didn't want to use my trekking poles on the hard surface and so missed out on using my arms to share the heavy load with my legs.  The road changed to gravel later on and I enjoyed the very peaceful rural countryside.  Cars became even less frequent and, although I passed plenty of farmhouses, felt like I had the place to myself.  Some of the farmhouses bordered on being mansions with huge gates, drives and machinery sheds, while others obviously dated from many years ago feauturing old verandahs, corrugated iron rooves and weatherboard cladding surrounded by rusting old cars and farm machinery and adjacent to tottering farm sheds.  Not much had changed for them recently.  I imagined that, in years gone by, swagmen would have travelled this road as I was and visited these very farmhouses looking for work and food. I stopped at a "Rest Area", comprising a single bench off to the side of the road, for lunch around noon and savoured the peace and quiet in the shade of large gum trees on what had become a pleasantly warm day as I read the Sydney paper I had picked at breakfast. The rest of the afternoon was spent travelling along Black Range Road up over the Black Range, a gentle winding climb and descent along the gravel road through very dry grazing country (I sense another drought is on the way) past sheep and cattle.  Apart from these animals the only other signs of life were the flocks of native birds - cockatoos, galahs and parrots - which occasionally circled overhead or, in the case of the cockatoos, seemed to want to lead my way up the road from tree to tree.  This is how I used to think of the real Australia when I lived overseas and it hasn't lost its charm or attraction to me. About 3pm, I reached The Captain Campsite, my goal for the day.  It was a nice little treed area set off the road, designed for foot travellers and, as I expected, I had it to myself.  It already seemed that the sun was going down and I set up camp and washed in the next hour by the orange rays of a setting sun before writing up my diary then having some dinner.  I also tried, again unsuccessfully, to call the guy at the Burrinjuck Store who I need to ferry me across the Burrinjuck Reservoir tomorrow around noon.  I left another message and hope he's available.  I also called the small pub at the hamlet of Wee Jasper and booked myself a room for tomorrow night.  By 6pm I was wearing three layers of clothes as the air cooled and, by 7pm there was a spectacular starry night sky with the Milky Way highly visible and an occasional satellite tracing a line through the stars.  Lower down I could see occasional moving flashing lights which I suspect would have been planes descending towards Canberra Airport.  The weather forecast is for more of the same tomorrow and I'm looking forward to another great day.

Hume & Hovell Walking Track - Day 001 - Cooma Cottage to Yass

 

Day:	001
Date:	Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Start:	Cooma Cottage
Finish:	Yass
Daily Kilometres:	5.6
Total Kilometres:	5.6
Weather:	Warm and sunny.
Accommodation:	Motel in Yass
Nutrition:	Breakfast - Muffin, apple slice and flavoured milk Lunch - Two scones with jam and cream Dinner - Fish and chips, and ice-cream
Aches:	None
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	The day started early, leaving home at 4:15am to walk the kilometre to our local bus stop for the trip to Gosford Station and the early morning train into Sydney's Central Station.  I felt sorry for the bleary-eyed commuters, standing in the precise places on the station where the train doors would open, then rushing for a vacant seat and quickly resuming their night's slumber.  At Central Station, I had time to buy some breakfast from the cafe before boarding the 7:42am train for Melbourne.  Sadly, I couldn't keep my eyes open for the first few hours of the trip out of Sydney but, thereafter, enjoyed the beautiful rural and forest scenery of the NSW Southern Highlands from my window seat on a bright and sunny day. I couldn't resist the offer of a Devonshire morning tea comprising warm scones, jam, cream and a cup of coffee for just $6, despite my vow not to over-eat.  Of course it was railway food but, to my unrefined palate, it was fine. The train reached Yass Junction at 11:30am and I disembarked in warm sunshine on the small pictureque station and found a bench to reorganise my pack for the 4km hike from the station into the town.  It was very pleasant walking along in the warm sunshine, although I was a little disturbed by the number of bush flies.  They could prove annoying in the days ahead. At 12:30pm I reached my pre-booked motel on the western side of town and checked in.  My hefty morning tea meant that I wasn't ready for lunch and I made the decision to rest for an hour or two and then go for a run out to the official starting point of the Hume & Hovell Walking Track at Cooma Cottage, about 5km east of my motel.  From Cooma Cottage the route of the trail was back into Yass and past my motel, so I was planning to get this section done today and then start following the trail westwards out of town first thing tomorrow morning. I carry a pair of old running shoes in my pack for around camp and as a backup for boot problems as well as a pair of running shorts for sleeping, so was equipped for a run and set out carrying my camera and GPS around 2:30pm.  The run took me through the centre of this small and busy rural town, where I felt a bit out of place in the mid-afternoon, then up a hill on the other side and out into the dry pastoral country, with a few boutique vineyards and wineries.  After 30 minutes I reached the gates to Cooma Cottage and found it closed from Mondays to Wednesdays.  A little disappointing, but I drive past Yass several times a year on my way to and from Melbourne to visit family so can take a look another time. Cooma Cottage dates from the mid-19th Century and was the home of Hamilton Hume, one of the pair of explorers whose route the walking track roughly follows for 440 kilometres southwest to the Victorian border.  Although it was closed to visitors, I took the liberty of wandering around the grounds a little and found the small picnic area and signage marking the official start of my trail.  Traffic noise from the main road about 400 metres away spoiled the atmosphere a little, but it was a peaceful and historic place and I took a few minutes to try and imagine the emotions of the explorers who were setting out (though not actually from this spot) nearly two hundred years ago on a much greater adventure than mine. After taking a few pictures I switched on my GPS and ran back into town and on to my motel.  After showering and washing out my stuff, I visited a nearby small supermarket to get some insect repellent and a little food before returning to the motel to do my diary and then get some dinner from a nearby take-away food shop.  The forecast for tomorrow is much the same as today which means pleasant hiking weather but likely a very cold start.  It seems like the temperature will be dropping to around freezing point each night, at best!