Booth trig holds me up – 87th and last ACT trig
Saturday 22 February: Booths Hill – L/R. I couldn’t get there recently, so come and help me bag my last trig. May visit Brandy Flat Hut on the way back. Early start. Around 12km and 900m climb. Map: Michelago. Limit: 8. Leader: John Evans – john@johnevans.id.au, 0417 436 877. Transport: ∼$15 per person. Further details at www.johnevans.id.au.

4 of us drove from Canberra.

Further Information

Look for GC47429 Cold Cache.
Look for Lost KIWI Tourist (mystery). See spoiler pic on phone. Retrieve mr_roo’s trackables and circulate them.
Look for GC1XKYB Brandy Boulders (if go to Brandy Flat Hut).
Look for GCNV1H Gudgenby Gander (at the lookout).
If going to Yankee Hat car park and rock art, look for:
GC1JWEX Yankee Doodle Dandy (multi) see phone for clues
GC1HPPX Namadgi, A Pleasant Spot!
GCH13N Namadgi Yank
GC11G8D Spon-TIN-eity.

Summary

Distance: 11.3km | Climb: 860m | Time: Time: 7.50am-4.50pm (9hrs), with 45 mins of breaks | Grading: M/R; H(12)

Track Map

Photographs

Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slide show.

Video

Google Earth

Download the Google Earth .kmz file here.

Track Notes

Prior to last Wednesday, one member of CBC knew that I am a bully. By last Wednesday I had one (un)likely starter for this walk, so not only bullied Q and Wayne at the monthly meeting into coming with me, but also did the same to Peter who had just walked in the door to his first CBC meeting. But I needed a quorum for this walk to get me to my 87th and last ACT trig in the ‘Stretch Your Legs’ event.

So bully boy and bullied boys set off along the link track from the Brandy Flat South car park on the Boboyan Rd to join up with the southern end of the Brandy Flat Fire Trail.

Arriving at the FT, Q and I headed a couple of hundred metres NW to WP1 for GC47429 Cold Cache. Absolutely delighted by what I found and will return another time, suitably equipped.

Back at the FT at 8.10am, a descent to the dry Dry Creek and up the other side to the spur just shy of the next drainage line. 1.8km in 40mins.

The first half of the ascent to Booths Hill is through woodlands (the canopies of the trees do not touch). Gently up then gently down to cross a drainage line, a little steeper up, then a wiggle from generally E to NE to gain a main spur. The vegetation at the wiggle is a little tight. The ascent of the spur is through forest (the tree canopies touch). Wattle and Gum regrowth in places. I thought we were doing well – my watch said 9.15am – but it had been knocked and it was actually 10.15am, so we stopped for morning tea. From leaving the fire trail to here was 1.6km in 1hr 30mins.

Pretty much East up from morning tea. A lot of fallen timber on this leg. The party was a bit slow today. At last the radio mast hove into view and there was a final scramble up the granite – to find plenty of shrubs to battle through to reach the trig. Arrived at 12.30pm, so from morning tea to the trig was 1.5km in 1hr 50mins.

I immediately went to look for the final GZ for GC1VF5M Lost KIWI Tourist. Big thanks to mr_roo, who was here 21/1/14 with the previous CBC party that I couldn’t get away to join. Found the cache and retrieved the trackable as requested. Of course you won’t find the final GZ location on my track file.

It was 1.00pm when we left, so no time to go down to Brandy Flat Hut. We came back the same way as in, the return to the fire trail 3.2km in 2hrs 45mins.

A celebratory beer on the verandah of the Tharwa General Store on the way home.

Party

4 walkers – Peter F, Quentin M, Wayne P, me.