Friday 8/09/2017 Dead Horse Gap – Horse Flat – Cascade Trail
Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Ngarigo country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
An exploratory day trip to the east of Dead Horse Gap. Wild brumbies are often seen in this area.
Max elevation: 1736 m
Total climbing: 834 m
Total descent: -828 m
Average speed: 5.23 km/h
Total time: 05:44:43
Nearing the end of a week long blizzard which dumped, by some reports, 1.2m of snow we were again forced to remain low. A drive to Dead Horse Gap had us out with low visibility over the adjacent high peaks, light snow and a good breeze. We meandered through the trees towards Horse Camp in the south with no particular end point in mind. Just get out, do a little exploring and try to get some telemarking in.
Sue negotiating the snowgums
Shortly before Horse Camp we found a suitable hill and enjoyed a few telemark runs before crossing “Horse Camp Creek” and heading across towards Cascade Trail. We followed this south for a short distance aiming to get some views down towards Victoria before turning around. In the meantime we had tried out our new Bothy Bag (two person “lunch” shelter) – this proved to be pretty comical with a high degree of difficulty getting in and out of the required sitting position on a not quite level slope of snow. It did, however, provide a good windbreak and significant additional warmth for a break. They are an accessory that will definitely provide an excellent short-term emergency shelter during inclement weather.
After crossing the Thredbo River on the Cascade Trail footbridge we ventured up the small valley directly opposite to try out the snow there. After one run we decided it was enough for the day and head back out.
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