2006 January: Day trip to climb Mt Bogong - Vic, Australia
Up and down The Staircase Spur
(Note: I revisited Mt Bogong (+ West Peak) in 2011 March. A write up of the trip plus better pictures are in my blog http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/bogong-vic-australia-west-peak.html )
Mt Bogong is Victoria's highest mountain - 1986 meters.
I know, I know, it is only a mole hill compared to other mountains in the world. But it does require a long uphill hike all the way to the summit and hence good for an exercise climb as I'm heading for Kilimanjaro next month.
Actually I had been training regularly since Nov last year. This consisted of walking for hours up and down the stairs of a multi-story carpark. But it was getting a bit boring, so climbing Mt Bogong was a refreshing change.
And besides, I needed a real mountain to test out a few things ... like the hiking boots, the Gortex jacket, and of course my stamina. I was new to mountains. My only big climb to date was Malaysia's Kinabalu. There I wore a pair of runners. But the proper hiking boots were heavier, and I would like to know how well they would handle rough terrains.
For the record, the walk to the Bogong summit was an ascent of 1400 meters. No drama happened. But just like Kinabalu, it was a hard slog all the way. Climbing would be a truly great wonderful experience if it weren't for all that damn climbing.
Bill, my climbing partner, and I reached the top in 4.5 hrs. This was similar to my time in Kinabalu. There the 1st day's walk was also an ascent of 1400 meters and I did it in just under 5 hrs.
The summit of Bogong was just a pile of stones, nothing special there. The important thing is I can now proudly proclaim I have been to Victoria's highest peak. This sets me thinking ... how about climbing the highest peak in every Australian State and Territories? Can't be too hard, right? After all, our highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko is a mere 2228 meters.
Now some pictures:
1: Mt Bogong is near the town of Mount Beauty. On the outskirt of the town is this sign pointing to the mountain - 1986 meters.
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2: There are a few tracks to the top. We take the Staircase Spur trail.
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3: Strange looking plants
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4: Tasman flax-lily pods
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5: Spitfire or Sawfly caterpillars doing naughty things :-)
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6, 7: Two views to Mt Bogong. The top is quite a flat plateau.
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8: Almost at the summit, we can see the summit cairn.
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9: The summit is a neat pile of stones.
Bill is the guy on the left. The others are from another party.
I revisited Mt Bogong in 2011 March. A write up of the trip plus better pictures are in my blog http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/bogong-vic-australia-west-peak.html
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