Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Solo

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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby puredingo » Fri 05 Apr, 2019 8:31 am

G’day,

I’m going to take this on over Easter and am in the VERY primary stages of planning...SO, quick question.

When you summit the spur and begin to descend the other side is there a clear track (or track at all) that will lead onto the Mt Kosciuszko tourists walk track?

Having a quick look on google earth atm and can’t make head nor tail out of it.

Thanks, Dingo.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby Zapruda » Fri 05 Apr, 2019 9:15 am

Hey mate,

Eventually the track disappears, but when I did it last it was taped and cairned intermittently toward Wilkinson creek valley. It shouldn’t be an issues unless you are in a cloud.

I’m just about to go bushwalking for the weekend but I can dig up my gpx file and send it through on Monday if you would like. It should help with the upper sections.

Cheers,
Stef.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby Zapruda » Fri 05 Apr, 2019 9:17 am

This might help. Check the pics in the imgur link. - http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=27627
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby puredingo » Fri 05 Apr, 2019 12:23 pm

Thanks stef, I must have missed that report when you first put it up? Most helpful indeed.
I think I might do what you did and return to the car down the spur. I was thinking of walking on and hitching back or something along those lines but not knowing the area I guess I'll keep it simple and back track.

I don't use GPS but thanks anyway, I'll just M&C and see how I go.


Now if you could direct me to the Topo maps I'll need to get and if it's possible to mark the starting point (track head) on google earth...I'll be set to go (nearly!)
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby peregrinator » Fri 05 Apr, 2019 12:58 pm

The track start is on the Alpine Way, 50 metres NE of the entry to the Geehi Flats Reserve carpark. There is a gate into an open field, with a space beside the gate to walk through.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby rcaffin » Fri 05 Apr, 2019 7:59 pm

When you summit the spur and begin to descend the other side is there a clear track ... to Kosci?
Well, no but if you head down into the Wilkinson Valley towards Kosci and then turn left at the bottom up to the saddle, you WILL hit the Lake Circuit track - in ANY weather. There's are two big boulders by the creek at the bottom.
WilkinsonCkSnowSmall.JPG
WilkinsonCkSnowSmall.JPG (46.23 KiB) Viewed 34551 times

These are the boulders by the creek, looking towards Townsend and Abbott Peak. The saddle is up to the right in this photo.

Cheers
Roger
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby andrewa » Sat 06 Apr, 2019 9:40 pm

Nice camp site Roger.....I have similar mental image of out Wildcountry Quasar (original welsh version) plonked in similar spot!

I know that none of us have crystal balls on the weather gods, but, for an end of April trip, would you be going walking shoes/maybe with gaiters, or boots +/- with gaiters, or snow shows, with either of the former? Or do I just wait and see what whether occurs between now and then - prob most sensible approach really.

I suspect I’ll need to make some gaiters in the next few weeks..!

A
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby rcaffin » Sun 07 Apr, 2019 7:28 pm

for an end of April trip, would you be going walking shoes/maybe with gaiters, or boots +/- with gaiters, or snow shows, with either of the former?
A dangerous question to ask of me! As some will tell you. So don't treat my words as gospel.

I do not own any walking boots at all, and haven't for many years. Dinosaur things. I have walked across KNP in anything from KT-26s to low-cut joggers, including in the odd accidental snow fall. The thing about fresh snow is that it is often fairly dry, which is nice.
1810.jpg
1810.jpg (71.19 KiB) Viewed 34474 times

I think Sue (my wife) was wearing KT-26s in this photo - which was taken in April one year. The previous few days had been really sunny and nice, but it snowed overnight. Ho hum.

As for gaiters: absolutely YES. Apart from anything else, they keep the sand and grass seeds out of your socks. They are also very useful in snow conditions. We never go without them.
1815.jpg

These days I wear heavy duty short 'lycra' gaiters (check the web for 'Dirty Girl' gaiters as an example), but Sue still like 'real' gaiters some of the time. I think mine are heavier than the Dirty Girl ones.

Snow shoes: only in mid-winter or a bit later. Normally we are on skis anyhow - ski boots are the only boots we own.

Cheers
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby Zapruda » Mon 08 Apr, 2019 7:25 am

andrewa wrote:
I know that none of us have crystal balls on the weather gods, but, for an end of April trip, would you be going walking shoes/maybe with gaiters, or boots +/- with gaiters, or snow shows, with either of the former? Or do I just wait and see what whether occurs between now and then - prob most sensible approach really.



Andrew, I agree with Roger. Runners all the way.

As for the weather, this is your best bet for staying up to date. Its the 3 day detailed forecast for Thredbo top station - http://www.bom.gov.au/places/nsw/thredb ... /detailed/
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby Zapruda » Mon 08 Apr, 2019 7:30 am

puredingo wrote:Now if you could direct me to the Topo maps I'll need to get and if it's possible to mark the starting point (track head) on google earth...I'll be set to go (nearly!)


You will need the Youngal and Perisher Valley maps.

Here are the maps with the a few points of interest marked for you. The start being the most important :) - http://maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-36.454 ... 4672142400
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 15 Apr, 2019 11:50 pm

I am going up Hannel's spur this Easter. Wish me luck. The weather forecast looks reasonably good for Thredbo for the Easter long weekend up until Easter Monday.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby rcaffin » Sun 21 Apr, 2019 7:48 pm

For the week leading up to Easter the weather was wonderful.
OK, hovering around 0 C overnight, but ...

Cheers
Roger
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby puredingo » Sun 21 Apr, 2019 8:45 pm

Did this walk over Friday to Saturday.

Prepared myself for the worst but was pleasantly surprised at how easy the navigation was, being my first walk in this area. Actually could have completed it as a day walk but packed for an over-nighter so camped in the Wilkerson Valley...tent city.

Thanks to everyone on this thread for the advice, tips and hints....now there’s plenty more to do, the appetite has been officially whetted.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby andrewa » Mon 22 Apr, 2019 7:00 pm

How many hours up, and how many down?

A
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby puredingo » Mon 22 Apr, 2019 8:24 pm

G’day Andrew,

Didn’t take a whole lot of attention to time but I think I kicked off from the base of the spur at 8:30am and arrived at Byatts camp at around 1ishpm with a half hour spell at Moiras.

Pushed on across the tops and then dropped down into the valley for an early camp just below Muellers(sp?) pass for about 3:45pm.

Great walk and my maiden voyage in the Snowy Mountains. And as a added bonus scored a lift off a day walker back into Jyndabine from Charlottes pass.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby msrlo » Tue 17 Dec, 2019 4:25 am

A few of us just walked up Hannels Spur and its still a clean track to walk up, nice clean water at Moiras Flat. We had Wilkinson creek to ourselves with still quite a few patches of snow still around.
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby Stew63 » Sat 28 Dec, 2019 8:14 pm

I did Hannels again yesterday (6th/3yrs) in absolutely blistering heat. Very smokey up there - wait until the bushfire smoke has completely dissipated if you're planning to go. It's just SO much easier and SO much faster since the track was cleared in 2018/19. With a moderate pack it took me only ~3hrs from Geehi Rest Area to Moira's (Before track was cleared about 7hrs to Moira's!) The water at Moira's is clean, steady and trickling but it's very shallow so you'll need to scoop it out. Not a fan of the new, exposed, ugly, re-cleared Moiras Flat campground/helipad - but I guess it was all cleared out for safety from the old burnt/dead trees surrounding it. A little bit surprising providing a fireplace and heaps of neatly stacked firewood everywhere in a Designated Wilderness Zone at Moira's. Going down from Moria's is very slow due to the volume of slippery, deep leaf/bark debris on the track - very difficult to run if that's your plan. I got 1~2bars of 4G at Moira's on both Optus and Telstra - previously there was no Optus at all and minimal Telstra.

Thanks once again to NPWS and all the volunteers that were involved with the recutting and reopening of historic Hannels Spur track. :D
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Re: Hannels Spur - Mt. Kosciuszko - Sat. 4th Feb. 2017 - Sol

Postby rcaffin » Tue 04 Feb, 2020 6:01 pm

I suspect it will be faster uphill than down.
Reason is that the leaf litter on the track above and below Moiras is one horrible slippery dip. Deadly on the downhill.

Cheers
Roger
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