NSW Nordic Ski Club
Bald Hill And Beyond
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After a late start to the season and a lot of worry about what trips might be possible with the lack of snow, we were finally rewarded with a dump of snow and a few follow-up falls to consolidate the new base. To do Bald Hill and it's environs, you need snow down to 1400-1500 metres. You then need to get on to it quickly before it melts.
I had never been to Bald Hill, having skied past it on the K to K and on trips to Jagungal from Eucumbene, so I was looking forward to the promised 360 degree views. Last year we almost made it, approaching it from Brooks Hut and Happy's Hut to the North. A lack of snow in the Gungarlin River valley and a weather forecast of a front coming through on Sunday making a trip up Jagungal doubtful. It made sense to make a slight detour up Bald Hill to take advantage of snow at higher elevations.
So after a windy night spent at the Braemar Bay Caravan Park we woke to an equally windy day with scudding clouds whipping over Bald Hill and past us to evaporate slowly as they lost height. We could see the first half of our trip as we had breakfast and packed our packs.
We drove back up the road to Eucumbene Dam, after driving the obligatory extra couple of kilometres past the un-signposted turn-off. It catches me every time. It always inspires confidence in the rest of the party on the level of my navigation skills. I plead that it is too early in the morning for my eyes to be open, let alone my brain to be working.
Looking at the houses in Eucumbene, perched on their very long pole supports and propped up on 45 degree slopes, made us think of the Thredbo disaster and we wondered if their foundations were sound. I guess a lot of people would be getting their houses and lodges checked.
We drove up the steep hill behind Eucumbene from where we have had to ski in the past in very good snow years. The dirt road then undulates along, rising slowly until a small downhill signals the position of the quarry where we were to leave our cars. The quarry does not look big enough for more than a couple of cars, but you can squeeze in five or six without too much trouble. As we drove a bit further up the road, the snow started to get thicker on the road, and I was hopeful we would be able to ski from the locked gate. It wasn't to be!
We dropped off our gear by the road and parked the cars back in the quarry. Walking up the road, it soon became apparent that it would be skis on and off all the way to Adams Hut so we put our skis on our packs and trudged the weary miles. From near Adams Hut we skied all the way to Bald Hill admiring the increasingly available views. It was reasonably warm, but on the exposed western ridges the wind was howling. Stopping just short of the summit on an un-treed spot out of the wind that I had spied from our campsite at Braemar Bay, we had lunch whilst admiring the deep blue waters of Eucumbene. I think the deeper blue is caused by the wind waves. After I had an obligatory play on the slopes after lunch, we climbed the last few hundred metres of Bald Hill to admire the views to Tabletop Mountain to the north-west and Round Mountain and Far Bald Mountain to the west. To the south we could see the lower portion of Jagungal below the cloud base, tempting us to try an ascent on the morrow. The top of Bald Hill has a trig and some sort of radio repeater station which looks as though it is solar powered.
We skied down the barely snow covered ridge to the west of Bald Hill, pushing into a stiff wind. A short climb saw us at the top of Crooks Race Course which is a straight ridge with a valley to the north leading down to the head waters of the Gungarlin River. At the bottom of the hill and after a short break to put on some warmer clothes and to sample the local water, we climbed over a small spur into the teeth of the gale. Ten minutes of battling into the wind saw us behind the shelter of some trees on the side of the small creek we needed to ascend to follow the general route of the Grey Mare Fire Trail. I learnt early in my cross country touring days not to follow the fire trails, as they are hard to follow when there is more than 10-20 cm of snow on the ground. They also do not always follow the easiest routes for skiers, especially near creeks and rivers.
After tromping along through the slightly crusty snow for a few more kilometres and skirting the bushy sections, we came to Tibeaudo Creek and the welcome sight of Mackeys Hut nestled amongst the trees on the other side. An interesting creek crossing trying to use the available snow bridges, with bushes poking through everywhere making it very hard, finally got us to the other side and able to at last rest our weary bodies. For most of the members of the party, it was the first trip of the season, and a 16-18 kilometre day with full packs had taken its toll.
A couple of the party decided to use the hut for the night. The rest of us found some sheltered campsites behind the ridge near the hut. The hut is in quite good condition, with a bunk room and a large living room with fire place and kitchen table. A verandah keeps the snow from the front door and provides shelter for fire wood. The hut's chimney has a tendency to not work if there is a wind blowing, resulting in the hut filling with smoke until one can get a bit of heat from coals behind the flame and less smoke from the fire. The hut has a new toilet 20 metres away. The door of the toilet points into some of the prevailing winds and tends to get a bit of snow inside. It is otherwise well constructed for those of us under 6 feet (180cm) in height, which does not include me. I always grow a few millimetres on visits to the local huts due to the newly acquired bumps on my head.
During the night, the wind roaring in the trees and some sago snow rattling our tent that at first made me think it was pouring down with rain, kept us entertained in our tents. The bleary eyed hut inhabitants emerged after fighting off the hut rodents and listening to the hut groaning and clanging in the wind. A few centimetres of new snow had fallen overnight, dusting the trees and bushes with an icing sugared look and giving the snow a better feel to ski on. It still wasn't enough depth for me not to break through the crusty layer in places and therefore it was slow going.
We decided to go towards O'Keefes Hut and see what the weather and snow conditions would enable us to do. After skiing through some lovely snow gum groves and snowy vales we emerged above the Doubtful River. Looking at the Grey Mare Fire Trail ford it was decided we did not want to get cold feet crossing the river and as it was still a fair way to the hut, we would climb up to Spencers Peak and make it an easy day, touring through the snow laden trees and keeping out of the wind as much as possible. We found a protected spot for lunch with views and a wind packed powder snow slope to play on. A traverse around the north-eastern side of Spencers Peak saw us at the top of some of the feeder streams of Tibeaudo Creek. I had planned to ski down one of these, but with the taller bushes still showing through in places, I decided it would be wiser to ski back to the Hut by using Diggers Creek, as I had been down it before and knew it was a gentle creek with a couple of good landmarks along the way to confirm where we were.
An early night saw us up and ready to sample the few centimetres of new snow that had fallen overnight. The wind calmed down as the sun came up and so with a small tail wind we set off. The night before, I had checked out the likely river crossings and found the remains of an old bridge ten metres or so up stream of the Grey Mare Fire Trail ford. The remains of the bridge consisted of two sets of two logs. The first pair of logs I tried had a slope on one of the logs which I didn't notice at first, as they were covered with snow, and so I nearly ended up in the creek. Brushing the snow off the second set of logs with my skis, I determined that they were both level and it would be possible to use them in the morning and we would not have to rely on snow bridges.
Skiing up the Grey Mare Fire Trail we were harried by gusts of wind full of spindrift which glinted in the sun like silver fireflies or small meteors. Looking back we spied ominous black clouds and reducing visibility. I hurried us up over the top of the saddle to be able to get a glimpse of the Gungarlin Valley and check out the snow conditions for the route back. Our fears were allayed by the sight of a snow dappled grassy valley. The clouds dispersed behind us leaving us with a sunny if slightly cool day. Surprising a hare, we found a protected morning tea spot on the banks of the Gungarlin River. We forded and jumped the river and followed the farmer's track up the hill to take advantage of the wind blown snow collected in the track, and on up to Kelly's Hut. There we discovered the first evidence that someone else other that wombats, kangaroos, foxes, hares and rabbits were around, with some fresh ski tracks at the hut. We continued along the trail and ascended the ridge for a short way to get onto some deeper snow and to get away from the frozen bovine klister. A traverse across a couple of valleys brought us to Adams Hut where we had lunch, sitting in their Bar-B-Q area under a magnificent, large but dead tree, listening to the occasional moo from the local cattle. The trees stark sun bleached limbs against the deep blue sky made a fitting backdrop for the end of trip photos.
Returning to the Bald Hill Fire Trail we found the snow had drifted onto the road in places but had been blown off in others. So we again had to walk on the way back to our cars. On the way we met the local farmers bringing in hay for their cattle.
Once again the Big Bogong had eluded us. Maybe we can get there from the south later in the season. The hills and valleys around Spencers Peak are worth a trip in any weather, though you need to keep a close watch on navigation in bad weather. I can highly recommend a trip up Bald Hill. The perspective it gives you of the middle part of the park, plus the views over Eucumbene make it unique.
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