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Tuesday 21 May 2013

Day 2: Exploring the area around Cleve Cole Hut.

I would be lying if I said I was looking forward to today after the punishment that my legs suffered coming up Staircase. I was expecting crippling cramps in the night, but it did not happen. I was expecting my legs to run off in disgust at my stupidity at packing. Fortunately they were loyal enough to stick it through.

We rewarded ourselves with a bit of a sleep in. Nice blue day like Friday.


The plan was to head to Howman's fall, then proceed to a knoll along T Spur. Total distance traveled for the day will be approximately 15km return.My heart leapt with joy and my legs hi fived each other.

15 mins in, I got dumped by my group for spending too much time taking photos. We make plans to meet for lunch at the knoll.


I like taking photos. Just like I do not queue 2 hrs hrs at a restaurant to see and smell the food. I do not hike for 3 days just to store the sights of Mount bogong in the hard drive of my brain. It could crash any time.


By the time I got the creek, they were long gone.




The track splits. Howmans Falls to the right and the Long Spur and T Spur if you cross. If you want to go to Howman's fall, DO NOT CROSS the stream. Keep it on your left. I crossed the streams


See those random people on the other side of the creek, that is where I should be. I manage to make them wave for a photo. Then I walked down knee to thigh deep shrubs and rock hopped across the stream.

I came to a series of rock pools that cascaded into little waterfalls. Was pretty but hardly a waterfall.
The guys (and 1 girl) in who waved for the photo were in the rock pool taking a dip.
Note to self: collect drinking water upstream.

I wandered a little further down and there was another rock pool.
At this point I had not seen any signs of my friends. To go to the T spur, you will have to double back along the same way. Therefore, I will most definately see them at some point.
I came to the WRONG conclusion that they have already come and gone and I missed them. I also WRONGLY concluded that this is all of Howman's Falls.


The word of the hour is "concluded"
I was trying to make up time and after consulting my map and using my A1 map reading skills, I concluded that it would be a shorter distance, hence quicker, to cut across rather than double back.

Everyone can arrive that conclusion by looking at the map. This is where my A1 map skills came in. It is steep but climbable. and the distance is MUCH less. I reckon I would make up about 30 min. 30 mins is just a random figure I pulled out. 1 hr sounds like unbelievable exaggeration. Saving 15min, I would not have bothered. So I came up with a self satisfying figure of 30 min.

There looked like there was a track amist the shrubs across the stream, so I headed for it. Rock hopped across and bush bashed a little. As track snaked around trees and impassible shrubs, it got thinner and thinner and disappeared. The forest swallowed me. The trees breezed a soft chuckle. Suckered in!

I was not lost. I knew exactly where I was but I could go up no further, I did not want to back track to the crossing so I cut across trying to get back on the start of T Spur,  taking the path of least resistance. After some moderate bashing, it opened up into clearing. I had to cross it to get on a visible trail. It was wet and boggy.


I saw a tree with interesting colour and pattern. This was the only noteworthy even from my bush bashing.
Evenutally the trail forked to the Long Spur and the T Spur.


In case, you happen wandered into the area by total accident, Mt Bogong is that way.



T Spur trail is within gumtrees. there was not much in terms of panoramic views but it was nice being in the ghosty gums. I was wondering how far they are ahead when I reached an apart of T Spur that was like a saddle, you could see both side of the valley. It was flat and it looked like it could be a nice place to have a little nap in the sun. I will just wait for them to head back. I decided against it in case they were waiting for me. It was about lunch time. I pressed on ahead and got to where I thought we were suppose to be.

No one around. I know how mad my map reading skills are so I pressed on. When I came to a part that looked like a long STEEP descent, even I can tell where on the map I was. It was called "The Steep".  But it still did not explain where the other 5 people are. Alien abduction? Dingos? Hide and seek?

My phone rang and long story short, they were behind me. My prior wrong conclusions caught up to me. Where I thought was the end of Howman's Falls, was not. I doubled back and they caught up. We had lunch and decided that the remaining 3 hrs or so left of sunlight will be free and easy. I thought I will do see the REAL Howman's Falls. The rock pools also look rather inviting.

On my way there, I found some cheaters. 


Do they not know what a spiritual journey is? I envied their ignorance, but I mostly envied their not-walking.

Howman's Fall was a real spectacle. It is on a cliff edge over a valley.

It flows from here:

 into a pool, then down here


which flows into the valley here.
 

I contemplated taking a quick dip, I had a towel, but I was wearing tights and had no spare jocks. While I was there taking photos, noone came to this end of the Falls. So I decided to take a quick skinny dip. It was COLD, then you get  tigling feeling at at edge of your skin, like you have a shimmering halo, then you feel warm. It was a great feeling and it left me feeling nice and clean. Sorry girls, no photos.

Fare evader on Bogong High Plains, as I laid in the sun, made some coffee and enjoyed the sun. Thats life.
Bad news at this point. The sun was getting low, so was the battery power. It turned chilly as I started to make my way back to camp.

Back at the camp site, it was begining to look like a CBD parking. There were a lot of people compared to when we left this morning. 2 of my friends turned up. They have been doing reconnaissance for a less crowded camp area and they found one in a nice area. All we had to do is pack, walk about 1 km though boggy swamp land and setup camp. All before we lose light in 1 hour. Perfect. How I wish for Bear Grylls bog shoes.

Anyway, it was a great decision to move. As soon as I broke camp, a group pounced from behind a bush and claimed my spot. Our new camp spot was likely a place where stockman gathered when they are up there. The ground was solid and a little sheltered amongst tree. We sat around had a meal, talked and retreated to our tents.

It was an unusual night. There was a little rain and the wind was blowing in gust which caused sound of swirling wind and rustling leaves throughout the night. I had a restless sleep. More bad news tomorrow.



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