AAWT 2015 - Baw Baw to Mt Howitt

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Oh ,silly me. Yes , you two have done well. Thanks for sharing your trip .

[Eljimberino]

Excellent report. Thank you Gerry and Bridgette. Look forward to your report of Mt Howitt to Thredbo.

I started the track on New Years and finished in Tharwa on Valentines day.

Met the authors on the day before Bridgette hurt her knee. Great to hear you're able to finish what you set out to achieve. I think my parting words were: "dealing with pain is half the journey" or something to that effect. The report also highlights for me the importance of taking your time, if you can. I had to take the lower tracks during the storms and looking at the photos wish I had more time.

In any case, I really liked the track in the condition it was in and would not want more maintenance. Sometimes the tougher the walking the more memorable. Some of the sections just north of the Viking were/are heavily overgrown, but I grew to understand that that was part of the experience. Going fast isn't always the point.

[Lophophaps]

I've been in contact with Parks Victoria and am advised that according to the Alpine National Park Management Plan the number of horses permitted in one group in this area is 20 maximum. Several Licensed Tour Operators are permitted to use this area on a limited number of trips within a limited season.

So the party of about 20 horses Bridge saw at Mac Springs falls within the plan. However, the question to ask is can the ground sustain such numbers. I do not know. Doubtless PV will look into this when they fix the windows at Mac Springs.

[GBW]

Thanks Eljimberino. I do remember your parting words...they were the last we heard for quite a few days! Looking after your body is a major part of distance walking; injuries, aches, niggles, rashes, bites, rubbing etc...they seem to magnify over time, and keeping an eye on what your body is telling you and being able to manage and treat it to stay within your level of pain tolerance is important or it can become a real battle.

Lophophaps, 20 horses is too many imo and causes too much damage on the walking track through that area. An alternative route or reduced numbers should be examined.

[Lophophaps]

Lophophaps, 20 horses is too many imo and causes too much damage on the walking track through that area. An alternative route or reduced numbers should be examined.

Agreed. Sight unseen I believe that horses should not be in such fragile areas, and said as much to PV, who are looking at the matter. The options include small groups, different routes, and more time between groups. The difficulty is that horses are part of the alpine culture, Man from Snowy River and all that. Conversely, horses can really chew up a track. I witnessed this first-hand maybe 20 years ago on Big Hill just south of Howitt where a horse party wrecked a recent track maintenance effort.

Like many others, the management plan provides for multiple types of use. That said, preservation of the environment comes first. Bushwalkers accept limits and regulation at places such as the Milford track, the Overland Track, Wilsons Prom and others. Perhaps horse riders could do likewise.

[Bushwalker99]

Love the descriptions and photos. We did the AAWT last year starting October 30 and did it in 44 days. You bring back so many memories and most of them are wonderful. I can recall many of the exact spots of photos and the memories flood back. A great adenture - well done!

[GBW]

It's that time of year again to tackle another section of the AAWT and we're in the final planning stages as we gear up for the Tharwa to Thredbo section in mid Feb. Transport to and from and placing and retrieving the food drops seems the biggest problem to tackle but I've devised a plan:

Drive Melbourne to Thredbo
Leave my bike and a food drop at Thredbo
Leave a food drop at Kiandra
Drive back to Cooma, leave the car
Bus up to Canberra (only $14 each)
Walk back to Thredbo
Leave the missus at Thredbo and bike ride back to Cooma to the car
Drive back to Thredbo to collect the missus
Back to Kiandra to collect food drop bucket
Home to Melbourne.

I think it'll work! Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Lophophaps]

Sounds okay. If you ride to Cooma, make sure that you are visible, and perhaps have a flashing red rear light. The road is not very wide and traffic zooms past at 80-100 kph.

Some possible variations. You may wish to consider hitch hiking. One good lift to Jindabyne and another to Cooma. Or you could park at Jindabyne, hitch to Cooma, then bus to Canberra, and hence have a shorter bike ride to Jindabyne at the end. Riding Thredbo-Cooma is 96 kilometres, quite a way after the walk. Take spare tubes.

The flies are bad. I had on long pants, long sleeves, light gloves, and a broad brim hat with a flap. Mongrels nearly ate me a few times.

[GBW]

I thought about hitching Lophophaps but there's no guarantee there! The bike ride should be fine...96k in a day is doable and 65% is downhill...as long as the roads aren't icy. I've been on the bike the last couple of months doing 60k rides so it shouldn't be a problem and always carry spare tube etc and have lights. I'll be leaving Thredbo after a days break on our return, hence the food drop. Trying to keep my carbon footprint down, minimise cost and maximise our time up there! Probably have a day or two at Blue Waterholes along the way. We can't wait!

[Lophophaps]

The day of rest at Thredbo will assist in energy recovery, especially if your last day to Thredbo is short. I was only 90 minutes out of Rawson Pass.

Downhill on a bicycle is good. From memory it's pretty flat for the last 15 kilometres or so, from the train car park at Bullocks Flat. There's a few bumps from Jindabyne to Cooma. Probably the steepest part will be at Thredbo getting to the highway. You may wish to see if there's a link to the highway from the road past the Thredbo Tourist Bureau, Friday Drive. My map is unclear on the point. The TB is to the left after the quad terminus and bridge, maybe 100 metres.