4 September 2012 Yet more Border Markers S of Mt Clear

F38 and nearby peg

Maps: Bredbo and Colinton 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by me as a private Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 4 September - Yet more Border Markers S of Mt Clear - ride and stride - H. Ride from the Mt Clear car park via the Long Flat FT. Work the border on the crest of the Clear Range, looking for border markers. A combination of ride and walk. Around 38km and 1000m climb. Maps: Bredbo and Colinton. Leader: John Evans - john@johnevans.id.au, 0417 436 877.

Just me. So got up at 4.45am, 70km each way drive from Duffy to Mt Clear car park taking 1.25hrs.

Further Information

Max is snow shoeing Sunday, so won't be putting on a Tuesday walk. Anyone's very welcome to join me if they 'have bike, will peddle'.

Civil sunrise at 5.53am; Sunrise at 6.19am, Sunset at 5.46pm; Civil sunset at 6.12pm.

Walk - Track Notes

A most successful day, completing the border S of Mt Clear, so I won't have to go back along here again. Quite a few excellent blazes. In total, found 45 border markers (P38, Q38, R38, S38, U38, V38, W38, X38, Y38, Z38, O38, N38, M38, L38, K38, J38, I38, A38, Hole in Granite, B38, C38, D38, E38, F38, G38, U37, V37, W37, X37, Y37, Z37, G37, H37, I37, J37, K37, L37, M37, N37, O37, P37, Q37, R37, S37, T37), revisited 2 border markers (A39, F37), 3 Mile markers (103 Mile, 102 Mile, 101 Mile), 15 blazes (P38 possible blaze, Q38 possible blaze, X38 blaze, N38 possible blaze, J38 blaze, W37 blaze, Z37 blaze, J37 blaze, K37 blaze, L37 blaze, N37 blaze, O37 blaze, P37 blaze, R37 blaze, S37 blaze), 1 NSW reference tree (near N37) and visited 2 sites but could not find the markers (T38, H38).

Peddling away at 6.30am - a little warmer even though 1 hour earlier than 21 Aug 12. I rode in the old Long Flat fire trail, ending up at the S junction of the old and new Long Flat fire trails. 9.2km in 1hr 21mins to here (last time, riding the new Long Flat fire trail, it was 10.8km in 1hr 40mins). Very pretty on Long Flat - stopped to photograph some old fork fencing. Continued on up the fire trail to where it crosses the border and dropped my bike.

Walked down the border, visiting P38 and P38 possible blaze, 103 Mile marker, Q38 and Q38 possible blaze, R38 and S38. Could not find T38. Visited U38, V38, W38, X38 and X38 blaze, Y38 and Z38. Many of the border markers in this area replaced existing survey posts and pegs - these were visible beside some of the border markers. Lovely views to the snow-covered range in KNP and snow on the nearer Mt Gudgenby. Revisited A39, then took a b-line for the fire trail and walked back up to my bike.

Next walked the fire trail with the bike, dropping it and ducking in every now and again to visit O38, N38 and N38 possible blaze, M38 with replaced post near, L38 and K38 with replaced peg. J38 was a great site - a lockspit with bolt in concrete under and a blaze. Visited I38.

At this point the fire trail left the border again. So I rode up the fire trail to the junction with the Mt Clear fire trail. 5 minutes for morning tea.

Next came a walk down the border, visiting A38 and Hole in Granite. The next, B38, was exposed to reveal a bolt in the granite, then carefully restored. Then C38, D38, E38, F38 and G38. Could not find H38. Lovely country up on the crest of the Range. Back down on the fire trail, I walked back up it to my bike.

Now on the Mt Clear fire trail, I rode (walking a lot of the up bits!) up to the next spot where the border and the fire trail crossed. Rang home and checked my email.

Another stroll down the border, visiting U37, V37, W37 and W37 blaze, X37, Y37, 102 Mile and Z37, with the Z37 blaze on a fallen tree. Walked back up to the bike. Lunch for 20 mins.

It was now 12.20pm and the last group of markers was about to go down, so I was pleased that I won't have to come in this way again (next time will be via Left Hand Creek fire trail). I walked up the fire trail to F37, the south-most marker visited last trip.

Trundled down the border, visited G37, H37, I37 (the biggest lockspit I've ever seen), J37 and J37 blaze. Visited K37 and K37 blaze, which was on the underside of a fallen tree, so I had to lie on the ground under it to snap the pic. Then L37, L37 blaze and M37. The next was an interesting area - N37, N37 blaze and a nearby NSW survey reference blaze. Following came 101 Mile and O37 with O37 blaze nearly grown over. Some nice remnant drop log fencing. Then P37 with P37 blaze on a fallen tree, Q37, R37 with R37 burnt blaze, S37 (no pic) with S37 burnt blaze (no pic - I don't know why - getting old and stupid) and T37. Walked back to my bike.

A 12.5km ride back in 1hr 25mins. This included along the old Long Flat fire trail.

Not a bad day - early start, minimal stops, poor company.

Stopped at Val's shop on the way home.

Distance: 36.8km Climb: 1074m. Time: 6.30am - 3.30pm (9hrs), including 25mins of breaks.
Grading: H