2016 December: Morning climb to:
- Mt Stilwell
- Rocky peaks along Kangaroo Ridge
- Little Stilwell
- The Foxhole
in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia
Prolog - A2K peaks, the 33 highest peaks in Australia
I have compiled a list of all the peaks in Australia that are 2000 meters or higher. There are 33 of them, all bunched together in Kosciuszko National Park. I am calling the list Paul Ma's A2K peaks :-)
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684
3 Mt Twynam 2196 m 179 716
4 Rams Head 2190 m 128 608
5 Etheridge Ridge 2180 m 140 644
6 Rams Head North 2177 m 137 618
7 Alice Rawson Peak 2167 m 132 692
8 Byatts Camp 2159 m 118 676
9 Abbott Peak 2145 m 122 678
10 Carruthers Peak 2145 m 157 698
11 Tenison Woods Knoll 2136 m 166 719
12 Mt Northcote 2131 m 146 676
13 Little Twynam 2130 m 185 711
14 Muellers Peak 2125 m 138 673
15 Mt Clarke 2110 m 154 672
16 Mt Lee 2105 m 152 688
17 Kangaroo Ridge 2077 m 182 644
18 Mt Tate 2068 m 214 760
19 Gungartan 2068 m 258 835
20 Mt Jagungal 2062 m 248 987
21 Mt Perisher 2054 m 243 697
22 Mt Stilwell 2054 m 187 659
23 South Rams Head 2052 m 116 588
24 Kerries Ridge 2050 m 262 851
25 Little Stilwell 2030 m 190 657
26 Merritts Spur 2030 m 160 626
27 Toolong Range 2025 m 258 988
28 Watsons Crags 2021 m 161 733
29 Back Perisher Mtn 2014 m 247 708
30 Mt Anton 2010 m 191 727
31 The Foxhole 2010 m 198 661
32 Mann Bluff 2005 m 208 754
33 Dicky Cooper Bogong 2003 m 232 832
How the list is compiled:
- If a peak has a name, and is 2000 meters or higher, then include the peak in the list.
- If a range/ridge/spur has a name, and its highest point is 2000 meters plus, then include the highest point.
For more information on the list, including data source, please click on this link:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/p/paul-mas-a2k-peaks.html
Today's A2K climb: Mt Stilwell, Kangaroo Ridge, Little Stilwell, The Foxhole
Continuing my effort to climb all these A2K peaks ... This morning's climb, with AB & DN, is to:
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref Comment
17 Kangaroo Ridge 2077 m 182 644 Highest point on Kangaroo Ridge
22 Mt Stilwell 2054 m 187 659
25 Little Stilwell 2030 m 190 657
31 The Foxhole 2010 m 198 661
Kangaroo Ridge is not as crowded as other areas of Kosciuszko National Park. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful place to explore around. It has many minor rocky peaks that just beckons you to climb them all.
And when you are tired of climbing, you can wander down to the headwaters of Wrights Creek ...
- Amazing clear mountain stream ... photos #50 to #52
- With fish (Mountain Galaxias) swimming in it ... photo #53
Other A2K climbing trips
Scroll forward to the end of this trip report. There is a list, with links, to other A2K climbing trips that I have done.
Maps
1:100,000 8525 Kosciuszko
1:50,000 Kosciuszko Alpine Area map, 1st edition, by Spatial Vision Innovations Pty Ltd
1:25,000 8525-2S Perisher Valley
The relevant part of the 1:50,000 scaled map is:
The corresponding 1:25,000 scaled map is:
GPS tracklog file & Route
Our GPX tracklog file can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSOHJUbzlma2gxclE/view?usp=sharing
Below is the same tracklog, red colour, anti-clockwise direction, superimposed on the 1:25,000 scaled map.
The 7 red arrows point to (anti-clockwise from the top):
1 Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift top station
2 rocky peak #1
3 rocky peak #2
4 rocky peak #3
5 2077-meter peak, highest point on Kagaroo Ridge
6 Little Stilwell
7 The Foxhole
Satellite image of the tracklog in red colour, anti-clockwise direction:
In summary, our route is:
- Park car at Charlotte Pass turning circle & carpark.
- Walk on track to Mt Stilwell.
- Off-track to climb rocky peak #1.
- Climb rocky peak #2.
- Climb rocky peak #3.
- Climb 2077-meter peak, highest point on Kanagaroo Ridge ... this is as far south as we go for the day.
- Walk along the headwaters of Wrights Creek.
- Leave the creek to climb Little Stilwell.
- Climb The Foxhole.
- Return to carpark.
Timeline & Distance
08:09 0.0 km Start at at Charlotte Pass turning circle & carpark
08:23 0.9 km At Kangaroo Ridge triple chairlift
08:30 0.95km Resume walking
08:52 2.0 km At Mt Stilwell summit
09:02 2.05km Leave summit
09:15 2.6 km At rocky peak #1 about 550 meters south-west of Mt Stilwell
09:21 2.6 km Leave rocky peak #1
09:29 2.8 km At rocky peak #2 (the next peak south-west of rocky peak #1) ... It has a hole under its top.
09:36 2.85km Leave rocky peak #2
09:57 3.7 km At rocky peak #3 about 900 meters south-south-west of rocky peak #2
10:01 3.7 km Leave rocky peak #3
10:11 4.05km At highest peak on Kangaroo Ridge, 2077 meters
10:24 4.05km Leave Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter peak
11:28 5.9 km At Little Stilwell south summit
11:33 5.9 km Leave Little Stilwell south summit
11:35 5.9 km At Little Stilwell north summit (I think the south summit is slightly higher)
11:47 5.95km Leave Little Stilwell north summit
12:16 6.95km At The Foxhole
12:26 7.0 km Leave The Foxhole
13:03 8.75km At Kangaroo Ridge triple chairlift
13:16 9.65km Back at Charlotte Pass carpark
==============================================
Total: 5 hrs 7 mins
9.65km Distance is from Google Earth
10.8 km Distance is from Garmin GPS
Lunch is at the carpark.
Pictures - To Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift top station
Take the foot track on the south side of Charlotte Pass turning circle. A sign says "Mt Stilwell Walk" points the way.
1) On the "Mt Stilwell Walk" foot track ... passing Charlotte Pass Pulpit Tbar top station ~~~
Yellow arrows: The foot track to Mt Stilwell
2) Passing a ski lift, now just a rusty ruin ~~~
- DN is leading, followed by AB.
- The 2 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Little Stilwell is somewhere behind this pile of rocks and can't be seen from here.
2 Mt Stilwell
3) Typical trail to Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift top station
4) Nice view of Charlotte Pass village
5) Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift top station is not too far away now.
- DN is leading, followed by AB.
- The 2 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Little Stilwell is somewhere behind this pile of rocks and can't be seen from here.
2 Mt Stilwell
Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift top station
6) At Kangaroo Ridge Triple Chairlift top station ~~~
- Upper pic:
• DN is leading, followed by AB.
• Mt Stilwell is the mountain in the background ... We are heading there next.
- Lower pic: Mt Guthrie is the large mountain in the background.
7) View from the top station:
- Upper pic: The 6 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Little Stilwell is somewhere behind this pile of rocks and can't be seen from here.
2 Mt Stilwell
3 rocky peaks #1 & #2 (#1 slightly is on the left. #2 is slightly on the right.)
4 Rams Head North; towards south-west
5 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
6 Mt Kosciuszko
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• Blue oval: Blue Lake
• The 8 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Clarke; towards west
2 Mt Northcote
3 Mt Townsend, Australia's 2nd highest mountain
4 Alice Rawson Peak
5 Mt Lee
6 Carruthers Peak; towards north-west
7 Mt Twynam
8 Little Twynam
To Mt Stilwell
We are now walking on the well defined track to Mt Stilwell.
8) This scene is looking back at AB catching up with us.
- The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Twynam
2 Little Twynam
3 Mann Bluff
4 Mt Tate
5 Gills Knobs
- Blue Lake is the depression in front of Mt Twynam.
9) Scenery along the way to Mt Stilwell ~~~
In each of the 2 pics below, Mt Stilwell is beyond the upper-right hand corner.
10) We can see Mt Stilwell's summit trig now; and we could have veered off-track and climb straight up to the top from here. But we didn't ... we'll follow the foot track which goes towards the left for a while before climbing up.
Mt Stilwell summit - 2054 meters
11) The foot track leads to the summit of Mt Stilwell. DN has raced ahead and has already climbed up the summit trig.
12) We spend some time taking photos at the summit.
Note that DN is all covered up to avoid the sun. He looks funny :-)
- Upper pic: The 7 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Jagungal
2 Mann Bluff
3 Mt Tate
4 Gills Knobs
5 Mt Guthrie
6 Back Perisher Mountain; towards north-east-ish
7 Mt Perisher
- Lower pics: Left to right: DN, AB, me
13) The 3 pics below are taken at the summit and form a 360-degree panorama ~~~
- Upper pic: The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Guthrie;
2 Back Perisher Mountain
3 Mt Perisher
4 The Foxhole
5 Little Stilwell
- Middle pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• The 7 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak ... We'll reach it at 10:11.
2 Rocky peak #3 ... We'll reach it at 09:57.
3 Rocky peak #2 ... We'll reach it at 09:29. It has a see-through hole under its top.
4 Rocky peak #1 ... Our next destination ... We'll reach it at 09:15.
5 Rams Head North; and Rams Head behind it
6 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
7 Mt Kosciuszko
• Yellow arrows: Our way to Little Stilwell after climbing the 2077-meter unnamed peak.
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the middle pic):
• Wonderful view of Kosciuszko Main Range
• Turquoise oval: Blue Lake
• The 15 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Abbott Ridge southern-most prominent peak (unnamed)
2 Byatts Camp
3 Muellers Peak (Abbott Peak is hidden behind it.)
4 Mt Townsend (In front of Mt Townsend is Mt Clarke. Mt Northcote is hidden between Townsend & Clarke.)
5 Alice Rawson Peak
6 Mt Lee
7 Carruthers Peak
8 Mt Twynam
9 Little Twynam
10 Mt Anton
11 Mt Jagungal
12 Mann Bluff
13 Mt Tate
14 Gills Knobs
15 Mt Guthrie
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is the upper pic, thus completing a 360-degree panorama.
14) Zooming onto parts of photo #13
- Upper pic: A good view of what we'll do for the next 2 hours ~~~
• The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak ... We'll reach it at 10:11.
2 Rocky peak #3 ... We'll reach it at 09:57.
3 Rocky peak #2 ... We'll reach it at 09:29. It has a see-through hole under its top.
4 Rocky peak #1 ... Our next destination ... We'll reach it next at 09:15.
5 Rams Head North; and Rams Head behind it (We won't be going there today.)
• Yellow arrow: Our way to Little Stilwell after climbing the 2077-meter unnamed peak.
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• The 7 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
2 Mt Kosciuszko
3 Abbott Ridge southern-most prominent peak (unnamed)
4 Byatts Camp
5 Muellers Peak (Abbott Peak is hidden behind it.)
6 Mt Townsend (In front of Mt Townsend is Mt Clarke. Mt Northcote is between Townsend & Clarke.)
7 Alice Rawson Peak
To rocky peak #1
We've climbed down from Mt Stilwell, now walking towards rocky peak #1
15) Along the way, DN finds some white rocks lying around. So he uses them to build a cairn.
- Upper pic: The pile of rocks to the right of DN is rocky peak #1 ... we are heading towards it.
- Lower pic: Looking back at the cairn
16) Looking back at the cairn erected by DN in the previous pics ~~~
(We didn't climb the pile of rocks in this pic.)
17) Looking back at Mt Stilwell and its summit trig
18) Towards rocky peak #1 ~~~
- Left to right: DN, AB
- Red arrow: rocky peak #1 ... we are heading there now.
- Red square: rocky peak #2 ... Then climb this one afterwards. Note that there is a hole under its peak ... see also photo #22.
Top of rocky peak #1
19) Climbing to the top of rocky peak #1 ~~~
AB is leading, followed by DN.
20) At the top of rocky peak #1 ~~~
- Upper pic: DN is guy here. The 9 red arrows point to:
1 Mt Lee
2 Carruthers Peak
3 Mt Twynam
4 Little Twynam
5 Mt Anton
6 Mt Jagungal
7 Mann Bluff
8 Mt Tate
9 Gills Knobs
- Lower pic: Red arrow points to Mt Lee.
21) Looking back in the direction of Mt Stilwell, north-east-ish ~~~
The 9 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Jagungal
2 Mann Bluff
3 Mt Tate
4 Gills Knobs
5 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
6 Mt Stilwell ... Its summit trig can be seen clearly.
7 Back Perisher Mountain
8 Mt Perisher
9 Little Stilwell
(We should be able to see the top of The Foxhole around about half way between Little Stilwell and Mt Perisher. But the lighting in the pic is such that The Foxhole area blends in with the mountains in the background; and so I'm not sure where it is.)
22) Still at the top of the rocky peak #1 ... nice view from here ~~~
- Red square: We'll climb to the top of this rocky peak #2 next (south-south-west). Note the hole under its peak.
- The 4 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
2 Rams Head North; and Rams Head behind it; towards south-west
3 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
4 Mt Kosciuszko
To rocky peak #2
23) We are walking towards rocky peak #2.
- Upper pic: We can't see the peak from here yet.
Top of Rocky peak #2
24) DN is already there.
- Upper pic: The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Townsend
2 Alice Rawson Peak
3 Mt Lee (Under Mt Lee, you can see an existing cairn already there.)
4 Carruthers Peak
5 Mt Twynam
- Lower pic: DN, the cairn builder, piles up more rocks on top of the existing cairn.
25) My turn to have my photograph taken ~~~
- Upper pic: The background is in the direction we came from ~~~
• The 9 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Twynam
2 Little Twynam
3 Mt Anton
4 Mt Jagungal
5 Mt Tate
6 rocky peak #1 ... We just came from there.
7 (slanting arrow) Mt Stilwell
8 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
9 Mt Perisher
- Lower pic: Zooming into where we came from ~~~
• Towards north-north-east
• The 6 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mann Bluff
2 Mt Tate
3 Gills Knobs
4 rocky peak #1 ... We just came from there.
5 (slanting arrow) Mt Stilwell
6 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
26) Panorama from top of rocky peak #2 ~~~
- Upper pic: The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
2 Rocky peak #3 ... We'll climb it next.
3 Rams Head North; and Rams Head behind it
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• The 11 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
2 Mt Kosciuszko
3 Abbott Ridge southern-most prominent peak (unnamed)
4 Byatts Camp
5 Abbott Peak, barely poking its head above the slope of Muellers Peak.
6 Muellers Peak
7 Mt Townsend
8 Mt Clarke
9 Alice Rawson Peak
10 Mt Lee
11 Carruthers Peak
• Red oval: Unnamed creek south of Mt Clarke ... In this pic, it flows into Snowy River at the centre of the pic. The Snowy River then continues horizontally towards the right (towards north-east).
To rocky peak #3
We are off rocky peak #2, now on our way to rocky peak #3.
27) Looking back at where we came from ~~~
The 7 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Twynam
2 Little Twynam
3 rocky peak #2 (Rocky peak #1 is hidden behind it and can't be seen from here.)
4 Mt Stilwell
5 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
6 Mt Perisher
7 (slanting arrow) Little Twynam
28) In the direction of where we are now going ~~~
- Left red arrow: Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak ... we'll climb it after we climb rocky peak #3.
- Right red arrow: Rocky peak #3 ... we are heading there now.
29) DN finds these skeletons.
- Left pic: Wondering what animal is it ?
30) This one is found by DN too. Is it a Christmas Beetle ?
31) Heading to Rocky Peak #3 ~~~
- Upper pic:
• Red arrow: Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
• Rocky peak #3 is on the right side of the pic, behind DN.
- Lower pic: Rocky peak #3 ... AB is climbing it now.
Top of rocky peak #3
32) AB at the top of rocky peak #3
33) View from the top of of rocky peak #3 ~~~
- Upper pic: From north-west to north-east, the 12 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Lee
2 Carruthers Peak
3 Mt Twynam
4 Little Twynam; towards north
5 Mt Jagungal
6 Mann Bluff
7 Mt Tate
8 rocky peaks #1 & #2 (#2 slightly on the left, #1 slightly on the right)
9 Mt Stilwell
10 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
11 Little Stilwell
12 Mt Perisher
- Lower pic: Towards where we'll be going next ... toward south-east ~~~
• Red arrow: Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
• We'll climb down from here, head towards the snow patch on the right edge of the pic, then walk along the yellow arrow to the 2077-meter peak.
To Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
34) We are on our way to Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter peak, the red arrow.
35) Looking back at rocky peak #3, the red arrow
36) Closer and closer to Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
Top of Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
37) At the top of the highest peak of Kangaroo Ridge, 2077 meters, unnamed
- Upper pic: AB
- Middle pic: Me
• The 9 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
2 Mt Kosciuszko
3 Byatts Camp
4 Abbott Peak
5 Muellers Peak
6 Mt Townsend
7 Mt Northcote
8 Alice Rawson Peak
9 Mt Clarke
- Lower pics, left to right, AB, DN
38) The 3 pics below form a 360-degree panorama from the top of Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak:
- Upper pic: (See also photo #39 which zooms in to parts of this pic.)
• The 23 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Abbott Ridge southern-most prominent peak (unnamed)
2 Byatts Camp
3 Abbott Peak
4 Muellers Peak
5 Mt Townsend
6 Mt Northcote
7 Alice Rawson Peak
8 Mt Clarke
9 rocky peak #3 on Kangaroo Ridge ... We came from there not too long ago.
10 Mt Lee
11 Carruthers Peak
12 Mt Twynam
13 Little Twynam
14 (slanting arrow) rocky peak #2 on Kangaroo Ridge
15 Mt Anton
16 rocky peak #1 on Kangaroo Ridge
17 Mt Jagungal
18 Mann Bluff
19 Mt Tate
20 Mt Stilwell
21 Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile of rocks.
22 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
23 The Foxhole
- Middle pic (continuation to the right of upper pic):
• Left red arrow: The Foxhole
• Right red arrow: Mt Perisher
• Kosciuszko Road runs in the valley to the right of Mt Perisher
• DN is the guy in the pic
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of middle pic):
• The 4 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Rams Head
2 Rams Head North
3 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
4 Mt Kosciuszko
• South Rams Head should be a wee bit left of Rams Head, but its peak is not visible from here.
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is the upper pic, thus forming a 360-degree panorama.
39) The 3 pics below zoom into left/centre/right of the upper pic of photo #38:
- Upper pic:
• The 11 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
2 Mt Kosciuszko
3 Abbott Ridge southern-most prominent peak (unnamed)
4 Byatts Camp
5 Abbott Peak
6 Muellers Peak
7 Mt Townsend
8 Mt Northcote
9 Alice Rawson Peak
10 Mt Clarke
11 rocky peak #3 on Kangaroo Ridge ... We came from there not too long ago.
- Middle pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• The 7 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 rocky peak #3 on Kangaroo Ridge ... We came from there not too long ago.
2 Mt Lee
3 Carruthers Peak
4 Mt Twynam
5 Little Twynam
6 rocky peak #2 on Kangaroo Ridge
7 Mt Anton
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the middle pic):
• The 12 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Twynam
2 Little Twynam
3 rocky peak #2 on Kangaroo Ridge
4 Mt Anton
5 rocky peak #1 on Kangaroo Ridge
6 Mt Jagungal
7 Mann Bluff
8 Mt Tate
9 Mt Stilwell
10 Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile of rocks.
11 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
12 The Foxhole
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #38's middle pic.
To the headwaters of Wrights Creek
40) We've left Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak, now looking back at it.
- Lower pic: the 2077-meter peak is behind this pile of rocks.
41) Anyone knows the name of these small yellow flowers?
42) Going down towards the headwaters of Wrights Creek ~~~
- Upper pic: The 9 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Carruthers Peak
2 Mt Twynam
3 Little Twynam
4 rocky peak #2 on Kangaroo Ridge
5 rocky peak #1 on Kangaroo Ridge
6 Mt Jagungal
7 Mt Tate
8 Mt Stilwell
9 Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile of rocks.
- Lower pic: Further down towards Wrights Creek ... The 11 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Carruthers Peak
2 Mt Twynam
3 rocky peak #2
4 rocky peak #1
5 Mt Jagungal
6 Mt Tate
7 Mt Stilwell
8 Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile of rocks.
9 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
10 The Foxhole
11 Mt Perisher
43) Continuation to the left of the previous pic ~~~
The 9 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Rocky peak #3
2 Mt Lee
3 Carruthers Peak
4 Mt Twynam
5 rocky peak #2
6 rocky peak #1
7 Mt Jagungal
8 Mt Tate
9 Mt Stilwell
44) Passing through some rocky formations
Along the headwaters of Wrights Creek
We now walk along the headwaters of Wrights Creek towards Little Stilwell.
(By the way, Wrights Creek flows into Spencers Creek which flows into Snowy River just before the Snowy River flows into Guthega Pondage.)
45) Marvelous views of the entire Kangaroo Ridge ~~~
- Upper pic: The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 rocky peak #3
2 rocky peak #2
3 rocky peak #1
4 Mt Stilwell
5 Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile or rocks.
- Lower pic: We've moved further along Wrights Creek. The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 rocky peak #2
2 rocky peak #3
3 Mt Stilwell
4 Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile or rocks.
5 Mt Perisher
46) A snow cave on the east side of Kangaroo Ridge (west side of the headwaters of Wrights Creek)
47) DN inspecting the creek ~~~
- Left red arrow: rocky peak #2
- Right red arrow: rocky peak #1
- Mt Stilwell is not in this pic. It is beyond the right edge.
48) Headwaters of Wrights Creek ... beautiful clear water
- Red arrow: Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak ... We came from there.
49) AB finds water bubbling up from below ... the red circle. Wonder what mechanism causes this phenomenon?
- Lower pics: Zooming in at the bubble in the red circle.
50) DN reckons there is gold in the creek ... haha ! :-)
51) Beautiful crystal clear water ! (The entire scene is under water, including the grass.)
52) This pool looks like an inviting spa with seats. But the water would be freezing cold :-)
(The 2 pics below are of the same pool, viewed from different directions.)
53) There are fish in the water.
The fish is Mountain Galaxias (Galaxias olidus), a native Australian which averages about 13 cm in length. It survives in the smaller streams above the treeline through its astonishing ability to jump out of the water and clamber up steep rocks and waterfalls. This fragile but acrobatic fish can also "walk" over rocks and splashes in shallow pools in order to regulate its body temperature.
54) The 3 pics below form a 360-degree panorama from here at the headwaters of Wrights Creek.
- Upper pic: Kangaroo Ridge ~~~
• Red arrow: Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
• rocky peak #3 can't be seen from here ... behind the slope.
- Middle pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic): Also Kangaroo Ridge ~~~
• The 4 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 rocky peak #2
2 rocky peak #1
3 Mt Stilwell
4 Little Stilwell can't be seen from here, but it is not far behind this pile of rocks.
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the middle pic):
• The opposite side of Kangaroo Ridge, and separated from Kangaroo Ridge by Wrights Creek
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is the upper pic, thus forming a 360-degree panorama.
55) Zooming into Mt Stilwell & Little Stilwell of photo #54 ~~~
- Upper pic:
• Left red arrow: Mt Stilwell
• Right red arrow: Little Stilwell is not far behind this pile of rocks.
• rocky peak #1 is just beyond the left edge.
- Lower pics: Mt Stilwell & Little Stilwell ... You can just make out Mt Stilwell's summit trig.
To Little Stilwell
56) We are off Wrights Creek; now heading towards Little Stilwell.
- Upper pic:
• Little Stilwell can't be seen from here. It is behind the rocky hill on the right.
• Red arrow: Mt Stilwell ... you can just make out a trig at its summit.
- Lower pic: Little Stilwell is not here yet.
57) Little Stilwell is also not here. It is behind this rocky hill.
Little Stilwell's south peak
58) This is it, Little Stilwell, 2030 meters.
DN is climbing up its south peak.
(The north peak is a few steps behind the south peak.)
59) I've climbed to the top of Little Stilwell's south peak ... now looking back at where we came from ~~~
- Yellow arrow: We walked through the gap between the rocks, as AB has already done.
- The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
2 rocky peak #3
3 rocky peak #2
60) At the top of Little Stilwell's south peak ~~~
- Red oval: Little Stilwell's north peak, just nearby, a few paces away. Maybe the south peak is just a wee bit higher.
- The 11 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Twynam
2 Little Twynam
3 Mt Anton
4 Mt Anderson
5 Mt Jagungal
6 Mann Bluff
7 Mt Tate
8 Gills Knobs
9 Mt Guthrie
10 1938-meter peak marked as Sma 0321
11 1987-meter peak marked as Sma 0318
61) The 3 pics below form a 360-degree panorama from the south peak ~~~
- Upper pic (continuation to the right of the previous pic): From north-east to south-east ~~~
• Red arrow: Mt Perisher
• Red square: (towards south-east) Top station of a ruined chairlift ... see photo #62.
• The Foxhole cannot be seen from here. It is somewhere behind the big rock to the right of Mt Perisher.
- Middle pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• Left red arrow: Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
• Right red arrow: rocky peak #3
• Yellow arrows: The way we climbed up to here at Little Stilwell's south summit.
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the middle pic):
• The 7 red arrow point to, from left to right:
1 rocky peak #3
2 Etheridge Ridge highest peak (unnamed)
3 rocky peak #2
4 Mt Kosciuszko
5 Mt Townsend, just poking its peak above Kangaroo ridge in the foreground
6 (slanting arrow) Mt Stilwell, you can make out its summit trig ... see the insert
7 Carruthers Peak
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #60, thus forming a 360-degree panorama.
62) Zooming towards south-east, to the top station of a ruined chairlift in the red square of photo #59 ~~~
- Another photo of this top station is in photo #66.
- We run out of time to visit this place ... as later on in the afternoon, we intend to climb Mt Perisher and Back Perisher. Ah well, next time.
Little Stilwell's north peak
63) We've now crossed over to Little Stilwell's north peak, just a few steps from the south peak.
- Starring in the 3 pics below are: me, DN, AB
- The south peak is just behind us. In fact AB is standing there in the upper & middle pics.
To The Foxhole
64) We've climbed down from Little Stilwell, now looking back at it.
- Yellow arrows: The way we came down from Little Stilwell
- The 4 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
2 rocky peak #3
3 Little Stilwell south peak
4 Little Stilwell north peak
65) The Foxhole is in sight.
- AB is leading, followed by DN.
- The 4 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mann Bluff
2 Mt Tate
3 Gills Knobs
4 The Foxhole ... This is where we are heading to now.
66) Towards south-ish ... the top station of a ruined chairlift (red arrow) which we don't have time to visit today ~~~
Another view of this top station is photo #62.
67) Walking towards some ruins in the red oval ... See photo #68.
- AB is leading, followed by DN.
68) We are at the red oval of the previous pic.
What were these structures for? Ski-tows?
- Lower pic: Around the upper area of the upper pic.
69) Rusted junks lying around ~~~
- Red arrow: The Foxhole
- The bucket in the 3rd pic below is found under the tree of the 1st pic.
70) Very close to The Foxhole now ~~~
- Upper pic: Red arrow points to The Foxhole.
- Lower pic: The 2 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Perisher
2 The Foxhole ... This is where we are heading to now.
71) The Foxhole (red arrow) is in front.
But more interestingly, what is the sun-shade like structure (red circle) doing here ???
It is too high to be a table, and not high enough so that you can stand up-right underneath it. Strange !?!
At The Foxhole summit
72) We are at The Foxhole summit, 2010 meters.
- Upper pic, left to right: DN, AB
- Lower pic, left to right: me, AB
73) The 3 pics below form a 360-degree panorama from the summit ~~~
- Upper pic:
• The river flowing horizontally across the centre of the pic is Wrights Creek.
• The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Ruined chairlift
2 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
3 rocky peak #3
- Middle pic (continuation to the right of the upper pic):
• The 12 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 rocky peak #2
2 rocky peak #1
3 Mt Stilwell
4 Abbott Ridge southern-most prominent peak (unnamed)
5 Mt Clarke
6 Mt Northcote
7 Mt Townsend
8 Alice Rawson Peak
9 Mt Lee
10 Carruthers Peak
11 Mt Twynam
12 Little Twynam
13 Mt Anton
14 Mt Anderson
- Lower pic (continuation to the right of the middle pic)
• The 8 red arrow point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Anton
2 Mt Anderson
3 Mt Guthrie
4 Mann Bluff
5 Mt Tate
6 Gills Knobs
7 1938-meter peak marked as Sma 0321
8 Mt Perisher
• Kosciuszko Road runs in the valley to the right of Mt Perisher.
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is the upper pic, thus forming a 360-degree panorama.
74) Zooming onto Kangaroo Ridge of photo #73 ~~~
The 5 red arrow point to, from left to right:
1 Kangaroo Ridge 2077-meter unnamed peak
2 rocky peak #3
3 rocky peak #2
4 rocky peak #1
5 Mt Stilwell
Return to Charlotte Pass carpark
By now, we've been to all the peaks we had planned to visit. It is time to return to the car.
75) We've climbed down from The Foxhole summit, now looking back at it.
- Red arrow: The summit ... we were standing on top of it in photo #72.
76) Looking towards west-north-west at Kosciuszko Main Range ~~~
The 6 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Stilwell
2 Mt Clarke
3 Mt Townsend
4 Alice Rawson Peak
5 Mt Lee
6 Carruthers Peak
77) AB found this small sink hole ... you can see water draining down the hole.
78) We are not far from the carpark now.
- Red oval: Charlotte Pass village
- The 8 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1 Mt Twynam
2 Little Twynam
3 Mt Anderson
4 Mann Bluff
5 Mt Tate
6 Gills Knobs
7 Mt Guthrie
8 1938-meter peak marked as Sma 0321
79) Back at Charlotte Pass turning circle and carpark ~~~
- The bitumen road in front is the part of the turning circle.
- The mountain in the background is Mt Guthrie
In the afternoon
In the afternoon, we go on to climb Mt Perisher and Back Perisher Mountain.
Other A2K climbing trips
• 2017 November
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
20 Mt Jagungal 2062 m 248 987
27 Toolong Range 2025 m 258 988
Trip report will be written up soon ... whatever that means :-)
In the mean time, if you like to know the details, contact me.
• 2017 January with AB
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
18 Mt Tate 2068 m 214 760
32 Mann Bluff 2005 m 208 754
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/mt-tate-mann-bluff-gills-knobs.html
• 2016 December with AB
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
3 Mt Twynam 2196 m 179 716
11 Tenison Woods Knoll 2136 m 166 719
28 Watsons Crags 2021 m 161 733
30 Mt Anton 2010 m 191 727
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/tenison-woods-knoll-watsons-crags.html
• 2016 December (today) with AB & DN
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref Comment
17 Kangaroo Ridge 2077 m 182 644 Morning - this trip report
22 Mt Stilwell 2054 m 187 659 Morning - this trip report
25 Little Stilwell 2030 m 190 657 Morning - this trip report
31 The Foxhole 2010 m 198 661 Morning - this trip report
21 Mt Perisher 2054 m 243 697 Afternoon
28 Back Perisher Mtn 2014 m 247 708 Afternoon
Photos and trip report of this afternoon's climb to Mt Perisher & Back Perisher Mountain, are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/mt-perisher-back-perisher-mtn.html
• 2015 October with RZ
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
33 Dicky Cooper Bogong 2003 m 232 832
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/dicky-cooper-bogong-granite-peaks-nsw.html
• 2015 March with AB, DN & Saf
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
19 Gungartan 2068 m 258 835
24 Kerries Ridge 2050 m 262 851
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
• 2014 December with AB & DN
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref Comment
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684 Abbott Range
7 Alice Rawson Peak 2167 m 132 692 Abbott Range
8 Byatts Camp 2159 m 118 676 Abbott Range
9 Abbott Peak 2145 m 122 678 Abbott Range
10 Carruthers Peak 2145 m 157 698
12 Mt Northcote 2131 m 146 676
wrong Byatts Camp 2110 m 116 671 Abbott Range
15 Mt Clarke 2110 m 154 672
16 Mt Lee 2105 m 152 688
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/lee-northcote-clarke-abbott-range.html
• 2014 November with AB & DN
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
4 Rams Head 2193 m 128 608
5 Etheridge Ridge 2180 m 140 644
6 Rams Head North 2177 m 137 618
23 South Rams Head 2052 m 116 588
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/etheridge-ridge-kosciuszko-rams-head.html
• 2014 April with DH
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684
3 Mt Twynam 2196 m 179 716
10 Carruthers Peak 2145 m 157 698
13 Little Twynam 2130 m 185 711
and incidentally bagging 3 highest peaks of Australia in one day. Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kosciuszko-townsend-twynam-carruthers.html
• 2011 April with RE
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684
14 Muellers Peak 2125 m 138 673
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html
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