Mt.Bogong.6,7/8/16.Trip report....

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Mt.Bogong.6,7/8/16.Trip report....

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 08 Aug, 2016 3:10 pm

A very recent winter Mt.Bogong trip report is coming soon........ :D
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Re: Mt.Bogong.6,7/8/16.Trip report....

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Tue 09 Aug, 2016 3:22 pm

Mt.Bogong
6,7/8/16
Trip report.
On the Saturday morning of August 6th 2016 I met my two Iraani snow trekking friends Reza and Narges in Myrtleford and we went to Mountain creek .There we left my wee 2WD Jap . mobile and piled into Reza’s 4WD beast mobile and went up to Camp Creek Gap.
The view of Mt. Bogong on the drive up there was impressive.
We arrived at the Camp Creek gap car park at the start of the Eskdale spur track at about 10.30 am.
We put on very heavy winter gear packs and slogged it up the Eskdale spur. Team bears had left their saw dust mark and the access road and the hiking track had been chain sawed open on the way up.
Just as Michelle Hut seemed not so far off who else should come down the snowy track with a container of petrol in one hand and ye olde chain saw in the other but Ubiquitous Steve of the Team Bears track clearing team. The rest of the team were not to be seen ;-P
. I had a chat with him and told him what fine job he does. I thanked him for the fine work he is doing and continues to do for mountain enthusiasts and felt that I had met a true character of the Vic. Alps , A man of service to others. If only Parks Victoria could clone him times ten!
As the Sikhs say in the Punjab “work is worship”.
Anyway we reached the hut covered in sweat.
The snow line had retreated up the spur as a result of the rain and the surface was icy and compacted so walking up was not as bad as it could have been.
There were plenty of tents near the hut and we had lunch in the hut . Steve had cranked up the fire and cut a lot of firewood and had stacked it next to the wood burner to dry out.
We then erected our tents and decided to try for the summit the next morning .We went up the spur above the tree line and rehearsed and practiced our ice axe skills such as self-belay , self-arrest, cutting a platform and cutting steps etc.
Some XC skiers had camped at the very limit of the tree line on the Eskdale spur. Up there where the pole line emerges we could see the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in NSW and the summit area of Mt. Bogong as well as the Staircase spur all cloaked in a heavy garment of winter white. These are extraordinary sights and are most impressive. The summit fogged over and the sun began to sink. We headed back down to the hut because it was definitely food o` clock, as did many other skiers.
The sunset was very impressive and the stars on such as clear and cold night were quite a spectacle.
The hut was warm and dry, two of my favourite things in white season .
It wasn’t too busy inside the hut because some campers elected to cook outside in the clear weather.
The water tank froze solidly that night.
I guess it hit minus 6 overnight because it didn’t ‘rain’ inside my tent . The condensation inside the tent froze solidly as ice by dawn.
The surface that I put my tent on was hard to dig out. It was rock hard ice. I had my snow shovel but I was using my ice axe to fashion a front porch depression for putting my boots on/off.
I slept well and I was warm in my snuggly sleeping bag. The sunrise had voodoo properties and so we ate breakfast, packed a day pack each and went up to the top.
That was superb! There was not cloud in the sky. My MSR snow shoes performed well on the firm and icy steep surface going up and down.
At the summit area it was windy and very cold in terms of wind chill. In fact it was diabolically cold!. We could not hang around too long at the summit cairn. The views of the entire area were second to none.
Reza was wearing technical crampons for the ascent and descent. It was very firm and icy .
We met quite a few people coming back from CC hut. One fellow was wearing shorts!!
The UV factor up there on Sunday morning was intense. I had zinc cream on my face but I could still feel the extreme elements working towards aging my visage.
Photos were taken , snacks eaten , views and memories taken in and we headed down back to Michelle hut . Some of the snow poles up there were buried in ice!
We had our ice axes ready and at hand on the descent just in case of one slip.
I found it easier descending this section of the Eskdale spur in snow and ice wearing my MSR snow shoes than in green season doing battle with loose shale in hiking boots.
Back at the hut it was warmer, the snow had softened and it was lunch time.
Then we packed up and headed back down. I slipped over twice after the creek crossing but that is because it is slippery and muddy and my ridiculously heavy pack wasn’t helping things either. Anyway I got off lightly over all, no injuries as such , I just jarred my hand a bit and muddied my attire.
The Team Bears had chained sawed more stuff that helped us make our way easier and we thanked U. Steve for doing all that work on the way down, including some serious labour doing battle with a huge mother trucking tree where he had cut a slot out so people could pass more easily.
We three all got back to Reza’s 4 WD safe and sound, elated but a bit worn out.
My shoulders are sore from ‘trekking pole –itis’ and my legs , being subjected to ‘Bogong descent –itis’ are also very sore now. My thighs are cooked.
However the chance of getting such good clear and sunny conditions up there at Mt. Bogong in early August don’t come every day.
That was an amazing winter trip to the Big Fella. The best yet! 
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Re: Mt.Bogong.6,7/8/16.Trip report....

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Thu 11 Aug, 2016 7:51 pm

paidal_chalne_vala
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Re: Mt.Bogong.6,7/8/16.Trip report....

Postby andrewa » Thu 11 Aug, 2016 9:19 pm

Ahh. You're "Mr T on snow shoes". You've been getting about a bit recently. Well done.

A
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Re: Mt.Bogong.6,7/8/16.Trip report....

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Wed 17 Aug, 2016 4:51 pm

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/113 ... 4OLAwoKHJw

Even more Photos from Mt. Bogong can be seen at this link.
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
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