Kosciuszko

Introduction

If you haven’t been hiking in the Jagungal Wilderness, located in the northern part of Kosciuszko National Park, then do it!

Commencing at the Round Mountain trailhead, six hardy souls trudged out for the start of a big adventure. The plan – hike the Great Alpine Trail some 100kms back to Thredbo, camping and carrying all our food and gear for 7 days. With a hardcopy of the relevant topo maps, downloaded map of the area plus a compass and a Garmin InReach added for additional safety.

From our research, we had a good idea of the route and huts we could utilise in case of emergency. We did decide to take the opportunity to camp by the huts where available and utilise them for preparing our meals.

First Day: Round Mountain Trail Head to Derschkos Hut – 14km

Departing Thredbo early in the morning, we set off for the 2 hour drive to the Round Mountain trail head (via Khancoban). Carrying full packs in very wet conditions and despite the rain, the day ended up being an easy one. What a great introduction to the Jagungal Wilderness.

As luck would have it, after consuming our soggy lunch, the sky cleared to reveal a nice sunny day ahead. Reaching the camp site before sunset, we managed to get a fire going in the fire pit outside. We settled in for the night, sharing a good yarn or two – minus the one million blood sucking March flies!

Second Day: Derschkos Hut to camp site, via Mt Jagungal – 12km

This turned out to be a tough day. Navigation skills came to the fore, that and swatting away some one million March flies – well, it certainly felt like there was one million! They managed to bite through every piece of clothing and human flesh possible. No amount of swatting, kicking or screaming kept them at bay. Staring into their big beady eyes didn’t scare them away either!

Picking our way through head high undergrowth bush bashing Aussie style, we finally navigated our way up to a high ridge after about 3 hours. Reaching the ridge, we picked up a faint trail. Dropping our packs at the base, we had a short rock scramble which led us to the top of Mt Jagungal (2,061m) – the seventh highest mountain in Australia. With the sun shining, a slight breeze and 360 degree views of the surrounding Jagungal Wilderness area, this is as good as it gets on any summit day.

Descending, we hit a few bogs – and more biting March flies. Apparently, the March fly uses the protein in the blood to develop eggs, which give rise to the next generation of March flies. Hmmm!

Back to the trail. We could roughly make out where we were headed, up to the Stromlo Range. So with map and compass in hand we continued to zig zag across the swampy area and up the hill until we were all exhausted. Finally reaching a spot where we could pitch a tent and that also had running water nearby, we called it a day.

Dining alfresco, with the stars shining ever so brightly in the sky above us, we fell asleep content with how the day unfolded. Looking up at the clear night sky and sighting the Southern Cross along with other constellations was a sight to behold.

Third Day: Camp site to Grey Mare Hut – 10km

Today, was up and over another ridge that intersected with the Grey Mare trail. Finally ending up at our our destination of Grey Mare hut. Along the way through the swampy area, we came across numerous yabby holes – the small Australian equivalent of a freshwater crayfish species.

After setting up camp, we headed to the nearest water source, an easy 50m from our campsite. Judging by some old implements lying around, it appeared this was once an gold mining site from the 1800s.

During bad weather, Grey Mare is considered to be one of the key survival shelters in the Jagungal Wilderness.

Fourth Day: Grey Mare Hut, via Valentines Hut to Schlink Hut – 14.5km

This was what I call Type 2 fun day. Involving three river crossings around knee to waist high, it was gear off and gear on. Rinse, dry and repeat! Reaching Valentines Hut was one of the highlights of the hike – it’s door is painted bright red, so aptly named. It’s also a great spot to have a lunch break and take in the surroundings.

After lunch, things got a bit interesting at a T junction on the trail. Reaching Schlink Hut, also known as ‘Schlink Hilton’, we realised that one of our party hadn’t arrived. On dusk, we dispatched a small search party and managed to find him within the hour and in good spirits. However, it appeared that the darn March flies had also sent out a search party and found us too!

Fifth Day: Schlink Hut to White River Hut – 5km

This turned out to be a very short day. Plan A was to go from Schlink Hut up and over a ridge and camp near Mt Tate, following the Great Alpine trail.

As the Alpine weather forecast was not looking great, we contemplated alternatives. Reaching White River Hut after a short hike, we pitched our tents. This was just in case it became very busy with overnight hikers coming up from Guthega Power Station. A decision that proved wise as it turned out.

Some of the hardy group decided to press on and see if they could tag Mt Tate and return to camp. It was tough going, with the trail disappearing into head high undergrowth and remerge many metres away – again and again. So, after a few hours the two of us decided to turn around and head back down. The thought of a delicious lunch of salami and cheese coupled with dessert was also an attractive option to return to.

Today was the first after 5 days that we encountered other people. They were with a local alpine club who had hiked up from the power station. It was nice to have a conversation with someone other than our own.

Sixth Day: Change of plan! Detour from White River Hut to Ski Lodge in Perisher – 12km

What’s that saying? The best laid plans of mice and men get led asunder! The updated weather report didn’t look promising, limiting our options to head up and follow the Great Alpine Way further across the top.

With an alternate trail closed because of a collapsed bridge, another detour was the order of the day. When one of our fellow companions suggested we could bunk down at their ski lodge for the night with a hot shower and comfy bed – well, need we say more. It wasn’t a hard decision. However, now we had to find our way.

The first section of our new detour was a service road which lead down to the Guthega Power Station and car park, around 8km. The power station formed the original part of the great Snowy Mountains Hydro scheme. It was on this road that we encountered some more people – a large bush walking group. They were also headed up to White River Hut – a very popular destination, so it seems, for an overnight hike.

Upon reaching the power station, it was ‘now where’? With a little assistance from MapsMe and some local knowledge, we began our long zig zag ascent to Perisher. To our detriment, we had to hike up an incredibly steep ski slope – the ‘Blue Cow Black Run’.

Now, I’ve never attempted a black ski run in summer – come to think of it, in winter either! So here we were, up and up we went – straight up in fact. The thought of a hot shower at the end seemed to spur us on. Finally, we trudged into the very quite but quaint village of Perisher and onto the ski lodge.

The highlight of our stay was being able to access a well stocked pantry. Making scones for afternoon tea and having a well earned pasta dish for dinner, there was definitely no hydrated food for us tonight.

Final Day in the Jagungal Wilderness. Charlotte Pass to Thredbo – 22km

After a well earned rest, we poked our heads outside to see that the weather forecast was spot on. 100mm of rain plus 40-60km winds were headed our way – some of it having reached us already. After some consultation, we arranged for a shuttle bus to come and pick us up and take us on the short drive to Charlotte Pass, around 12km, so that we could resume our hike back down to Thredbo.

Some of our merry troupe decided to walk the 22km loop of the main range – crossing the Snowy river and up around tagging Mt Kosciuszko and then down to Thredbo village accessing the chair lift at Eagles Nest.

Given the dire weather forecast and because we’d previously hiked that trail, we elected to cut it short and head the most direct route down to Thredbo, a distance of some 16km. Taking shelter in Seaman’s hut along the way, looking like drowned rats, we waited out some of the bad weather. After an hour or two, we finally made a decision to hot foot it down in what was a record time for us at least.

Finally, we reached the village of Thredbo, where our journey began 7 days ago. Curling up in our warm cosy lodge to dry out, we reminisced with the others when they arrived over a well earned dinner washed down with a glass or two of red wine!

Onwards and upwards!

Trevor

Insights – Jagungal Wilderness

• Register your trip intention form online with NSWPS or in person at the Snowy Region Visitor Centre, Jindabyne or Khancoban Visitor Centre.
• Kosciuszko National Park entry fee applies, regardless of the season.
• Given a wet summer, there was ample water supply along the way.
• All of the huts we encountered in the Jagungal Wilderness were in excellent condition. They would make great emergency shelters if you encountered extreme weather.
• Be prepared – pack appropriate gear, water, tent, compass, PLB and maps of the area.
• March flies are not active early in the morning or at dusk – luckily they do sleep!!
• Read our other posts about adventures in the Kosciuszko National Park here.

Background

Before we had signed up to the AHF Ten Peak Challenge – to trek to Australia’s ten highest peaks – we didn’t even know if it was going ahead. With COVID restrictions and the never ending threat of more cases, we were hoping that everything was going to be all good. As it turns out, we should have been praying to the weather gods – more on that later.

A few months before, training had begun in earnest. This involved many hours out on the trails around Sydney, early mornings and lots of steps – up and down.

Being a keen weather observer, the impending forecast looked interesting! Sunny for the first day turning later into a thunderstorm, with high winds for the next two days. Coupled with further rain and snow and a high wind chill thrown in for good measure, it was certainly going to be a challenge – the Ten Peaks Challenge! Welcome to the Australian Alpine environment located in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW.

So, with gear sorted, a packed lunch, lots of snacks and a great bunch of people along with Zac Zaharias as our guide and his team from Peak Learning, it was time to head out. The plan was to tackle all of Australia’s ten highest peaks over 4 days. Ten peaks covering some 65km over varied terrain – all in support of the Australian Himalayan Foundation (AHF).

Day 1- The Calm before the Storm

The group of 18 hardy souls, plus guides, began in a very jovial manner. Being amongst mountaineers piqued our interest further. The excitement was building.

The plan. Day 1 – tackle some 18km and hike out to two of the Ten Peaks from Charlotte Pass. Mt Twynam (2,195m) and Carruthers Peak (2,145m).

As we discovered later, this was just a mere warm up for what was yet to come. Starting in sunshine, we could see the change in the weather approaching from the North West. And, with dark clouds descending towards the end of a long day, the heavens opened up and it got progressively worse. With the wind picking up and looking like drowned rats, it was starting to get cold. Then, we saw some runners clawing their way to finishing the ‘Coast to Kosci’ – an ultramarathon covering 240km. We looked at their dishevelled figures. Realising we had a nice place to stay for the night with a comfortable bed, great food and a hot shower, suddenly lulled us out of our senses and the good banter started up again.

Day 2 – Getting Cold

After a good night’s sleep and feeling full from the several helpings of food (bank those calories), we took one look out the window and the weather forecast. Suffice to say, it was an ‘oh hum’ moment with a few people exclaiming “we’re not going out in that”. Oh yes, we are! After all, we signed up for this. And hey, what’s a bit of wind chill to deter you from going outside. Hmmm. How about a wind temperature of -15deg celsius with wind gusts forecast to get up to 80km/h up at the top. So, adopting the one step forward, two steps back approach, off we all plodded slipping and sliding as we went. Now, at this point I did stop and ponder. If there were any Antarctic penguins out here, they wouldn’t have looked out of place. And this is Australia in summer!!

After some hours heading cross country, we managed to scramble up another two peaks. Rams Head (2,190m) and Rams Head North (2,177m). We had previously ascended Rams Head North back in August during a winter skills course, though with lots more snow around but little wind.

After day 2, four out of the ten peaks were ticked off. “We’re on a roll”, I thought. “We’ll easily knock off the other six peaks over the next 2 days”. As we headed back down to Thredbo on the chairlift, the conditions to come weren’t looking great. As you might suspect by now, the topic over dinner was the weather forecast. Will or won’t we head out and up tomorrow?

Day 3 – Colder and Snowy

Waking up to day 3, the group was feeling strong but somewhat apprehensive. Concern centred around the weather forecast – again!. Mainly, exposure to conditions bordering on hypothermia if we were to head out to Kosciuszko.

So with that, a decision was taken. Everyone nodded in unison. Scrapping our original plan, we decided to stay down low. Taking a leisurely 10km hike up and around and then descending the Dead Horse Gap trail. Finishing at the bottom, it suddenly dawned on us what that meant. On the last day, we would have to undertake the other 6 peaks. This would mean covering around 27km if we wanted to complete the Ten Peaks challenge. One step at a time I thought. Let’s worry about that tomorrow. Just relax and focus on today. Being met with a glass or two of schnapps at the end of the trail (thanks Grace) obviously helped clarify my thoughts! Now, why don’t we do that on a mountain – worth exploring further I think.

Later that night, we had a special dinner organised at a local restaurant. Zac regaled great stories of the challenges he and his team faced in their many Himalayan expeditions; Mike Edmondson showed off his lovely photography of Kosciuszko National Park and yours truly, presented the story on the AHF and the great work it does across the Himalayas.

Day 4 – The Big Day

Looking out the window and seeing snow falling in the village, my immediate thoughts turned to the day at hand. “It’s going to be tough going up top”, I said to myself. The wind had dropped though it was still going to be pretty cold out on the trail. Gearing up, we started our ascent up to Etheridge Ridge Peak (2,180m) and then onto Mt Kosciuszko (2,228m), the highest mountain in Australia.

Yes, I know Australia is relatively flat compared to, say, the Himalaya’s. One thing Australia can claim though, is that Kosciuszko is 440 million years old. Compare that to Mt Everest, which is only 60 million years old.

Judging by the amount of snow on the ground, we must have received something in the vicinity of a metre of the white stuff over night. Once we had all ascended Mt Kosciuszko, some of the group decided that they had reached their final summit for the day and turned around to head back down. The rest of us made a decision to carry on and head out back country and complete the other four peaks. At one stage, I must admit I had contemplated turning back myself. I’m so glad though, like the others, I found that inner strength inside of me and pushed on.

Cross Country

So peeling off from the main range trail, we again headed cross country through deep snow and native vegetation. We glimpsed wildflowers that were starting to bloom. But like us though, they had their heads neatly covered up from icy cold winds. Lucky for us, our guides led the way across ridges, rivers and streams picking out a trail wherever we could. When the clouds descended, it was somewhat trickier. On any long day, it’s important to stay focused, hydrate and eat. At that point, someone then yelled “chocolate”. Like seagulls on a beach, we all descended on the one thing keeping us going.

The final four peaks

One by one, we knocked off the other 4 peaks. First, Mt Townsend (2,209m) and the second highest. Next came Alice Rawson (2,160m). The last two were what is termed, the Abbott’s – Abbott Peak (2,159m) and Abbott Peak East (2,145m).

After high fives, it was time to turn around and head for home – some 14km away. Jumping over rivers, gullies, snow melt and with the sun setting, the alpine wilderness had thrown everything at us. At that stage, a random tree branch caught my boot and lulled me out of my false sense of security.

As Eagles Nest came into view, we summonsed up all the energy we had left. As the chairlift had closed for the day, we had no option but to walk another 4km in a zigzag route with a descent of some 600m. Winding our way back down the nature trail to Thredbo village, it was a welcome relief to finally reach the bottom.

After 13 hours and finishing up at 10:15pm, someone reminded me to rehydrate. With a beer in one hand, a red wine in the other and of course a glass of water, it was a hearty cheers. What a great way to celebrate a long day with like minded friends.

Thankyou’s and Goodbye’s

Firstly, special thanks must go out to Zac Zaharias and his team from Peak Learning for great logistics, daily motivation and belief in his ‘charges’. When presented with a challenge, you learn how to push on, persevere and achieve your ‘peak’, overcoming adversity.

Secondly, to the Australian Himalayan Foundation, of whom this Ten Peaks challenge was in aid of. Donations were greatly accepted – however big or small.

Lastly but not least, a special thank you to all of the great group of like minded adventurers and ‘peak baggers’ who signed up for the challenge. Without all of you, it wouldn’t have been as much fun.

In pondering our success, I leave you with one final thought. As Tenzing Norgay exclaimed to Sir Edmund Hillary when climbing Everest, “friends are as important as achievement, … teamwork is the one key to success and that selfishness only makes you small”.

Au revoir, until next time we meet up.

Onwards and upwards!

Trevor

P.S. Read more of our posts about adventures in the Kosciuszko region here.