JULY 2004 1045 Victoria Rd West Ryde 9858 5844 Come in and see one of the best lightweight and roomy bush walking tents currently available. It sleeps 3 and weighs in at only 2340 grams complete (with the mesh inner tent and pegs.) Or just 1260 grams fly, pole and pegs. GOLITE HEX 3 or 4 SEASON SHELTER i S, USES . . 3 or 4 season hiking or backpacking, winter camping, mountaineering fo \ Price: $ 599.00 a , WEIGHT fo oy 800 g canopy + 370 g pole + 90 g pegs and sack aa \ - oN DESCRIPTION TN aN This 4-season, extremely versatile, roomy 3-person, canopy-style shelter is bound to be- a M come your favourite all-year home-away-from-home. Unlike a tent, which essentially requires you to use poles, inner tent with floor and fly HEX 3 FLOOR Only whenever you pitch it, the Hex 3 is a component system: Price: $ 169.00 You can use just the canopy with or without a floor, or Ae wot just the bug net inner tent, or the canopy with the bug net. PRS. g And you can pitch the Hex (canopy or Nest) over a paddle ips DESCRIPTION on a canoe trip, or over a ski pole on a ski-tour. Or hang Vs Perfect for those who want a waterproof | i. canopy Via its top loop from a branch or a line sus- Z we ee ne need full bug protection. pended between trees. You can dig a snow pit under it and ners - @ Clips into Hex 3 canopy at 6 cor- e Abrasion resistant Cordura centre pole patch @ 6000 mm waterproof floor @ 4-inch bathtub design HEX 3 NEST (No pole) FEATURES Price: $259.00 WEIGHT 1080 g net + 90 g pegs (if you already have the shelter then you wont need to take 2 lots of pegs and keep the weight down) DESCRIPTION The perfect companion to the Hex 3 shelter when you're heading into mosquito or insect-laden adventures. Can be pitched separately when desert camping. e No-see-um mesh canopy e Full length 2-way C-shaped door zipper Foam cone pole seat at apex Pole Only Pole Only e Abrasion resistant Cordura centre pole patch 6000 mm waterproof floor e 4-inch bathtub design Pole Only e 6Stow sack Price: $85.00 Weight 370 g mcrease the amount of usable space; you can pitch it over rocks; and you can put it up quickly by yourself in the nas- tiest. weather. How's that for versatility. Dual roof vents provide excellent air flow, and the sup- plied extra guy lines can be used to pitch the leeward side (the side facing away from the wind) well off the ground to increase ventilation. SiLite construction and the six- sided shape with extra stake-outs midway along each side add up to an incredibly wind-stable, weatherproof shelter. Functional details include reflective, adjustable guy points: the adjustability ensures a good, taut pitch, while the reflective strips simplify pitching the Hex in the dark (and mean that it's much easier to find your Hex when re- turning to camp after dusk - and less likely that you'll trip over a comer once you have...) Available in Sun for people who want to be seen, and For- est for those who don't. For even more versatility, there will be a new trekking pole extender that will enable you to leave the Hex 3 pole at home and use any standard trekking pole to pitch the Hex 3! Available soon FEATURES e SilLite silicone-impregnated rip stop nylon e Hexagonal shape sheds elements superbly Adjustable aluminium centre pole (also available as a separate item) Top loop 2 large roof vents 2-way door zipper Reflective adjustable stake out loops 9 Y-stakes Floorless design 4-season palace for 2 or home for 3 Stake sack, SilLite stow sack included THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER is the monthly bulletin of matters of interest to members of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc PO Box 431 Milsons Point 1565. Editor: Bill Holland Production Manager: Frances Holland .| Printers: Kenn Clacher, Barrie Murdoch, Tom Wenman Don Brooks Fran Holland LOOK AT OUR SOCIAL PROGRAMME Theres fun and games in the Clubrooms on Wednesday 18" August see Page 20 The Coolana Fund: Donations to the Coolana Fund are very welcome and will be used to provide income to assist with | the maintenance of this wonderful property. Many thanks to those who have already donated. and to those who have indicated an. intention to include the Coolana Fund in their wills. Please send in your donation, addressed to The Coolana Fund , The Sydney Bush Waikers Ine. PO Box 43] Milsons Point 1565. ADVERTISERS: Alpsport Front cover Eastwood Camping 11 Paddy Pallin Back cover Wilderness Transit 5 Willis's Walkabouts 7 JULY 2004 Issue No. 8336 THis MONTH INCLUDES REGULAR FEATURES: 2 3 4 20 From the Committee Room Message from President Maurice Treasurer's Report Editors Note New Members Page Social Notes CONSERVATION MATTERS 5 News from Coolana This time Gretel Woodward tells of the latest on Coolana Johns White Paper Not Green Enough Pamela Irving is t unhappy with the approach to Australias Energy Future National Treasure, is under threat Report of a crisis meeting on the future of Kosciuszko WALK PAGES 10 11,13 14 15,16 17,18 Walk Notes: Barry Wallace summarises recent walks Colorado Backcountry Second part of Kenn Clachers skiing adventures in Colorado NZ Walkscrawl lan Wolfe continues his travels in NZ Maurices Walk To Ettrema Mike Floyd tells of his long weekend walk in Maurices favourite area Kanangra to the Axehead Range New member Janes Swinton has his first overnight walk with some experienced SBW members Navigation 101 with Professor Finch Alison WNinio reports on a_ training weekend in the Blue Mountains The Sydney Bushwalker: First Edition July 1931 Official publication of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc. [Page 2 T he Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc. Our Club was formed in 1927 for the purpose of bringing bushwalkers together; enabling them to appreciate the great outdoors; establishing a regard for conservation and promoting social activities. The Club's main activity is bushwalking but includes other activities such as cycling, canoeing and social events. Our Walks Programme (published quarterly) features day walks on most Saturdays and Sundays, some mid week walks and overnight weekend walks. Extended walks are organised in areas such as Lamington, Snowy Mountains etc as well as interstate. Our meetings are held on Wednesday evenings (see Social Programme) at Kirmbilli Neighbourhood Centre, 16 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli (near Milsons Point Railway Station). Visitors and prospective members are welcome. General Enquiries: Phone 0500 500 729 SBW Website www.sbw.org.au Office Bearers President: Maurice Smith Vice-President: Rosemary MacDougal Treasurer: Tony Marshall Secretary: Leigh McClintock Walks Secretary: Peter Love Social Secretary Caro Ryan Membership Secretary Ron Waiters New Members Secretary: Grace Martinez Conservation Secretary: Pamela Irving Magazine Editor: Bill Holland Committee Member: Barry Wallace Heike Krausse Delegates to Confederation: Jim Callaway - vacant - Contact The Committee: Members are welcome to contact the following officers on Club matters: President : Maurice Smith 9587 6325 (h) mauricethewalker@ihug.com.au Vice President : Rosemary MacDougal 9428 5668 (h) rmacdougal@bigpond.com Secretary: Leigh McClintock 8920 2388 (h) meclintock@pacific.net.au Treasurer Tony Marshall 9713 6985 (h) thuilder@bigpond.net.au Members Secretary: Ron Watters 0419617491 wattersr@bigpond net.au New Members Secretary: Grace Martinez 0405 473 029 (m) gracie_mar@yahoo.com.au From The Committee Room - July A report on proceedings at the Management Committee meeting on 7 July 2004 Roger Martin and Pam Campbell were accepted as Active Members. = Ron Watters will report to the next meeting on members who have not renewed for 2004. The Website Sub-Committee has been asked to prepare a paper addressing privacy and security issues involved with a members-only section on the website. Committee allocated $200 to enable the club to sell high quality electronic copies of the photographs that appear on the clubs website. "The Secretary to write to the Webmaster, thanking him for his role in developing the website. = Maurice Smiths walk on 3-4 July and Allan Wells walk on 5-6 June retrospectively upgraded to qualifying walks " Peter Love reported on arrangements for the walks grading forum on 14" July. . The Treasurer advised that the funds situation was comfortable, with about $16,000 in the bank. = Committee approved the payments for the month including a cheque for Confederation of $8,515 (covering affiliation $2,050, public liability premium $3,919, personal accident premium $2546) = The Treasurer noted that donations had been received $2,000 and $1,000 for a bio-toilet for Coolana. Patrick James is_ actively investigating products on the market. = The Conservation Secretary advised that she has received the Draft Plan of Management for the Kosciuzsko National Park and its companion volume, the Alpine Resorts Plan. EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon SBW has purchased an EPIRB for use by club members, in particular walks leaders. The GME Electrophone MT310 is a self contained radio transmitter, which transmits an internationally recognised distress signal on the aviation emergency frequencies for a minimum of 48 hours. These frequencies are monitored not only by commercial and military aircraft but also by the COSPAS/SARSAT satellite systems. Weight 185g The Club Secretary, Leigh McClintock will manage the EPIRB. So if you would like to take the EPIRB for a walk give Leigh a ring on 8920 2386 and arrange to collect it. The Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 Page 3 Message from President Maurice: As part of the my monthly column I am taking the time to sing the praises of the heroes who are usually unsung, that is those members who do so much of the behind the scenes work that make our club such an alive organisation. If you are among those who do that work and you have not had your moment of glory in this column, it will happen. My selection of those whose praises need to be sung is purely random. This month it is the turn of the team of people who print the monthly magazine and the quarterly walks program as well as other documents that are printed less frequently. The team of members, whose names are printed on the first page of the magazine, each month receive the print master from the appropriate author, be it the Magazine Editor, Walks Secretary or other member. From then on the print team do all those sorts of arcane tasks that in my mind conjure up visions of the older style printers of newspapers who worked with lumps of hot lead. However, the new printing machine purchased only last year after the older one finally died and could not be resuscitated pumps out many pages per minute. So let us sing their praises because each month of the year they are there operating the printer ensuring that the in-slot of our letterbox receives our monthly edition of the magazine. What a sterling job they do. Thank you to the printing team of Kenn Clacher, Barrie Murdoch, Tom Wenman Don Brooks and Fran Holland. The Ciubs Management Committee has been spending quite some time over the past several months on clarifying just how we assess whether any particular walk on the Walks program is of Qualifying grade. After much effort by Ron Watters, Peter Love and other committee members we have a document that will soon be released for wider circulation among our members. Remember that every Prospective Member is required to complete two one-day Qualifying walks and one weekend Qualifying walk as part of the process of becoming a full member. For prospective members the to-be released document will give them a clear idea of what a Q walk is likely to entail and for trip leaders this document will help them to assess whether their trip meets the criteria for it to be accepted as a Q walk. For the Management Committee, each quarter when we review the draft Walks program we will have a clear means of assessing whether a walk is of Q grade. The two-page document will be published in this magazine and your input in the way of constructive comments will, as always, be welcome. The weekend of 10 & 11 July saw the first of the new-style walks training weekends for prospective members. This initiative introduced 11 prospective members to the delights of carrying a weekend pack (this time on a one-day walk in the Nattai NP), and then all participants ended up at Coolana for an overnight camp. The weekend was the brain-child of Peter Love. Many thanks to the organisers of the weekend who did a sterling job, especially Ron Watters and John Bradnam and the weekend instructors/mentors and a big thank you to Lynette Huang, a prospective member about to become a full member, who was willing to be a walk leader under instruction for her contribution. Based on the positive feedback from the participants it is likely that we will make this type of weekend a regular quarterly event. Thats it from me for the month. See you on the track soon. Maurice Smith ERNE ORE een We invite your participation in the SBW Electronic Media Questionnaire Ys quesbonnairg wid ba used te agstst in the davelopreand of the club's Wwieb cite and dievibsion of ington to merker:. Ar Bons mating you to pashuipate vdil te issued shorthe You non nontact Gail Onehton S72 PIS by a pager oogy of the quashonnens f you don't cease thes otal tequdar Broa. The qayshommede dvds opens or 3 Angust coud Geses on St Anagqust Yourressonses will be Leap enomariaus, Page 4 T he Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 Treasurers Report - May Editors Note: SBW Bank Account Opening Balance 1* Jan 04 $6,745 Receipts 27,696 Payments 12,444 Closing Balance 30" Jun 04 $21,997 Cash Flows six months ended June 2004 Membership fees 16,598 Prospective and joining fees 4,489 Gear Auction 311 Donations - General 65 Donations - Coolana 55 Interest - General 555 Interest - Coolana 606 Interest - Conservation 222 Magazine advertising 1,795 Coolana donations 3,000 Total Receipts $27,696 Rent of club rooms 995 Postage, Telephone & Website 795 Bank charges 226 Magazine materials 1,706 Magazine postage 2,350 Magazine miscellaneous 266 Coolana rates & rent 583 Coolana supplies & miscellaneous 280 Donations in memonial 100 Miscellaneous 373 Equipment - Data projector 1,399 Sydney Catchment Grant - Coolana 3,371 Total Payments $12,444 Net Increase (Decrease) in cash $15,252 Many members have paid their fees promptly so the clubs finances are very healthy. There are some large bills to pay in the near future, particularly for Confederation affiliation and insurance. After allowing for these expenses the club should still be able in invest funds in the next couple of months. There have been some very generous donations to Coolana funds and I would like to express my thanks to these donors. Tony Marshall - Treasurer My email address has changed Please note that the Editors email address | has changed to billholland@bigpond.com Now, I am reasonably literate in IT but must admit to a month of near confusion as I moved to ISDN, with a different ISP (changed email address) and a new browser. Somewhere in all this I know I lost at least one file and possibly others. So if you have sent in a contribution and it has not been acknowledged, please check with me. Despite the stress and stram of the changeover this months magazine is slightly larger than usual, packed with members articles and there is a carry over to next month. My apologies to the writers for deleting photos with some articles but fitting space was at a premium. Walk reports are always welcome but there is a better chance of immediate publication if they are limited to one or two pages. Conservation articles are also welcome as new pressures emerge both at the national and state levels. This month we feature two reports and look forward to your reaction. Last week I attended a crisis meeting to discuss the environmental impacts of proposed tourist developments in the Kosciuszko National Park. Kosciuszko is an area treasured by bushwalkers and those who appreciate a natural environment. Our government and the park service must be persuaded not to accept the proposals outlined in the plan - see Page 6. Your opinion in putting forward a SBW position on Kosciuszko would be appreciated. Please write to this magazine or to the Committee Bill Holland Letter to The Editor I am a prospective member who is looking to sell a Macpac 2 man Apollo tent, (just downsized to a Macpac Microlight) and enquiring as to whether any members might be interested in purchasing same. The tent is in mint condition, purchased in November 2001 and used 5 times. Normal cost is $499, will sell for $200. If interested contact me on 0438 769 484. Roger Gibson. | Contact The Editor: Copy for publishing in the SBW magazine should be received by the editor by the end of the first week of each month. Letters stating your viewpoint on matters of interest are most welcome. Please send your submission in by mail (preferably typed), on floppy disc, or by email addressed to The Editor Telephone: 9484 6636 Email: billholland@bigpond.com.au Fax: 9484 6009 (phone 9484 6636 first) The Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 Page 5 News From Coolana Gretel Woodward Don is very busy at the moment so I am filling in for this July Magazine issue. Bill Holland had a very successful maintenance week-end on the 3 and 4" July as he had 7 helpers (Bill, Chris, Jerry, Wilf, Don, Phillip and I) which enabled us to get lots of work done. Between us we mowed, weeded, watered, cleared timber, chain sawed a couple of dead trees, cleared around our new trees etc. Bills grandson, Chris was a big help to Bill in clearing timber and controlling the fire, Gerry Leitner helped everybody especially with the mowing and carrying water for me as I was planting the last 10 Casuarina cunninghamania on the eastern bank, Phillip Worledge did a magnificent job on the eastern flat clearing a huge area with the mower and has made the area very accessible for future maintenance and with a bit of luck for camping in the near future, Wilf hand weeded and removed the last of the old Cobblers Pegs and cleared % of the walking track to the Dot Butler lookout, Also there is a track marked with orange tape all the way to the Quaker property next door. Don helped everybody as usual, chain-sawed, mowed etc. and also completed maintenance required on our hard working mower. We have now completed the tree planting required to complete our obligations to the Sydney Catchment Authority for the $4,500 grant received Jast year and have also planted an additional 40 Casuarina cunninghamania donated to Coolana by Shirley Dean & Hilary Walker. We will have planted (7 still to come from Joan Rigby) 314 trees and/or ground covers plus the 40 donated by Hilary and Shirley over a five month period. We planted 180 - March at the reunion, 80 - April, 44 - May, 33 - June and 10 -July. Unfortunately over the past two months we have lost 8 trees and quite a few ground covers due to the lack of rain in Kangaroo Valley and it ts ery is possible that we may lose a few more due to the drought conditions. However just prior to compiling the article it actually rained and this may help to alleviate any further losses. Are You Able to Help? To keep im front of the cobblers pegs we need a mowing roster and to. fill a roster we need more volunteers. We would like to have three teams of two or three people and each team to go down to mow once every three months. It would involve mowing for one day of 4 hours mowing. If you would like to help, and we really need some help, please contact Don Finch finchros@bigpond.com or 9452 3749 (H). Assistance with transport possible Maintenance and Bush Regeneration 28" 29" August. Join us for a pleasant weekend of light work and socialising around the camp fire . No need to phone Just come along. NSW WILDERNESS Tras | : * ANG | JENOLAN Caves, Kaeanera WALLS. [ YERRANDERIE Guost TOWN STARLIGHTS TRACK. Buneonta Caves. Woe Woe. Nerniga 4 Departs from Sydney's Camabelitown Railway Station ; Via Paneth, Satoomite & Blackheath for i | Kanangra Walls Mon & Wed at 11am. Frid at 7am 1 Returss 4pm Mon, Wed, Frid. : Vie Starlights, Mittagong & Marulan for FWog Wog-Nerriga Tues.& Thurs & Sun at Tian : Returns 4 pra Tues, Thurs, Sun. g Yerranderie Ghost Town first Saturday insach =f E month. relurns Suri att pm (any Friday min 6) Group booking discounts or charter service | Tel 0246 832344 Mob 0428 832 344 | www.wildernesstransit.com.au | [Page 6 - T he Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 | CONSERVATION MATTERS Message from Pamela: The Kosciuszko Draft Plan of Management and The Alpine Resorts Plan are now available for public scrutiny, and submissions from the public will be accepted until Friday 20" August - see below. If you would like a copy of the POM, or any further information, help is available from kosciuszkopom@npws.nsw.gov.au, www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au or call 1800 200 208 Johns White Paper Not Green Enough Last month, our Prime Minister presented something called a white paper, titled Securing Australias Energy Future. It comes as no surprise that the Liberals continue to support the fossil fuel industry, given the 120,000 jobs and $24 billion in exports the industry generates each year. The predicted climate change caused by the greenhouse effect will start devastating Australia earlier and with greater severity than almost anywhere else on earth. Two degrees of warming will kill about half of . the worlds coral reefs. The Wet Tropics World Heritage area in north-eastern Queensland will start experiencing extinctions at one degree rise in temperature. The wetlands of Kakadu will be destroyed by the rise in sea level and storms. The majority of our alpine areas will disappear. The Kyoto Protocol has had a reprieve in May, Russia announced its intention to sign. The Federal Government claims that Australia is on target to meet its Kyoto commitments on greenhouse emissions. However we are still one of the worst polluters per head of population, and one of the countries most reliant on fossil fuels. In the white paper, John Howard announced a $500 million fund to promote technologies that reduce greenhouse emissions. One such technology is geosequestration, a process which pumps carbon dioxide produced as a by-product of the fossil fuel industry back into the ground. This technique is still in the research stages, with no guarantee it will succeed or be financially viable. In other words, its business as usual for the oil producers. $134 million has also been allocated for the development of renewable energies such as solar and wind. $75 million has been allocated for a solar cities trial in Sydney and Adelaide. Smart Meters will be installed which will wind backwards if excess solar power is generated and send it back to the grid. However green groups have described this money for research and trials of clean energy options as sugar coating, unless the government increases the amount of energy that is required to be produced from environmentally-friendly sources. Australias potential stand on the greenhouse effect was summed up by Don Henry, the director of the Australian Conservation Foundation, prior to the release of the Federal Liberal Governments white paper: Will this statement be forward-looking and realise one of the great environmental and economic challenges of our time is about cutting greenhouse emissions? Or will it be backward- looking to last century and the dominance of the fossil fuel industry? Source: The Sydney Morning Herald Pamela Irving Dont Let This Happen Here! Bush To Open Forests To Logging, Mining A new regulation put forth by the Bush Administration this week would allow the building of roads in many of the most remote, pristine areas of the country's national forests and open them to logging and mining..... ... The Australian 14/7/04 The Kesciuszko National Park draft Plan of Management is open for public comment until Friday 20 August. 2004 Post your submission to: KNP Plan of Management Review Team Parks and Wildlife Division Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) PO Box 733 Queanbeyan NSW 2620 or email to: kosciuszkopom@npws. nsw.gov.au Exposure draft Alpine Resorts Plan Development Control Issues Plan Discussion Paper is open for public comment until Tuesday 17 August 2004 Post your submission to: The Alpine Resorts Planning Team Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources PO Box 189 Queanbeyan NSW 2620 or email to: alpineresorts@dipnr.nsw .oov | The Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 Page 7 Crisis Meeting: "Kosciuszko, Our National Treasure, Is Under Threat" On Wednesday I attended the above public meeting to discuss the threats posed by the Kosciuszko Draft Plan of Management and the Exposure Draft of the Alpine Resorts Plan both of which have been released for public scrutiny As Pamela (Conservation Secretary) could not attend due to another commitment, I was pleased to represent Sydney Bush Walkers on her behalf. Pre- meeting publicity included the following Backroom deals are about to be sealed that would bring on a resort apartment construction bonanza in Kosciuszko National Park. Perisher is set to become a town; complete with a huge shopping mall and year-round commercial facilities. Another glitzy tourism trinket town with the national park as its backyard would be a conservation disaster. Resort developers, commercial tour operators and a bunch of horse riding cowboys have ridden off with the planning agenda for Kosciuszko, while many competing proposals for improved nature conversation have gone ignored or been dropped Our largest national park contains the majority of Australia's alpine ecosystems and wilderness. It should not be undermined by plans for more development now and options for further more commercial tourism later on. This, indeed was the focus of the meeting. We were told that the high country areas are under threat from powerful interests. Six large apartment blocks up to five stories high are proposed for Perisher. This is only the start as the Resort Plan opens up to eight areas for resort expansion/development including the Perisher Range, Smiggins Holes, Charlotte Pass and Mt Selwyn. Such developments require infra-structure including sewage primary treatment works, ski runs and more road access. Resort development will lead to increased commercial tourism with such unwelcome activities such as four wheel drive tours, mountain bike riding and horse riding. There are many other problems and you are urged to obtain a copy of these documents, accessible from web-sites (see Pamelas note on opposite page). If you treasure our Kosciuszko National Park, if you look forward to experiencing alpine scenery in winter without the clutter of buildings and busy ski runs; if you think parks should be for the peaceful enjoyment of people rather than for the financial benefit of developers and government then you are urged to write a letter to the addresses shown on the opposite page. As for me, I wrote two letters when | returned home form the meeting - it took me 30 minutes - time well spent. Bill Holland. {there is no one else! Thera are many usar operators whe go to Kakedu, but there is only one who offers tours where @ you camp in the widerness, away from camograuricis, you share your carapstes wath na one Out your waking companions * you can weit Jim Jim god win Falls :9 the wet seasos you can walk for days or weeks without seeing a soul. Plan ahead and save wilh our advance purchase discounts. See why so reany of our clans come back again and again. www. bushwalkingholidays.com.au | Williss Walkabouts 12 Carrington St Miliner NY 6816 Email: walkabout@ais.net.au 3 |Page 8 T he Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 THE WALKS PAGES Walks Notes 3" April to 4" May. The weekend of 3, 4 April saw a complete dearth of overnight walks due to a lack of volunteer leaders. There were day walks however, with Carole Beales conducting a group of 5 ladies on what appears to have been a grazing expedition from Newport to Manly via the Northern Beaches in ideal weather on the Saturday. The beautiful swim they had in the rock pool at North Narrabeen provided a recuperative interval. The other Saturday walk, Tony Crichtons trip from Otford to Bundeena saw the party of 13 sobered somewhat by an ongoing police search for the body of a rock fisherman washed off the rocks and drowned in rough seas at Little Marley that morning. There is a cautionary message in this event for bushwalkers moving around tidal rock shelves and headlands in such conditions. We do not appear to have a report for Roger Treagus Sunday walk from Mount White to Brooklyn along the Hawkesbury River and the other Sunday trip that weekend, Ken Smiths Woodford to Glenbrook walk, was cancelled due to a lack of enquirers. Tony Holgate had programmed an extended walk in Northern NSW from 9 to 18 April but we have no report for this event. Caro Ryan and Tony Manes led a silent Easter qualifying trip into the Kowmung River from the Oberon side with a party of 6. Not much to be said really. They did find a couple of dead cows somewhere out there but we have no word of an autopsy, and foul play cannot be ruled out. There was evidence of helicopter access on the riverbanks after all. Kenn Clachers walk from Mount Irvine to Mount Tootie that weekend attracted a party of 6, and was described as an excellent trip. All of the various passes were found in good order, with just a little Tope assistance required in some cases. Nayook Creek was described as both beautiful and spectacular, and swimming was the order of the day in all streams. The party were intrigued to find a diamond python wandering through their campsite on - Wollongambe River while they were having their evening meal after dark. There was a Hilltop to Kanangra walk scheduled that weekend but difficulties in arranging transport led the leader, Bill Capon, to opt for a route out from Yerrenderie. There were 10 starters but apart from the route we know no more than this. Maurice also had a tip scheduled for the Easter weekend, from Yalwal to Tullyangela Clearing, but we have no report to date for this one. There were no day walks that weekend though this is not entirely surprising. We lack reports for both of the qualifying overnight walks for the weekend of 17, 18 April. Rosemary was to have led a trip from Yalwal to Bundundah Creek over the ridge, and back via Danjara Creek, and Wilf had a trip out from Newnes in Wollemi National Park. John Bradnams walk that weekend saw a party of 3 masochists put in a couple of 9 hour plus days travelling from Uni Rover Trail near Boyd River to Yerranderie Barry Wallace Pic and retum to Kanangra walls via Bullhead Buttress. They were blessed with fine weather throughout. Michael Bickley had a party of 4 on his Saturday boating/walk trip in Kuringai Chase and on the Sunday Richard Darke led 20 starters on his walk in the Barren Grounds area. They enjoyed a perfect, clear, 21 degrees C day with a hand-line and just a touch of excitement negotiating one or two of the passes Anzac weekend saw no report for Ian Thorpes exploratory trip in the Wollongambe National Park but John Bradnams walk along some of the lesser known ridges out from Carlons Farm had a party of 5 out in warmer than usual conditions. They rushed things a bit and ended up back at the cars at 1400 hours. They also remarked on the number of people they met along the Cox River who had attended the dawn service at Splendour Rock. David Rostron led a party of 10 on his walk out from Kanangra Walls to traverse the Axehead Range. Weather conditions were perfect for the traverse, though the dry condition of many of the creeks crossed going and coming was cause for concern. The party of 6 that went on Tony Holgates Barrington Tops walk that weekend seem to have got off lightly considering the exploratory rating on the program. Most of the going tumed out to be easy and the Karua River provided beautiful campsites in the rain forest. Nigel Weaver led the only day walk that weekend, a trip from Cowan to Berowra on the Monday, with a party of 23. Conditions were fine with wonderful views of Berowra Creek along the way. Carol Lubbers easy/medium walk out to Box Creek Falls and return was the first trip for the weekend of 1, 2 May, with a party of 9. Conditions started out cold and windy and stayed that way most of the weekend. There were even rumors of sleet overnight on Saturday. We do not seem to have a report for John Bradnams overnight walk into Yerrenderie from Kanangra Walls. Of the day walks, Chris Dowling led a party of 11 on his Saturday loop down into Bluegum Forest and return. Kathy Gero was unable to lead her programmed Otford to Bundeena trip on the Sunday due to a broken wrist so Maurice stepped in to fill her place. Al of which may have worked well except for the major Cityrail communications failure that completely disrupted the planned transport arrangements. The party of 4 ended up driving to Cronulla and catching the ferry to Bundeena, then did a 20km out and back walk in The Royal. Roger Treagus Sunday walk, programmed as Stage 19 of the Great River Walk, turned out to be Stage 18, deferred from April due to inclement weather at the time. The party of 18 also got a little more than expected in the way of adversity training due to unexpectedly thick ground cover and difficult terrain. Despite all this they emerged in time for an impromptu happy hour while waiting for the water taxa to take them back to Brooklyn as the moon rose. The editor is importuning for copy so we will leave it here for this month. Barry Wallace Whether its bush waiking, mountaineering, cross-country skiing, trek- king or travel, a pack is your best friend or worst enemy. Why? Because you depend on the agility and comfort that your pack provides. The Mont Moto-Active adjustabie har- ness system is deceptively simpie, fast to adjust and easy to fit. 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Dual aluminium y Something Better. frame-stays adjusted and reinserted in seconds www.mont.com.au Mont Adventure Equipment, The Australian company with over 20 years of manufacturing excellence. 3 Trelawney Street Eastwood. Phone : 02 9858 3333. All packs personally fitted by our experienced Staff. [Page 10 T he Sydney Bushwalker July 2004 Colorado Backcountry 2004 - Part 2 Our second trip was in the Holy Cross Wildemess and we looked forward to less contact with snowmobiles. From the trailhead at Yeoman Park we skied to Peter Estin Hut where we were to stay on the first and fourth nights. For nights 2 and 3 we were to Stay at Harry Gates Hut, before returning to Peter Estin, then to Polar Star Inn for our fifth and last night before skiing out to West Lake Trailhead near the town of Edwards. This itinerary was dictated by availability of spaces in the huts at the time of booking. At the trailhead we encountered others who were heading for Peter Estin. One of their cars sported a bumper sticker advocating ski naked. We elected to take the direct (steepest) route which involved lots of zigzagging up a well-used track through fairly dense spruce forest. Nevertheless the climb of 2,140 was accomplished with relative ease. But about halfway up we realised that we had neglected to bring with us a record of the combinations of the locks that are used to lock the huts. There was no prospect of going back to our base, because the trailhead is at the end of a little-used road. Because we knew at least one other party would be at our hut that night we pressed on. The hut was already occupied when we arrived, so we were able to get in. The party we encountered at the trailhead tumed out to be staying there for just one night, but had brought enough food for a week. And what food! We gladly accepted offers of freshly baked (in the wood-fired oven) bread rolls, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, burritos and ice cream. A jolly night was had by all with the abundance of food and wine. But next morning we had to endure the aromas of bacon and eggs while we waded through our dull porridge and meusii. Kenn assured the others that Harry Gates Hut would be swarming with occupants and that the lack of the lock combination would not be a problem. This hut is 1,500 lower than Estin. We elected to take the gradually descending road to the hut, leaving the shorter steeper track through the forest to return to Estin two days later. The road through Crooked Creek Pass and past Crooked Creek Reservoir should have been easy skiing, but it was churned up by snowmobiles and crusty, so it was not much fun. When we arrived at Harry Gates Hut we were dismayed to see no other inhabitants. While being unable to get into the hut was not life-threatening, as we did have a tent and stove, the weather was looking bleak and the inside of the hut very cosy. On consulting the combinations of the huts we stayed at the previous week, which James was still carrying in his map holder, we detected some clues as to what the combination might be. Fortunately ail the prior lock combinations ended in zero. So, on a lock with 10,000 possible combinations, this reduced our search to a manageable 1000 combinations. We found the right one on the 257th attempt, which took around 20 minutes. It is just as well we did get in because we had the but to ourselves that night (the only time this occurred), as well as a good dusting of snow. James and Kenn skied up Burnt Mountain the next day a climb of 1,500. The route was a mixture of dense and open forest with the last 500 over several false summits being above the treeline. A feature of the top was a cairn comprised of a single-rock supported by a wooden platform. We hadnt realised that rocks were in such short supply thereabouts. Views from the top were spectacular during the periods when the snow stopped and there was some visibility. In particular, views to the east over Tellurium Park of rugged mountains rising to over 13,300 were impressive, while to the west the ski runs of Aspen could be seen. Skiing back down the hill to the hut we enjoyed the best downhill skiing of the trip, although it wasnt particularly good. While the snow was soft and not crusty it was fairly heavy, but better than anything else we encountered in two weeks in the Colorado backcountry other than in heavily treed areas. ) Cape Bailey- Whale Watching Walks = ~