12/08/2013 – 18/08/2013   Guthega Power Station – Disappointment Spur Hut – Valentines Hut – Mawsons Hut – Schlink Hut – Tin Hut – Mount Porcupine

                                                Kosciuszko National Park, NSW

                                                Ngarigo country

Participants: Stephen Davies (Leader, Report), Damien Aggio, John Croker (Photos), Paul Marsh

 

Day 1: Monday 12/08/2013   Guthega Power Station – Disappointment Spur Hut

Download file: 2012-08-17 Munyang to DS Hut.gpx                         Track 

 

We met in the morning at my place to share the ride in John’s Outback. After introductions and waiver signing we attached my luggage pod, loaded up and got away for the long drive to Guthega Power Station. Backpacks on we left the carpark around 4:30pm aiming to overnight in Disappointment Spur hut.  We were pleased and pleasantly surprised to have our skis on about 200m past the bridge. The snow was pretty dry and there was a gusty breeze blowing.

We crossed paths and had a quick chat with Paul Jennings and Paul Trotter who were coming out from their trip before moving on. An empty hut was reached shortly after sunset.

 

Day 2: Tuesday 13/08/2013   Disappointment Spur Hut – Valentines Hut

Download file: 2013-08-13-Disappointment-Hut-Valentine.gpx                         Track 

 

John proved by far the most organised and efficient getting ready (throughout the trip) in the morning which helped push the rest us along a bit to get us underway by 9am. The snow was great, fresh and dry, with only the occasional firmer wind scoured sections. Once on the main road we passed a party of five on their way out, they reported crotch deep river crossings on their return from Grey Mare, this comment was to have serious implications for our own planned trip.

We lunched at Schlink hut where John instigated a small work-party clearing ice and spindrift from the steps, entrance and toilet. Further along Damien and I were to be tempted by a great looking run down towards Dicky Cooper Creek which was covered with some quality snow. After a couple of runs we headed off to catch up to John and Paul who had gone ahead. We then sidled around to the saddle at the head of Duck Creek by departing the road about 200m past the quarry (next time I might try an earlier exit from the road to avoid a couple of awkward creek crossings). After the saddle we kept right down in Duck Creek before sidling around to Valentine hut, a far better option than trying to follow the route of the track which goes across the grain of a number of side creeks, meaning lots of avoidable ups and downs.

There was a lot more water flowing through Valentine Creek and other waterways than I’d seen when last here at Easter. An afternoon of searching both up and down stream revealed no dry crossing options and water running fast and deep. With three crossings between us and Grey Mare I was not at all keen to proceed, especially knowing the level could be up for our return trip with forecast showers later in the week. Plenty of lively debate ensured that evening.

 

 

Day 3: Wednesday 14/08/2013   Valentines Hut – Mawsons Hut return

Download file: 2013-08-14-Valentine-Mawson-Loop.gpx                         Track 

 

The debate continued into the next morning. Ditching the trip objective and denting the hopes and wishes of some, the decision was made to keep dry feet and go for a day trip to Mawsons hut (its a tough role being trip leader at times like these).

We took the route along and up the un-named creek which runs SW, later detouring towards The Big Bend before following Valentine Creek back towards the hut looking for any dry foot crossing, no snow bridges or safe rock hoping options were found.

The hut was empty after a party of four had left earlier in morning after a four day stay. We returned by heading straight up the creek from the hut, just getting onto the end of The Kerries before taking a right hand turn at the first saddle from which we descended into the north-westerly flowing creek and followed it back. The snow was pretty heavy and slow and did not have much depth to it. Lots of bushes and grass poking out.

 

Day 4: Thursday 15/08/2013   Valentines Hut – Schlink Hut return

Overnight we had two claps of thunder nearby, accompanied by about 10cm of fresh snow. Today’s target was a daytrip along The Kerries as far as Gungartan Pass in what was forecast to be the best weather of the trip. We were away by 9:30am, skiing up and along the ridge in some great fresh snow. The day, however, defied the forecast, being cloudy and quite breezy. Damien had us stop for 11sies in the cool breeze. John and I making the most of the photo opportunity presented by the great ice formations on the surrounding trees.

 

Proceeding across the top of The Kerries the weather became less hospitable – decreasing visibility and strengthening wind. Another objective was abandoned and we dropped off The Kerries to Schlink hut for lunch. It was here we meet and spoke with a guy with a great job – paid to ski five days a week! As part of the National Parks baiting program he has to lay his baits (marked by pink fluorescent tape) every Thursday along the Aqueduct and road to Schlink and elsewhere the other four days.

 

From the hut Damien and I looked longingly towards the runs off Dicky Cooper Bogong and decided they needed some tracks on them. Yet another plan unravelled rather quickly as Dicky Cooper Creek wouldn’t let us cross (without wet feet) so reluctantly we started heading back. This time, to get out of the wind, we dropped back into the same creek we’d followed the day before, arriving back at the hut about 4:30pm. As the snow had been going off all day, it was very slow and heavy by the time we got lower down the creek.

The night was clear for a change, with plenty of stars and a sliver of moon visible.

 

 

Day 5: Friday – 16/08/2013   Valentines Hut – Tin Hut

Download file: 2013-08-16-Valentine-Tin-Gungartan.gpx                         Track 

 

The morning was began calm, clear and one-layer warm as we left fully laden towards Mawsons at 9:30am. Once there we met two separate solo travellers and had a quick lunch before heading off up the Valentine to Tin hut. We arrived about 1:30pm and settled down for a second round of lunch.

 

Damien and I headed up to Gungartan for an afternoon tour. An hour or so to the top with the wind in our face strengthening as we got higher, it was very strong across the top.  We ended up falling one summit short of the trig station but decided it could wait for another day. Phone reception on our peak was good. The reports from home informed us that there were severe weather warnings out for most of the time we were out, which may have helped explain why we had seen so few other people! We had a good quick 15minute return ski to the hut on firm but slow snow.

We had some local company arrive early in the evening, just after getting into bed. As we had read of someone recently being bitten on the nose by this resident marsupial John did not hesitate changing his bedding arrangements when the little fellow came out and eyed him off at short range, probably checking out his fleshy bites. The old bed frame was quickly off the rofters and set up for the opportunity to sleep alone.

It was very windy overnight and the sound of rodents gnawing away had me quiet concerned for some time, what were they destroying. A few torch flashes here and there revealed nothing. It was only later that I worked out the gnawing was actually a snowgum brushing against the corrugated iron wall of the hut.

 

Day 6: Saturday – 17/08/2013   Tin Hut – Mount Porcupine return

Download file: 2013-08-17-Tin-Mount-Porcupine.gpx                         Track 

 

We had a very windy night with plenty of spindrift sneaking into the outer room and toilet. It was great to see National Parks had provided toilet paper but also a bit disappointing to see it sitting on the floor of the toilet covered in snow.

The skies had cleared by about 9:00am. We headed off aiming for Mount Porcupine around an hour later getting a nice cruise on good snow on the way. Fantastic views can be had from the end of this ridge especially out towards the east and south. Our enjoyment was abruptly interrupted when a bank of fast moving, very threatening clouds obviously dropping stuff appeared from over The Kerries racing in our direction. We were very soon being blasted by icy cold sleet along with much reduced visibility. This had us fleeing straight into it for the shelter of the hut. It also turned out to be a bit of a fizzer, only really hitting hard for about 5 minutes.

After lunch John and Paul decided on a quiet afternoon close to the hut whilst Damien and I went looking for some big runs nearby off the Brassy Mountains. It proved very heavy going even down the steeper bits and very tiring heading back up. My underlying fitness was certainly found wanting, struggling so much to get back to the top I didn’t even contemplate another run. My younger fitter skiing buddy however managed more.

 

Day 7: Sunday – 18/08/2013   Tin Hut – Guthega Power Station

Download file: 2013-08-18-Tin-MPS.gpx                         Track 

 

The wind was blowing hard by morning, so no-one was interested in our planned exploratory Brassy Mountains day trip. There we were back to debating what to do next – should we have a hut day and hope for better weather tomorrow or just head out straight away? Again it proved difficult to gain consensus, our party of four regularly ending up two each way. The call was made to try for a forecast check first, so out we went looking for phone reception and an answer. The forecast was for 80km/h throughout the day peaking at 100+ km/h later and 80km/h throughout tomorrow. We decided to go immediately to try to beat the worst, heading out about two hours after the debate began.

Following the tree-line along Disappointment Ridge was damp, cold, very windy and challenging. Visibility became very poor at times so the GPS was out frequently to verify our position, this ensured some very chilled fingers as mittens were removed to click the small buttons. Dodging rocks and grassy sections, negotiating steep and cornice sided creeks in these conditions proved challenging with a couple of falls resulting. The party remained strong through these challenges as we moved forward slowly until crossing over through an open saddle midway between Whites River and Disappointment hut.

The wind was much reduced as we lost some height and entered the trees on the windward side, just as Damien and I had found last year. The ski down to the Aqueduct provided a new set of challenges, as there are plenty of rocks as well as standing and fallen trees to negotiate on a reasonably steep descent with variable consistency snow, all while carrying a heavy pack on tiring legs. There were a few falls along the way.

Eventually we arrived back at the car about 4pm. After a quickly served, very satisfying meal an upstairs Thai restaurant in Cooma we headed home (I highly recommend their chicken banana curry).

Later at home , on checking Thredbo AWS records I discovered the winds had peaked at just over 100km/h whilst we were doing our traverse along the ridge! At least they didn’t get to the 130km/h Damien and I had experienced last year.

Full route for this trip

 

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