Profile for Vonsnrub - Aussie Bushwalking

This Year

Number of Walks Ticked

245.7km

Total Distance Ticked

All Time

188

Number of Walks Ticked

1,768.8km

Total Distance Ticked

Ticks

Name	Date	Difficulty	Distance/Duration
Mt Baker (Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest)	19 Jul, 2024	Very Hard	24km return 2 days
I booked this trip through Alpine Ascents in order to learn some alpine mountaineering skills before I go diving into crevass fields on my own. I had been told Mt Baker is a great introduction to alpining given the landscape and condition of the glacier. Was interesting stepping over the crevasses and gaining an appreciaton for just how deep they go. Overall I would definitely rate this as a challenging hike, especially if you haven't done much hiking in snow. The first day is pretty cruisey but the 2nd day is reasonably demanding. Was surprised as to how hot it was at Sandy Camp. Even during the night you could walk around in shorts and a T Shirt despite being on a glacier. The summit was cooler but probably only around 5 degrees, certainly looks colder in the photos. Doing it in the heat does bring on other challenges though, the ice becomes less stable and more mushy and crevasses become more of a threat. Didn't have to worry about avalanches on our route but did hear and see some minor avalanches on the more steeper cliffs not far from the camp.
Mt Budawang (Morton National Park)	25 Jun, 2024	Medium	8km return 2.5 hrs
It's funny how often the biggest peak in the range is the easiest. Mt Budawang is a nice walk but it's nothing compared to the better known peaks of the Budawangs like Pigeonhouse and the Castle. NSW National Parks recommends 7-8hrs on their website which is insane, it took me 50mins to get from the carpark to the summit. The view at the top is okay, the problem is the summit is quite broad and rounded making photos quite difficult. The walk reminded me of the Mt Allen firetower walk in SEQ.
Morne Blanc (Seychelles)	10 Jun, 2024	Medium	2.1km return 1 hr
Nice easy walk compared to Morne Seychellois. Very popular hike though, was a constant stream of people coming and going unlike Seychellois where we saw absolutely no one. Great place to come for the sunset!
Morne Seychellois (Seychelles)	9 Jun, 2024	Hard	3.9km return 5 hrs
Really enjoyed this mountain! The trail reminded me so much of the hikes you find up around the Gold Coast hinterland like Mt Cougal. I didn't have to worry about navigation due to having a guide but can see how people would get lost up there, particuarly near the summit where there are quite a few other tracks leading in different directions. Very happy with my guide and can't recommend him enough! @thecooltourguide was friendly, happy to go as fast or as slow as is required, genuinely passionate about his job and the mountains. We made fairly good time reaching the summit in 1hr45 and were lucky to get some good views. On the way back down saw a Wolf Snake and some carnivorous Pitcher plants.
Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire (Overseas)	8 Jun, 2024	Medium	6.8km return 3 hrs
Given the mountains side profile is so sheer and impressive I honestly believed it would be a lot more challenging than it was. For the most part I was surprised how flat/undulating the trail was up until the very last section. From the trailhead to the summit took me 1hr10 and it would have taken even less if I didn't try so hard to avoid getting my shoes muddy. This turned out to be a futile endeavour when I slipped over and became totally covered in mud. The scrambling section is quite steep but made easier with the ropes and frequent tree roots. Sensational view from the summit!
Piton des Neiges (Overseas)	7 Jun, 2024	Hard	14.3km return 10 hrs
If you ever just happen to be on Reunion Island for some reason this is well worth a visit. The hike is quite similar to Mt Olympus except without the scrambling section near the summit. Quite a popular walk, attracts a lot of tourists - mostly from France. It took me 2.5hrs to the refuge and a further 2hrs to the summit with the descent taking slightly less time. So it is quite reasonable to do it in a day if you were so inclined, however I was time poor and commenced the walk at around 3.30pm. Looking back this was a good time to start because the carpark had a few available spots due to the time coinciding with when a lot of the day hikers began returning. I arrived at the refuge around sunset and just in time for dinner which starts at 1830. Even on a mountain refuge the dinner was served with wine which was a nice French touch. Unfortunately the summit was engulfed in cloud so I didn't get to see the view, but got some nice views on the way up and down to make up for it.
Te Manga (Cook Islands)	27 May, 2024	Very Hard	7.7km return 6 hrs
Well first thing I'll say is good luck trying to find a clear weather window. I had the aid of a small team of meteorologists and even with their assistance it's a bit of a gamble. The cloud likes to rest of the mountain range - some days it will start off cloudy and then get clear as the day goes on, other days (like my day of ascent) it will start off clear then get cloudy as the day goes on. Fortunately it didn't rain and hadn't rained for a few days prior, but everything is still perpetually wet up there anyway. I used the GPS track from Alltrails and loaded it onto my phone and found it to be pretty reliable. However, the AllTrails track doesn't go all the way to the summit, it stops about 5-600 meters prior for some reason, not sure why. The track keeps going so I kept going. A friendly dog started following me from the road below and he was quite good company. When I passed the first vertical sections I figure that was the last I would see of him but a few minutes later he was right back behind me so either he knows an easier way, or he is a spectacular climber. I did watch him on the descent to see how he did it and he kind of just ran down the vertical wall then used the bushes or trees to slow his descent - falling with style. The 2nd wall stopped me for about 5 minutes while I tried to figure out how I would ascend. It is a little tricky and a mistake or a snapped rope could result in a 2 story fall onto the rocks. I made it to the first summit and thought it was the actual summit. It was only when I went to descend and found myself climbing again that I realised there was more to go (I didn’t notice the Y intersection so I ‘descended’ straight up to the main summit. Up there you will find the climbers log book and a dog bowl which I filled with water for my K9 companion. If I had known he would have escorted me the whole way I would have brought some treats. The descent isn’t quite as tricky as the ascent because you don’t need to rely on the rope quite as much. Although navigationally it can be a bit tricky because there are a few places it’s quite easy to take a wrong turn. My dog guide faithfully followed me in the wrong direction a couple of times as if to say “You have to solve your own problems, I’m just along for the ride”. Shame I didn’t have clearer conditions, but a good challenge nonetheless. Passed a group of 3 coming up as I was descending. They were just about to get to the roped sections so would have been quite curious to see how they went.
Corang Peak (Morton National Park)	23 May, 2024	Hard	24km return 8 hrs
Great walk, not too hard in terms of physical exertion - although it is definitely a long day of constant walking. Lots of cool landmarks to enjoy and some unreal views. The track was pretty muddy and flooded at times, but I guess that's the trade off. Go after rain and you get a muddy track but you get to see the River come alive. For the most part it was pretty easy to follow but we did definitely refer to the GPS quite a bit in the second half. Shame you can't go to the Lagoon anymore, seems like the locals are pretty annoyed about it because there are quite a few signs up encouraging people to sign a petetion to see it reopen. Didn't see anyone else on the track, had it all to ourselves.
Mt Maria (Maria Island National Park)	10 May, 2024	Medium	18km return 5 hrs
Not quite as lucky with the clear views as we were on Hartz Peak but in spite of that it was still a very enjoyable walk. It is quite a long gradual walk for the most part, but picks up a bit during the last quarter or so. The boulder field section is comparable in difficulty to Mt Bartle Frere so not too bad. It's actually a welcomed change from all the non stop walking. Would be a bit trickier in the wet but not to the point that I would avoid doing it. I'd say it is possible to do it as a day trek and catch the ferry out the same day, but you'd want to make sure you walk at a fairly good rate. We stayed the night and were glad we did, the aurora view was spectacular from the island! Lots of furry critters around, lost count of how many wombats and wallabies we saw.
Hartz Peak - Hartz Mountains National Park (Tasmania)	9 May, 2024	Medium	8km return 3 hrs
Picked a nice day for it, there was fog and low cloud but luckily it was quite patchy which made for some varied photos. The walk is mostly quite easy with some very light scrambling. Track is well marked and easy to follow, even through the boulder field near the top. If you want an easy way to get the iconic Southern Tassie views this is it!
Mt Dromedary (Gulaga) (New South Wales)	27 Apr, 2024	Hard	14.5km return 3 hrs
Nice consistent gradient the whole way. After having done quite a few bush bash walks lately was a nice welcomed change to have a well graded and maintained track the entire way. Took me just under 3hrs to do the hike there and back. Unfortunately there aren't really many opportunities for photos after you enter the forest right at the start of the walk. Despite this it was suprisingly popular today, lots of people out and about exploring it. Parking can be a bit tricky, I was lucky I got there early.
Mt Gudgenby (Namadgi National Park)	16 Apr, 2024	Very Hard	16.3km return 8 hrs
Slept in my car at the Yankee Hat carpark - not sure if I'm really meant to do that, probably not. Got an early start because I knew what I was going to be up against. Definitely bring a GPS for this one, you can move fairly quick on the ascent up to the saddle following the reasonably well marked trails - but you do need to refer to the GPS quite a bit to ensure you don't follow the wrong ones. Took me 2hrs from the carpark to the saddle, then 1hr45 or so from the saddle to the summit. And given how much shorter the distance is from the saddle to the summit you can get an idea just how much bush bashing is required. The cave and the scrambling sections where probably the highlight for me - I would rate the scrambling as being somewhat similar in difficulty to what you would find climbing the Castle, although there is much less scrambling on Gudgenby. Was strapped for time so didn't get a chance to check out the cool rock formation not far from the summit but have heard that is well worth the detour.
Bungonia Gorge Red Circuit (New South Wales)	25 Mar, 2024	Very Hard	4.9km return 4 hrs
Nice short but challenging walk. Had actually attempted this a little while back but hadn't researched the walk enough and tried to do it anti-clockwise. Not to say it's impossible or even exceedingly difficult doing it in this direction, but it is quite devoid of a track or even any sign of human contact in the boulder section which gave us the false impression we were going the wrong way. This time I was a bit more prepared and doing it clockwise is quite a pleasant scramble/hike. The walk back out of the gorge is a nice thigh burner too. Can knock the walk over quite quickly, we did it in around 2.5hrs and stopped for lunch at Mt Ayre.
Mt Carrialoo (Morton National Park)	19 Mar, 2024	Hard	8.9km return 5 hrs
From the comments on All Trails I was expecting some pretty bad bush bashing but it actually wasn't too bad. There is a dense section of vegetation before the final ascent to the summit but aside from that it is reasonably open terrain. The scrambling section was a pleasant surprise, added some variety to the day.
Cathedral Rock (Cathedral Rock National Park)	29 Feb, 2024	Hard	5.6km return 3 hrs
Can knock this walk over pretty fast - made it to the top in 45mins at a relatively relaxed speed. The scrambling section is short but fun - I would say it's like an easier version of the scrambling involved in getting to the top of the Pyramid in Giraween. Currently the walk is closed from the Barokee Campsite but open from the Native Dog camp-site.
Mount Jerusalem (Mt Jerusalem National Park)	27 Feb, 2024	Hard	29.3km return 10 hrs
Despite being quite overgrown for the 2nd half - it was still a very easy to follow trail. The only thing that slowed progress was the constant checking for snakes (and the frequent stops for leech removal). Views were great at the 2nd spot height, if I was a little more ambitious I would have had more of a look around but I was pretty keen to not be in the long grass any longer than necessary so I didn't stay long. This walk is probably better tackled in Winter in retrospect. Also Mt Nardi is technically a tiny bit higher than Mt Jerusalem so you will actually gain more elevation on the return which is always a bit depressing. Overall good day out, but would probably only recommend it to peak baggers.
Sentinel Peak (South Island NZ)	13 Feb, 2024	Very Hard	14.7km return 9 hrs
I definitely underestimated this hike, I started quite late in the morning and finished just before dark. It is a looong walk both in terms of vertical gain and also distance covered. There are certainly elements of it that reminded me of Mt Barney, although I would say Barney is more difficult in terms of physical exertion and exposure. This is a bit trickier navigation wise - and also a bit more remote, I didn't see anybody else doing this walk beyond the Sawyer Burn track. Even though it was steep in parts slowing my pace, the descent took about as long as the ascent because I had to backtrack a couple of times after accidentally descending down the incorrect ridge (or in one case descending the correct way but second guessing myself and climbing back up to make sure). The GPS track I downloaded from Wikiloc was helpful buuut there are a couple of places where it's incorrect which contributed to my confusion. On the way up I barely ever looked at the GPS because the trail was pretty clear. The views are sensational, and unlike Roys Peak or Ben Lomond you don't have to share it with anyone else. I shared the summit with a New Zealand Hawk who seemed quite surprised to have company. Enjoyable mountain, my favourite of the hikes I did in NZ.
Ben Lomond (South Island NZ)	12 Feb, 2024	Hard	13.4km return 8 hrs
Nice easy to follow trail - more physically difficult than Roys Peak but not by much. The views throughout are sensational, difficult to take a bad photo up there. Lots of people out and about, even on a week day.
Roy's Peak (South Island NZ)	11 Feb, 2024	Hard	14.9km return 6 hrs
Nice easy to follow trail with a fairly consistent rate of climb throughout. A lot of people stop at the iconic viewpoint but the summit in my opinion is even better. Definitely well worth doing if you are ever in the area. Super popular the day I went to do it, and that was 3pm on a Sunday so can imagine that if I went earlier in the day it would have been even crazier!
Mt Royal (Barrington Tops National Park)	19 Jan, 2024	Hard	2.7km return 2.5 hrs
Nice walk with some excellent views! Despite being so short it was quite a nice little thigh burner covering 1000ft in such a short distance. The track was just clear enough that I didn't have to refer to my GPS - but was glad to have it just in case. Great little National Park, surprised no one has heard about it, has some great facilities and was devoid of people.