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Published: February 27th 2024
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Apart from the annoying flies which had a liking for my feet, I was generally happy about how things went yesterday. It was good to be out in the country and I learnt a few good lessons. Last night I slept as well as I could have expected, and I seem to have no ill effects from the 1
stday. However, I am concerned about water. My water capacity is 2.6l (maybe not enough!) with the 0.6l being a LifeStraw, so although I can drink just about anything safely, I am constrained by the amount I can carry if there are no places to fill up on-route. The other factor was the speed I could walk. Yesterday I was more or less on the pace indicated by the guidebook, but I realise with the weight I'm carrying, ascents are going to be slow.
Over breakfast I look at the AAWT path for today and have concern both for water and the amount of ascent. From Low Saddle to Mt MacDonald is 780m of ascent (considerable) and there are no marked water sources anywhere between Low Saddle and Nobs Track. My planned camp is at High Cone Camp, but with no likely
water in this area I need to rethink. Nobs Track looks like a better option, but I might have to walk as much as 3km from there to find water. After studying the map and seeing how little water is around, I think is it sensible to be cautious and walk to Nobs Track via the jeep track that follows the Barclay River East Branch. Though longer this will minimise the amount of ascent and I will be able to fill up with water as I walk up the valley - I’m worried that the marked water sources near the saddle will all be dry, so should arrive at camp with full water bottles. After breakfast I take a walk back to the soak and refill my water, so I am starting with the maximum possible.
Even with the detour to fill water, I manage to break camp by 8:30 and at 10am I am at the junction with the Son of a Bitch Spur and going well. I make good time up to the next junction but then it becomes harder as the track repeatedly crosses the stream. At the first 3 crossings I can get across using
my poles and the steppingstones, but at the next crossing I need to take off my boots and wade across. It’s by this crossing that I pass an abandoned Peugeot hatchback in a very poor condition. I wonder how they got this far and what has happened as the car looks like it has rolled. Just after this I meet my 1
st person, a cyclist riding down the track.
After lunch by the stream the road starts to climb steadily. I stop at what I think may be the last water source to fill up my bottles but then find 3 other good streams about 500m further on, the last one probably only a k from the saddle.
I reach the ridge and the AAWT a bit before 3pm and weigh up whether to press on or make camp here. Though it is early I decide to camp, as the High Cone camp is almost certainly too far, and the nearer campsite is exposed and with a forecast for storms not where I want to be. From my past hikes I also seem to have benefitted from taking alternate hard and easy days, so I mark this down as an easy day and resolve to do a harder/longer day tomorrow.
At night I mull over my plans as I am already 2.5 hrs behind my plan and unless I make this up, I will be unlikely to reach the GAR by 2pm on Saturday.
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