Kiandra to Kosciuszko School Hike

[raider]

My son and his schoolmates are hiking from Kiandra to Kosciuszko next week as part of a School Graduate Program raising money for kids with cancer via donations and sponsorship. They have called it K2K4K. While their teacher is very experienced ,and they should be well prepared, has anyone got any tips or travelled it recently and know of any surprises they may encounter. They are aware that it will be cold , day and night for the 7 days they will be out but what is the likelihood of it turning nasty. Jealous I'm not going !

Regards Brett

[Onestepmore]

Sounds like a good trip. Don't underestimate the wind, even if it's fine.

[Lophophaps]

Navigation could be tricky even in fine weather. A GPS will help but it should be the secondary means of navigation, as if it breaks… There will be river crossings. You can’t count on reaching huts or there being space. If going up from Schlinck Pass towards Dicky Cooper or the Rolling Ground, tend left, away from the rocks. Approaching Tate, start climbing immediately from the knoll past the saddle. Get water away from huts. There are various thoughts on boiling or purifying. Away from huts should be safe without treatment. There are lovely high camps in many places, some exposed, some sheltered. Take a cattle prod for the crowds near Kosciuszko.

[kanangra]

Gee what a lucky fellow. There was nothing like that available when I was at school.

K

[raider]

Yeah Kanangra they even supply Goretex jackets , pants & backpacks , little MSR type stoves , hiking tents and head lamps if you need them. Teacher is dehydrating all the dinners for them so they really just need to have the basics and be reasonably fit. Their Outdoor Education program is fantastic - caving , kayaking , Wilsons Prom , Overland Track, Victorian Alps etc. as well as learning about the environment.
Thanks for the advice guys.

[kanangra]

Crumbs, what school is that?

K.

[Mark F]

Don't camp on the banks of a river. At this time of year cold air drainage starts to really kick in. Over Easter around Valentines Hut somebody recorded -4 when camped at the water's edge while others further away from the stream experienced around +5.

[raider]

Crumbs, what school is that?

K.

It started at Wodonga Middle Years College and now they are at Wodonga Senior Secondary College , both Public Schools.

[raider]

Have heard from my son twice this week. Mid week they were near the base of Mt Jagungal having walked more than they had planned at that stage. Most had blisters and sore feet. Heard from him today to say that it had been snowing all day and they were going to get picked up tomorrow at Guthega and transported to Mt Kosi to walk up and back. Teacher must have concerns about the weather. They set out to walk 100 k's and at the moment they have apparently walked 100.5 which is a great effort. Their web page has raised $800 for Kids with Cancer so far and they made page 2 of the Border Mail ( main newspaper in the North East region ) so they're wrapped. I think I'll have a tired boy tomorrow when they get home. I told them all to make sure they looked at the scenery and not just the ground so I hope the experience is something they will never forget - be it good or bad.

[DarrenM]

Mate, good on them! I love hearing about this sort of thing and well done to the school and teachers involved for making it happen.

Great work on the Guthega option too as it seems like the sensible choice given the weather....and a congrats to the kids for achieving their goals even if it was challenging for some.

Stoked! Well done.

[raider]

Thanks Darren. Picked him up this arvo. Most had sore feet and he had elastoplasts all over his. Have attached some photos - yuck, although we all have probably had bad blisters in our time. Didn't do Mt Kosi today due to the weather and the fact they were all a bit knackered. Have donation pledges of about 2 grand so far which is great. Even a couple of parks blokes they met gave them some money which was good of them. Saw a bit of wildlife , met some people , hiked and camped in a bit of snow so overall a memorable experience and hopefully he will want to join me on some longer hikes. Sorry about the "in your face photos" and at least I haven't showed his toes

[DarrenM]

Right of passage!

Planting the seed is the most important thing. Getting the kids to think big when it comes to adventure can lead them on some incredible journeys later on.
Good stuff.

[Lophophaps]

Well done. I had snow on the main range in April, twice. Not much fun. One trip I baled to Guthega. In a short time they may well have forgotten the bad bits and recall only the achievements. It’s good that they had some bad weather in that now they know and will perhaps be less complacent than those that have no rain or snow. How old are they?

[raider]

They are 16 and 17 years old. I think they learnt the importance of having the right gear and being prepared. They all had school supplied Goretex jackets and pants so they remained dry and they all managed to stay warm at night so sleeping was pretty good. There were a few footwear issues which I think they underestimated would happen. My boy has worn his boots on several multiday hikes yet his feet were wrecked and he realises he should have clocked up a lot more K''s prior , actually wearing them so his feet would be ready. Their teacher calculated the portions and dehydrated all the dinners so they ate well and there was a good variety of brekky and lunch options so they could trade with each other. All in all I think they now relish the achievement and the fact that they will end up raising over 2 grand for Kids with Cancer charity.