Blog – Page 4 – Babi's Trail Running Adventures

AC miler – turned AC 100 km

November 25, 2017 szolobab Adventures

25-26 November 2017

Really missed the briefing this year. It’s a great show, I hope Paul is going to put it back on the program.

Otto told me he can’t make it as support this year – so the crew was like this: poor Nelu and Ani (tired since Europe) in Harrietville and Suzie at Langfords and Pretty Valley. Suzie couldn’t leave Melbourne earlier, so I organised some food to Warby Corner – Christian Day was really kind to offer.

I’ve seen Ben at Spine Consultants for a quick check up, then headed to Falls Creek with a few stops in between – Bright Brewery was one of them. Bought a pizza and two six packs, then smelled the pizza for an hour and bit until I finally checked into the room and wolfed down two slices on the spot.
It was nice to see Jacqui’s smile at the Country Club Hotel, then Carole’s at registration. John, who did the gear check told me he’s sorry he can’t get me a cold beer to Pole 333 – he remembered from Razorback, where he manned the checkpoint in March.

Missed out on the first Q & A session, so waited a bit for the second. In his usual low key style, Paul gave us a quick run-down about the course and what to expect, then after a few questions people went to mind their business. I guess I was the last one to go to bed that night – at 10:30 still packing my food and posting on facebook about a spare Ay Up battery/charger (forgot the charger at home). Thank you George Mihalakellis for offering.

When the alarm went off at 3 AM, I suddenly didn’t know where I was. This is what sleeping in several places does to you! Made the coffee, had a few bites, a shower, got dressed and headed to the start line with Jacqui and Darren, then Celesta and Adrian caught up with us. In the starting chute I saw Gabor (we took a selfie), met Kate Sanderson (such a lovely lady!!) and said hello to a few more runners around me. Paul said something about a storm (??), but we couldn’t hear well at the back, so just waited for the countdown and off we went. I was glad the watch started the LiveTrack properly, so there was no need to fiddle with it as I did last year. The weather was just perfect for running. I was hoping we’ll get some rain along the day…

Frank - we did the whole Spion Kopje together — Frank – we did the whole Spion Kopje together

Ran between Celesta and Todd [Freestone] until Junction Spur, chatting away. I ran with Todd at Lysterfield a few times, with the group before. I stopped the head torch, there was enough light to run safely on that track. Overtook a few people, then I was overtaken by others. The steep part was still steep, then on Spion Kopje Tk I saw two guys, one of them taking his top off. I told them “I didn’t order a pole dancer!!” and we all laughed.

This year I decided I’ll save time and won’t take off my shoes at the water crossings. I bought a pair of Salomon Sense Pro Max, the specs said high breathability – I thought I’ll be good. Took a pair of spare socks with me, just in case and planned to put them on around Cleve Cole. Crossed Rocky Valley Creek, the water was nice and cool, but that sloshing after?!!!… pain in the ears! As I started climbing, I’ve passed a few people, then again was passed by others, until someone shows up next to me and said he’s the pole dancer. That was so funny!! Great sense of humour! That was Frank [van Haren]. We kept talking and found many common things apart from trail running. Stopped for pictures every now and then and managed to get to Warby in record time (for me).

Velta took this awesome shot just before Warby Corner

Velta was taking pictures just before Warby – awesome shots!! Checked in, grabbed my food, had a piece of banana and Otto rang to congratulate me on how well I was doing, as he could see me on the map. That was such a nice thing!! Told Frank that I’ll have to stop at Ropers, so he continued with his friend, Sean. I caught up with Tamyka and Stephanie – Tamyka wasn’t feeling that well, but she said she’ll be all right. At Ropers, I did a toilet stop, then went on. Didn’t rush down on Duane Spur as last year. I bumped into Ian (sorry don’t know his surname), who was checking his phone and map. Told him he can’t get lost here, there is only one track all the way to Big River. I passed a happy couple, exchanged a few words. They caught up with me at the crossing, then swiftly passed me on the hike. Especially the lady was going so strong, I was amazed.

On T-Spur - it was getting hotter and hotter — On T-Spur – it was getting hotter and hotter

Last year I pushed too fast on T Spur, trying to keep up with Lesley and Ryan [Noreiks], but now I decided to save my energy – it’s going to be a looooong day. The sloshing started to make me think this is not a good idea – need to put those dry sock on, otherwise it will be blisters later… so I looked for a tree across the track. Dunno who put it there, but it looked like it was especially for me. Sat down and changed the socks. In the mean time Tamyka and Steph caught up and passed (there was a lot of this during the day and night) – Tamyka even making a remark about changing socks being a good idea before it becomes an issue. Then I bumped into Thomas, trying to fabricate some poles from sticks. Told him about the trail head at Mt Donna Buang and the poles that line up for everyone to take.

It started to get warm, the ants were nuts, running up my feet and legs every time I stopped or slowed down. The flies weren’t pleasant, either. I have taken Gabor’s advice and ate every half an hour. A little something, but I ate. This seemed as a great strategy – it was working, but I was really looking forward to the cold water at Madison Creek. When I got there, Tamyka and Steph were already filling up/getting ready to fill up, chatting away cheerfully. I filled up my soft flask, too and wetted my triangle bandage. I am sure I’ve taken Tamyka’s spot – sorry Tamyka!! They took off and I went, too. They were using the run/walk strategy and got to Cleve Cole a few minutes earlier.

As I was approaching the check point, a SAAR volunteer was coming from the opposite direction. He asked me if I saw an injured runner. Told him I only saw Ian behind me and he wasn’t injured when I spoke to him.

Tamyka, Steph and Thomas were already at the checkpoint, the SAAR lady nursing Thomas’ blisters. I hoped there would be some fruit, but there was none. The milk chocolate and sweets didn’t appeal, so I added an electrolyte to one of my soft flasks – it was grape!!! My favourite!! I found out it was Ian, who was the injured runner – he has rolled his ankle on the way down Duane Spur. How sad?! Then after a toilet break I continued up to Mt Bogong. It was getting warmer and warmer. Remembered one of the SAAR volunteers at the checkpoint telling me that it will be a nice breeze at the top… I was so looking forward to that. Could see the girls in front and Thomas not that far behind me. Then some hikers heading up to the cairn at Mt Bogong.

That track is as painful as the one going to Pole 333 – uneven and full of rocks! At the cairn we took some photos. Me of the tourists, then they of me, then I took a few shots of Thomas. He shot off with great energy, which I was amazed by. I called Paul and asked about Celesta. I was really worried about her and pissed at myself for forgetting to ask at Cleve Cole. Paul said as far as he knows Celesta wasn’t feeling well from Nepal, but she didn’t pull out or anything. That was good news; that she was OK.

Saw two hikers coming down, laughing, said hello. Not far, I bumped into Thomas sitting on the ground. Asked him if he was ok, he said yes, but he needs to wait until the skin dries so he can stick the tape back before he continues. Further up I saw Tamyka and Steph, tightening their laces for the downhill.
Saw some snow close to the track, thought I’d touch it, at least. Looked a bit dirty, but I scraped the top and there was the clean, icy snow. Thought it would be a great idea to fill the cloth with it and cool down my neck, skin, face, back of my head… glad I did that, it kept me cool for a couple of kms. The sole of my feet started to make themselves known – this was something new for me. Never had blisters from running. The only big blister I scored before was from a beautiful hot pink shoe in Sydney… Damn!!! I should’ve taken those shoes off at the water crossings!!! Somehow I knew from the beginning I’d be doing this to myself!

On Quartz Spur - love those outcrops — On Quartz Spur – love those outcrops

Made it down to Big River Fire Tk. I filled my flasks at the pipe, cooled my neck and washed my face in the fresh, cold water. Felt awesome! I kept looking up the track, thought the girls or Thomas would’ve caught up with me by this time… Then I continued my journey on the grassy trail down to Big River crossing. I didn’t remember this track being this beautiful.

I started to run out of food that I was happy to eat. The Bloks got a bit too much, but still the only thing that felt good at that time, maybe because they were a bit sour. I’ve packed some bite size rice with peanut butter wrapped into nori sheet – that didn’t go down well in that heat. It was perfect when we were in cold and rain with Suzie, but in the warm weather it was just sticky and hard to swallow. Same with the rice, jam and peanut butter. Brought them back all!! Didn’t feel like anything sweet – the chocolate was melting in my pack and the dates were too dry to eat (bought these beautiful Bateel Medjool Dates in Doha). I only had a half of the quarter sandwiches I’ve packed – the one with cream cheese, capers, pickles, smoked salmon and grape tomatoes, but again the heat interfered with eating the last bit.

Thought I should treat that water, I had some Micropur tablets with me. Stopped in a corner and added a pastille to both 500 ml flasks, while drinking from the small flask that I was carrying in my hand. When I got to Big River, I could hear and see more runners. Tariq was lying on the ground, I went close to him and asked if he was OK. He signaled, he is, just taking a rest. I went to fill up my small flask and wet the triangle bandage at the nearby stream, then crossed the water, worrying about wetting my phone (should’ve taken it out from the thigh pocket for this crossing). On the other side there was James and Freya, getting ready to get going and I think two more runners… not sure. I said hello and told them how great they were doing, then kept going.

James and Freya were the first to pass me, Freya switched to high speed. I thought “how good is to be young and strong?!”, then Thomas and Tamyka and Steph. Could see Thomas was struggling, we yo-yoed each other for a few more times. It was warm. Could see the clouds gathering and I was hoping there will be at least a tiny rain to cool us down a little and make this never ending climb a bit more bearable and exciting.

I started to feel the lack of nutrition, then even the sips of water weren’t feeling good. Especially since the purifying tablets made the contents of the flasks taste like Melbourne tap water. I was thinking of last year… that I was pretty much in the same state here, except I knew I have support at Warby… this time no support until Langfords. Let’s hope there is some watermelon at the Warby checkpoint.

And this is when Suzie rang, letting me know she has arrived and she’s got beer!! She asked me how I was, so I told her that I can’t eat or drink and running out of juice. She said she’ll be waiting for me at Langfords. Then she rang back and said she’ll bring me beer to Warby. I was run/walking to that point, then I realised we won’t get there at the same time, it will take her longer, so I slowed down a bit. Saw Tamyka and Steph ahead and thought “Gee, I can’t recall this uphill being this steep?!” – it’s not even steep, just looks like it from that angle and from that state (both physical and mental). I could see the tent at Warby… on the top of the hill.

Got to the checkpoint, Graham was clapping and saying encouraging words – love this guy!! – then asked me what I would like, offering all the goodies available. It was so touching. Told him my daughter will bring me beer here, he wasn’t too impressed by that and said at least have a piece of water melon, which I did, and later on I regretted not having more of that. Everyone was so nice at that checkpoint, would love to give them a huge hug. The lady was knitting and another volunteer cooking in the front of the tent. I asked Graham if it’s Ok if I get that beer along the track, instead of waiting for Suzie to get here. He said of course it, OK, so I took off, speed walking, thinking of that beer…

Saw a group of hikers coming, when Suzie rang, asking me how far I was because she can’t see me. Told her I must be behind the hill. Then she called me again, we spotted each other (she was wearing white, so it wasn’t hard) and started walking faster… when I was getting closer, I was thinking… “how come Suzie is walking next to that older guy?! She is not that fond of meeting new people”… looked at her smiling pretty face first, then realised the person next to her was Otto!!! What a surprise!!!! I was really happy to see them both, but knowing he was there gave me a piece of mind – he is the BOSS OF ORGANISING! He knows what to do and what to say…

We took a few pictures, Otto opened a bottle of Bright amber ale with a stone, cutting his finger in the process… I had a few sips, about half the bottle and then instantly felt better, even though watermelon and beer???!!! There is a joke about that. Otto started the reasoning why I should only do the 100 km: your feet are hurting, you haven’t done it before (not working…), Ani and Nelu can get a proper sleep, they are tired (OK, that’s a good one), Suzie can drive back tomorrow, so Nelu doesn’t have to take her car (that’s a better one), I (Otto) need some rest (fair enough, the guy is on his toes for months and burning the candle at both ends) and then the last one – we can all have a decent lunch at Bright Brewery and celebrate your birthday in some way.

Because that’s why I signed up for the miler – I turned 50 a few days earlier and thought it’s a great way to celebrate.

I said to him, I’ll think about it until Langfords. Suzie said “if you want to do it, do it! This is why we came here for and I’ll be there at Pretty Valley to do the last stage with you”. At Marum Pt Tk we said good bye, big hugs and I took off on the single trail while they started running toward Watchbed Ck.

It would be so nice to run this track with fresh feet!!! Beautiful single track, but for me at that time it was a pain in the sole of my feet. Big one! I realised there must be a blister on my left big toe, another one on the sole just under the big toe and the next and one each on the inner and outer parts of my heels… I also thought about the track from Cope Saddle Hut to Fainters… how painful that was last year in the dark and so much water on the track…

I could see the foot marks of the people who ran there before me. I was wondering how fast they were going? Did they have sore feet like me?! …then I got to the little bridge. Love that crossing! I knew I must be getting close to Langfords, I only need to go around a few corners.

Last year I did this bit with Nelu, checking nearly every pole, looking at the map in the dark. As I was getting close to the corner with the pond, Otto calls me asking how far I was and said they’ll start coming towards me. Then the hail started, hitting my head through the hood and my face. One piece hit the tip of my nose – that was unfair!!! It hurt! Took a few shots, it was beautiful. I thought I should call them and tell them to stay, it’s hailing, but then I better stepped on it. This time it didn’t feel that long and I started jogging as I was approaching the check point. They were waiting there, with an umbrella!!

I told the volunteer at the check point that I am switching to the 100 km. He asked me if I was sure. Told him I am positive. Tamyka and Steph were already there, opening their drop bags. The guy told me to go change, do whatever I need to do and then come back. I went, changed shoes – gosh my feet looked like I have spent the day in the pool, all white and wrinkled – put my overpants on, got the Ay Up out, had another few sips of beer, then watermelon at the check point. Again, I should’ve had some more or taken some with me, as eating become a real problem. I’ve been going for 20 odd kms without proper nutrition. At least I could get some more Bloks – at least those worked and I also got a quarter sandwich (with butter, cheese, salami and grape tomatoes).

Went back to the checkpoint tent and told the man I was definitely cutting back to 100 kms, then headed off. It was raining, a few more people were going back into it, James and Freya were two of those, Freya speed walking like a daemon, James worried that she doesn’t know where she’s going. My total admiration for this girl!! I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, trying to avoid the puddles and hissing and cursing every now and then, as those blisters started to yell at me.

Pulled out the phone at some point to see how far I was from Cope Hut – it seemed like it takes too long, but the map assured me I wasn’t far away. Before reaching Cope Hut, I passed James and Freya again, then finally got to the road. Crossed it and looked for that sign that used to be on the other side… well Parks Vic must have changed it, all the writing was saying was, that the Australian Alpine Walking Trak is that way. Shrugged my shoulders and headed on, feeling each and every pebble under my feet. I was waiting for the rubber bit… didn’t come until later. I could see the light going on and then off at the check point in the distance. Gosh, how many poles?! 168?! That’s about 8.3 km and the worse comes later, after I pass Cope Saddle Hut… checked the Avenza map again, didn’t seem that far. I said so many ouches and some swear words along those kilometers.

As I was approaching Cope Saddle Hut, I could hear voices… looked back and saw two head lights. Must have been James and Freya. The bit between Cope Saddle Hut (with its beautiful red roof) and Pole 333 really hurt. I was walking like a drunk person on that uneven terrain with its sharp rocks and water puddles. Couldn’t eat or drink and could feel my energy levels going low. Nevertheless, I pushed on, walking as fast as I could. Every now and then silently swearing of course.

The sky lit up with the moon and shiny stars, it was a pretty sight. At some point I thought I saw someone with a head light coming from the left (Mt Jim), but then nothing. Only a fox with its eyes in the dark… yayyy!!! There was another creature out there, not only me. Then I could see lights heading to the left towards Youngs Tk – the milers!!! Brave people, probably also hurting, maybe not that bad as me. Gosh, that checkpoint felt like miles away! When I finally reached it, checked in, assured the man I have already let someone know about the downgrade. He offered me chips and snakes; I took a pinch of chips, but could hardly eat them. He told me which way to go. I thanked him, then I said I know, last year I missed the turn – learned my lesson.

The bit between Pole 333 and Fainters seemed like the hardest stage of my journey to that point. Those blisters hurt so badly that I could cry. I just swore instead and put on the gloves, as it was getting really cold – just like last year… I had to fiddle with the gloves a little as I made the mistake of clipping them together, but then it felt good once I put them on.

When I finally got to the Fainters turnoff I saw the car the volunteer told me about and promptly turned right toward Pretty Valley. Checked the pdf map just to make sure. A 4WD appeared on the road, strong lights. When it got in line with me, it stopped and I realised it was full of SAAR people, the ones I’ve seen at Warby. One of them even told me how great I was doing. In all hat pain I asked him “compared to what?!” – he said they saw me at Warby, then he said there is a bit of a hill, then all the way down Pretty Valley. I thanked them for all their help then kept on going, trying to avoid the rocks and the puddles. Didn’t always work.

Otto and Suzie called, asking me how far I was. Told them I just got onto Fainters, there must be about 3 kms to get there. They said they were coming to Pretty Valley. Surely a few minutes (or so it seemed to me) they called again. It was a pain in the butt taking off the gloves every time, risking freezing fingers, but I know they meant well. Told Otto I could see them, then shook my head so he can see which one I was (he said he could see three lights and wanted to know which one is mine). He laughed and said they are waiting for me at the check point. Those rocks!!! Each and one of them!!! Ouch!!!

When I got nearby, I got some big hugs! That was so worth it! Then Otto asked what I wanted, so he can get it ready while I checked in. I said I’d like some of that sour cherry juice. Had some and asked him to fill one of my soft flasks with it. If there was any watermelon at the check point I would have had some, but wasn’t sure I could eat oranges at that point. Suzie was ready to go, all cheerful and happy. This is someone who trains hard with weights, doesn’t run and is normally fast asleep at that time of the night.

The little climb up from Pretty Valley seemed like a mountain at that point, the rocks still not going away. When we were not talking, all you could hear is the swishing of the overpants. At the camp Otto was waiting – we started calling him “tha Stalker” – just making sure we are OK. A car was heading the pond way, the driver asked if he was going in the right direction. We told him yes, he was. Must have been someone’s support – no other person in their complete mind would have been driving there at that time. We could see lights moving up and down Mt McKay, at least we knew how far we needed to go.

I was watching this young, strong woman – my daughter. She made it look like walking up the hill way after midnight, all geared up, supporting her crazy mum was the most natural thing in the world. And I was so proud!!! We haven’t done anything together since she moved out about 6 years ago and now here we are second time in a week doing this crazy shit that makes me tick. She still has the little girl charm I always loved about her, but now she is a real tough cookie, as well. My total admiration.

As we were going up Mt McKay, runners were coming down, didn’t look up so I won’t blind them and ended up calling Todd – Sean… we had a laugh, wished each other all the best then went on. I thought we’ll never get to the top! Suzie checked out the snow. It was dirty, but it was snow. We talked about how different is now, compared to when we were here last time. At least is not raining… at the shelter we took a few shots after Suzie closed the door. Someone must have left it open. As we were coming down on that rocky road, we realised there were two runners going on the side, in the grass… Suzie asked if they were cutting it short, when we realised the orange markers there. It was us, who missed the course – well, we made the most of it, going around instead.

Each and every little rock, pebble and maybe sand hurt my feet at that point. Everything else was ok, but the soles. When we got to the bottom and about to cross the road, someone on the left greeted us – it was Paul, doing the sweeping. Tamyka and Steph (they were the two runners going to the shelter earlier) passed us and nearly went on the road, when Paul told them he’ll disqualify them if they won’t take the marked path across the shrubs. They laughed and went on chatting away cheerfully. Suzie and I followed path, looking for the markers. My Ay Up started to fade. I should’ve been disappointed in that highly regarded torch, but I knew very well it was my mistake not fully charging it before I left.

Yep - we finished it — Yep – we finished it

After a while the girls (Tamyka and Steph) disappeared, we were wondering if they took the wrong turn… because it looked as they were heading to the right, and I knew we’d need to go left after this trail. Suzie mentioned that this is indeed a pain in the ass – this track. It’s so uneven! Finally we got onto the Pretty Valley Rd so I could “enjoy” the rocks a little bit more.

As we were walking and talking, wondering how long we’ve got to go, Suzie held my hand. I thought that’s nice! We haven’t done that in ages!! Then she went on and asked whether I saw any animals on my way. Told her I only saw birds and a fox. And ants and lizards. Nothing else. Then she asked if I wasn’t scared alone, in the dark. Told her there is nothing to be afraid of. You are there in nature, not many people come this far. She said she would be shitting herself. “Really?!” – I asked. Then she “Why do you think I am holding your hand?!” – if I wasn’t hurting that much I would’ve pissed myself laughing. It was so funny!! Then we went on to talk about horror movies and what we were scared of when alone at home.

She has recognised some points we’ve passed when we came here the other week and we realised we must be close to The Last Hoot. Sure there was the sign to the left and onto the grass. That grass bit… gosh it was hurting!! Uneven and curly. I didn’t remember it this long from last year. We were looking for the finish line lights, when we could hear some “Whoo hoo!!” – recognised Otto’s voice. Made sure we ran into the chute and were greeted by a volunteer and Otto. The clock was showing 23.01. Big hugs, pictures, then off to the final check point. I showed my number, handed in the PLB and kindly asked the gentleman to put the medal around my neck. He took it out the plastic bag and did, remarking that I surely deserve to have it hung around my neck.

I thanked him, said hello to Todd, Tamyka and Steph, then headed out. Wanted to walk to the hotel, but Suzie thought I was nuts, so I got into the car, then had a shower, a beer and went to bed. I was really scared not to break the blisters in my sleep, it would have stained the bed linen. We woke up around 10.30?? called Nelu to see what we are going to do. We decided to catch up with them in Bright at the brewery for lunch, then drive back, pack up and drive home, while Suzie and them to drive home straight from Bright.

Had a great time at the Brewery. I asked for the ribs. I was hungry. And the matching beer. But I couldn’t eat even half of it + 2 slices of pizza. Celesta came by and we talked about how it went. She told me she pulled out at Warby 2 – she didn’t have her heart in it. This is impressive, going that far with a chest infection.

While we were there, a band was setting up. It would have been nice to stay there a little longer, but we had to break it up. We said good bye in the parking lot and Ani, Nelu and Suzie headed towards Melbourne, while Otto and I back to Falls Creek. We went to HQ to check out how everyone is going: someone just finished. I congratulated him and asked how he went. He said he just finished. Dan [Beard] was on the phone, would’ve loved to congratulate him. Paul thought it was a wise decision to change distance, then there was Jacqui, who did the same because of her hips. We had a little chat, checked out the chart, then headed off bumping into Carol on our way. Big hug from her.

At the end of the day I have done what I should’ve done a year ago 🙂 finish the 100 km in a decent time 23:01. I didn’t get what I really wanted – the miler – but I had a great time with my family, the runners on the course and the volunteers. I am eternally grateful for everything they’ve done for me. Even if it was a nod. It all counts.

Gear

Lululemon top and crop – top was old, the crop relatively new, but it worked, I’ll keep doing long distances in this. I like the thigh pocket, I can put the phone in it, keeping it at hand. Miss the back zippered pocket, though. None of them gave me a chafe.
Lululemon socks – might need to swap them for newer ones
Salomon Sense Pro Max shoes from start to Langfords – they are not that breathable as they claim to be. The Sense Mantras I first had were more reliable in this department.
Langfords to finish – Asics Fuji Trabucco – these are really good but not for this occasion. I mean running/walking with blisters. I’ve got many kms in them and their soles are quite thin.
Bonatti jacket – they were perfect to keep the rain away, but I was a tad cold when the temperatures got low. If I have put on the thermals, it would’ve been the best combination, just couldn’t be bothered.
Waterproof pants – Rainbird??? Something from Anaconda. Very cheap and effective. Worked a charm in those scratchy bushy areas.
Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin 3 12 set hydration pack with 2 x 500 ml and 1 x 125 ml soft flasks. I had the 1.5 l bladder with me until Langfords, but never used it. Carried it for backup.
XTM gloves
Thermals – polypropylene
PLB and heat pack as supplied by RW

Food

Toasted quarter sandwiches – butter, cheese, Revilla salami and grape tomatoes; philly, capers, pickled cucumber (in a paste) with whiskey cured Huon salmon and grape tomatoes – not sure exactly how many I had. Maybe 4-5??
Chocolate – had very little, maybe 2- 3 pieces. With crystallised ginger twice
Date – ½ it was too dry
Mandarins – had about 6
Mountain Berry Bloks – lots of them. They were a bit sour, which was perfect for me at the time
VFuel Gel – 1 and a bit. Didn’t go down well on Timms Spur
Rice with peanut butter and home made strawberry jam – 2 pieces. Couldn’t handle them
Rice with peanut butter in nori sheets – 1 small ball. Couldn’t have any more
Watermelon – from checkpoints
Chips – very little from checkpoint
Beer – about ¾ bottle all up
Sour cherry juice – about 500 ml
Electrolyte – 125 ml home made (boiled potatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips, turnips) and 1 tablet of
Fizz Grape

Map

Total distance: 101.4 km
Max elevation: 1979 m
Min elevation: 892 m
Total climbing: 4094 m
Total descent: -4079 m
Total time: 23:01:33

Download file: Alpine_Challenge_100_km.gpx

Mt Solitary cut short

November 2, 2017 szolobab Adventures

2 November 2017

I was itching to do this run for a while, it always sounded like a real badass outing, but was cautioned by my good friend Vicky [McPherson] to not go there alone… that warning was nearly three years ago. I thought, since I’ve got some experience under my belt and Thomas [Martin] made it look so simple and easy with his photos on Facebook, it’s time I tackled it. Thomas couldn’t accompany me because he was working but happily agreed to be my safety contact for the day. I am eternally grateful for that!

So I packed up my gear, dropped Otto off at work in Smithfield and headed out to the Blue Mountains. Saw the traffic in the opposite direction… like the Monash inbound in peak hour.

Beautiful day!! I was really looking forward to this adventure, full of excitement of the unknown and the difficult nature of the course. Parked the rental at the old Queen Victoria Hospital, geared up and headed out, for the first time taking a better look at the old buildings. It’s all downhill to Kedumba River on Kedumba Valley Rd, a slightly rocky forest road. I went down on it and back a couple of years ago, when I followed the course of the Kedumba Half Marathon. If it wasn’t for the views, it would be a pretty boring run.

I soon crossed the gate, entering the Blue Mountains National Park and joining Kedumba Pass. I remembered the gates with the swine pictogram and the warning, and how scared I was back then, constantly checking trees to climb on should one of those feral pigs charge at me. I worked it out, though – those gates are there to keep the feral pigs OUT, so there shouldn’t be any once I am on this side of the fence. Good logic, eh?!

Saw lyrebirds, tried to take pictures, but they disappear so fast, it’s all blurry. The sign at the park entrance said 3.4 km to the Mt Solitary Tk, the course description says 4 km from start… I clearly remembered a sign on the left hand side pointing towards that track from years ago when I passed a place that looked like the turnoff. There was a sign that said “Sublime Point Trail”. Looked around but couldn’t see anything that said “Mt Solitary”. I kept going, but then felt that something is really not OK, when Otto rang – he asked me why I didn’t turn right. He was following me on Strava Beacon. Told him that I am aware of what happened, and turning back now – that’s an extra 3 km.

When I got back to the point where I should’ve turned, I had a better look around and noticed a very worn sign that was nailed to a tree, high enough for a short person like me to not see it. I took pictures for the future, then headed down to the intersection where Mt Solitary Tk and Sublime Point Tk meet. The single trail that follows is just plain running pleasure! I was having serious fun, when Paul rang – ended up a run-phone-meeting. Told him where I was and what I was about to do – he told me to be careful there.

Soon I reached the river. Crossed it with my shoes on, then started to look for the track on the other side. Well, it seemed like it doesn’t exist. Went back and forth a few times, up and down… saw some weird spots – like the ones are inhabited by someone. That was a bit scary right then and there. I’ve spent about 15 minutes here, until I finally found the track.

The course is pretty much uphill from there. The notes are this: “After crossing the river, runners will make an arduous 3 km ascent to the eastern col of Mt. Solitary (11 km). This ascent is tough with the elevation change being in the region of 650 m over the 3 kms.” – they are spot on!! There were points where I thought I’ll roll back if I don’t lean forward. Passed the Kedumba kemping area and continued up-up-up and up in the forest. It was getting quite warm, too. Every now and then I looked back and took a picture of how steep it is. The track is mostly dirt with roots and rocks and it sometimes has two branches: one steep and straight, the other one a bit switch-backy.

As I was climbing, I’ve noticed something strange… it moved. I realised it was a goanna and it was sunbathing on a tree trunk. I asked him (nicely) to please move away so I can pass, which he did, posing for a few pictures in the mean time. At around the 13 km mark I reached a flat portion, which seemed like a camping area. The track looked like is going to the right, but also to the left… I walked around looking for it, thinking “backtrack, now show me what you can do!” – it is quite useless when you do lines like a crazy EEG. I decided to go higher grounds and see if I can spot the track, so I climbed a big rock. Wasn’t any wiser when I got back, but I thought I’d just follow my instincts and finally got back onto the track.

When I reached the col, I looked for the book Thomas told me to sign. All I saw is a metal sign saying it’s ‘Mt Solitary 919 metres “The Col”’ and an explanation of what Mt Solitary is for the Aboriginal people. Tried to message him, but there was no reception, so I took a few pictures of the amazing views of Kedumba Valley, Korrowall Ridge, Cedar Valley and soaked in the sights thinking who knows when I’ll get here next. I was really happy to be there!

Once I was on my way, a flat portion allowed for a bit of running. This is what the course description says “After reaching the col, runners will continue to climb to the high point of Mt Solitary (950 m). Runners will traverse the top of Mt. Solitary which is a glorious mix of single trail, with some rock climbing.”

In the mean time Thomas managed to call me and told me the book is in the metal box and that I’ll need to come back another time and make sure I put my name in it. He also made sure I was OK, which is very nice of him. There were spots facing North, where there were beautiful views of Jamison Valley. I took some great shots.

Continued the climbing, then started the descent. I could hear voices with German accent and realised in these 4:15 hrs and 17.3 kms I have not seen a human soul!! Scrambling down the Korrowall Knife Edge is not for the faint hearted and in hindsight I should have not gone there alone. At least not for the first time. There were places where a person with a bigger built wouldn’t have been able to get through (in my opinion).

Got to Cedar Gap, the point where I ran once when I came to do the Ruined Castle out and back from the Golden Stairs. I clearly remember the sign giving me a definite sense of “this is the point where you need to back off”. The trail is nice and rolling here, going mainly downhill. I was running out of water and whatever I had left was good to make a nice cup of tea. So I was very happy to see the water tank on the right. Went down the few stairs, filled my storages, then thought I’d better check out that toilet… well, it was one of the cleanest toilets I’ve seen on the trails, with lots of toilet paper rolls!!!

The warning sign I’ve seen when I approached from the other side

Once back on the track, I ran-walked most of the remaining distance, passing the stairs to the Ruined Castle, chatting with a young French couple, then two Asian youngsters. Funnily, parts of this track have vividly stuck in my memory when I first ran it. Could be because I was looking out for snakes back then, but frankly little corners, stones, roots, trees – just like it was yesterday. I soon reached the Golden Stairs and was happy I don’t need to climb them today.

What followed was (just like the Mt Solitary Track) virgin territory for me – never been past this point. The track was technical with lots of roots and some stones, but it was in the forest, which meant that it was a little cool in the heat of the day and all up it was a pleasant place to run. I’ve passed the tunnel, which the course describes as this “Keep a lookout for little known ‘Rennies Tunnel’ about 1 km north of Golden Stairs. This tunnel was used in the 19th century to remove shale from Megalong Valley (yes you can still go through the tunnel for a shortcut between the two valleys, but that is for another day). “.

After this portion, lots of rocks – the course description talks about ‘The Landslide’ or ‘Dogface Buttress’. Looking to the right, I could see Mt Solitary. Hard to believe not that long ago I was up there scrambling down rocks…

I’ve made some quick calculations. If I keep going back to Kedumba Tk and up to the car, I risk running out of food and water and even worse – I won’t make it back in time to pick Otto up from work (he is pretty flexible with the hours but I didn’t think he’d like to work until 8-9 PM). I thought I’d be done in about 7-7:30 hrs (the Mt Solitary Ultra official cutoff is 7 hrs I think). So the plan was this: I’ll go up the Furber Steps to Scenic World, have a beer, catch the train or a taxi back to Wentworth Falls, then drive to Smithfield.

There were lots of tourists around the Scenic Skyway, I tried to get through as quick as possible followed by some strange looks. Once I hit Furber Steps I started to understand why people curse it, hate it, are scared of it – it’s very steep!! Your quads and calves start burning pretty early on. I’ve stopped a few times to take pictures or let others pass in the narrower parts. Tourists are not all nice. At the last outlook, I could hardly breathe, still said hello to the ladies hanging there, just to get the sock of no reply. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Took a few more steps and had one of the runners’ worst nightmares – a cramp that made me hunch over the hand rail, not able to move and in a pain that I’ve never experienced before. A couple passed me, asked me if I was OK. Told them it’s a cramp, will survive and thanked them for asking. Once I felt a little normal, I started walking slowly towards the road, checked the sign and headed in the Scenic World’s direction. I was so looking forward to that beer… in fact I imagined buying TWO!!

So glad I had this $20 note with me (learned from the Dom Dom – Warburton trip) – stood in line and checked out the offer… the guy looked at me strangely when I asked for two beers (can’t remember what exactly was, but I know it was a local beer) and kindly asked him to open them, too. Sat down at a table in the sun, marveling at the sight of the Three Sisters, and people watching the tourists around me, while they looked at this weird dirty woman with two bottles of beer. The first one went down so fast, I am sure I had a brain freeze when I finished it. I actually enjoyed the second one, then put the bottles into the recycling bin and headed to the Explorer Bus stop, checked out when the next one arrives and chatted to the American couple waiting there.

There were still 10 more minutes to wait, so I went for a look around, took pictures of the clock and didn’t notice the bus. By the time I realised it was there, it already took off… Great!!! Now what?! Went into the shop and asked about a taxi. The shop assistant was both shocked and amazed by my story and organised a taxi for me.

Taxi driver was a tad surprised by the whole thing, but swiftly drove me to where I parked. Paid him, said good bye then I cleaned up and changed into the dry clothes I’ve brought and headed to Smithfield. Poor Otto had to stay back a little, but he was OK.

I was a little disappointed with not closing the loop, but this was a good training and adventure on its own. I am writing this report six months later so recalling what I exactly ate is a bit fuzzy.

Mt Donna Buang – Boobyalla Saddle in snow

August 22, 2017 szolobab Adventures

22 August 2017

Started from the BBQ area on Dammans Rd near Martyr Rd – it’s very handy, there is a toilet block on the other side of the road with potable water. It was a beautiful, sunny day; bit chilly so I got into schwung up on Martyr Rd which warmed me up in no time. The lady walking her two dogs coming from the opposite direction looked at me strangely.

People are nice – they’ve left sticks at the trail head for those who didn’t bring poles. I had mines – would never leave up this track without them. I was dreading the mud, but didn’t think it would be this much and this thick. Many times I took one step ahead and slipped two back; you could tell there were others who slipped there, too. It lasted about 3 kms and a bit, then it got a bit better. Still lots of deer foot prints at O’Shannassy Aqueduct crossing. That always makes me wonder where they might be…

I wasn’t in a rush, wanted to get to Boobyalla Saddle (at least) or to the Dom Dom Saddle turnoff a few kms further up and back. Could hear the lyrebirds and cockatoos, but didn’t see them. At about 4 kms into the trip (around 1000 m elevation) I’ve noticed something white where the fern tree’s leaves meet – it was snow!! Johnny Gee was right! He warned me about snow on Mt Donna Buang the day before. I took a few pics and kept going. More and more patches and I just couldn’t resist, had to take some more pictures.

Finally got to the Mt Donna Buang Road crossing. I always know when I am getting closer – can hear the creek flowing. There was snow on both sides of the road; not too much, but it was. Took some more pics, for good measure, then crossed the road and headed up the fire track towards Mt Victoria. Even more snow!! More pics… I saw a lyre bird, but when I got closer, it ran off into the bush. I stopped on the side of the road to put the Bonatti on. I knew it’s going to get cooler towards the top.

As I was approaching Mt Victoria, I could hear voices and some machinery – must be some works at the tower… as it turned out, that was the case. Two guys working – one on the ground, checking with the one on the tower – and three more standing by, checking their phones. Took some more pictures here, the snow was thicker and completely covered the ground, then kept going, saying hello to the one working (the rest didn’t care).

It was so beautiful and the snow was nice and soft in places. The kind of snow you can make a snowman from. About half way between Mt Victoria and Mt Donna Buang I took some more pics and a video. Wanted to capture the moment – can’t see snow every day, especially not this close to Narre Warren. I started to feel that the left shoe is hurting my ankle – no good, still a long way from coming back…

When I was getting close to Mt Donna Buang, I could hear noises. It’s usually very silent here during the week, but today it was a beautiful day with snow!! Grandparents took their grandkids for tobogganing and Asian tourist with sophisticated cameras were doing what Asian tourists do. There was a truck close to the toilets, pumping the shit, which then validated the smell I could feel on the way up. I said hello to those guys as I was walking towards the lookout. Climbed up, took some photos, said hello to the two people up there, then headed down. The track towards Mt Dom Dom looked awesome from up there!

Before heading down, took some more pics. I should stop mentioning this, it’s getting boring, but the truth is, I took about 80 odd pics on this trip. Running down that slope (people have been tobogganing on it earlier, based on the marks in the snow) was so much fun! I could do that all day. The sign that says “Warning do not go past this point in winter” was obviously ignored by many people based on the footmarks in the snow.

That’s the thing about out and backs – the awesome downhills are spoiled by the thought of having to climb back on return. That’s why I prefer loops, but here it’s not feasible, I checked.

The timber crossing at Cement Creek was covered by snow. As I was approaching, I thought “Ohhh… I won’t get sucked into slipping again!”, but the snow was kinda buffering the slippery surface, so I decided to give it a go and managed without falling. I was pretty impressed with myself then! On the way up to Mt Boobyalla, I was thinking that the overpants I’m carrying in my pack would be very useful in avoiding all the scratched to my legs, but then I thought I’ll just pull them out if absolutely necessary. Weather can change and it can get very cold and that’s when I’ll really need them. By this time my shoes were nice and clean (well, relatively) – all the mud I collected on the way up to Mt Donna Buang was gone, but my feet were wet. Sloshing wet!

When I got to Mt Boobyalla I thought, I’ll better keep moving, will go to the cairn on my way back. The downhill was awesome until the last steep descent onto Road 4. That was a bit hairy. Slipped a few times there. At the intersection I looked around – quite a different view from the other time I’ve been here, then headed left towards Boobyalla Saddle. At the Road 7 and Road 4 intersection I had a look at the “Unauthorised entry prohibited” sign and thought I have no intention whatsoever to head down that road right now – they can keep it for themselves! – then turned right and jogged a bit to Boobyalla Saddle. My watch beeped the 14 km mark. Took a few pics, then turned around.

Funny thing about these out and backs is, that you get to follow your own footsteps on the way back. It’s a reassuring feeling. Only Speedcross marks in the snow were mine, so that wasn’t so hard to discern. There were some not so friendly clouds ahead, but when I looked back, I could see blue sky. I was hoping I wasn’t heading into a rain or snow storm.

The sign towards Mt Donna — Now it looks quite different

Climbing back up that short section after the Mt Donna Buang turnoff was not exactly a piece of cake. It was steep and slippery. Not sure how I would’ve managed without the poles. Couldn’t wait to get to Mt Boobyalla, because I knew there would be some downhill after. When I got to the summit, I went around the cairn, and thought about that scene in “A Good Year” when they do the victory dance after the tennis match… The downhill wasn’t as much fun as I anticipated because of the scratching bushes along the narrow track. My legs were burning by now and my feet were kinda cold with all the sloshing. Not the chilly kind of cold, when you can’t feel your toes, but wasn’t warm, either.

At Cement Creek, I took it for granted that I won’t slip, so I promptly hit my leg when it slipped under the next timber. Dropped an f-bomb as one would in such a case. Climbing back on that hill to Mt Donna Buang was harder than I anticipated. As I was getting closer, I saw a snowman, then another one. This latter, even had a carrot nose. I thought I’d take a pic as I get closer. When I next looked, the carrot was gone (I thought I was seeing things), so I got closer to find out, the carrot fell out. Like a good citizen would do, I went there to put it back, but the damn thing kept falling out. Didn’t matter which end, the hole was icy, didn’t hold it anymore, so I put it next to the snowman, thinking that I would really love to eat that carrot.

Headed down towards Mt Victoria and suddenly heard noises. Saw an elderly couple struggling on the slope. Asked them if they were okay and if they needed help. They didn’t need any help, were so happy to see snow – they were from Western Australia. Found out the lady was Dutch and the man was Italian. He hasn’t seen snow since his twenties… we had a little chat, then wished all the best and I bolted down, enjoying the downhill in the snow. Thing is, running in the snow is pretty much like shuffling in the sand – very inefficient on the flat and uphill, but downhill is so much fun!!

The track to Mt Victoria was sloshy, as more people have walked it during the day. Wasn’t as much fun as on the way here and those low ferns have really scratched my legs now. At Mt Victoria the boys were still at work. Waved them and kept running to be startled by a dead deer just a few meters down the track. I hopped about a meter to the right (it was on the left side of the track), had a quick second look and kept going wondering how could I miss it on the way here… I can usually pick up some speed (well, compared to the rest of the trip) here, until I reach the road. There were cars coming down from Mt Donna Buang.

I’ve been eating quite a lot on this trip and I was sorry I didn’t bring my usual quarter sandwiches. The cold makes you hungry. I still had some chocolate, crystallized ginger and a VFuel gel – consumed everything else. Had plenty of water, only drank about 500 ml.

For a km or so the downhill was okay. I mean my legs still got strangled in wet and muddy bark, expecting to fall any moment, but I knew the hard and yucky bit was still to come. And come it did! Sticky, thick black mud, sometimes deeper than ankle height. I didn’t feel like flying down today, just wanted to avoid landing on my bum; managed for a while, but at some point I inevitably fell. Not really on my bum, but on my back, hitting the ribs on the left side. I lied there for a few moments until I could stand up propping the poles into the ground. Then I had to stand a little until I managed to breathe properly. I used that time to take a couple of mud shots… This downhill is very taxing on both the body and the mind, especially if you want to do it fast.

Couldn’t wait to get to Martyr Road. Once there I admired the beautiful flowers and the blooming trees. Couldn’t feel their aroma, because there was smoke coming from the chimneys, but the sight itself was worth it. Made me forget about all that mud for a little while. When I was back at the car, I got the dry clothes and shoes and headed to the toilet block to scrub up and change. It makes a huge difference driving home like that. I also had the few mouthfuls of steak I brought with me and really craved a beer. I thought I should just walk into the pub on the opposite side of the road and have one.

All up it was a beautiful day, the snow was such a bonus. If I did it again, I’d take less pics and make it to the Dom Dom Saddle turnoff.

Food: two mandarins, a Nice & Natural roasted nut bar (choc apricot flavour) which gets a bit hard to manage when it’s nearly frozen; dark mint chocolate, crystallized ginger, an Endura Cool Mint gel (weird feeling when it’s a bit luke warm, but it does feel cool once you had it), Mocha Cliff gel (very sticky, but I like the flavour – if VFuel had something similar, it would be a winning combo). I left the VFuel last and didn’t end up having it.

Gear: I left in a Salomon lightweight jacket and took the Bonatti and the waterproof over pants with me. Didn’t use the over pants, but the thicker jacket would’ve been a better option.

Check out the full galery below

Dom Dom Saddle to Warburton

August 1, 2017 szolobab Adventures

01 August 2017

The plan was to check out the trail from Dom Dom Saddle to Boobyalla Saddle for Thursday. A small group of us was supposed to go from Warburton to Dom Dom that day. I already knew what the first bit was, but wanted to see the second half. Plotted the route on Strava—33.3 km, 777 m elevation, estimated moving time 5.15 hrs. I thought I should be able to do it in 6 – 6.30 with photos and map checks.

There were 3°C and beautiful sunshine when I pulled up at the Dom Dom Picnic Ground at about 9:40. A Telstra car was leaving—I was the only one now. Toilets are a bit dodgy there, I would surely stay away from them in the dark. I’ve geared up, tossing about what to take with me; I decided to leave the thermal top in the car, but take both the waterproof jacket and pants—just in case. I also took the second soft flask, even though I normally don’t drink much water. Checked if the pdf map I just bought from Avenza was working, took a few pics then started the watch.

[I have checked the map and took lots of photos on this trip—won’t mention it every time]

The trail head was easy to find, the sign said 21 km to Mt Donna Buang, I only needed to do about 15 of these one way. It took me about a kilometer to warm up, thinking how lucky I am to be able to do this on such a gorgeous weekday. Saw a wallaby hopping away, then a 750 ml beer bottle on a tree trunk. A foul smell hit me—dead roo on the right, falling apart, I speeded up a little to get out of that area. I was really happy to see the simple walking track signs and remembered Chris Ord mentioning that this track is gazeted all the way to Mt Donna Buang.

Road 8, the fire track I was following was beautiful for most of the time with gravel in some places. At about 3.5 kms there were big rocks across the track, then the walking track veers to the right, running paralell with the (now gravel) fire road. Couple of hundred meters later there is a clearly signed track (Morleys Walking Track) to the right towards Fernshaw. I’ve been thinking—if the whole route is this well signed, I’m winning!

At km 4, the walking track arrives back to the gravel road, where I had two choices: continue on the gravel or take the track that heads up and looks similar to the one I’ve just came on. I thought it’s just logical to take the walking track, Parks Victoria probably wants to keep walkers off the roads. I headed up on the walking track…it was a bit suspicious, bit overgrown, but I thought maybe not too many people go through here (and those who did must have used machetes, based on the cut vegetation that was sticking out of the ground). Climbed 37 m over 300 m to arrive to a dead end. There was a slight chance to get through those sticky grasses, but I thought it’s safer to just go back and follow the road.

This was my first detour (0.6 km extra), but I didn’t mind—it’s all in the package when I go the first time. Besides the weather was absolutely beautiful, LiveTrack was working (meaning Otto wasn’t freaking out about where I am) and I was happy. After climbing about 400 m on that gravel road I arrived to the Road 8 – Carters Gap intersection. The latter was closed with a gate. When I looked to my right, I saw a track head, but then after 2-3 m it was nearly impassable, just like the other bit I’ve looked at earlier. I thought these two would be connected, running along the gravel road. A closer look at the strava map shows a different picture…

I kept going up the gravel road that turned into gravelly-bark at the clearing that hosts a helipad. You could tell there were people at some point, they left rubbish behind. The map I was using (copied and highlighted the relevant section) was McMahons Creek 8022-N Vicmap, 1:50 000 and it showed that there was the road I was on, veering to the right; a walking track to the left, that headed N-NW towards Carters Gap Road (I found that strange, because if Carters Gap Road is closed, what’s the point for a walking track to go there) which I couldn’t see anywhere and another track that was marked RPC (Road Permanently Closed). I was dubious about the track I saw to my right, but I thought I need to check it out.

The pdf map wasn’t working since the Morleys turnoff—I kept checking it.

As I was descending on this steep, not much fun surface (again, people have “cleaned” it with machete), I was thinking, if I have to come back on this in vein, I’ll be very pissed. Sure enough, I got to a dead end. Again, same picture as the other one: dense vegetation with lots of sticky grasses, so I turned around and started hiking back on the steep slope, passing again the North Face black and red beanie I’ve seen on my way down. This was an approx 800 m detour with about 105 m descent and the same amount of ascent. Looking at the Strava map now, if someone cut through that mean bushes for another 250 m, they would’ve created a shortcut. A quite steep one, but shortcut.

Once back at the helipad I thought I’d just follow the road, it has to take me somewhere. After about 200 m there was the turnoff! The track was grassy, quite nice to run on, with beautiful views of Mt Richie and Mt Strickland to the left; then it turned into a rocky-barky-dirt road. There was a part of the forest that must have burnt down after it was cut—looked like a burnt tree cemetery. I climbed on a trunk and took a few pics of the strange site.

I had mixed feeling about getting to Mt Vinegar (whoever knows me well, knows why). I was surprised to see such a small cairn for a mountain 1080 m high. After the Mt Vinegar summit, there was a pleasant 2.5 km downhill to the intersection of Road 27 and Mt Vinegar Road. First sign in quite some kilometers! I was a bit concerned, I’ve already spent 2 hours and 40 minutes and still have about 3.5 km to go to the turning point. Even though from Mt Vinegar it will be mostly downhill, I’ll still need to hike back there.

Otto called me a few times to check if I was OK—so nice of him. I just wish he wouldn’t worry that much.

I headed on Road 27 where the sign pointed me. After about 700 m, there was another signed intersection with Road 27 closed to the right, pointing walkers to go straight. Problem was, this walking track was one where you’d need a machete or serious protective clothing. The Lululemon long sleeve top and the knee length crops I was wearing didn’t protect me from those mean grasses that scratched my legs and face and got stuck on my clothes. I was hoping it won’t be for too long. Luckily, some generous soul has marked the track with pink tape, which helped a lot. Suffering score here was just too high.

I thought I should’ve put on my waterproof overpants—at least that would protect my legs. I kept putting it off, but when I got to a point where the pink tapes disappeared, I stopped and put them on. By this time I had quite a generous amount of mud on my shoes. The sweat made the scratches sting underneath the overpants and it was quite warm in places. Otto called again to ask me why I went off track. Told him there is not much track here, but I shouldn’t be far from The Knobs. There was mud underneath broken branches and since there was no visible track, I just went and followed my instinct. The Knobs are a few rocks with one bigger (about 70 cm tall) holding a few smaller ones. Nothing special, but meaningful in that situation. I must have startled a deer or something here.

I was so hoping that the scratchy track ends soon and was dreading coming back the same way. At this point I have already done 15.8 km and it was already 1.33 in the afternoon, 3 hours and 40 minutes since I’ve started. When I reached the end of this track and was in an intersection, where Acheron Gap was going left and the road to Mt Donna Buang to the right, Otto called again and told me how way off the track I went and shouldn’t I be already heading back? Told him that now I am on the right track and I should be going if I want to make it back in time. I was also getting cold when stopped.

I really wanted to reach Boobyalla Saddle, but the trip back??!!…Dunno. I had nearly done 20 kms to the intersection at Boobyalla Saddle. By the way, Boobyalla Saddle is a bit further up and is this gorgeous clearing. When I first approached it, it seemed as someone was smoking behind the ferns—there was steam raising from them as the sun shone through. At some point I could hear motor bikes, which I found very strange.

By the time I got to this point, I had the backup plan—I’ll keep goint to Warburton (only 14 km) and catch a taxi to Dom Dom Saddle where I left my car. I have already imagined how I’ll need to store my shoes and overpants to be accepted into one. I thought I’d go to the police station and ask where I can get one (taxi). Wanted to call Otto to tell him about this, but there was no network. Wrote an sms and kept trying to send it. My phone was running low on battery (24%) and I didn’t bring my charger, either. Wouldn’t have had enough food and water to make it back to Dom Dom after this.

Tyre mark on Mt Boobyalla — Tyre marks on Mt Boobyalla

Hiked up to Mt Boobyalla (gosh that’s a steep one, too) and was surprised to see fresh motorbike tracks on that single trail. It would really freak me out to bump into one there. I didn’t go to the cairn this time, even though it looked so beautiful in the sunshine. The walking track was quite soft and muddy, with water flowing down, just like on Telegraph Track at the Prom after a rain. There was ice in places. Otto messaged me, but by the time I started to reply, he called, told him what my plan was. He wasn’t happy about it.

Crossed the puddle at Cement Creek and kept going up. I pretty much stepped on it from The Knobs. When I got to Mt Donna Buang, I saw a car and could hear voices of a girl and a guy, but couldn’t see them anywhere. Didn’t feel like going up to the lookout this time. I was pretty much exhausted and there were another 8 kms of rough going (even though it’s mostly downhill) before I get to civilisation. This is when I realised—I haven’t seen one soul along these 24.5 kms. I went into the toilet block to fill my soft flask, as I only had a few sips of water left, but the sign said “Untreated water. Do not drink”—couldn’t be bothered at that point.

I’ve already had the two quarter sandwiches, the mandarine and the two gels I brought along. Still had some dark chocolate, but I was really hungry. Well… I’ve been in worse situations, toughened up and kept going downhill. There was still so much mud in some places along the track, just wasn’t funny. Didn’t care much where I was stepping until I saw a little mouse-like animal on the track—dead. Nearly squashed it, but stopped the last moment. Later down someone must have stepped on one, it wasn’t a pretty sight. I couldn’t wait to get to Mt Victoria, then to the road. I ran as fast as I could here, wondering how long I could keep this pace up.

Once I reached the road (Mt Donna Buang Rd) I was looking forward to get to the O’Shannassy Aqueduct. I landed on my bum once and hit my shin in a fallen branch, still slippery and lots of mud. This part felt harder than previous times, couldn’t wait to get to the road. When I see the little green shed on the left I know it’s soon over, and so it was. On my way down Martyr Road, I’ve noticed an elderly lady bringing out the rubbish bin, hoped she’d wait a little, but she walked back towards the house. Another lady appeared, waved her then asked her where could I find a taxi. She told me that there are no taxis in Warburton, but to go to the Hotel (gave me clear instructions), they’d be able to call me one if there is any nearby.

I went into the toilet block opposite the BBQ area on the left to clean up. Took off the muddy overpants and the wet long sleeve and put on the Salomon jacket. Washed the mud off my hands, picked up my stuff and started walking towards the pub (Alpine Retreat Hotel), carrying the pack in one hand and the overpants in the other. There were two guys and the bar tender in the pub. Asked the latter if he would call me a taxi. He looked at me strangely, told me there are no taxis in Warburton, but picked up a business card and called them. A few minutes later, he hung up with a sad face and told me there are no taxis in the area, but I could catch a bus.

I had no money with me and I doubted there would be a bus that goes towards Dom Dom—maybe to Healesville?? I thanked him and went out. Called my daughter, Suzie—message bank…then tried my brother-in-law, Nelu. He answered and said that he was going to finish in about half an hour, then go the gym, but when I told him the situation, he said that he’s coming to pick me up “go and have a beer and eat something, I’ll pay for it when I get there”. Gave him the directions, then went back and asked Eric (the bartender) if I could wait there. At least it was warmer. Otto called, told him what was happening, I guess he calmed down a bit knowing that I’ll be in good hands.

There were a few guys in the pub, having their beers, chatting away. An elderly man asked me what happened. Told him the story, when he heard where my car was, he said “holy shit!” then he called me crazy a few more times later, checking quite often if someone is coming to get me. Nice people, there!

My body temperature started to fall in spite of being inside, as the top underneath the jacket and the ¾ crops I was wearing were wet (from the sweat), started shivering. I’ve put on my gloves and kept looking out and watching people come in, play pool, talk, swear, the bartenders serving them…

When Nelu has arrived, he saw me from the car and honked me. I was so happy to see him!!! He ordered a beer and roast lamb (I’ve been eyeing the blackboard for more than an hour and swallowing big time when I saw the guys with their beer). We finished all the food, had another beer, a great conversation then took off to Dom Dom Saddle. It was nice and warm in the car, especially the seat warmers! There was only one car at Dom Dom Saddle—mine. I was happy to see that no one tried to break into it. As I leaned into the car I realised I’ve lost my poles!!! Told Nelu, he was inclined to go back, but I thought I must have left them in the toilet block. Head slap!!!

On the way home I drove in front, as I knew the road well. Before Berwick we stopped, said good bye and I turned right while Nelu kept going straight through Berwick. Got home a bit after 10.00 P.M., called the Warby Pub about the poles (in case I’ve left them there). Colin promised me he will check it out in the morning. When I called next day, he told me he went to the toilet block and found them.

What a day!!! Glad it ended like this—it could’ve been very bad.

Food: Two quarter sandwiches (toast, butter, cheese, salami, lettuce) with 4 mini roma tomatoes each, two gels (1 Hammer Citrus and 1 VFuel Chocolate Fudge—VFuel wins hands down!!), a bit of chocolate, 1 mandarine, 1 l water.

Gear: Lululemon top/jacket, waterproof Salomon jacket (carried in pack), waterproof overpants (put them on about half way), Speedcross 4 (larger size)

Location: Warburton VIC 3799

Map

Distance: 32.7 km

Elevation: 1,729 m

Duration: 5.5 hrs

How to get there

This is the route I took through Healesville. Click the More options link on the map to enlarge it.

Strava Activity

Feel free to study this activity.

Amenities

The toilets at Dom Dom Saddle are quite old, even eerie. There are picnic tables and quite nice ground.

For the original course (Dom Dom to Boobyalla Saddle) the 8022-4-N Juliet North, 1:25000 topographic map series from VicMap is the best. I bought the pdf map from Avenza maps for $2.65 (US1.99). Unfortunately my phone is cactus when it comes to GPS, so I couldn’t really make the most of this map being GPS, only while close to Dom Dom Saddle—few kms further stopped working, so I ended up using the portion of paper map McMahons Creek 8022-N VicMap which I’ve copied and highlighted the course on. This map is 1:50 000 and is not accurate. I have pointed out in my blog where there were the discrepancies.

Friendly advice

Here are some thoughts that might be useful before heading out on an adventure like this:

Always check the weather, ask around a local or someone who’s been there a day before
Carry enough food and water and take your charger and torch (just in case)
Get the 8022-4-N Juliet North, 1:25 000 topographic map series from VicMap
Carry a PLB, alternatively keep someone updated about your progress. Garmin has LiveTrack, Strava has Beacon. If you have a smart watch, these can work together very well wherever there is network coverage
Take some good wound dressings with you (extras, too), very easy to fall and scratch yourself
Wear something that covers your legs—those pesky grasses can really hurt
Take your poles, they will help you both up and down.

Hope all this info has helped.

Mt Donna Buang – Boobyalla Saddle

July 18, 2017 szolobab Adventures

18 July 2017

This was my plan for today (strava route to the right), with options to return earlier, should the tracks be unpassable. I knew it will be cold and I knew it will be wet, but I had to do it today, because the rest of the week was busy.

I am not going to lie, it was not all fun.

It was about 9.30 by the time I arrived in Warburton. There were clouds (or mist) at the top of the mountains, but I thought that’s OK, I can deal with that. Geared up, checked out the Visitor Centre for a more detailed map (bought the Yarra Valley – West Gippsland Adventure Map, even though I couldn’t really use it for this run, it’s not the right scale). They open at 10, but the lady let me in and helped me as much as she could. She never heard of Mt Boobyalla, which was a bit strange… I thought I’ve got my insurance—the pdf map I bought from Avenza yesterday, that should work.

Started running a few minutes before 10. The sign wasn’t holding any walking stick at the moment, there were a few on the ground, though. People must be using them! As soon as I did a few steps in the mud, I realised wearing the Speedcross wasn’t the best idea, even though it’s made for soft terrain, but mud…it only sticks to it, doens’t drain well and you quickly end up carrying another 800 g on each foot. OK, it’s extra workout, but today I didn’t need that. I paid attention and I didn’t fall on the ascent. Had some dark chocolate and ginger after about half an hour.

At the O’Shannassy Aqueduct this time there were even more animal footprints as last week. I was wondering, what it is. Could be deer??! I kept going, then got hungry again, so I had a VFuel gel, the Cool Citrus. This gave me a boost in spite of the mud that weighed me down. Today, I decided to go across Mt Donna Buang Rd as fast as I can to try and avoid the GPS anomaly I scored last Tuesday. It actually worked.

I got very close to a flock of yellow tail black coockatoos. Love those birds—they are so majestic! Could also hear lyrebirds nearby. At about 446 m, the wind picked up. Note to self: bring the beanie! There is a cable running along the left hand side of the track (if facing North), I guess is there for support. I took a picture of it, although it’s not that clear.

Stopped for a few photos on the way up. One point was on Mt Victoria at the telecom tower. When you approach it, from afar it looks like the trail veers to the right, whereas the track goes straight as the sign shows. There was so much mud!!! This time it was deeper and wetter, there was no way around it. Had to step into the above the ankle mud on several occasions. I kinda enjoyed the sloshing sound, though.

I was hungry again, had a quarter sandwich with grape tomatoes. Couldn’t really enjoy it, as I was trying to breathe and deal with a runny nose at the same time…I am cursed, every time is cold, my nose is runny. Have to carry a ton of tissues with me. By the time I get to use the end of them, they are already wet from the rain.

I imagined what the view from the lookout would be now. The forest was spooky. Love that single trail before reaching Mt Donna Buang, it’s so beautiful. This time it was very spooky.

When I got to the top, I headed to the lookout. A car was approaching, so I stopped to give way. The driver decided to park (no signaling or something) and let me stand there a little bit in the rain. Not nice… I marched up the stairs. They are good, warms you up quickly if you are taking it faster. Up there, I’ve put the poles so they don’t fall, then tried to take some pictures and figure out where exactly the Mt Boobyalla track is. All I could see was the track and a sign that had the walking track picturegram on it. My fingers cooled down very fast. It was misty, and very, very windy. Chilly windy! Couldn’t wait to head down.

I tried to find the track on the pdf map. The phone (an old Samsung S5 inherited from my daughter) showed me the GPS finger. First it asked me to re-calibrate the compass, then just told me “not on the map” the GPS signal was not strong enough. I took the track I saw from up there. If it’s not it, I’ll just turn back. Aha, but it was a nice downhill…I was thinking, it will be interesting coming back, but went ahead anyway. First I thought—considering the rain—I’ll just go to the next intersection, do a couple of more kms (it can’t hurt, right?!), but the track was so beautiful and so much fun running, that I just kept going. In about 400 m, I saw the sign “Warning do not go past this point in winter Rough track to Cement Creek only passage in summer”. Well… I just had to check it out. Only to Cement Ck. If I can’t cross it, so be it, I’ll come back. But I need to try and there were signs all the way.

Sweet single trails, only those grasses and the bushes made it hurtful, but that’s my bad—should’ve worn the overpants. No point carrying them in the pack. But at that point I couldn’t be bothered. Turned right at Road 2, then right again towards Boobyalla Saddle (there was no sign, just the track). I reached a muddy area, with some wood pieces nicely placed over. I figured this should be it—Cement Creek. I knew I shouldn’t be doing this, but headed across those stupid wet wood. After two steps, I fell on my bumback pronto!! Hit my left elbow and surely smashed the mandarine and yes, the tomato as well!

Stood up (good to carry those poles, I can push myself up quicker), did some damage control. I could move my limbs OK, so I kept running. Taking it too slow wasn’t an option—these guys weren’t kidding about the showers—they came down with no mercy. And let’s not forget the chilly wind!! I passed Mt Boobyalla and didn’t even notice the cairn. Must have concentrated badly on the rocks, the Speedcross is not a good friend of wet rocks. Then there was that steep downhill before reaching Road 4. Wet, lots of branches to slip/trip on.

When I got to Road 4, I pulled out the phone again (it was all wet, wasn’t sure if it’s going to function for too long), tried to establish how far I can go. I already had nearly 13 kms on my Fenix. I knew I need to turn left here, so I did and then I saw two hikers. They seemed very surprised to see a woman there, I guess. I asked them about the road beyond the turnoff towards Mt Dom Dom.

The younger one (about my age, which is not that young) pulled out the Rooftop map, told him that won’t help. He checked anyway, then agreed. Then he pulled out the McMahons VicMap, the more detailed one 1:25 000. That was a bit better, but still didn’t show the road I was supposed to continue on. I’ve showed him my pdf map and told him what I have planned to do. He said that it’s too long, I’d be there all day. Told him that’s only 10 kms, that shouldn’t take longer than 1.30-2.00 hours. Then he asked me if I was a trail runner. I thought: doh!! I’ve got a light pack and the trail running gear. Told them I couldn’t run if I carried their pack. He said that they saw the road and a sign that says no entry, but if I ignored the sign, I should be OK. Boobyalla Saddle is about half a km away. We wished all the best and parted.

Headed down towards Boobyalla Saddle and the tabu road. When I got there, I saw the sign! It said clearly “Unauthorised entry prohibited”! I started on it, then stopped. I saw tyre marks and thought that car could be heading back any time. And then I’ll be in trouble. The map showed only a short section in the map reference (restricted) area, so with a short bush bashing it could be avoided alltogether. But today I wasn’t prepared to do any bushbashing. I was wet, I was tired and I thought of going back up Mt Donna Buang and then down to Warburton in the rain…so I turned back.

I realised I was hungry, had to have something, so I pulled out the other sandwich, again dealing with eating, the gloves, the poles and the runny nose. I stepped on a piece of a branch that hit back. Exactly where I cut my leg on the rocks in the Cathedral Ranges. Cursed a few times, the shin wasn’t happy. I got to the trail head and thought I’d try to take a proper picture while I am finishing eating. The phone was hard to work. It was wet and the touch screen didn’t work properly. I took a photo anyway, then wanted to get going when I realised I am missing a pole.

So I headed back to Boobyalla Saddle, it had to be on that half km portion. Well I ran back, couldn’t see it, went a few meters further on the prohibited portion just to make sure I didn’t miss them, then turned around and headed up the hill again, wondering shouldn’t I go ahead on the that road…it’s only a little portion that is prohibited, at least according to that map. Nope, I don’t want to get into trouble and I need that pole anyway. I was wondering how could I miss a yellow-green piece of something. About half way I found it, it was on the right side of the road. Picked it up and continued, dreading that steep climb I came down on.

There were 15.7 kms on my Fenix here. I thought I’ll do around 30 today. Put my head down and started climbing. It was very slippery and those showers…The bushes kept scratching my legs, now it really hurt. Got up to Mt Boobyalla, looked around and saw the cairn. Nearly passed it again. Turned around, took a few pics, then walked through the puddles to the cairn. Took a couple more shots and a selfie, but had to get going, as it was really wet and windy, the body cooled down very quickly.

When I arrived to Cement Creek, I went the other way, into the mud, keeping a safe distance from the wet wood I fell on my way out. I wish the weather gods would’ve been kinder, this is such a beautiful place, would’ve loved to really enjoy it. Then the showers turned into icy ones, with seasalt like flakes hitting everything, piercing the skin. My fingers were so cold, couldn’t feel them. The gloves got wet, cold and heavy, but I left them on.

After the short Road 2 section, it was time to climb back up to Mt Donna Buang. I stopped at the trail head to take a picture of the sign and thought I’d better check my legs, something doesn’t feel kosher. Well, I collected a few leeches around my ankle—not happy Jan! Damn!! Forgot to bring the salt!! I knew I had to let them feed until they are full and fall off, but that was a long way, they were still skinny.

This checking the leeches has taken up a lot of time—I stopped quite often to have a look. Had the other VFuel (Maple bacon), the body needed it. I was hoping I’ll catch up with the hikers, but they were obviously back at the Mt Donna Buang car park by then. I have probably passed their car when I walked across the car park. Quite a few people there, which was strange in these conditions. At this point I couldn’t wait to be back in the car heading home.

Parts of the descent to Mt Donna Buang Road were fun, others were really hurting (the knee high ferns), then others were above the ankle thick mud. I had the second mandarine here, it was a bit smashed from the bum fall, but still tasty. The forest road from Mt Victoria to the sealed road was an easy downhill. I promptly crossed the road got into the lovely rolling part. Wanted to make the most of it because soon will come the mud fun. My face got slapped by wet ferns so many times on this downhill, just couldn’t care counting. Checked the leeches, one fell off but the others were still feeding.

Then came the mud slide. Last Tuesday I enjoyed this part much more than now, today it felt way softer and more dangerous. I was so happy I only fell once on my way out (at Cement Ck), but coming down is a different beast. Landed on my bum 3 times and had 5 near misses, when I slipped, but kept the bum off the ground. These were the times my gloves and poles got very muddy.

When running along the barbed fence I noticed how beautiful the sun shines onto Mt Bride and there was a rainbow! Stopped to take a pic, had to fiddle with the phone, it was all wet and the touchscreen wasn’t working properly. Martyr Rd was wet and slippery. As I was passing the golf course, a little dog came barking, then I saw its owner, an elderly lady. She asked me if it was wet. I guess the way I looked totally warranted the question. Told her that yes, it was wet, windy and icy up there. She seemed impressed.

Got back to the car, took off the the gear, spoke to Otto (he wanted to know if I was OK, and how long before I get home), told him about 1.15, as I want to wash the mud off my legs in the creek. Walked down to the creek and took off the socks that were now completely black. I must have ripped off a few leeches with this move, but there was another one, insisting on feeding. Had to rip it off, even though I knew I’ll pay for this.

All up it was worth it. Sometimes I need to do this crazy things to feel alive and test myself. The beautiful dinner that was waiting for me with a tall glass of Nut Brown Beer has topped the day!!

Food: two quarter sandwiches with butter, cheese and home made smoked sauseges (made by Doru, Nelu’s brother) and 4 grape tomatoes each; two VFuel gels (Cool citrus and Maple bacon), two mandarines, dark chocolate with crystalised ginger (only had a piece each)

Gear: the usual wet gear, except for the long johns. Need to take the waterproof gloves next time. I wore the thermal top underneath the thicker Salomon jacket all the way and there was still times when it felt cold.

Check out the full gallery here

Cathedrals with Julie

June 19, 2017 szolobab Adventures

19 June 2017

Decided to check out the Cathedral Ranges Challenge half marathon course, it looked awesome on the video. After a few facebook posts, I realised can’t go there alone, it’s quite dangerous—need to find a buddy. Julie is a great sport and I know she would have my back, just as I would have hers. We agreed on meeting on Monday at 7.00 A.M. in Healesville at the Innocent Bystander and go with one car from there.

It was freezing when we left Healesville. Julie was driving (she’s been there before). I really admire this woman—she’s so collected and calm… and let’s not forget fast!! I want to be like her when I grow up!

We got to the Cooks Mill Campground around 8.00, just as we planned. Went to the toilet, said hello to the German campers, who were just waking up, geared up, then headed off on Tweed Spur, a flattish 4WD track. I was already puffing, usually need a km or two to warm up. After about 1.6 kms we turned right, onto Messmate Tk, which was a lovely single track climb, all the way to Cerberus Rd, at the Sugarloaf Saddle Day Visitor Area. Julie got there earlier, she was looking at the information board when I finally arrived. We chatted a bit, had some food, then headed up Canyon Tk towards Sugarloaf Peak.

This section was fundangerous with some rock wall climbing in the mix. This is the part I was worried about, but managed without major issues. Running/scrambling along the Razorback Tk was both fun, hard and dangerous. I’ve slipped and bruised my left leg first, then again slipped and cut my right leg on the edge of a rock, landing in a scratchy bush. From here on it really hurt. All those pins of that particular type of bush (there was many of them along the track) have been scratching the already bleeding wound and the bruise. That part was a bit of a torture. Julie suggested I should stick a dressing onto the bleeding one. I only had Bandaid… Julie was prepared and had one of those “good” ones. Felt much better after that.

That ridge is something I always wanted to try and now I did. There were places which were only scrambling over rocks, then there were the somewhat runnable—but tricky—parts, where your ankle could just go kuku. There were also bits that were pure single trail (although not much) along the ridge. Anywhere we looked, the views were breathtaking. Every now and then we could hear the cars driving by on the main road. They were many kms away, but we could hear them.

The plaque in the memory of the 15 year old boy who died in 1983 on a school excursion is an eyeopener. It reminds me never to take life for granted.

After South Jawbone Peak we continued on Farmyard Tk towards North. We weren’t in a rush, just enjoying the scenery. I tried to keep up with Julie, it wasn’t easy. Around Cathedral Peak we saw the remnants of a goat. It was a shock at first, but then Julie said that it could’ve been a bull fight and the birds must have finished him off. Only a few hundred meters further there was another one.

At Cathedral Peak we stopped to take some (more) pictures with the trig and the surrounds, then decided not to go up to Little Cathedral Peak, but head down Little Cathedral Tk, then Neds Gully Tk. This trail was going downhill quite steep, bit (dry) slippery in places. Julie was really fast, I only caught up with her when we were nearly down at the camp site. I saw an old man on the track hiking up.

I wore the Salomon Sense Pro 2s, size 6 and they really started to hurt my toes. Every step and trip became painful. When I got to an intersection, I pulled out the map. There was a track going straight, then crossing the creek, another one turning right. I wasn’t sure which one Julie went on, but when I couldn’t see anything around the creek I decided to head on the other one, catching up with her and then we were running (I was jogging) along Little River Tk, a 4WD track. We realised there must have been a single track running along this once we got back to the camp site.

We changed and headed back to Healesville. All up it was a great adventure. It took us 5 hours, with 3 hours moving time to complete it. I can’t imagine a race on this course though.

Food: the usual quarter sandwiches, although I didn’t have any of them (forgot the tomatoes), we shared them after the run. Had a mandarine, two VFuel gels, dark chocolate, crystalised ginger and two dates.

Gear: didn’t take the long johns, but I was wearing the thermal top underneath the jacket. It was quite windy. Had the gloves, too but didn’t always wear them.

How to get there

This is the route we took from Healesville. Click the More options link on the map to enlarge it. From Little River Track it’s dirtroad and kangaroos.

Strava Activity

Feel free to study this activity.

Total distance: 18.92 km
Max elevation: 1029 m
Min elevation: 391 m
Total climbing: 1180 m
Total descent: -1162 m
Total time: 05:00:51

Download file: Cathedrals_Range_with_Julie_tough_course_.gpx

Amenities

There are drop toilets and water at the campground behind the tanks.

Friendly advice

Here are some thoughts that might be useful before heading out on an adventure like this:

Always check the weather, ask around a local or someone who’s been there a day before
It is better not to do this course after rain, the rocks are very slippery.
Carry enough food and water
Get the most detailed map you can. We used the the one supplied by Mountain Sports on their event website
Carry a PLB, alternatively keep someone updated about your progress. Garmin has LiveTrack, Strava has Beacon. If you have a smart watch, these can work together very well wherever there is network coverage
Take some good wound dressings with you (extras, too), very easy to fall and scratch yourself
Wear something that covers your legs
Do not take your poles

Hope all this info has helped.

Alpine Challenge 36 km course attempt

June 3, 2017 szolobab Adventures

03 June 2017

Picked up Nelu just after 4 and with a few attempts to get onto the freeway (night works), we finally were under way towards Falls Creek. I was the driver to Glenrowan, from there it was Otto’s turn. Celesta warned us about black ice on the road, so Otto was nervous even before we got there. Few pit stops, fuel… we got there sometime around 9.30, lots of cars in the parking lot – very different to what it was in November last year. Nelu wanted to get to a birthday party after we got back to Melbourne. We calculated about 8 hours to do the run, then another 5 driving home.

Parking, toilet, food, gear up.

Started running at 9.50, we were supposed to be well on Junction Spur by this time. There was snow on the mountains and along the road. Otto was pissed that I didn’t tell him about the snow – I didn’t think there would be any in Falls Creek, either. There was lots of it on Packhorse Track, but it was sunny and beautiful so we soon got into the swing of it, found the rhythm and started to enjoy it. We got to Howmans Gap in no time, even with the picture stops.

Junction Spur was clear of snow, but full of dry leaves, pieces of branches and rocks. We had some food. On one of the downhills Nelu twisted his ankle, we walked a little then kept jogging. We decided to take our time, we’ve got the day to do the 36 kms. When he took a bad step again, he decided to bandage it. By this time I gave him my walking poles for better balance. Nelu told me he’s going to stay about 5 minutes in the creek, that’s going to be good for his ankle. I told him that even one minute is too much – the water is really cold.

Otto was struggling in his road running shoes – this terrain is not suited for those. He’s got a brand new pair of Sense Pro 2s at home, I really hope he’ll start to use them.

We had some more food once we got onto Spion Kopje Tk – the climb needed energy. Could hear the water in Rocky Valley Creek and as the sun’s rays were shining through the trees it was a beautiful sight. We took our shoes off for the creek crossing – it was freezing cold. The boys were using the poles, I stepped through without them. Slipped once and managed to get wet much higher than the water level. Couldn’t wait to get out of there, my toes were totally numb. Took a video of Nelu crossing, he couldn’t wait to get out of that freezing water, too.

Put our shoes back, took some photos, I filled up my flask and started the climb.

At first there was not much snow. We took it easy, the air was thin and cold. Otto asked how it is during a race – do you talk to the others? I told him that yes, we do – this is how many runners meet and get to know the others. I told them about the trick: if one is faster, just ask them a question.

The snow appeared again… Otto soon got in the front and I thought he is going too fast. I stayed with Nelu, but he kept sending me ahead. At one point, as I turned around, waited for him, I have noticed his face was grey. I think the altitude and pushing himself has led to this. I kept asking if he was okay. The snow started to be thicker, with ice on top. As you stepped on it, broke, scratching your leg along. Otto was really pissed with me by this time. Why didn’t I tell him there is snow here?! And this much?! I told him I saw a picture with a bit of snow on the top (Aaron’s – from Mount Beauty Park Run), but didn’t expect it to be this much, either. Besides, I’ve never run in these conditions before.

It was beautiful!! Could see the footprints of foxes (?) and another animal (maybe deer?), bushes sticking out from under the snow. The top of the surrounding peaks was covered with white, too. Took a few pictures, then took the lead, so the boys could use my foot prints. I didn’t mind the extra work, this time it was all about them doing the course. Nelu was really struggling and every time they needed something from the pack, we had to stop – they weren’t using running packs, but the normal backpacks.

Getting out of the tree line opened up the view and the brightness of the snow was really blinding. Nelu had sunglasses but Otto and I didn’t. Otto kept stressing about the route. I mean it was covered with snow, but you could still see where it was going. After the Grey Hills turnoff (pulled out the map to show them how far we were from Warby Corner) the track was going left, but we could see it going up on the hill just behind the one in front of us, so we pulled the map out again to ascertain we weren’t lost. Nelu checked the GPS, as well – yes, we were going in the right direction. Because Otto has never done this bit before, he was stressing. Then he was stressing even more when we checked the time… we were so much behind schedule!!!

The ice was even worse in the open. There were steps that I could make on top of it, then suddenly my leg would go straight into it up to my knees, scratching the skin along (left a bit of blood on the white snow). I fell a few times, and so did Nelu. I was using the poles, going in front. The boys were stepping into my footsteps. I could see Timms Spur on the left. Otto decided to get Nelu in the middle, helping him along with encouragement. Nelu stopped quite often, bended forward, you could tell he’s not well, but we had to keep going. Being stuck here wasn’t an option. We ate quite often, didn’t feel like drinking much water.

There was a point that looked like the little dammed crossing, but there was no visible track – we checked the maps and GPS again. Otto can’t handle these too well. He’s an engineer – he needs to know the schedule and it better be by the minute, which wasn’t the case now. We finally got to the dammed crossing, then headed uphill. Warby Corner shouldn’t have been too far now. I went a bit faster to see it. Once I spotted the pole line coming up on the left, the pole at the junction, he calmed a bit down, but the sun started to go down and it got really cold. I knew we had to put on more layers, but Otto said let’s not stop until we reach Warby Corner. That 100 m felt like a lifetime. Just before Warby Corner there are some rocks, we stopped there, and started putting on the thermals, the extra pants and everything we carried with us.

My fingers were numb way before we got there – I took my gloves off to check the distances and the time – undoing and then re-doing the shoe laces was a real struggle. I also realised we’ve spent 7 hours to get here – so behind schedule!!… We hoped the track from Warby Corner would be a bit better in terms of sinking legs. It wasn’t, but wearing the long pants brought a relief for the legs. It started to get darker and darker, the sun was setting. It was a stunning view, but also scary, Otto was really worried by now. I was going in front waiting to spot the Heathy Spur turnoff. Asked “so I guess Big Foot Snow Marathon is out of question, isn’t it?!” – I believe Otto was close to explosion.

We decided not to go down Heathy Spur, but continue on to Watchbed Creek and take the road from there. It got dark and foggy/misty, couldn’t see far. Glad we took the head torches – all of us. Nelu was feeling better, after Warby Corner I gave him the poles again. Then after the Mt Nelse turnoff we were happy to follow the tracks of a bobcat. There were stacks of some red poles in places, waiting to be spread along the tracks. We could also see a bright light ahead. At a point the bobcat track was split, with one going to the right and the other going straight. We had a look at the GPS map and decided to go right. I told them I might have missed the Heathy Spur turnoff (had a sandwich earlier and might have not looked for a few seconds while unwrapping it)… but then we should’ve seen the AWT turnoff to the left. My rationale was this: the bobcat would end up on the road, it wouldn’t be left in the middle of nowhere, so if we follow its tracks, sooner or later we’ll hit the road, too. So we turned right, Big River Tk veers to the right, too thinking we were on it.

Otto was really nervous. He started yelling “Hello??!!!” hoping wherever that light was, there are some people and they’d hear us. He has also suggested I call SAR (“you should have the number in your phone from Alpine Challenge”). Drove me nuts! Told him no point calling out, only Nelu and I can hear him and just makes me nervous, too. Nelu’s phone died, he forgot to close the map earlier, so we pulled out mine, but Google Maps was showing the finger – no reception there. Ani called, asked if we were okay. Told her that we are still in the snow and will let her know once we are back in Falls Creek.

The track was not going the way we (Otto and I) remembered, he was even more worried. I’ve been thinking… how could I miss the Heathy Spur turnoff. It’s not that small and it’s not that far off the track. Then I realised what might have happened: the bobcat turned a few meters before the turnoff, thus missing the sign in the fog. I have also thought about checking if the Avenza map works. It has to!! Fair enough, we were on a track close to Heathy Spur. The bobcat couldn’t possibly drive on that – it is a single track. I remembered it from when I was there with Tash last year in November on a lovely sunny day.

Once we could see where we were on the map, and that we were getting closer to the road, Otto loosened up a bit. He told me, he just needs a hug and can’t wait to be on the road, then back to the car safely. We were tossing the idea of staying in Falls Creek over night. The dam was supposed to be on our left, but we couldn’t see it in the fog, our lamps wouldn’t be strong enough anyway. There was water running across the track every now and then, and couldn’t see under the snow, so we had to watch that, too. At some point the bobcat track ended – we could see it turned back from there, but there were human footprints heading down, so we followed them and soon enough we were on the road.

It wasn’t Heathy Spur, but being on the road – even if it was icy, slippery – it was a big relief, we were about 3 kms from Falls Creek. First thing we did was, to have a sip of palinka. That warmed us up. Nelu called Ani and told her that we’ll be staying overnight, then we’ve walked along the road, discussing the day and what we are going to do once we get back to the car. Told Otto if he drives us to Bright, I can drive home from there (I knew he wouldn’t let me drive on that winding road). I was going to go to Falls Creek Country Club Hotel and see if they can accommodate us, Nelu came with me then went to the car, telling Otto not to even think of driving up there – there was ice on the driveway. There were cars parked along the road, you could tell the resort is getting alive with the snow season opening next weekend.

There was no one at the reception at the hotel, so I called the number, but it went to message bank. Also tried the number on their website – no luck, either. Walked down to the car, I started to get really cold. Grabbed my clothes and headed to the toilet to change, while Otto went to check out if the other resort had any rooms available. Nelu and I drove back to the lower car park – he has left his shoes there – then he got some Solo from the wending machine. Nelu craved Solo, while I was having the ginger beer Ani packed for us. Otto called to let us know, that the guy has arrived, he’s got a 3 bedroom apartment for $600/night. Otto asked what we are going to do? Take it or sleep in the car? Nelu said – car it is, then.

While we went to pick Otto up, he chatted with the guy, who was very decent, told Otto he knows it’s very expensive, but they are a 5 star hotel and unfortunately he can’t give any discounts. He said he wouldn’t worry about the drive, Falls Creek is higher and it’s not that cold, it should be OK to drive down to Mount Beauty, accommodation prices are more acceptable there. He even looked up a few places on his phone. We agreed that if we can get to Bright, we can also drive home. So there came the very slow drive to Mount Beauty – doing max 30-40 km/hr all the way (a police car honked us, then passed us after we pulled over to let them go). Otto said he’d let me drive from Bright if he drives from Glenrowan. Told him to take us to Glenrowan, then I’ll drive the rest. I knew his legs would hurt when driving, I’ve done that many times and it’s not easy.

Heated seats are best!!! I had lots of layers on me, still shivering. Nelu had a sleep in the back, I was on/off in the front, every now and then talking to Otto so he wouldn’t fall asleep. We agreed we’ll have some McDonalds at Glenrowan (haven’t had any for ages!!) and coffee. We fuelled up, then walked into the empty Mackas – it was already nearly 2 in the morning, only the manager working. She took our order, then waited. I only wanted chips. Otto and Nelu had coffee, Nelu also had a chicken wrap – he must have been very hungry.

It was a very thick fog on the way to Melbourne. Otto was really freaking out on the passenger seat, his face glued to the windscreen. Had to slow down a bit to calm him. The plan was that we drop Otto off first, so he can light the fire and have a shower while I drop Nelu off. Then we’ll have some palinka!

It was strange how many cars were on the road at 3 A.M. – road works on the Tulla meant we had to follow the detour, driving around in places we’ve never been. Ani called after we were out of the tunnel, checking if we were okay. Told her we are not that far from getting home. It was around 4.20 when we dropped Nelu off, more than 24 hrs since we picked him up yesterday morning. It was also their wedding anniversary, I guess it ended up an interesting one…

It was freezing when we got home. Otto made the fire, while I’ve prepared some finger food, it was nearly 5, should’ve had scrambled eggs or something…

All up it was a great day. If I read a report like this the day before, things would’ve turned out different – less stress, for sure. Hats off to both Otto and Nelu for completing these 39 kms – none of them has trained for it.

Food: we had all 3 quarter sandwiches (one with salmon, goats cheese, capers and gherkins, one with butter and cheese and one with butter, cheese and Csabai sausage – all toasted, crusts cut) with 4 cherry tomatoes each, 2 dates, 1 mandarine, 4 pieces of chocolate and crystallized ginger and 1 Knoppers. Nelu and I have packed 3 gels each (didn’t used them), Otto and Nelu packed extra bars and snakes. We’ve shared the latter and I gave my mandarine to Nelu. I took 500 ml of water and two more soft flasks with the intention to fill them all up at Rocky Valley Creek. Didn’t have much water, so I only filled one, which Otto ended up having.

Gear: all the Alpine Challenge mandatory safety gear, except the PLB and hand warmers.

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