Mt.Bogong:Granite Flat spur/Summit/Quartz Ridge .Jan.2018

[paidal_chalne_vala]

A full trip report is coming soon!

[paidal_chalne_vala]

On Jan. 13th 2018 and friend and I set off from Myrtleford to climb Mt. Bogong via a route that is used not as much as the Staircase is used.
We arrived at Mtn. Ck. for a toilet stop and then continued along Trapper's Gap road. Along the way to Mitta Mitta we stopped at Tom's Hut which is down Rodda Creek track. It was a rough track and not for street sedans. Our AWD SUV vehicles handled it OK but if it was any more ' interesting' then we could have been in trouble.
The Hut is a bit dilapidated but as a hut nut I was able to tick that one off the list.
In Mitta Mitta we filled up on fuel and headed for the Hollow way road. The Logging trucks don't seem to use that route on weekends which was good.
So Far so good in as much as we didn't need a chain saw to clear any dirt roads despite the wet and windy conditions on Friday Jan. 12th.
Once we reached the Granite Flat spur track junction at the seasonal closure gate we parked and had lunch.
Soon we were on our way up to the Granite Flat spur intentions book.
The foot track has been cleared. There were 4 WD vehicles parked at the trail head but the track is steep and rough and we knew we had done the right thing parking at the gate.
The weather on the Big Fella looked like dark clouds were swirling across the summit area and then dispersing .
We went to the summit via the upper Eskdale spur pole line ,looked at the weather and decided to push on for the campsite at Bogong Creek Saddle. So we went over the summit and down the scenic Quartz Ridge. The track was easy to find and it has been cleared all the way down / up . The wild flowers were extraordinary , the best I have seen for years .
We stopped for a rest and a snack once we found a flat spot on the upper Quartz ridge that was sheltered and in the treeline. It took us 4 hours non stop to get that far from the cars.
Eventually it began to drizzle with light rain and we continued down the spur to the campsite. I filled up on water at the stream near the Quartz Ridge intentions book.
Just as we were erecting our tents at the old Helipad the rain started coming down with great force. We quickly set up and took refuge inside our tents. Some time later once the interiors of our tents were put into order I emerged to find the setting had become rather cold, wet and very foggy. I set up a make shift cooking shelter from a fly and began to cook. It was miserable, wet and cold but soon I would be fed with hot food and could retire to my tent.
The wind howled through the trees all night and the forecast for the Mt. Bogong summit was for snow.
At dawn It was very foggy, wet and windy .I was dressed as if I was ski touring/snow shoe trekking on a rotten weather day , this was in mid summer!. Off I went to fetch water for breakfast.
Packing up in that wind was 'interesting' too.
We were walking by 0830 am and made good progress back up the Quartz ridge in clearing and sunny weather.
There are some ancient snow gum trees on the Quartz Ridge that have not been burned in any fires. They are remarkable.
Once we approached the treeline the goretex jackets and gloves came on. The wind above the treeline was fierce and icy. It was very hard work walking up towards the summit of Mt. Bogong in that wind. The visibility had cleared up immensely and the scenery was fabulous, what with the wild flowers and the Vic. Alps all there laid out before us, but one could not loiter for a moment in that wind. It was hideous!
We stopped for a snack and sheltered behind the summit cairn, and then pressed on down the Eskdale spur to the GFS track junction. There we hid from the wind in the shrubbery and ate lunch.
The final stretch was simple enough but fatigue led me to having an unplanned slip and fall into the bushes on the way down to the cars.
There was no blood and the mission was almost accomplished.The last task was to get out of the Hollow way without having a chainsaw. We were lucky and made it back to the Omeo road without any issues with fallen logs on the carriage way.
I went and stayed the night at the Mt. Wills Hut and my friend went back to Melbourne.It was a huge weekend of bush walking and it was n't too hot either. The route we took is one I can recommend if you are very fit and know good weather is forecasted for the next 2-3 days .The route takes in about 3 hours of trekking above the treeline. That would be dangerous to undertake such a trek in bad weather and that could mean you 'd be stuck on the South side of the mountain until a weather window of fair weather presented itself. In effect we climbed up and down Mt. Bogong TWICE in one weekend.
I slept very well after that effort.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Photos , digital photos are coming soon. I just have to upload them onto a PICASSA photo sharing web page.

[Xplora]

I am curious as to why you chose to drive all the way to Mitta Mitta and then up the Hollow Way to get to Granite Flat spur when it is so close to Camp Creek Gap. The road is pretty good from Mountain Creek to the seasonal closure gate at GFS. Rootsie spur track would then have been your quickest and easiest option to Lightning Creek and the Omeo Hwy. In summer that track is RAV4 friendly but likely more chance of a fallen tree.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

We had no chainsaw. Next Time I will go in a more direct way. I was under the impression that the road out to Granite Flat spur via Camp Creek Gap is permanently closed.Anyway we got a chance to visit Tom's hut along the way and Mitta Mitta is a pleasant place.

[Xplora]

We had no chainsaw. Next Time I will go in a more direct way. I was under the impression that the road out to Granite Flat spur via Camp Creek Gap is permanently closed.Anyway we got a chance to visit Tom's hut along the way and Mitta Mitta is a pleasant place.

I drove through last winter. Had lunch at the picnic table at the Hollow Way then down to Camp Creek Gap. There was a fair bit of snow on the road so I would not recommend it for most in winter and certainly not the RAV4 but this time of year it is good and just as much chance of the need for a chainsaw as any other way.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I have put down another 100 clams on my chainsaw and accessories in a lay by purchase scheme. I will have the necessary tools before the weather turns iffy in mid April.

[NickPom]

Hi All,
I'm planning on heading up Mt Bogong Wednesday/Thursday this week with 2 others.
Does anyone know the current state of Camp Creek Track for access to Granite Flat Spur?

We'll be in an AWD RAV4, and wasn't planning on carrying chains, but do have a (small) gas chainsaw.

I would guess that the track got a bit of snow over the weekend as I believe it was going to fall down to 500 or 700m, but I presume that melted pretty quickly.

What a white season we are having!

Would appreciate any advice on the road conditions.

[Xplora]

Hi All,
I'm planning on heading up Mt Bogong Wednesday/Thursday this week with 2 others.
Does anyone know the current state of Camp Creek Track for access to Granite Flat Spur?

We'll be in an AWD RAV4, and wasn't planning on carrying chains, but do have a (small) gas chainsaw.

I would guess that the track got a bit of snow over the weekend as I believe it was going to fall down to 500 or 700m, but I presume that melted pretty quickly.

What a white season we are having!

Would appreciate any advice on the road conditions.

I have not heard anything about this track since the last dump. Trees down are always a possibility. You get what you get. On the other side of the mountain we got the real 4wd with mud tyres and chains to about 1200m before it was too deep. That was Monday and the RAV4 would have been parked about half a km back from us. Exposed areas were clear enough to drive on. Anything with a southerly aspect was still pretty deep. There would be so many people wanting to get at that snow on Bogong after the last dump that you may already have a track cut for you but if not you should not be walking too much further.

[NickPom]

Thanks very much. From your report it sounds like trappers gap road would go too high to use for access to camp Creek gap as it goes to 1200.
I guess we will see!

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Here are some photos from that trip. One year ago. Click on the link.
https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/quart ... tos.83668/