One day I will lead an SUBW walk where we actually take the route as advertised. Today was not that day. After my original plans for this weekend got rained out, I put up a very short notice walk, asking for volunteers to join me on a walk to descend Kedumba Valley Road from the Bonanza Gates on Kings Tableleand, cross Kedumba River, and climb up the Col to have lunch on Mt Solitary, and then return. I got…
Last Saturday was one of those days you wouldn’t get out of bed unless it was to lay on the couch with a warm blanket, a hot chocolate and a good book. It had been raining for the previous two days, with temperature dropping well below the 20’s, and the weather forecast was promising more of the same. Given the…
Advertised as “Canyoning Weekend, 23-24 Feb 2013”, but became “Flooded Canyons Daytrip 22-23 Feb 2013” I was asked why didn’t I cancel the trip before it started. Well I could have. But didn’t you know that the SUBW motto is “Press On Regardless”? And that Press On Regardless doesn’t mean Press on Recklessly or Foolishly, just “Press on Regardless of the Weather Forecast”. Nothing more…
An astute observer may notice that while this trip was advertised as being “Megalong / Medlow Bath Tracks”, the title of this report excludes the Megalong, for the reason that we never quite made it down far enough to qualify being in the Megalong. My objective today was to explore the old tracks at Medlow Bath, to find the established ways in & out of the valley, as preparation for a future long day walk descending Blacks Ladders and ascending to Medlow Bath. I was…
This morning my girlfriend (Sophie) and I did a hike below the cliff lines of Radiata Plateau (just West of Katoomba, near the start of the 6 Foot Track). A couple of others had indicated interest, but in the end it was just the two of us. I had previously gone in & out each of Esgate Pass (the chains) and Blacks Ladder, but this was my first time doing the full traverse. It was…
A cool change on Friday night heralded mild summer walking conditions on Saturday for an exploratory walk into the Nattai Valley via The Slott Way. The Slott Way is a fairly new route only marked out some 7 years ago as far as I know. It is described in a small booklet by Robert Sloss, “Bushwalking Cycling in Mittagong and Nattai National Park”. I was…
So when Sydney has its hottest day ever (global warming anyone…), where better to be than a canyon, right? Except when that canyon requires you to climb several hundred metres up an impressive sandstone escarpment, only to discover an unnervingly strong smell of smoke once you’re on top, then turns out to be the driest poo-smeared slot you’ve ever entered! We’d driven out to Glen Davis the night before. Dinner was…
On this trip, all that could have been done wrong I DID, like wearing the wrong shoes, the wrong set of clothes, burning my socks on the campfire – gee, not even in my early bushwalking days I’ve ever done that, getting sunburned, or having the wrong map. Some were mistakes that could have ruined the whole trip if it wasn’t for the amazing cooperation I had from the rest of the party. So first…
Normally I try to run a beginner canyoning weekend towards the beginning of the season. However, this year it got pushed back further and further until I finally decided to take literally the last weekend of 2012 to make it happen. Going in summer had the advantage that we were able to do proper wet canyons, as opposed to the (semi) dry ones in early spring, and Tim’s trip report about Dargans Creek made me decide to use this location for the first day and then head out to the Newnes Plateau. As usual…
A couple years back, as I abseiled down beside the massive 150m waterfall at the start of Kanangra Main, I remember looking across to the other side at the dark, ominous slot. I didn’t know anything about the route, or what it involved, but peering into its shadowy depths I knew I’d like to experience it one day. So when…
Date: Grand Canyon Sat 15 Dec 2012 Christmas Dinner Walk 15-16 Dec 2012 Photos: Grand Canyon: Dave Noble’s photos Christmas Dinner Walk: Dave Noble’s photos page 1 and page 2. It was a late start – and I was the last to arrive (blaming CityRail) – at the Neates Glen car park near Blackheath on Saturday morning (well, almost afternoon actually). About 15…
Note: This report has been edited from the original pdf version which contains extra annotations to the images. This page alone has everything you need to know and see. These 3 pictures basically summarise the whole adventure. Before After After But if you want more details of everything that happened in between…. The day…
It was with some uncertainty that I advertised this trip with SUBW, somewhat doubtful that there would be enough cyclists with interest in this 27km ride in the club. But, over time I got another 5 participants to sign up. Martin, Albert and I met at my house at Dulwich Hill and headed down to the Cooks River. We winded…
With close inspection of the trip advert and following trip report you may notice that although we had planned to walk from the Barrenjoey Headland to Newport. On account of the heat (27 degrees max) and the luring beach we piked at Avalon. I was expecting 10 walkers on the walk today, but with a couple pulling out overnight and another few guilty of missing the bus it ended up just Kathy and myself (C/K – athy Squared) waiting for the bus at Railway Square this morning. It was…
Individually Jugglers, Grand and Empress Canyons all have their merits but in combination these three pack a punch! After a somewhat chaotic start, which involved picking up ropes at North Richmond (kindly lent by Todd Harford), buying three trays of mangos and driving around the Blue Mountains National Park via the Bells Line Road, we arrived at our destination — Medlow Bath. We were…
Unfinished business… That’s why I led a second trip this year to Gungartan, a rocky peak in the Snowy Mountains. During winter (July), I led a walk to the same region expecting to have a go at the summit of 2068m high Gungartan as part of a snow camp. Although the trip was great fun and covered in heaps of snow, the summit remain unreached. So, to…
For most people, the thought of a couple people wandering nude around a beautiful garden will probably have you picturing Adam and Eve (fig leaves and all)! The idea of hanging out in the Garden of Eden — a paradise on earth — getting an all-over tan, eating apples and chatting to snakes doesn’t sound too bad to me. And while I don’t condone the pinching of people’s organs in their sleep, or the manufacture of new humans from that stolen genetic material, I am particularly happy to know that the holy book of one of the biggest religions on earth kicks off with a description of the first people by saying they “were both naked, and they felt no shame.” One of many bottlebrushes in flower down in the valley So for the latest nude bushwalk I though what better place to revisit than that stunning swimming hole at Linden known as Paradise. Running up…
This trip was planned to give both Claire and Marta a last walk before they returned to Europe. It was also Armistice day in France, and Poland’s Independence Day (for Marta). It was also notable for its con-incidences with the date (11/11) and that a short trip turned into a long one. Read on….
Not having been down since the old track was closed, it was nice to return to Claustral, and have to think about the way in and way out! Our way in involved a short walk to a very pleasant fern filled gully to enter the Canyon, with blue skies and a cool breeze. The canyon itself was fantastic as usual, with a few things that stood out to me: the water level in most of the pools is much lower than previously – similar to many canyons since the rain over the past year or 2 has flushed out a lot of debris A lot of bolting action has occurred. Mostly unwarranted,…