Bushwalk Australia

Hey just wondering if anyone has been to the huts around Bogong recently, and if so could they comment on the state of the tanks at the huts around the area?

The plan is to go up to Bogong on Monday via the Staircase, continue over the top, and then on to Cleve Cole for the night. We are also leaving Mitchell Hut as an option too if we find that the walk up the top was too hardcore for us, and going much further will be put in the 'too hard basket.' I feel optimistic though and I think it will all be fine and dandy So would anyone be able to say whether there's plenty of water in the tanks at either hut? Seems like we've had a good bit of rain lately, but doesn't hurt to check with you lot

Another thing related to alpine huts came to me while I was in NZ recently, as I had the idea to show up these huts with stuff to leave behind for the next person/group. While the NZ huts were pretty well stocked, it seemed like it would be a good idea to come prepared the next time with extra bits and bobs (or major issue was no *&%$#! tea towels!). So I'll be bringing a bit of extra food, maybe a book or two, that I can leave behind. My question for anyone that has been to any of the alpine huts recently is, are there any specific items/provisions that might be lacking?

Thanks

Well personally speaking
Toilet paper, but only if you can leave it in a rat proof tin or large glass jar

Generally don't leave items in huts thinking you are some sort of good samaritan. Food items, especially if opened, would be avoided by later visitors with any sense and many will spoil - they are just your garbage which you have chosen to dump at a hut. The only thing that I can think of is candles or fire lighters if the hut is set up for burning wood.

If you really want to be a good samaritan then take any rubbish found in the hut back to civilization and leave more wood and kindling than you found.

Cleve Cole water is from a spring and you get it from the tap over the sink inside. Cannot say about water at Michell hut but there has been good rain of late. Books or mags are available at Cleve Cole so a new 'something to read' is nice thought. Best not to leave any food behind. Most of it will be thrown out at some stage because nobody will eat it once the rats have crawled over it and chewed on it. Food is best left in a metal box or drum as the critters will eat straight through plastic. Any tea towel left behind is called a rag and there is no safe place to store them.

Mark F wrote:Generally don't leave items in huts thinking you are some sort of good samaritan.

Perish the thought.

Thanks for the update on the water situation as well Xplora. Reassuring to know it will be easy to source water at the hut site

There is also water in the stream near CC hut on Mt. Bogong.

On the ascent up the Eskdale spur there is a tiny stream about half way up from Camp Creek gap to Michelle hut. If it has rained recently then there will be water flowing there.Tell us what the Eskdale spur track is like at present . Just above that stream on the Eskdale spur there is an erosion trench which really should be fixed with a steel grid walkway or a boardwalk. In snow season the overgrown bushes around there are a nuisance when it is wet with rain.

paidal_chalne_vala wrote:... to Michelle hut ...

It's MICHELL hut, named after Howard Michell, a pioneer skier - there is some history here :
https://khuts.org/index.php/the-huts/vi ... ichell-hut

Mark F wrote:... don't leave items in huts ... if you really want to be a good samaritan then take any rubbish found in the hut back to civilization and leave more wood and kindling than you found.

Spot on, Mark F.

I'm in the other camp actually
While I make an effort to remove as much rubbish as I can; I appreciate emergency rations as I've had need of them on more than one occasion over the last 40 years. Most often as a morale booster for other folk but twice that I can remember for myself. Some things are quite safe to use as emergency use only foods. Portion control sugar keeps forever, tea-bags for 3 to 4 years in an airtight container, sealed coffee and chocolate satchets aout the same. The important thing is a vermin proof airtight container, I use big Moccona jars. One of the things I do before the start of each ski season is visit the main huts around the ski resort and leave a cheap stainless pot [ Op-Shop of course] and a few moccona jars of matches/firelighters and assorted portion Control satchets of sugar etc in the huts. I also usually put my contact details on them and the date they were placed.

bernieq wrote:

paidal_chalne_vala wrote:... to Michelle hut ...

It's MICHELL hut, named after Howard Michell, a pioneer skier - there is some history here :
https://khuts.org/index.php/the-huts/vi ... ichell-hut

How is that pronounced? M'chell, Mekel, MiChul or indeed Mishell.

scroggin wrote:

bernieq wrote:

paidal_chalne_vala wrote:... to Michelle hut ...

It's MICHELL hut, named after Howard Michell, a pioneer skier - there is some history here :
https://khuts.org/index.php/the-huts/vi ... ichell-hut

How is that pronounced? M'chell, Mekel, MiChul or indeed Mishell.

Good question, scroggin. I've wondered about that. I think I'll go with Howards or Howies Hut!

Maybe there is a clue in that some maps have it written as Mitchell. If they were not of French origin then Mi Ch ell would be correct. Given his father was George and he was Howard then I would say they were Anglo and at some stage the 't' was either dropped or added but the pronunciation did not change. Maybe someone from S.A. knows the family and can clear it up.

I have heard it pronounced as "mi-SHELL" by locals.

The Hut was named after George Howard Michell from the SA wool family.
http://history.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/*&%$#! ... 8-2012.pdf

They pronounce their name 'Mi-SHELL'

As you can hear from 2.00 on this clip

http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/ ... 843574.htm

Not on topic but I had a friend who's surname was DEATH. It was pronounced DEETH but before he married he had to change the spelling legally or there would be no wedding. Maybe the Michell family were like Mrs. Bucket. Locals do pronounce it as Mi Shell but I guess as long as we all know where we are talking about then it matters less. Thanks for the input slparker.

Had a meeting with people in the UK
Pronounced Dee-ATH but spelled as you would expect, old French import they told me, apostrophe missing over the years, i've no idea why they never put the missing bit back when filling in forms but I think in the UK even O'Connels etc can't put in that tiny bit of information

No one actually answered the OPS original question about water...so , anyone know the status of water at Bivouac Hut. Please

Most tanks can be relied on but there should be a fallback plan in case a tank is empty. Federation Hut has high use, and the fallback is either the soak at the Bungalow Hut site or on the Tom Kneen Track. For Bivouac Hut, the fallback plan is carrying enough water from the bottom to reach the summit soak - which also may not be viable - or Cleve Cole, West Peak or the destination for the night. I've seen the Bivouac Hut tank full and with a jammed valve or similar, cannot recall, water 4 mm away on the other side of the tank walls.

There was water in the tank at bivouac hut a couple of days before Easter and there has been some rain since then so it should still have some in.