Mount Bartle Frere

[sandym]

My second post, my first report. Hanging out in the Cairns area over the wet season, so any suggestions on good walks would be welcome. Or people to walk with. Or both! Wondering if any walkers here are members of any local bushwalking clubs?

Yesterday we walked up Mount Bartle Frere from the west side. Took us 8 hours return including our stops and having a quick dip in the creek down by the falls on the way home. We started walking at 6.20 am, and the trail is pretty much all forest covered so it wasn't too hot. The trail is steep, rocky, rooty, twisty, turny for the most part, and you have to go down from the North West Peak to the main summit, which means you get uphill both ways!

I found the climb up not bad, but the descent was hard on the knees. Maybe a hiking pole would help, although there are lots of trees to hang onto on the way down. There aren't that much in the way of views so this hike seems to be mostly about tagging the top.

[nq111]

Nice work.

The walk from the other side is even better

If you continue from the main peak down a few hundred metres there is an open ridge with good views (if you are lucky enough not to have cloud).

[sandym]

I thought of going up from the east, just 'cos I would have then gone up Bartle Frere from both sides, but then I thought wait, why add a hip replacement to the two knee replacements.