25-06-2023

Russ and me

Freezefest? forgot all about it again but squeezed in a quick bit of cold water therapy with trip through Empress

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Access: Easy walk though a bit steep in spots, muddy and slippery after rain, which tends to be the best time to visit. There are unfenced clifflines and some steep uneven steps

Navigation: Navigation is straight forward on signposted paths.

Time: It takes about 2.5hr return

Somewhat underrated ( well I’d not heard much of it, then again I wasn’t paying attention either) This pleasant loop in Hazelbrook takes you past 4 nice little waterfalls. Fairy Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Oakland Falls and Burgess Falls

Getting there: Drive to Hazelbrook and navigate to Oaklands road. There is a small parking area at the bottom of the hill. Parking here you note trails heading into the reserve. In the words of Obi Wan These are not the trails you are looking for.

Instead walk back up the road 50m, and you see the track on the other side a small bridge.

The trail is reasonably well signposted and soon you’ll get the option to branch off and head down to the creek bed to the base of the fall. Lower trails take you in past the waterfalls and you can loop back along the upper trail

Each water fall has a little cave behind it. Tip for the adventurous, Glowworms at night

Note 1: Taking care  While reasonably well known these spots are still wild places and care needs to be taken around cliff edges and on the steep trails.  Carrying the right gear as well as having adequate food, water and clothing is important. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to get back.

Emergency beckons (PLBs) can be hired from Katoomba Police for very little.

Note 2: First aid A basic first aid kit is essential bit of kit whenever heading into the Aussie bush. A basic first aid is highly recommended

Note 3: Maps and Navigation Having the right map, a compass and knowing how to read them is very important when heading into the bush. If you are new to bush walking joining a club or accompanying more experienced walker for you first few outing is a very good idea. I found practicing map reading on well defined trails was helpful when I started out.

The Maps mentioned are the 1:25000 series. They can be purchase at Lithgow tourism information center, from outdoors shops or online for around $10 each.

Note 4: These are wild and beautiful places, respect them. If you are able to carry something in you can carry it out. Don’ be a tosser. Leaving your rubbish behind is a sure way to ruin it for every one else.

some time in 2021 with some people and me

A massive rain event had laid waist to our weekend plans so we thought we’d make the most of it and check so usually dry slots out to see what they were like in the big wet

So after a morning of driving through puddles and wowwing at things we met up with the others and headed out to the “Dry canyon”

Fun was had

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13/11/21

Hywaida, Kristo, Jason, Kylie and meeeeeee

Plans were hatched but the weather played havoc with them.

I wasn’t comfortable entering the canyon we wanted to do after so much rain. Luckily the others sort of agreed with me.

Alternate plans were needed. In the end we settled on a return to Wolgan Falls

When Laurie first took me on the trip he had pioneered I was impressed. It’s a lovely waterfall and I had wanted to get out to it for a long time. It’s a testament to his drive to find the line in and out.

But…. Well, I’ve said it before, abseiling for the sake of abseiling doesn’t really do it for me. Sliding down a rope on one wall is much the same as sliding down a rope on another.

For me it’s always been just a means to see new things and get to the next bit of canyon.

So after we had done the standard dry line we were itching to get back and do a wet line. Which was fun but now we had done that too.

Still, in the back of our heads was always, Geez it would be good with more water.

After 2 weeks of constant drizzle interspaced with a couple of good gully rakers we thought it would be worth a look.

Hearing the roar of the falls from the ridge top sent a tingle down my spine. But I’m a notorious over thinker and despite what some might think I tend to the cautious side so we dropped down the first abseil knowing we had an escape route and wandered down to the point to get a look at the falls.

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My only concern now was that the water coming across the shelf above the falls might make it tricky getting off rope on the standard line that required you to swing in to land on the shelf.

So we modified the line and dropped into the side just to play it safe. As it was the water wasn’t quiet all the way across

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And then there was only 1 thing left to do

The water wasn’t a bad temp. The icy wind thou….

Anhoo

Mission accomplished. What now?

I knew of another waterfall on the other side of the plateau that might be worth a look in the rain.

I’d first done it last year with Russ after a good dump of rain in what may have been a first decent. But anyhoo the drive to get back across was longer than the trip….

Sadly H and Kris had to leave us.

That left 3

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Ok so last year was not long after the fire and the gully out was an easy scramble… Post fires, bit of rain and it’s Jurassic Park with full grown T-Rexs hidden in the ferns. Like lots of them.

Breaking a trail through the ferns was tough but we were soon back at the top. People knock my nav but we popped out onto the road 100m from the car. I aint need no stinking map and compass…

And as it was so close it would be rude not to drop into Alcatraz.

All in all a most excellent day

<insert pithy inspirational quote or sumfink>

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31/07/21

Madie, Leo, Pippa and I.

It’s early Saturday morning my phone sounds and incoming text

Wanna do sumfink?

Yep

Well that was settled. Par for the course for our preparation and planning

Pippa needs an outing too so we decide to avoid the National Park and checkout some stuff in the state forest.

First stop Cracks of Doom.

Those playing along back home may recall my previous adventures, After first visiting these features in 1994 a return visit in 2015 saw me not finding them and subsequently not fitting through them to then squeezing through and squeezing through again well it seems like after a pretty lazy couple of months I’m back to not fitting

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So I squeeze. I strip of clothing. I try bridging higher. I can’t bend me knees to get lower….. There is just 1 bit where I can’t get past. If memory serves there is one more tight bit further in so rather than forcing myself through and possibly getting stuck further in I opt to reverse out, with some difficultly and let the young skinny beautiful doggo continue through with Madie and Leo…..

At one point the crack drops sharply, here Pippa decides to take advantage of things and crawl onto Leo’s head.

I slip around and scramble down Crack of Doom 2. We then check out some of the other cracks/Canyonettes in the area

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And check out a possible First Nations occupation site before reversing up Crack of Doom 2

A Short easy scramble gets us out the top

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Now what?

Lets get wet. Alcatraz on the way home!!!

Winter Alcatraz Undie run comingup

TBH I sooked a bit and put a top on so that I could go first and then stay to help Madie at the bottom with Pippa and then pull ropes.

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Getting back into dry clothes felt soooo good and we relished the sunshine one back up top

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The following day we head into the Freezer. Despite the name its a pleasant crag out of the wind and, today at least, sheltered from the rain (mostly)

Madie leads up the delightfully run out slopperfest, Soul Sister (18). Leo then leads up making it look easy before I struggle my way up on top rope.

Then I leave them to play on the harder stuff and head for home feeling somewhat out of shape and deflated but determined to crack myself back into gear.

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Your future. It awaits only you, to live it and to write it. R Hobb

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13-02-2021

Kylie, Monica, Kris, Hywaida, Jason and meeee

Hey, I know you’ve just done Kanangra Main but would you be interested in doing it again with us? says Kylie

Hell yeah. Says I

‘cpet the water levels are up.

A week of dry should settle it. says I, let’s suck it and see.

Good theory but the week wasn’t exactly dry and as the gang set up camp it pissed down then rained steadily all night. I felt sorry for them as I opted to snuggle up in my nice warm bed at home but I’m sure they were having a great time.

When I rocked up in the morning Kanangra brook could be heard gushing away in the gully. I wandered down for a look. The amount of water on the ground was concerning and the little brook below the car park trying to burst it’s banks.

If the brook is flowing like that Kanangra creek will be pumping. Say I. We can walk out to check it out but I’m thinking we need to play it a little safe.

The others agree and we opt to do Kalang Falls instead. It is a bit more open with bigger stances between abseils. It’s usually done as a dry trip but has options so we could choose to get into the flow if it was safe.

And off we went

The rocks at Kanangra are always slippery and loose and the dampness added to this so we went slow and steady, setting up a small abseil to get to the first abseil.

But soon we opt to take the wet line.

We were bleeding the ropes each abseil but a few drops in we core shot Jason’s 70m rope.

A few abseils later I notice a cut in my 60m, right in the centre

Luckily the bigger drops were done as that was our two longer ropes relegated to pull cord status.

There were lot of laughs and plenty of smiles in between the serious stuff.

There was lots of highlights but I think THE highlight was this two stage drop in a good bit of flow

The final drop gave us a good show too

And reaching the junction with Kanangra creek we get back into semi dry gear, have a bit of lunch and then make the steep, slippery, scratchy, bitey haul back up to the cars.

Kylie may have swore once or twice.

The most scared I was on that entire trip was the exit. Says Mon

Good times.

Stay true to yourself, never follow someone else’s path. Well unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path then by all means follow that.

Party size: 6

Time 8hrs car to car.

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