Adventures – Page 4 – Babi's Trail Running Adventures

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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