I don’t often go on club walks any more, for a number of reasons, but every so often one comes up to a mountain I haven’t yet visited and I get excited by the opportunity. I did just that when Olegas bluff popped up on the HWC program. I forgot about the realities of walking with 10 other people or the inflexibility to choose a weather window and focused instead on climbing a new mountain and sharing the scrub bashing with others.
The first two days were forecast wet. We had an early start, ready to walk from the Gordon Dam at 0800 to get the most out of the day. It started off dry, save for the very wet scrub which did a good job of soaking those who walked up the front of the line. In time the drizzle started and then the wind kicked in. Coupled with the much slower pace of a big group I found myself quickly on the edge of comfort. I remembered why I didn’t like club walks! It had been quite some time since I’d been that wet and uncomfortable. It was largely my own fault – I’d become used to walking fast in small groups, skipping breaks and only pausing for a minute or two to scoff down snacks so as to keep warm. I hadn’t packed extra thermals to cater for the slower pace or lazy wind.
We slipped and wove and fought our way up the overgrown track at little faster than a kilometre an hour. We were very quickly walking in clag, thick enough that the ridge wasn’t easily discernible. When we got to near the Hamilton range high point the decision was made to drop down to the west to a saddle where we should be able to find water and get out of the wind. It was clear we weren’t going to be making it all the way to the Denison river.
Tents went up in record time, but still everything was nicely wet by the time we’d finished. We retreated into our own worlds for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I did some yoga and some core exercises to warm up, then settled in to an early dinner. I dozed on and off while half listening to my audiobook. We hadn’t travelled very far but the cold and the previous few days of heavier than normal exercise had taken it out of me. The dozing didn’t hinder my sleep, nor did the intermittent chorus of snores.
We had a late start the next day, none of us keep to don the dripping wet gear. I added a thermal top and beanie and still it almost wasn’t enough. I got grumpy at myself, aware that it wasn’t helpful, but remained grumpy nonetheless. Our pace was perhaps even slower than the day before, despite going downhill. Not being able to rely on walking fast to keep me warm, I took to bouncing up and down on the spot every few metres when the line paused. I probably looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. It still wasn’t enough. I was cold and shivering and the most miserable I’d been on a walk for a long time. But Steve made me laugh when he told me I wasn’t a kangaroo. A few others were feeling much the same, it turned out (although they didn’t take to bouncing) but they did a much better job of keeping smiles on their faces.
We made it to the end of the ridge just before the button grass turns to scrub and then forest shortly after 1300, when the clag lifted and we got a glimpse of blue sky and sun. It didn’t last, but it lifted our spirits – the end was in sight! The walk down the final bit of ridge in the rain forest was lovely and open.
Unfortunately our luck didn’t last and despite walking up the Denison river as far as we could (a few hundred metres) we were unable to find a spot safe enough for everyone to cross. We decided to find our own spots on the eastern side of the river to camp and see how things stood in the morning. I wasn’t going to hold my breath. It was probably just as well we camped well strung out. I was in the kind of mood where I’m best left alone because only time would allow me to reframe the pervasive feeling that the last two days of cold, wet and slow walking had all been a bit of an unpleasant waste of time for everyone. I could definitely think of a few places I’d rather be!
At least my little spot was cute and the sound of the river racing past just below me was lovely. I discovered that some terrain is too hard for the inReach to work, so I settled in to an afternoon of creamy broccoli and chicken pasta, hot chocolate, more yoga and some of my audiobook. Time passed surprisingly quickly.
I woke to my alarm the next morning, put on all the uncomfortably wet clothes once again and walked the 130m to the point I’d agreed to meet the others for the river verdict. I didn’t think we’d make it, I was sure the river had only risen. And sure enough that was the consensus. After a group vote we were back to our tents to pack up and push back out.
Up we slogged, happy to be finally warm, if eventually even a tad sweaty! Gradually the layers came off and over the course of the day the cloud increasingly lifted and we got more and more sun. Gear came out during our breaks to dry off. It was glorious, as were the views we’d missed out on. Progress was still slow, but possibly not as slow as on the way in and with the warm sun and views all round it was easy to sit back, relax and enjoy. If we’d temporarily forgotten why we were out there over the last two days, it all came flooding back now.
Up we plodded, through button grass and over rocks. We followed our pad as best we could, grateful at the channel we’d made through thicker bits of scrub. In this fashion we arrived at our first campsite by mid afternoon. While the group was set to camp here, Kent let three of us continue on a few hundred metres so we could have a high camp on the Hamilton range. There was a lovely flat meadow-like spot between the ridge and the high point that I wanted to take advantage of. It was as good as it had looked in the sideways drizzle and fierce wind of day 1 and we were giddy with joy at how lucky we were to be in such a wonderful place!
We checked out the summit, made camp, lay gear out to dry, ate dinner and then headed to the ridge to enjoy the sunset. The temperature plummeted with the sun and we didn’t stick around much longer, ducking down to our respective tents to warm up. It had proved to be a lovely evening!
The next morning was just as good, or maybe even better. It had been a calm night and I woke at twilight, which gave me time to climb back up to the summit of the Hamilton range and watch the sun appear between a thin gap in the clouds. There was heavy cloud cover overhead which would take some time to disperse and the sun slipped away behind it, casting pretty orange rays through the mountainscape. I stayed, eating breakfast, until the show was over.
We took our time to get ready, packing in stages, drying out flies that had picked up condensation in the still night, and warming up in general. We timed it perfectly and were good to go when the others arrived over the ridge on their way to the summit. After they went to check it out, we reconvened and wandered a short way up the ridge to our drop off point for Mount Robert. We left packs and just took what we wanted for the day. The going was much the same as when I first climbed it.
Again we took our time, enjoying the sun and the views, stopping a little less frequently but with not great haste to our day. We didn’t have far to go after all! On the summit, after the steep final climb, we chatted away for quite a while until eventually we felt we should start getting back. And so we retraced our steps. I picked a few pepper berries off bushes we passed, and one or two others did similarly, always leaving some behind.
When we arrived at our packs and Rod, who had been safeguarding them, we eventually wandered a few hundred meters down the ridge to another early camp. We could have walked out in the light, but the northwest walkers had a 5+ hour drive home and didn’t want to be doing that late at night. So we all agreed to a half day of walking followed by a half day of driving.
We spread out again, 11 little tents dotting the ridge. I opted for a penthouse view, mostly so I didn’t have to move far from the tent to check the sunrise and sunset! A few intrepid soles came to visit my lodgings and I ducked down to socialise too until everyone decided it was too cold to stay out any longer. In any case, the cloud had moved in and sunset was little more than a darkening of the sky.
I returned to my rocky fortress and started jotting down ideas for a job application to become a wilderness paramedic. Em had sent me through photos of the selection criteria because she knew I would be out walking when applications were due and wanted to give me a heads up for the day or two I had at home before leaving. Super kind of her, given she’d likely be applying too! In due course I fell asleep to the sound of the slightly less than gentle breeze against the tent fly.
I woke at 0400 to pee and was excited to see a silent thunderstorm off on the eastern horizon. I watched and admired the cloud-contained fireworks for a bit, then drifted back to sleep. It was still going shortly after 0600 when dawn arrived but was less impressive with the lighter backdrop.
I ate breakfast and sat around for as long as I could while I watched the sun rise and the clouds race around over nearby ridges. It was another pretty start to the day. We were off by 0815 and the pace stepped up. It must have been the draw of home, or a pub lunch at the Lake Pedder Wilderness Lodge perhaps that had us taking fewer and shorter breaks despite the lovely views and sunny skies.
When we hit the dam it was crawling with tourists who watched as we climbed down the ladders and around the outside of the bottom one, the gate at the bottom of which was still locked. A few were intrigued to ask us some questions, but there was no real way they could have understood exactly what the last five days had entailed!
Ten of us drove the short distance to the lodge where we indulged on burgers, fish and chips, seafood baskets or schnitzels. They did a most acceptable post-walk meal! It was a lovely way to round out the adventure, sitting around and sharing a meal while chattering away.
I was humbled by the experience held within the group and felt like a novice in their collective presence. Almost everyone had a story or two to tell about the rarely visited mountains that had come into our conversation over the past five days. The common themes were the same – mistakes made, lessons learnt, the beauty of wild places in lovely weather and the challenges overcome when things didn’t quite go to plan. And always, a willingness to share information to make the next person’s experience as kind and enjoyable as possible. I also had to take my hat off to Kent, for being brave enough to safely lead a large group into, and back out of, that kind of wilderness – especially with the conditions we had over the first two days.
We may not have achieved our ultimate objective, but we had shared an experience, told and listened to stories on the way, made new relationships and learnt (or re-learnt) some important lessons. I have even greater respect for the Denison river and Olegas bluff. I will be back…
All up:
Day 1: Car to Hamilton range: 8.6km, 6:56hrs, 759m ascent
Day 2: Hamilton range to Denison river: approximately 6km (GPS error in forest round the Denison), 7:20 hrs, 218m ascent
Day 3: Denison river to Hamilton range: 6.1km, 7:28 hrs, 913m ascent
Day 4: Hamilton range to southern Hamilton range via Mount Robert: 8.3km, 6:33hrs, 560m ascent
Day 5: South Hamilton range to car: 6.5km, 4:33 hrs, 169m ascent
rockmonkeyadventures 