This walk was a CBC walk led by Rob and Jenny H.  9 of us walked.  We met in Kambah, picked up a couple more southern walkers and drove via Tharwa the length of the Boboyan Road to Shannons Flat.  A right turn there into Yaouk Road and as far as the Nalyappa property, where prior permission had been sought to walk on their land.  Although we took 4WD vehicles, the road conditions were very good, with Yaouk Road in better nick than the unsealed Boboyan Road.  The cars had to be parked a cattle grid away from their horses, which are very inquisitive and like to eat cars!  An hour and three quarters drive.

We left the farmhouse area at 9.30am, setting a brisk pace to warm ourselves from the biting wind and showers.  No-one was complaining about the precipitation - we need so much more in our drought-ravaged country.  Easy walking along a well maintained fire trail in open pasture land for 2.7km until we moved into the tree line.  Another 0.7km and we reached a saddle where we struck off up a lesser track to the east.  This was fortuitous, as we'd been passed by guys on quad bikes who were well equipped with rifles and telescopic sights for pig/wild dog shooting and we didn't want to be anywhere near them.

On up the track we paused for morning tea at 10.45am.  Although the cloud was low, there were some views to the north into the Bimberi Wilderness and south and west down to cleared farming areas.  15 minutes was more than enough and we were keen to walk to warm up again.

By 11.30am we'd reached the ridge containing Yaouk Peak and did a right turn along a series of granite slabs.  It was certainly cooler at the sub-alpine peak area, the wind biting and the wet scrub scratching and slapping at the shins.  Exposed bottoms of shorts and trousers were gleefully soaking up the showery rain.  Another few hundred metres over the bare rocks and we were at Yaouk Peak.

That we'd achieved our goal could have been disputed at the time, as we were certainly above the cloud base.  But our leaders guaranteed that the rocks we sheltered behind for a quick lunch were, indeed, the peak of Yaouk Peak.  And, of course, the GPS records later validated this.

Steaming hot coffee from my Father's 50 year old glass-lined thermos was most welcome (I've thrown out a hopeless stainless steel one).  Rob tested our hyperactivity with brightly coloured liquorice allsorts.  But the wind and showers won and we were ready to leave by 12.15pm.

The return journey was a pleasant stroll through the dry sclerophyll forest, with particularly interesting shades of green on the (unburnt!) eucalypt trunks as the water ran down then for the first time in months.  But one had only to kick gently at the ground to flake off the cake of mud and reveal dry, loose dust.  More rain please.

Out in the open country we were walking north and could identify Sentry Box and Mt Gudgenby in the distance.  Back to the cars by 2pm and the pleasant task of having to dry off.

The trip home was made the more enjoyable by the ever increasing amount of rain and it was excellent to hear that there had been a good fall in Canberra.  The car got a wash, too.  But we will have to return to appreciate the view.

Total Distance: 13.7km  Time: 9.30am - 2.00pm with 35 minutes of stops.