Mountains

A man's gotta eat. A man's gotta drink. A man's gotta climb mountains. And a man's gotta laugh.

2012-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

(Click on image to enlarge it)

Previous funnies posted here have been migrated to http://oemanadreaming.blogspot.com/

Orphan Rock, NSW, Australia

2011-12-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

2011 December: Climb Orphan Rock in the Blue Mountains - Australia

Hiking route:
The trail to this rock is closed to the general public, because the rock is unstable and dangerous to climb. Do not write to me to ask for details. I will not reveal how to get there.

Description:
Orphan Rock, in the Blue Mountains near Scenic World tourist area in Katoomba, is a pillar of rock separated from the main cliff and standing solitary like a sentinel on duty.

You can just see the tip of the Rock from Scenic World. Otherwise, the entire Rock is obscured by trees, hence no tourist would recognize the tip is the top of the Rock. But if you take a short walk to the nearby Rieds Plateau, or take a ride in the Scenic Skyway, you will get a magnificent view. No wonder prior to 1900 it was the main icon of the Blue Mountains.

By comparison, The Three Sisters received little attention then, and an air of puzzlement for those who saw them. "A cathedral with three spires" or "weird monument of Egyptian architecture" were how they were described.

Then after 1900, The Three Sisters gradually gained prominence in promotional literature. In 1912 they were on the cover of the Katoomba Municipal Council's "Official tourist Guide" and the photographer Harry Phillips raised them in his work to almost mystical status.

But Orphan Rock, while overtaken in the beauty contest, still retained some popularity. A walking track to the top was opened in 1934. But it was closed in the 1950s due to fear the Rock may collapse if a large group of people were to climb it. This track must have made the record as the shortest lived walking track in the history of Australia !

With the demise of the track, Orphan Rock gradually slides into obscurity. It was the logo of the Paragon Cafe in Katoomba in the 1920s with the motto "Stands Alone". And now it lies deserted and stands alone again - a mere curiosity for those who see it. Ah, but not to me! Once I saw it, I want to climbing it.

In 2010, I had a go at it without success. This Christmas, it so happened that Grayson was driving from Melbourne to Cairns and passing Sydney. So we teamed up for an adventure. It took us a while to find the way to the base of the Rock. In the end, like everything in life, perseverance paid off !

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1, 2.) Orphan Rock taken from Rieds Plateau

3.) We bush-bashed our way to the Rock as the old trail (now closed) is overgrown with vegetation. In this photo, you can just make out the old trail. Don't bothered to find the trail on any of the maps. You won't find it.

4.) When we reached to the base of the rock, there was a gate with the sign "DANGER, AREA CLOSED". Ah, love it !!! Whenever there is such a sign, there is always goodies inside!

5.) On the Rock now, and looking down and across at the main cliff on the opposite side

6.) An old photo taken in 1938 showing the stairs up Orphan Rock

7.) This is what the trail looks like now. It has not been maintained for 60 years. Some steps have rotted away from the stairs.

8.) Trail & stairs up Orphan Rock - Don't touch the hand rails, they are rickety and rotting, liable to give way at the slightest touch.

9.) Again, you can see the missing steps in the wooden stairs. You need to be careful when stepping on the steps as they can easily break into pieces. The trail has not been maintained for 60 years.

10.) A big hole in the rock. We will be climbing to the top of this rock formation. The reason the Rock is closed to the public is because the whole structure is unstable and may collapse at any time.

11.) We made it !!! This is the top of the Rock. We had this eerie feeling when up here all alone and knowing hardly anyone else has been here for the past 60 years!

12.) View from the top of the Rock is superb. The mountain range in the middle of this pic is called Mt Solitary. I haven't climbed it yet. One day, I will ... watch this blog.

13.) Of course we just have to take a photo at the top of the Rock for memory. The Three Sisters formation is at the right side of this pic.

14.) Zooming onto The Three Sisters ... Nowadays, this is the main icon of the Blue Mountains.

15.) Katoomba Falls and the cable car (called Scenic Skyway) - We waved to the people in the cable car and they waved back at us! I bet they would ask their tour guides on how to get onto the Rock and the tour guides would have no clue ! ... because you won't find how to climb the Rock anywhere on the Internet !!! By the way, the brown trees on the right half of this pic was not due to a fault in the camera. They were burnt in a recent bush fire.

Oxfam Sydney 100km Trailwalk, Australia

2011-08-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

I first heard about a HongKong Oxfam 100-km trailwalker event in 2009 and didn't think much about it. The next time I heard about it was in 2010 from Ryan who participated in the Melbourne 100-km trailwalker. Ryan was the guy who climbed Aconcagua with me in January 2009.

Ryan only completed 70 km before retiring. This set me thinking ... Is it really that hard? Can I complete the 100 km? Can I do it in 24 hrs? The only way to find out is to give it a go!

The event:
- Organized by Oxfam
- 550 teams-of-4 to run/walk 100 km
- Lottery draw used to limit number of teams to 550
- Website of the Sydney event: http://trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/sydney/
- For other cities around the world: http://www.oxfam.org/en/getinvolved/trailwalker

The course:
- Sydney
- From Parsley Bay at Brooklyn to Georges Heights Oval at Mosman
- 100 km
- Much of the course is a rugged and rocky goat trail through bush and mountainous areas in Sydney's national parks.

Event duration:
- 48-hr limit
- From 2011-08-26 Friday morning to 2011-08-28 Sunday morning
- However, our team set our own target as 24 hrs.

The team:
The team was formed in late February.

1. Me - Likes to climb mountains. 2009 Melbourne Half-Marathon in 1:48.

2. Tania - Team leader. Competes regularly in cycling, swimming and running competitions - a real iron lady! This is the 3rd time she tried this Sydney event. Last year, her team finished in under 26 hrs.

3. Pauline - Regular netball and hockey player. Had run a marathon in 3:40. She is another iron lady!

4. Richard (replaced Rajesh) - Northface 100km runner. He had tried this Sydney event a few times.

Rajesh used to be our 4th team member. He was the slowest guy in the team. Potentially he could be the fastest as he was tall and muscular ... one of his step was one and a half of our steps! But he had virtually no hiking experience in the past. He didn't play any sports. And now, he hardly did any meaningful exercises on his own that was useful for this 100-km event. Not surprisingly, he never completed a single training walk with us - always pulled out early for one reason or another. Anyway, one day in early July when walking with us, wearing normal joggers with no toe protector, he accidentally kicked on a rock and fractured a toe. This ended his short lived walking career. Later on, Tania found Richard as a replacement. Richard was perfect for our team ... he was fit and fast.

Team number/name:
- 455
- Mafficking (It means "Exulting riotously" - I bet you don't know this word!!! Well, you learn something new everyday!!!)

By the way, Rajesh suggested "Mafficking" as the team name. So at least he contributed something to the team.

Team training:
We did a few short walks in March and April. In early May, Tania drew up our official training schedule - a training walk every 2nd Saturday on the actual trail. We started off with a 30-km walk. Then gradually increased the distance to 70 km. In fact, towards the end, we had two 70-km training walks.

Event start time:
- Friday morning, 2011-08-26
- There were 4 starting slots: 7am 8am 9am 10am.
- Our team was allocated a start time at 9am.

Tania was an early riser. She hated having to start so late. I, on the other hand, am a late riser, prefer to start late .... the later the better.

But Tania did have a point. The later we start, the more of the trail we would walk in the dark. Although we would have daylight the next day, however the final section of the course was mainly over suburban streets. Daylight was not particularly important then.

The reason our start time was not earlier was because this year, Oxfam changed the formula for determining the start time. Previously, the earlier start times were given to teams with shorter target finishing times. This year, the earlier start times were given to teams with larger donations to Oxfam. Not quite fair, you would say.

Our result:
- Completed in 24:06
- Crossed finishing line at 9:06am the next day (2011-08-27).
- The 6 minutes over our self-imposed target of 24 hrs is a blemish. We didn't keep a tight reign on our rests and stayed longer than planned at some of the checkpoints.
- Otherwise, this is a really great result for the team !!! We should all be congratulated for our effort !!!
- Overall position: 119 out of 550 teams - top 22%
- Mixed gender teams: 46 out of 290 teams - top 16%
- Over 40s (yes, we are a bunch of oldies): 13 out of 64 teams - top 21%

Some observations:
- The team had two 70-km training walks. These were most helpful. The first time I finished 70 km, I was dead tired ... wouldn't be able to walk another step. After the second 70 km, I was tired, otherwise ok and no where as dead as after the first one. On event day, at the 70-km mark, I still had plenty of energy left.

- Prior to the walk, I worried about becoming sleepy during the night. Well, I never felt sleepy that night. My theory is, while walking vigorously the way we did, the blood was circulating quick and fast throughout the body and the brain. Hence it was not possible to be sleepy. Also, being super fit after the two 70-km training walks definitely helped.

- I found GU Energy Gels really great in giving you instant energy ( https://guenergy.com/store/energy-gels/the-original.html ). On an information night 2 weeks out from the event, These gels were given out for free. I took away 8 packets. Each packet is 32g and gives you an immediate shot of 100 calories in the form of a carbohydrate blend. But warning: you should drink plenty of water after gulping down the gel ... as is stated clearly on the packaging.

Stats:
Start to Checkpoint 1
Parsley Bay at Brooklyn to Muogamarra Fire Station at Cowan
- Distance: 16.5 km
- Actual : 09:00 - 12:04, Duration: 3:04
- (Planned: 09:00 - 12:10, Duration: 3:10)
- Rate : 5.38 km/hr
- +6 mins ahead of plan

Rest: 11 min (Planned: 10 mins)

Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 2
Muogamarra Fire Station to Berowra Community Centre
- Distance: 12 km
- Actual : 12:15 - 15:19, Duration: 03:04
- (Planned: 12:20 - 15:20, Duration: 03:00)
- Rate : 3.91 km/hr
- +1 min ahead of plan

Lunch: 26 mins (Planned: 25 mins)

Checkpoint 2 to Checkpoint 3
Berowa Community Centre to Bobbin Head
- Distance: 15.75 km
- Actual : 15:45 - 19:19, Duration: 3:34
- (Planned: 15:45 - 19:05, Duration: 3:20)
- Rate: : 4.42 km/hr
- 14 mins behind plan

Dinner: 36 mins (Planned: 35 mins)

Checkpoint 3 to Checkpoint 4
Bobbin Head to Sphinx War Memorial
- Distance: 5.75 km
- Actual : 19:55 - 20:51, Duration: 0:56
- (Planned: 19:40 - 20:45, Duration: 1:05)
- Rate : 6.16 km/hr
- 6 mins behind plan

Rest: 10 mins (Planned: 10 mins)

Checkpoint 4 to Checkpoint 5
Sphinx War Memorial to St Ives Show Ground
- Distance: 9 km
- Actual : 21:01 - 22:49, Duration: 1:48
- (Planned: 20:55 - 22:35, Duration: 1:40)
- Rate : 5 km/hr
- 14 mins behind plan

Rest: 18 mins (Planned: 10 mins)

Checkpoint 5 to Checkpoint 6
St Ives Show Ground to Macfarlane Reserve
- Distance: 12.5 km
- Actual : 23:07 - 01:31, Duration: 2:24
- (Planned: 22:45 - 01:10, Duration: 2:25
- Rate : 5.21 km/hr
- 21 mins behind plan

Supper: 37 mins (Planned: 25 mins)

Checkpoint 6 to Checkpoint 7
Macfarlane Reserve to Davidson Park
- Distance: 10 km
- Actual : 02:08 - 04:39, Duration: 2:31
- (Planned: 01:35 - 04:10, Duration: 2:35)
- Rate : 3.97 km/hr
- 29 mins behind plan

Rest: 12 mins (Planned: 10 mins)

Checkpoint 7 to Checkpoint 8
Davidson Park to Ararat Reserve
- Distance: 7.5 km
- Actual : 04:51 - 06:38, Duration: 1:47
- (Planned: 04:20 - 06:20, Duration: 2:00)
- Rate : 4.21 km/hr
- 18 mins behind plan

Breakfast: 30 mins (Planned: 25 mins)

Checkpoint 8 to Finish
Ararat Reserve to Georges Heights Oval at Mosman
- Distance: 11km
- We did our best to walk fast ... tried to finish at 9am.
- Actual : 07:08 - 09:06, Duration: 1:58
- (Planned: 06:45 - 09:00, Duration: 2:15)
- Rate : 5.59 km/hr
- 6 mins behind plan

More stats:
- 2200 people, 550 teams, started the event.
- 80% or 1760 individuals crossed the line under the 48-hr time limit.
- 82% of male starters & 79% of female starters finished.
- The average team finishing time was 29:16.
- 55% of teams finished as a complete team of four.
- 95% of teams finished the event with at least one team member crossing the line.

~~~~~~~~~~~ 2008 2009 2010 2011
(Teams of 4) ----- ----- ----- -----
Fastest Time 14:24 13:25 12:07 12:09
Average Time 31:46 30:56 29:48 29:16
Slowest Time 48:33 46:11 46:25 47:26

Suggestions for improvement:
- Keep a tight reign on rests at checkpoints ... do not over stay.

- Get rid of supper at checkpoint 6, Macfarlane Reserve. Instead, have an early but more substantial breakfast at checkpoint 7, Davidson Park (instead of at checkpoint 8, Ararat Reserve). This should shave about 20 minutes from the walk. Carry some muesli bars or energy gels with you if you need extra fuel on the walk.

- Jog the last 20km wherever the trail is level and smooth.

Thank you - Donation:
Each team was required to raise a minimum of $1,000 donation to Oxfam (tax deductible). Many thanks to the following people who donated on my behalf:
- Dad & mum
- Victoria
- Barbara
- Julie & Bruce
- Philomena
- Angela
- Etti
- Helena
- Lowe Sau Tong

Total: $448

Thank you - Checkpoint support:
And many thanks to the support crew who brought food and drinks to the checkpoints. It was their efforts which made our walk possible.
- Matt: 7:19pm dinner at Checkpoint 3, Bobbin Head
- Etti: 1:31am supper at Checkpoint 6, Macfarlane Reserve - nice hot soup on a cold night
- Jason: 6:38am breakfast at Checkpoint 8, Ararat Reserve

To the pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) Our team - 9:00am at the starting line.
Left to right: Richard, Pauline, me, Tania

2.) Here is a typical trail for the 100 km. It is not a smooth road. It is a rocky and rugged goat trail through bush and mountainous areas in national parks around Sydney. Many sections of the trail are one-man wide. If you get stuck behind a slow walker (like now), you won't be able to overtake and just have to wait till the trail becomes wider. It is not easy to get up to a speed of 4 km/hr on a trail like this.

3 & 4.) Plenty of climbing up and climbing down boulders

5.) Jerusalem Bay in Kuring-gai Chase National Park - nice view, but we don't have time to stop and enjoy the scenery.

6.) 9:00pm at the halfway checkpoint - 50 km completed, 50 more to go!

7.) Team photo taken at the halfway checkpoint ... Here, we are all given a woollen scarf in case we want to have a long rest or sleep over. But we plough on.

8.) If you think we are having a tough time, spare a thought for the 750 volunteers who make this event possible. For example, on the night, this girl stands in the cold on a road junction near a checkpoint to guide people onto the trail.

9.) Next morning, 9:06am at the finishing line ... looking a bit tired after 24 hrs and 6 mins of mostly non-stop walking ... a really memorable experience!!! The 6 minutes over our self-imposed target of 24 hrs is a bit of a blemish. Otherwise our result is very good !!! Only 55% of the teams are still intact at the end. But all 4 of us make it through the 100 km together.

10.) Saw this strange and wonderful spider web during a training walk few months earlier. Does anyone know the name of the spider which weaved this web?

If anyone is interested in joining up with me for a sub-24-hr walk in future Oxfam Trailwalker events, please contact me.

Chimborazo, Ecuador

2011-07-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

( ... Continue from the Cotopaxi climb, http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/cotopaxi-ecuador.html )

Chimborazo, 6310 meters, is Ecuador's highest mountain. However, its main claim to fame is being the highest mountain in the world from centre of the Earth (whereas Everest is the highest mountain when measured from sea level). It will take 2 days to climb it.

But first, day 7 is a rest day at Baños.

Baños is a picturesque town for holiday goers, just like Queenstown in New Zealand ... bungee jumping, canyoning, biking, hiking, mountain climbing, jungle tours, various extreme sports. If you ever go to Ecuador for a holiday, you must visit Baños!

Frank the mountain guide now puts on the hat of a tourist guide. In the afternoon, he takes Josh and I (there is only 2 of us climbers now) to where the Río Verde plummets as a waterfall at Pailón Del Diablo (the Devil's Cauldron). To walk to the waterfall, a section of the track is a tunnel where you need to crawl on your fours to get through, quite exciting.

After the tunnel, you can walk all the way to behind the waterfall. But it is too wet and we chicken out on this bit of the adventure.

Day 8 is spent driving to Refugio Hermanos Carell in Chimborazo National Park. Then a 45-minute hike to Refugio Whymper at 5000 meters. Only Frank, Josh, I and the caretaker of the Refugio are there for the night ... very quiet.

Day 9 is to climb Chimborazo. It is a perfect day ... well, a perfect night. We leave the Refugio at 0:45am. No wind. And the moon is up and bright, so we don't even need a torch to walk. One would have thought under such a condition, it will be a piece of cake to get to the summit.

We are supposed to walk on glaciers. As it turns out, there were recent heavy snow activities on the mountain. So everything is covered with a thick blanket of snow. When we walk, we sink into the soft snow to over the top of the boots. And since most of the time, the slope is steep, around 45 degrees, hence every step upward is also a step sliding backwards ... extremely tough going. By 5:30am we are only half way. Frank says at this rate, we will never make it to the summit by daybreak. He says it will be dangerous to come down the mountain when the sun is up. So he turns us back. I am so glad to hear him say this, because I am dead tired from all the sliding backwards in the snow.

If it is any consolation, no one else was able to summit this mountain for a whole week due to the thick snow. I suspect Frank knows this. We were supposed to start climbing before 12am. But he slept till 12am ... I think he knew it was a waste of time to get up too early, I think he knew we won't make it.

As is the case with the Cotopaxi climb, I don't have many pictures of the mountain as the climb was in the dark and we didn't reach the summit. (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) On the way to Chimborazo National Park, we stop for lunch at a city called Ambato. Somewhere there, I took this photo of an indigenous Amerindian girl. They like to dress up colourfully like this.

2.) The magnificent Chimborazo !

3.) In the afternoon, we park the car at Refugio Hermanos Carell, then take a 45-minute hike to Refugio Whymper (5000 meters) for the night. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, Refugio Whymper is in the middle of the pic. The mountain in the background is Chimborazo.

4.) Next morning, we start hiking at 0:45am. Here is me taking a rest at the lower slope of Chimborazo.

5.) We turn back half way up the slope ... the snow is too thick on the ground, making the climb difficult. Here is a photo taken at dawn at the lower slope of Chimborazo. Nice view looking down at the clouds below.

6.) Returning to Quito, passing this rural farm scene.

I should make a remark about our mountain guide Frank. He is a very good mountaineer and we feel safe with him leading. But he is one hell of a reckless driver ... drove at break neck speed, overtook cars on narrow winding roads regardless of any oncoming traffic! It is a miracle I survived to write this blog !!!

7.) Here is beautiful Carolina - tour consultant at the Quito hotel where I stay. All the disappointments of failing to climb Cotopaxi and Chimborazo are gone when I return and see her smiling like this !!!

I have a few days rest in Quito before returning to Sydney. The following are some photos taken during these few days.

8.) A beautiful indigenous Amerindian girl at a souvenir stall in Quito. She is a damn good sales girl - talks me into buying the pink alpaca wool scarf she is wearing for 8 US$. Later on, at another stall, I find the same scarf for sale for 5 US$. But I am not complaining ... she is worth it !!!

9.) At the northside of Quito is a tourist spot called Middle of the World (La Mitad del Mundo). It is right on the Equator, latitude 0.

10.) A tower is built at the Middle of the World. I am at the top of the tower looking down ... The orange line down the middle is the Equator. The big N/S letters stands for Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

11.) I am jumping from the Southern Hemisphere, over the equator (orange line) to the Northern Hemisphere at the Middle of the World. The previous photo was taken from the top of the tower behind me.

12.) The 4th person from the right is the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa Delgado. Every Monday, he ventures out of Palacio Presidencial (Presidential Palace, this pic) to greet people ... and by chance, I was there!!! Not many presidents in the world would do this every week. By all accounts, he is a very popular guy.

13.) Here is a woman selling icecream at Plaza Grande just outside Palacio Presidencial (Presidential Palace). The temperature is about 25 celcius, it is amazing the icecream has not melted. I do not notice anyone buying the icecream from her. So, how does she make a living?

14, 15.) Me surfing above a forest canopy in a town called Mindo. It is fun!!! It costs US$15 for 12 rides .... very cheap. By comparison, in Cape Tribulation (near Cairns, Australia), it will be around US$200 for 10 rides !!!

16.) Dragon Fruit, Very juicy and sweet, I love it. But it is not available in Australia. Why doesn't Australia grow them in the northern tropical area ?

I like Ecuador. Nice country, extremely friendly and honest people.

Cotopaxi, Ecuador

2011-07-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

( ... Continue from the 3nd acclimatization climb, http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/illiniza-norte-ecuador.html )

We are getting towards the business end of the climbs. Day 5 & 6 are to climb Cotopaxi, 2nd highest mountain in Ecuador, 5897 meters.

Frank is still the mountain guide. But Jose, the driver is no longer with us. I feel a bit sad not having him around as he is a nice guy. Even though he doesn't speak English, he always has a sweet smile. In his place, we have a new driver and 2 extra mountain guides. A Norwegian couple also join our group.

We also have a big full blown tourist bus. Don't know why we need such a big bus ... there is only 10 of us:
- Frank the main mountain guide
- Me
- Josh
- 2 Germans - Brigette & Annette (Again, Annette's son is not with us. He is still sick and stay back at Hotel Cuello de Luna.)
- Norwegian couple
- 2 mountain guides
- Driver who also doubles up as a mountain guide

The plan for day 5 is drive to a carpark somewhere up in the Cotopaxi mountain. From the carpark, it is a one-hour walk to Refugio Jose Ribas. Then do some training with crampons and ropes on the glacier. Early to bed, then up at midnight for the Cotopaxi climb.

However, the gods are not kind to us. It snows on the day. With the snow covering the road, the bus is unable to get close to the carpark. To save us from doing too much walking, Frank gets a lift back to Hotel Cuello de Luna to fetch his small jeep. Then in 2 trips, takes us further up the road, though not all the way to the carpark. Instead of 1-hr walk to the refugio, it becomes one and a half hours of walk.

The refugio is quite large, reflecting the large number of people who regularly climb this mountain. There are 2 storeys. The eating quarter is downstairs. The sleeping quarter is upstairs. On this particular night, it is less than half-full.

After settling down at the Refugio, we are supposed to practice using crampons and ropes on the nearby glacier. But with all the delays due to the snow, plus the fact it is still snowing, naturally we couldn't do any practice. Nevermind, it is early to bed and we'll learn all that needs to be learnt on the actual climb.

Around midnight, we are up, have some supper, then off to the climb. We are the slowest group to get off. Other groups were long gone.

The night is cloudy, otherwise the weather seems ok. However after a few hours of climbing, we meet the earlier groups returning back. They all say the wind is too strong further up the slope. Frank says it is no point going further. He turns us around too. It is a big disappointment. I would love to go further up just to experience how strong the wind is.

After breakfast at the Refugio, We all return to Hotel Cuello de Luna. From there, Frank drives Josh and I to Banos. The others went their separate ways. (The Germans, Brigette, Annette and her son will have a few days of sighteeing in Ecuador before heading to the Galapagos.)

Not many interesting pictures as the climb was in the dark and we didn't reach the summit. (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) On a clear day, this is beautiful perfectly cone-shaped Cotopaxi Volcano (5897 meters) - I didn't take this pic ....

2.) ... Instead, I took this one ... and I was lucky as this volcano was always shrouded in clouds when I was in Ecuador.

3.) Just outside the entrance to Cotopaxi National Park, there is a line of small stalls selling souvenirs. Here is me inside a stall, testing out a ceremonial beanie.

4.) It takes 2 days to climb Cotopaxi. Here is the start of the climb on the first day - I and my backpack, ice axe (red coloured one), trekking poles. We are preparing to hike up to Refugio Josef Ribas for the night. It was another white out day - snowing outside.

5.) Walking towards Refugio Josef Ribas, 4810 meters

6.) Arrive at the Refugio - Here are the 2 German ladies of our group, Annette & Brigette. Cute poses - they are holding icicles in their mouths.

7.) Part of the sleeping quarter inside the Refugio. My backpack is the one on the floor on the right side of this pic. It is leaning against the bunk bed where I'll sleep for the night. The red sleeping bag on the bed is mine.

8.) We get up at midnight for the climb, but turn back due to strong wind. There are no pictures of the climb as it is at night and in the dark. This pic is our group of climbers having breakfast after we return to the Refugio.

The next day is a rest day in a town called Banos. Then it is to climb Chimborazo, highest mountain in Ecuador ... see http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/chimborazo-ecuador.html

Illiniza Norte, Ecuador

2011-07-11T02:02:00.000-07:00

( ... Continue from the 2nd acclimatization climb, http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/rucu-pichincha.html )

Day 3 & 4 - 3rd acclimatization climb: To Illiniza Norte, 5116 meters

Again, we leave Quito in the morning. We should be heading toward a place called La Virgen. However Annette's son is sick ... stomach ache ... I think. Hence on the way, Frank, the mountain guide took a detour to a hotel where the son and Annette and her friend Brigette stayed behind instead of going climbing with us.

After dropping them off, we go to a nearby town, buy some food for the next 2 days, have lunch, then drive to La Virgen, the start of the climb. Frank had hired a guy with a horse earlier on. We meet up there. The guy took our heavy plastic climbing boots and the food, rides off by himself to a hut called Refugio de Los Ilinizas (4700 meters) where we'll be staying for the night. Frank, and the driver together with Josh and I then take a pleasant 2 and a quarter hours hike up to the Refugio ... minus the weight of the heavy boots.

I am very impressed by the Refuge system in Ecuador. Each hut has at least one housekeeper stationed there to look after the place. This keeps the hut well maintained. Usually the guy stays there for a week, then rotates out for a week of rest etc.

It is cold in this mountain. Well, the altitude is high. But the Refuge has a wood heater which keeps us reasonably warm.

Next day, we are up early and are on our way at 4am. The ground is icy. It gets treacherously slippery further up, especially when, nearer to the summit, we get to the ridge with steep drop off on both sides. We are all roped together for safety.

Three and a half hours later, at 7:30am, we reach the summit. We are inside the clouds, with light snow falling, hence it is a white out. All I can see is a cross at the summit which is a sharp peak with standing room for one person only.

After taking some photos, we climb down a different but quicker route through loose screes back to our car. After picking up Annette, her son and Brigette, we drive to Hotel Cuello de Luna near Cotopaxi National Park for the night. Tomorrow, we'll start our 2-day climb of Cotopaxi.

To the pictures ... I don't have many meaningful pics as both days are white out inside the clouds. That is a pity as otherwise the mountain scenes would be very beautiful. (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) Illiniza Norte is the peak on the right of this pic, 5116 meters. Takes 2 days to climb it. The white peak on the left is Illiniza Sur, slightly higher at 5248 meters, and harder to climb due to its glacial nature.

2.) A horse takes our heavy plastic climbing boots and food to a hut called Refugio de Los Ilinizas.

3.) Looking back ... If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see our car parked at the centre of this pic.

4.) After 2 and a quarter hours of walk, we reach Refugio de Los Ilinizas (4700 meters).

5.) It is a small hut. All the beds can be seen in this photo.

6.) Next day, climbing up Illiniza Norte - Here is Frank, our mountain guide. The rocks are icy and slippery. We are all roped together for safety.

7.) After 3 and a half hours of climbing, we reach the summit at 5116 meters. There is cross at the top, otherwise there is nothing to see ... we are inside the clouds, a white out :-(

The next 2 days are to Cotopaxi, 2nd highest mountain in Ecuador ... refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/cotopaxi-ecuador.html

Rucu Pichincha, Ecuador

2011-07-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

( ... Continue from the 1st acclimatization climb, http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/pasochoa-ecuador.html )

Day 2 is the 2nd acclimatization climb to Rucu Pichincha, 4698 meters.

We leave Quito in the morning and drive by car to the Cruz Loma, about 10 kilometers west of Quito. From there, it is a leisurely hike of 2.5 hrs to the summit. The day is a much colder than the previous day to Pasochoa as the elevation is higher.

After the climb, we have lunch in a hut by the mountain side (the Ecuadorians call it a Refuge) and is back to Quito in the afternoon.

To the pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) On the way to Rucu Pichincha - Typical rural street scene

2.) We park our car here and start the hike.

3 & 4.) Rucu Pichincha

5.) Chuquiragua plant - we encounter plenty of them on the mountain. It is supposed to have medicinal value.

6.) Small purple flowers growing on the mountain side

7.) Our group: Left to right - Annette, Brigette, Josh, Annette's son (I forgot his name), Frank the mountain guide and Jose the driver

8.) We encounter a group of cheerful locals on a sightseeing trip.

9 & 10.) Heading towards the peak

11.) Reaching the summit of Rucu Pichincha

12.) Just at the time my photo is being taken at the summit, the clouds roll in and everything is white-out.

13.) Coming down the summit

14.) Coming down the mountain and heading towards the mountain hut which is in the middle of this pic. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)

15.) We have our lunch inside the hut. In Ecuador, a mountain hut such as this one is called a Refuge.

The next day is the 3rd acclimatization climb to Illiniza Norte ... refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/illiniza-norte-ecuador.html

Pasochoa, Ecuador

2011-07-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

There are three ways to define the highest mountain in the world:

- Highest mountain from sea level - Everest, 8,848 meters
- Highest mountain from the base where the mountain rises - Mona Kea in Hawaii, 4205 meters. The base of Mona Kea is deep down under the Pacific Ocean. Only the last 4205 meters jut out above the sea.
- Highest mountain from centre of the Earth - Chimborazo in Ecuador, 6268 meters.

I went to Mona Kea in 2007 (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2007/06/mauna-kea-hawaii.html). At my age, Everest is beyond my capability. But why not have a go at Chimborazo!?!

My trip is organized by a local Ecuador climbing company. They have a 9-day hiking program with 3 acclimatization climbs:
- Pasochoa, 4200 m
- Rucu Pichincha, 4698 m
- Illiniza Norte, 5116 m
followed by 2 main climbs:
- Cotopaxi - 2nd highest mountain in Ecuador, 5897 m
- Chimborazo - highest mountain in Ecuador, 6268 m

On the first acclimatization climb to Pasochoa, there were 7 people in the group:
- Mountain Guide - Frank
- Driver - Jose, he went with us to the summit too
- me
- Josh from Kentucky, USA
- Annette from Germany
- Brigette from Germany (she and Annette came to Ecuador to visit the Galapagos and decided to climb Cotopaxi with High Summit)
- Annette's son - I forgot his name.

We leave Quito in the morning by car, head south for the Avenida de los Volcanoes. During the 2 hour drive we enjoy the views of the typical landscape and villages of the Ecuador highlands.

The walk to Pasochoa summit is a leisurely stroll of about 2 hours. We have lunch on the top. There is a great sight on Cotopaxi and the other nearby volcanoes. Afterwards, we return to Quito for the night.

Here are the pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) On the way to Pasochoa - Typical rural street scene

2.) Hiking up Pasochoa - The earlier part of the track is a cobble stone road.

3.) Later on, the path becomes a dirt road.

4.) Further up, it is a goat trail. The guy in the centre of this pic is Frank, our mountain guide.

5.) Pasochoa is the mountain behind me.

6.) The summit is just in front.

7.) At Pasochoa summit, looking back - It is a majestic view. Some members of our group are on their way to the summit.

8.) At Pasochoa summit - Nice view of the surrounding countryside.

9.) Me at the summit

10.) Having lunch at the summit. The guy facing the camera is the driver, Jose.

11.) Cotopaxi from the summit - we'll be climbing it few days later. Nice view ... but still, I wish it isn't shrouded in clouds.

12.) Lunch is over. We start to climb down from the summit.

13.) On our way back to the car.

The next day is the 2nd acclimatization climb to Rucu Pichincha ... refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/rucu-pichincha.html

Twynam & Townsend, NSW, Australia

2011-04-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

2011 April: 1 day climb of Australia's Mt Twynam and Mt Townsend from Charlotte Pass

( 4 weeks ago, I climbed Mt Townsend from Dead Horse Gap. A write up of that trip is in http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html )

Mountains climbed:
- Mt Twynam, 2196 meters, 3rd highest mountain in Australia
- Carruthers Peak, 2145 meters
- Mt Townsend, 2209 meters, 2nd highest mountain in Australia

Hiking route:
- Start from Charlotte Pass carpark.
- Follow Main Range Track, then Blue Lake Walk to Blue Lake.
- Retrace Blue Lake Walk to junction of Main Range Track.
- Get off track, head north till you meet a disused 4-wheel drive track at the top of the ridge line.
- Follow the 4-wheel drive track to Mt Twynam.
- From Mt Twynam peak, follow trail all the way to Muellers Pass.
- Then to Mt Townsend.
- From Mt Townsend peak, retrace steps to Muellers Pass where it joins the Main Range Track.
- Follow Main Range Track to Rawson Pass.
- Then back to Charlotte Pass car park.

Hiking distance and time:
30.5 km, 8 hrs 30 min

If you don't do the side trip to Blue Lake, you can shave off 2 km.

Map:
1:100,000 8525 Kosciuszko or the finer detailed 1:25,000 8525-2S Perisher Valley

Water Requirement:
It is a cool day, a bit less than 10 degrees Celsius. I drink about 2 litres of water.

Description:
I am in a team of 4 to participate in an OxFam Sydney 100km trail walk event (called Trailwalker) to be held in late August. Our team regularly holds exercise walks. Today, most of the Sydney area is raining, so we opt for a hike in the Snowy Mountains. Only Tania and I are free. So at 8am, the two of us set off from Charlotte pass to bag Mt Twynam (2196) and Mt Townsend (2209m), 3rd and 2nd highest mountain in Australia. As a freebie, we also bagged Carruthers Peak (2145m), because the Main Range Track where we walk on happens to pass through this peak.

The original plan was to walk on Main Range Track; then onto Blue Lake Walk to Blue Lake; cross Blue Lake Creek; then go up north to Mt Twynam from the east side of Blue Lake. The weather forecast was for a sunny day, but when we reach Blue Lake, high fogs keep on rolling in and out, at times completely obscuring Mt Twynam. Rather than risk getting lost in the fog, we backtrack on the Blue Lake Walk to the junction of Main Range Track and hope by then the sun can burn off the fog and allow us to climb Mt Twynam from the west side of Blue Lake.

The weather forecast does not disappoint us. By the time we reach the junction of the 2 trails at 9:25am, the fogs are all gone, leaving us with mostly a blue sky. So we get off the track, climb in a northerly direction towards a ridge. At the top of the ridge, meet up with a disused 4-wheel drive track, follow it, and arrive at Mt Twynam peak around 10am.

It is strange that this 4-wheel drive track is not marked on the maps I have. Perhaps the National Park authorities want to discourage people from getting to Mt Twynam?

The distance we covered so far is 8.5km, and took 2 hrs. Considering the uphill stretches and some off-track walking, this is a huge effort. Well, we are supposed to be training for the OxFam 100km trailwalk, hence we consciously walk at a fast pace than one would normally do on a hiking trip.

It is also now that Tania reveals she will be competing in a 3-hour cycling race the next morning at 7am. Considering we'll probably be back to the car around 4 or 5pm, and back to Sydney around midnight, she really is one hell of a super fit woman.

Mt Twynam is a broad round dome, hence most sights immediately below the mountain is not visible. You can't see Blue Lake. But you can see Hedley Tarn which is further away.

After bagging Twynam, it is time to bag Townsend which is almost 3 hrs away. First, it is retracing the 4-wheel drive track to meet up with Main Range Track, then follow it all the way to Muellers Pass. On the way there, the trail climbs right through Carruthers Peak. It also skirts around the western slope of Mt Lee (2100m) and Mt Northcote (2131m). I would love to get off the the trail to climb both of them, but not today because Tania needs to get back to Sydney for tomorrow's cycling race.

The scenery along the trail is fantastic, we get a full view of Blue Lake, Club Lake and Albina Lake. I am quite happy to walk on this trail every week and not tired of the scenery.

At Muellers Pass, there is a faint foot trail to Mt Townsend. This trail is not marked on the map, and also you won't see it from the Main Range Track. You should look out for a cairn at the lowest point between Mt Kosciuszko and Muellers Peak. Get over to the cairn then you will see the trail. Once you are on the trail, it is about 1 hr to Mt Townsend.

This is the 2nd time I climbed Mt Townsend. ( The 1st trip is 4 weeks ago, refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html ). The final ascend to the peak is always interesting because you need to climb up 40 meters of a near vertical cliff formed from loose rock boulders ... sounds challenging, but in reality, it turns out to be not too difficult ... and soon we find ourselves at the top of Australia's 2nd highest mountain.

The view from Mt Townsend is quite impressive ... there are the four peaks which make up the Abbott Range - Byatts Camp, Abbot Peak, Mt Townsend and Alice Rawson Peak. There is the steep drop into the valley to the west. To the south is a broad vista across Wilkinsons Valley onto the north face of Mt Kosciuszko.

One aspect of Mt Townsend that surprises me is, on both the previous hike and this hike, there is hardly any wind at the top. Considering there is no high mountain towards the west, I would have thought we would cop a full blast from the west. But no; the air is almost still on both occasions!!!

We have our lunch there.

And I couldn't find the water bottle which I left there the last time.

Then it is time to go home ... back down the peak; follow foot trail to Muellers Pass; follow Main Range Track to Rawson Pass, follow Summit Walk trail back to our car at Charlotte Pass.

Aside from the fog earlier in the morning that prevented us from climbing Mt Twynam from the east side of Blue Lake, the rest of the day turns out to be mostly a beautiful blue sky day with some high white clouds, a cool temperature, plus beautiful bubbly Tania ... just perfect for hiking.

Timelines:
07:55 Start from Charlotte Pass, walk on Main Range Track
4 km later, arrive at junction of Blue Lake Walk
09:00 1 km later, arrive at Blue Lake

----- 10 min rest

09:10 Leave Blue Lake, back track on Blue Lake Walk
09:25 1 km later, arrive at junction of Main Range Track
10:05 2.5 km later, Arrive to Mt Twynam

----- 10 min rest

10:15 Leave Mt Twynam
12:00 7 km later, arrive at Mullers Pass
12:55 2.5 km later, arrive Mt Townsend

----- 30 min lunch

13:25 Leave Mt Townsend
14:15 2.5 km later, arrive at Muellers Pass
14:45 2.2 km later, arrive at Rawson Pass

----- 15 min rest

15:00 Leave Rawson Pass
16:25 7.7km later, arrive at Charlotte Pass

----- Total 8 hrs 30 min, 30.5 km

Highest peaks in Australia:
From http://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=2602 ... here is a list of the Australian peaks above 2100 meters, all in the Snowy Mts ...

2228 Mount Kosciuszko
2209 Mount Townsend
2195 Mount Twynam
2190 Rams Head
2180 Unnamed peak in Etheridge Ridge
2177 North Rams Head
2160 Mount Alice Rawson
2159 Byatts Camp Peak
2145 Carruthers Peak
2140 Abbott Peak
2136 Watsons Crag Dome
2131 Mount Northcote
2120 Muellers Peak
2120 Little Twynam
2100 Mount Lee
2100 Mount Clarke

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) We park our car here at Charlotte Pass. The far away round-top mountain (highest peak in this pic) is Mt Twynam, 2195 meters, 3rd highest mountain in Australia. We are going to climb it now!!! You can see a trail (called Main Range Track) heading towards the left side of the mountain.

2.) It is foggy early in the morning. First, we cross the Snowy River here near Charlotte Pass and head to Mt Twynam. (Note: the peak in this pic is not Mt Twynam. You can't see Twynam from here.)

3.) The next stop is to this beautiful glacial tarn, called Blue Lake.

4.) At the shore of beautiful Blue Lake. Mt Twynam is the peak in the middle of this pic. We are going to climb it !!!

5.) Mt Twynam ... not far to go now.

6.) Mt Twynam, almost there

7, 8.) With Tania at Mt Twynam summit, 2195 meters, 3rd highest mt in Australia

9.) View from the top of Mt Twynam ... click on the pic to enlarge it ...
The far away tiny triangle mt, the highest mt on the right half of this pic, is Mt Townsend, 2209 meters, 2nd highest mt in Australia. We are going to climb it now !!!
The far away bigger mt, the highest mt on the left half of this pic, is Mt Kosciuszko, 2228 meters, highest mt in Australia. We had climbed it before, so we won't climb it this time. But on our way back to our car, we will pass by its slope.

10.) Tania and I at Carruthers Peak, 2145 meters, 7th highest named peak in Australia ... according to http://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=2602 (We've come down from Mt Twynam and heading towards Mt Townsend. On the way we pass this spot.)

11.) Club Lake ... picture taken from Carruthers Peak.

12.) On our way to Mt Townsend ... now passing by Albina Lake.

13.) Mt Townsend is in the distance ... we are heading there.

14.) Tania at this precariously positioned large granite block near the summit of Mt Townsend.

15.) The final ascent to Mt Townsend summit is to climb up this cliff of loose rock boulders. It is about 40 meters high. It is almost vertical (though it doesn't show up as vertical in this pic). Sounds scary, but it is not too hard to climb.

16, 17.) With Tania at Mt Townsend summit, 2209 meters, 2nd highest mountain in Australia. This is the 2nd time I climbed this mountain ... love it.

18.) Scenery from Mt Townsend summit ... nice view

19.) From Mt Townsend summit, we can see Mt Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mt ... it is the highest peak near the right edge of this photo. On the way back to our car, we'll skirt around its slope ... see next pic.

20.) Back down from Mt Townsend, going back to our car. The mountain in the center of this pic is Mt Kosciuszko, highest mountain in Australia. On the left side of this pic, you can make out the trail (called Main Range Track) which skirts around its slope. We'll follow this trail back to our car.

21.) Passing by this beautiful Snow Gum near Charlotte Pass.
All up, it is a pleasant 30.5km hike in 8.5 hrs.

Kosciuszo & Muellers Peak & Townsend, NSW, Australia

2011-04-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

2011 April: 1 day climb of Australia's Mt Kosciuszko, Muellers Peak and Mt Townsend from Dead Horse Gap

( 4 weeks later, I climb Mt Townsend again via Mt Twynam ... see http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/twynam-townsend-nsw-australia.html )

Mountains climbed:
- Mt Kosciuszko, 2228 meters, highest mountain in Australia
- Muellers Peak, 2121 meters
- Mt Townsend, 2209 meters, 2nd highest mountain in Australia

Here is a little known fact ... Mt Townsend was once thought to be the highest mountain in Australia. At the time, it was called Mt Kosciuszko; and Kosciuszko was called Townsend. Later on, when more accurate measurement was made, rather than trying to re-educate the public on the real highest mountain, the NSW Lands Department decided it was easier to simply swap the names instead!!! How interesting!!!

And because Mt Townsend is only a little lower than Mt Kosciuszko, there is a tradition that all hikers who climb Mt Townsend should bring a rock from the bottom and add it to the top, thus restoring it to its former glory as the highest mountain in Australia!!! ... more on this later.

Hiking route:
- Start from Dead Horse Gap carpark about 4.5 km west of Thredbo.
- Walk on the Dead Horse Gap Track.
- Then on the Kosciuszko Walk to Kosciuszko summit.
- Come down from Kosciuszko summit, get onto the Main Range Track.
- When near Muellers Peak, get off the track to climb to its peak.
- From the top of Muellers Peak, head directly to Mt Townsend.
- From Mt Townsend peak, follow a trail to Muellers Pass where it joins the Main Range Track.
- Retrace steps (but bypass Kosciuszko summit) back to Dead Horse Gap carpark.

Hiking distance and time:
29.5 km, 9 hrs 45 min

Map:
1:100,000 8525 Kosciuszko or the finer detailed 1:25,000 8525-2S Perisher Valley

You should be able to find some contour maps on the internet too. For example, from: http://jevans.pcug.org.au/Pages/Walk%20Descriptions/2010_02_26-28.html

Water Requirement:
Although it is a sunny day with no clouds, it is quite cool, about 10 degrees Celsius. I only drink about 2 litres of water.

Description:
At 6:15am, Ricky and I start our hike from Dead Horse Gap carpark which is about 4.5 km west of Thredbo. The carpark is on the south side of the Alpine Way.

You know you've parked the car in the right place if you can see a locked trail heading southward with a sign saying "Cascade Trail". However, this is not the trail you want to walk on. Rather, you should cross the road, then you will see a sign saying "Australian Alps Walking Track". Follow it for about a minute and it will cross the Threbo River. Once you are over the river, there should be another sign pointing to Dead Horse Gap Track.

The Dead Horse Gap Track is a well defined and well trodden trail. You start off in a forest of snow gums. As you climb higher, you pass a distinct boundary where the snow gums disappear and only alpine grass are left to grow.

4.3 km later, we arrive at the junction of Kosciuszko Walk trail.

Almost the entire Kosciuszko Walk trail is a metal mesh walkway raised above the ground to allow creatures/grass to crawl/grow underneath it. It is fun to walk on it - you can feel the vibration of other hikers walking many many paces away ... well, I find it interesting.

The trail passes through the headwaters of Snowy River. There is no specific spot where the Snowy River rises. Many small creeks come together to form larger creeks, and the larger creeks join together to form the Snowy River. There are tiny native fish called Mountain Galaxias swimming in the creeks. They are supposed to be able to climb out of the water to sun themselves on the rocks. But we don't notice any on this trip.

The mesh walkway goes all the way to Rawson Pass. On its way there, you get a good view of Lake Cootapatamba, Australia's highest named lake.

Rawson Pass is a good place to take a rest. It has toilet facilities. In fact, Australia's highest dunny is here, opened in 2007, so it is quite new. This is also where the mesh walkway gives way to an unsealed road. Cars used to be able to drive from Charlotte Pass to Rawson Pass, then to the Kosciuszko Summit ... not any more. The entire road is now reserved for hikers only.

We are at the summit at 9:20am. There is no one there at the time, but I am sure someone would have been there earlier ... because it is quite popular to climb up here in the early mornings in the dark so as to watch the sunrise from the roof of Australia.

Well, Ricky and I have now climbed the highest peaks together in the 5 eastern States/Territories ... Qld's Bartle Frere last year, ACT's Bimberi this Jan, Tas' Ossa in Feb, Vic's Bogong in March, and now NSW's Kosciuszko. Current plan is the climb NT, SA and WA's highest mountains sometime next year.

Naturally one gets a fantastic 360 degree view from the summit. In particular, to the north, Muellers Peak and Mt Townsend now beckon us to climb them. Mt Townsend is a craigy peak more majestic than the gentle round dome of Kosciuszko. No wonder in the past Mt Townsend was thought to be higher than Kosciuszko.

After a mandatory photo session, it is down the summit for 1 km to meet up with the Main Range Track; and we are on our way to Muellers Peak.

The Main Range Track doesn't go through the summit of Muellers Peak. Instead, it skirts its eastern flank. At the point of closes approach, we get off the track and head directly towards the peak. You won't be disappointed when you get to the top. There is a marvellous view of beautiful Albina Lake in blue, reflecting the colour of a perfectly cloudless sky!

It would have been so nice if we can stay there for a long while to enjoy the scene ... but we still have Mt Townsend to climb which is 2 km away towards the north-west. So it is down the peak and make a direct beeline for it. On the way, we meet up with a narrow foot track and follow it all the way to the base of Mt Townsend. The final 40 meters is an ascent on an almost vertical cliff made of loose rock boulders ... sounds challenging to climb, but it turns out to be not too difficult ... and soon we find ourselves at the top of Australia's 2nd highest mountain!

The view from Mt Townsend is quite impressive ... there are the four peaks which make up the Abbott Range - Byatts Camp, Abbot Peak, Mt Townsend and Alice Rawson Peak. There is the steep drop into the valley to the West. To the south is a broad vista across Wilkinsons Valley onto the north face of Mt Kosciuszko. We can see hikers as tiny ants at the Kosciuszko summit. We are tempted to shout to them to come over and join us at Mt Townsend.

The day is perfect ... blue sky, hardly any wind. We enjoy our lunch here at the top.

I forgot to bring a rock up here as an effort to make Mt Townsend higher than Kosciuszko. On leaving the summit, I absentmindedly leave an aluminium water bottle there ... obviously my subconscious is doing my bidding to leave something behind to make Mt Townsend higher!!!

Apart from Ricky almost stepping on a deadly venomous Eastern Brown Snake when we were near our car, the return trip is uneventful. From Mt Townsend, we follow a foot track all the way to Muellers pass which is the saddle point between Muellers Peak and Mt Kosciuszko. For reasons I don't understand, this foot track is not marked on any of the contour maps.

At Muellers Pass, the foot track joins the Main Range Track. Once on the Main Range Track, We simply retrace our steps to Rawson Pass, then through Kosciuszko Walk and through Dead Horse Gap Track back to the car.

Timelines:
06:15 Start walking from Dead Horse Gap carpark
07:35 4.3 km later, arrive at junction of Kosciuszko Walk trail
08:45 4.5 km later, arrive at Rawson Pass

----- 15 min rest

09:00 Leave Rawson Pass
09:20 1.7 km later, arrive at Kosciuszko Summit

----- 35 min rest

09:55 Leave Kosciuszko Summit
10:45 3.5 km later, arrive at Muellers Peak

----- 10 min rest

10:55 Leave Muellers Peak
11:35 2 km later, arrive at Mt Townsend

----- 35 min lunch

12:10 Leave Mt Townsend
12:50 2.5 km later, arrive at Muellers Pass
13:20 2.2 km later, arrive at Rawson Pass
14:10 4.5 km later, arrive at junction to Dead Horse Gap Track
16:00 4.3 km later, arrive at Dead Horse Gap carpark

----- Total: 9 hrs 45 min, 29.5 km

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) Start of the Dead Horse Gap Track - It is mostly uphill and it will join up with the Kosciuszko Walk trail 4.3 km later near Thredbo Top Station.

2.) The very small blue building slightly to the left of the centre of this pic is Thredbo Top Station (looks blue here, but it is actually gray). In winter, skiers take a chairlift, get off here, then ski down the valley. Not sure what is the purpose of the fences across the centre patch of this pic. Perhaps to warn skiers of the steep downhill cliff dipping into the valley?

3.) Dead Horse Gap Track ends here. We will turn left onto the Kosciuszko Walk trail and head towards Mt Kosciuszko. Turn right is to Thedbo Top Station, the small blue building (looks blue here, but it is actually gray). Eagle Nest Restaurant is inside the Thredbo Top Station. Instead of the uphill hike on the Dead Horse Gap Track, we could have taken a chairlift to here too. Ah, but that is cheating, right?

4.) Mt Kosciuszko summit is the gentle rounded dome in the centre of this pic. The metal mesh walkway goes all the way to its foot hill (Rawson Pass). The walkway is not galvanized, hence its rusty appearance ... because alpine plants have a low tolerance to zinc used in the galvanizing process.

5.) On the way to the summit, we pass this beautifully blue lake called Lake Cootapatamba, the highest named lake in Australia.

6.) This is Rawson Pass, right at the foothill of Kosciuszko summit. The trail coming from the right edge is the Kosciuszko Walk tail ... that is where we came from. The structure in the middle of this pic is the highest toilet in Australia. Well, if climbing high mountains is not your cup of tea, perhaps you maybe interested in visiting the highest dunny in Australia!!!

7.) The small figure near the right edge is me taking photos. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)
You can see 3 trails here:
- The trail from the left edge is from Charlotte Pass, and ends at Rawson Pass which is slightly on the right of the centre of this pic.
- The trail to the bottom left corner is the Main Range Track and goes to other peaks in the Snowy Mountains. We will be on this trail later on to Muellers Peak and Mt Townsend.
- I am standing on a trail which goes to the right edge. It will lead to Mt Kosciuszko summit. This is where we are going now.

8, 9.) The Kosciuszko summit is in front, not far to go now.

10.) Here it is, the Kosciuszko summit, 2228 meters, highest point in Australia!!! It took us 3 hrs to reach here from the start of Dead Horse Gap Track.

11.) I lugged a heavy tripod all the way here!!! Time to put it into good use!!!

12.) From Kosciuszko summit, we can see:
- Muellers Peak, the pyramid shape mountain in the centre of this pic.
- Mt Townsend, 2nd peak from the left edge (the highest peak in this pic)
And we are going there!!!

13.) We are now on the Main Range Track, on our way to Muellers Peak which is the pyramid shaped mountain just in front of us.
Mt Townsend is the high peak on its left.

14.) Looking back ... the large round dome on the right is Mt Kosciuszko. The small figure in this pic is me climbing up Muellers Peak.

15.) Ricky is heading towards Muellers Peak. Mt Townsend is on the left.

16.) I am at the top of Muellers Peak. It has a very nice view of the blue Albina Lake.

17.) We are looking at Mt Townsend from Muellers Peak. We are going there!!!

18.) Not far to go to Mt Townsend now.

19.) A precariously positioned large granite block near the summit of Mt Townsend. Ricky took this nice picture and many others in this blog.

20.) The small figure near the centre of this pic is me. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.) The final ascent to Mt Townsend summit is to climb up this near-vertical slope of loose boulders.

21, 22.) We made it to Mt Townsend summit, 2209 meters, 2nd highest mountain in Australia!!! It took us about 5.5 hrs to reach here from the start of Dead Horse Gap Track.

23.) View form Mt Townsend ... the large mountain in front is Mt Kosciuszko.

24.) Returning back to our car, Ricky almost steps on a snake.

25.) It is a Eastern Brown Snake, often referred to as Common Brown Snake, and is the second most venomous land snake in the world ... see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_brown_snake

Bogong (+ West Peak), Vic, Australia

2011-03-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

2011 March: 1 day climb of Australia's Mt Bogong and its West Peak

At 1986 meters, Mt Bogong is Victoria's highest mountain. I had climbed it in January 2006. ( Refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/bogong-vic-australia.html ) This time, West Peak (1962m) is added as an additional destination since it has a better view of the surrounding countryside.

Hiking route:
- Start from the picnic and camping area at Mountain Creek Road
- Up the Staircase Spur to Mt Bogong summit
- Then westward to West Peak
- Return trip is retrace previous steps

Elevation of the climb:
Mt Bogong is 1986 meters above sea level. However, since the picnic and camping area is 585 meters above sea level, hence the climb is about 1400 meters in elevation.

Book:
There should be a number of books describing this walk. The one I have access to is "Australian Mountains: The Best 100 Walks" by Tyrone Thomas & Sven Klinge

Map:
Survey and Mapping Victoria issued a series of maps called "Outdoor leisure Map". They are very useful for hikers, full of interesting information. The one for this area is the 1:50,000 scaled map called "Bogong Alpine Area".

Hiking distance and time:
To West Peak and return is 21.5 km. If you only go to Mt Bogong, the return trip is 16 km.

In his book, Tyrone Thomas said it is an 8 hour return trip to Mt Bogong alone. In 2006, Bill and I did it bang on 8 hours. But this time, Ricky and I made it to Mt Bogong and West Peak and back all in 8 hours! Considering the side trip from Mt Bogong to West Peak and return is 2 hours, hence we can say we only need 6 hours to get to Mt Bogong and back ... a pretty good effort.

To get to the picnic and camping site at Mountain Creek Road:
On the Kiewa Valley Highway, at the town of Tawonga, turn east into Mountain Creek Road. Travel for about 10.5km on the sealed road. Just before a one-lane bridge, there is a large picnic and camping area. This is where you park your car and it is the start of the Mt Bogong climb.

If you have a 4-wheel drive, you can drive a further 2km up a narrow trail until you reach the Staircase Spur trail junction. There is just enough room at the junction to park about 2 cars.

Water Requirement:
For this trip, I carried 3 litres of water, as there won't be any water on the Staircase Spur trail.

Description:
At 7:45am, Ricky and I start the walk from the picnic and camping site at Mountain Creek Road. This stretch of the walk is very flat. There are a few creeks to cross. Except the first one, all them have bridges for you to walk over.

2 km later, we arrive at the junction to the Staircase Spur trail. Once you turn into it, the trail becomes steep. It only flattens out 2.5 km later at an engency shelter called Bivouac Hut. Compared to my 2006 visit, the old toilet here is now replaced by a brand new one.

The trail after the Bivouac Hut is not so steep. But when you reach above the tree line, you can see, looming steeply ahead, the Bogong tops of Audax Point, Mt Bogong, Hookers Plateau, West Peak ... etc.

The final ascent is again quite steep. There are snow poles guiding you to the top. At 11:00am we reach the summit. This is a pretty good effort ... because in 2006, it look me 4.5 hrs to get to the top. This time, it is only 3hr 15min ... all due to Ricky's fast walking pace.

The Mt Bogong summit is not a classical conical top. It is on a large domed shaped plateau, very flat, hence you don't get a good view of the surrounding areas. As we have plenty of time, we decide to head towards West Peak, 2.8 km westward ... because we figure from the map that from there, we should get a good view of the Kiewa valley. And indeed we are not disappointed. (Scroll down to see the photos.)

I suspect many day-trippers would be happy to simply reach the Bogong summit and wouldn't be bothered to explore further. I strongly recommend that they go over to West Peak too. It is not far - 2.8 km (40 min) oneway from the Bogong summit. But in that case, one should start the day early to allow time for the extra excursion.

From West Peak, it is possible to simply bush-bash one's way NNE straight back to the picnic and camping area. But we retrace our steps and are back by the car at 15:45. All up, it is a pleasant 8-hr day.

Here are the timelines:
07:45 Start walking from Mountain Creek Road picnic and camping area
08:10 2 km later, arrive at start of Staircase Spur trail

----- 0 min rest

08:10 Start walking on Staircase Spur trail
----- (15 min rest at Bivouac Hut)
----- (15 min rest at Castor & Pollux Outcrops)
11:00 6 km later, arrive at Mt Bogong summit

----- 30 min rest

11:30 Leave Mt Bogong summit
12:05 2.8 km later, arrive at West Peak

----- 40 min rest

12:45 Leave West Peak
13:25 Back at Mt Bogong summit

----- 10 min rest

13:35 Leave Mt Bogong summit
15:20 Back to start of Staircase Spur trail

----- 0 min rest

15:20 Leave Staircase Spur trail
15:45 Back at Mountain Creek Road picnic and camping area

----- Total: 8 hrs, 21.5 km

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) We climb Mt Bogong via the Staircase Spur. Don't be fooled by the short 6km distance. The elevation from here to the summit is 1,400 meters. Although elite athletes training to conquer Everest can run up and down in 2 hrs, it will take an average climber about 4 hrs just to get to the top. We did it in 3hrs ... pretty good.

2.) Paul going through the rain forest

3.) Caterpillars copulation on the ground ... group sex orgy!!! The last time I was here, they did this type of act hanging on the leaves ( see photo in http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/bogong-vic-australia.html ). They are now getting dirtier!!!

4.) We are above the tree-line now. I am taking some photos.
If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see a faint track through the green spur slightly left of the centre of this pic ... that is the track we just walked through. And the spur is called Staircase Spur.

5.) Mt Bogong summit is the highest point in this photo. We will also climb West Peak which is the 2nd little knob from the right edge of this photo.
If you click on the photo to enlarge it, near the top left hand corner, you can see snow poles guiding you up the slope ... that is where we are heading now.

6.) Mt Bogong summit ... almost there.

7.) It so happens there is a 120-km race today (which can take up to 48 hrs to complete). Part of the race goes through this summit. Here are 2 race officials manning the check point.

8.) Photo time ... Paul & Ricky

9.) Paul on the roof of Victoria at 1986 meters!!! What a great feeling!!!

10.) As you can see from previous photos, Mt Bogong summit is not a classical conical shape. It is on a flat plateau. Hence you can't see much scenery. We decide to head towards West Peak (which is the little knob near the centre of this pic and just sticking out behind the dark mound). From there, we should be able to get a better view of the countryside.

11.) West Peak is in the distance, not far to go now.

12.) Ricky and Paul reach West Peak

13.) Here, at West Peak, we can see the green Kiewa Valley running through the length of this pic. The town of Mt Beauty is where the blue pond is. (The blue pond is slight left of the centre of this pic ... click on the photo to enlarge it.)

14.) Victorian Alps mountain range

15.) From West Peak looking back at Mt Bogong - which is the gentle rounded dome near the right side of this photo.

16.) We are retracing our steps back to Mt Bogong summit. Click on the photo to enlarge it and you can make out the 2 race officials standing there.

17, 18, 19, 20.) Small alpine flowers near the summit.

21.) On the way down, we meet these young girls carrying camping gears going up. You just have to admire them ... because I'll find it a real challenge to carry such a heavy pack up an elevation of 1400 meters!

Ossa, Tas, Australia

2011-02-14T00:39:00.000-08:00

2011 February: Day 2 - Climb Australia's Mt Ossa, from Pelion Hut (on Palion Plains)

This is day 2 of a 2-day overnight climbing trip. The 1st day was to climbing up Mt Pelion East ... refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html

Information on the climb:
Mt Ossa
- 1617 meters
- Tasmania's highest mountain
- On the West side of Pelion Gap (The Overland Track from Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut goes through Pelion Gap.)

Hiking route:
Day 1:
- Refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html for day 1 of this trip

Day 2:
- From Pelion Hut, walk south on the Overland Track to Pelion Gap.
- At Pelion gap, turn west. The track skirts around Mt Doris before heading towards Mt Ossa.
- From summit of Mt Ossa, retrace steps back to Pelion Hut.
- Retrace steps back to Arm River Track carpark.

Hiking distance & time:
25.5 km, 11 hrs 15 min

Book:
"Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair & Walls of Jerusalem National Parks" by John Chapman, Monica Chapman & John Siseman has a good description of the Arm River Track and Mt Ossa.

Maps:
The 1:100,000 scale topographic survey map 8114 Mersey is good enough as the tracks can be easily followed. But if you wish, you can get the 1:25,000 scale maps.

Water Requirement:
From Pelion Hut to Mt Ossa and back, carry 3 litres of water on a hot sunny day.

Description:
After a good night's sleep at the tent site at the back of Pelion Hut, we are up early and start walking southward on the Overland Track at 6:25am. This is a retrace of our steps of the previous day to Pelion Gap which is duly reached at 7:40am.

Pelion Gap is a 4-way meeting point. Direct ahead is to Kia Ora Hut for hikers on the Overland Track. On the east is the track to Mt Pelion East which we succesfully climbed yesterday (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html). Today, now, we turn west and head towards Mt Doris and Mt Ossa.

The track to Mt Ossa skirts the southern flank of Mt Doris. Once you reach the Mt Doris area, you get an awe inspiring view of Ossa - twin spires of rocks with vertical cliffs rising high up into the sky. And you wonder how are you going to climb up these cliffs!!!

Fortunately there are wooden posts at regular intervals pointing the way up. First we descend into the gully between Mt Doris and Mt Ossa. Then it is a long and steep(!!!) scramble up a scree slope between the above mentioned two tall cliffs. The trail hugs the side of the cliff on the right. After much panting and struggle, we reach a plateau area. From here, the peak is just a short distance on the right.

At the rear of the plateau is a small tarn. As it is a beautiful blue sky day, no wind and not a cloud around, the tarn is also beautifully blue, faithfully reflecting the colour of the sky. So tranquil, so serene, you wish you can just linger there forever.

But after a short stay and taking many photos of the tarn, we turn right and reach the summit at 9:50am.

No one would be disappointed by the magnificent panoramic scenery from the top ... see some of the photos further down in this article. And of course we have a clear view of the nipple shaped Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday.

We have a good rest at the top, soaking up the atmosphere. Then reluctantly, it is retracing steps back to Pelion Hut, have lunch, pick up the tents and sleeping bags and carry the lot back to the car at the Arm River Track carpark.

All up, it is an 11-hour day. But it is also a most satisfying day. Of the highest peaks in each of the 5 Australian eastern States/Territory (ACT Bimberi, NSW Kosciuszko, Qld Bartle Frere , Tas Ossa, Vic Bogong) Mt Ossa surely is the most rewarding one to climb, with the most magnificent scenery from the summit - sheer magic beauty !!! But it is also the hardest to climb because of its remoteness from the nearest road.

Here are the timelines:
06:25 Start from Pelion Hut.
07:40 4.2 km later, arrive at Pelion Gap.

------ 10 min rest

07:50 Leave Pelion Gap.
09:50 2.5 km later, arrive at summit of Mt Ossa.

------ 50 min rest

10:40 Leave summit
12:00 2.5 km later, back to Pelion Gap.

------ 5 min rest

12:05 Leave Pelion Gap.
13:15 4.2 km later, back to Pelion Hut.

------ 50 min lunch

14:05 Leave Pelion Hut.
17:40 12 km later, back at Arm River Track carpark.

------ Total: 11 hrs 15 min, 25.5 km

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) We are on our way to Pelion Gap, and walking on the famous Overland Track. This part of the track takes 1 and a quarter hour. Only a small section has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

2.) This is Pelion Gap. Turning east is to Mt Pelion East which we successfully climbed yesterday (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html). Turning west is to Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain, which we are going to do right now. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can just make out the writing on the sign.

3.) Paul at Pelion Gap - Mt Ossa & Mt Doris is in the background.

4.) A cute wallaby in the foreground. The nipple looking mountain in the background is Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html).

5.) The nipple in the background in Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday.

6, 7, 8.) The peak on the right is Mt Ossa, highest mountain in Tasmania. Awesome looking monster!!!

9, 10.) The way up Mt Ossa is to scramble up the steep scree area between the 2 peaks. Once you reach the plateau, turn right for the summit. Here, you can see Ricky going up the slope.

11.) I am the small figure in the middle of the scree slope.

12.) A beautiful picture with the nipple shaped Mt Pelion East in the background.

13.) Mt Pelion East is in the background.

14, 15.) Paul, climbing up the rocks

16.) At the plateau now - Ricky and I with Mt Ossa in the background - not far to go now

17. ) At the plateau area - a tarn reflecting the blue sky. Love this spot, so tranquil and beautiful.

18, 19.) Finally, (3.5 hrs after we started from Pelion Hut), we reach the summit, 1617 meters - the roof of Tasmania!!!

20.) A mandatory photo of Ricky and I at the summit

21. Ricky climbs up one the rocks.

22. ) Super scene from the summit - pure magic scenery!!!

23.) The nipple is Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html).

24.) Mt Pelion West is in the centre of this pic. Barn Buff, the nipple, is to its right. And further along to the right is Cradle Mountain.

25.) Back down from Mt Ossa and back to Pelion Gap. I am pointing to the sign which says "Mt Ossa 1617m", and we climbed it !!! (I am wearing gloves. This is to prevent sun-burnt, and also helps climbing up the rocks.)

26.) After picking up our tents and sleeping bags from Pelion Hut, we are on the Arm River Track walking tiredly back to the carpark. By the time we are back in the car, it will be an 11-hr day.
Only a few sections of the track has this board walk. Many stretches are muddy.

27, 28.) Ricky finds a hedgehog.

Pelion East, Tas, Australia

2011-02-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

2011 February: Day 1 - Climb Australia's Mt Pelion East, from Arm River Track

This is day 1 of a 2-day overnight climbing trip. The 2nd day will be climbing up Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain ... Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html

Information on this climb:
Mt Pelion East:
- 1433 meters
- On the East side of Pelion Gap (The Overland Track from Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut goes through Pelion Gap.)

Hiking route:
- Start from Arm River Track which you can reach from the unsealed Arm Road.
- Walk on the Arm River Track all the way to Pelion Hut at Pelion Plains.
- Then walk on Overland Track to Pelion gap.
- At Pelion Gap, turn east to climb Mt Pelion East.
- From summit, retrace steps back to Pelion Hut.
- Camp overnight at the back of Pelion Hut.

Hiking distance and time:
23 km, 9 hrs 45 min

Book:
"Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair & Walls of Jerusalem National Parks" by John Chapman, Monica Chapman & John Siseman has a good description of the Arm River Track and Mt Pelion East.

Maps:
The 1:100,000 scale topographic survey map 8114 Mersey is good enough as the tracks can be easily followed. But if you wish, you can get the 1:25,000 scale maps.

Water Requirement:
From Pelion Hut to Mt Pelion East and back, I carried 2.5 litres of water.

To get to Arm River Track:
From the town of Deloraine, it takes about 1 hr 15 min to drive there:
- Get to the town called Mole Creek.
- Follow sign to Cradle Mt until you reach junction to Mersey Forest Road.
- Turn into Mersey Forest Road and drive along it.
- Turn west into the unsealed Arm Road.
- Follow Arm Road, then look for a sign to Arm River Track, turn into it.
- After 700 meters you'll come to a small car park.
The Mersey 8114 map has all the details.

Description:
The small carpark is the start of the Arm River Track. Ricky and I park the car and start walking at 9am.

Usually for a long walk, we start real early. But this morning, Ricky just got off the car ferry from Melbourne to Devonport. By the time he reached Deloraine where I am staying, it is already 7:30am ... which explains the late start. Ricky is an amazing guy, he only had 3 hrs sleep on the ferry, yet he manage today's 10 hr walk with not a hint of tiredness.

At the carpark, we find the entrance to the Arm River Track blocked by a large fallen tree trunk. I assume it is done on purpose to prevent 4-wheel drives from barging onto the track. Once we climb over the tree trunk, we encounter a small stream ... that is a good sign we are on the right track ... because from various sources, there is a small stream to be crossed at the start of the Arm River Track.

The plan for the first leg of today's walk is to get to Pelion Hut on Pelion Plains where we can dump the tents and sleeping bags. Then we can hike to Mt Pelion East on a light pack.

The Arm River track is reasonably well maintained. Though some sections are quite muddy. Within the first hour, there is a very very steep uphill section. On the return trip, I wonder how I ever managed to carry a heavy pack up such a steep climb!

But, it is really enjoyable walking on this trail. For example, we come across a forest with green mosses on all the tree trunks - like an enchanted scene from a Disney cartoon movie. I specially like the open marsh plains with their patch work of colours due to different types of vegetation. And at about a third of the way through the trail, we pass Lake Price with Mt Pillinger framing the background ... so magically beautiful!!! ... will show you the pictures further on.

At 12:40, we reach Pelion Hut, a nice place with clean toilet facilities. It is normally reserved for hikers on the famous Overland Track. As we come from the Arm River Track, we settle at the back of the hut where there are camping spots. There we drop our tents and sleeping bags, have lunch and a rest, then proceed to hike to Pelion Gap.

At 3:15pm we reach Pelion Gap. This is a 4-way meeting point. Direct ahead is to Kia Ora Hut for hikers on the Overland Track. On the east is the track to Mt Pelion East which we are going to climb. On the west is the track to Mt Ossa which we'll climb tomorrow. (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html) And of course, turning around is back to Pelion Hut.

Mt Pelion East is a truly awesome mountain. From far away, it looks like a nipple. Up closer, it is like another scene from a Disney cartoon movie ... sharp spires and vertical cliffs ... evil looking. A wicked witch would find it a perfect place to build a castle on its summit. And we are drawn to it like a magnet. It is magic!!!

It looks impossible to climb too. It is steep. But some cairns point the way up. As it turns out, it is not too hard to get to the summit. It took us only about an hour from Pelion Gap.

It is a sunny afternoon with a magnificent view from the top. We can see most of the well known peaks - Barn Buff, Cradle Mountain, Mt Pelion West, Mt Hyperion, Mt Massif, Mt Oakleigh ... etc. And of course, Mt Ossa which we'll climb tomorrow.

After taking photos, it is retracing steps back to Pelion Hut for the night.

Here are the timelines:
09:00 Start walk on Arm River Track.
12:40 12 km later, arrive at Pelion Hut at Pelion Plains.

------ 1 hr 20 min lunch

14:00 Leave Pelion Hut.
15:15 4.2 km later, arrive at Pelion Gap.

------ 5 min rest

15:20 Leave Pelion Gap.
16:20 1.2 km later, arrive at summit of Mt Pelion East.

------ 20 min rest

16:40 Leave summit.
17:25 Back at Pelion Gap.

------ 5 min rest

17:30 Leave Pelion Gap.
18:45 Back at Pelion Hut for the night.

------ Total: 9 hrs 45 min, 23 km

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1.) Paul on the Arm River Track to Pelion Hut.
Only a small section of the track has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

2.) On the Arm River Track - Ricky in an enchanted forest of green mosses.

3.) Beautiful Lake Price and Mt Pillinger on the Arm River Track

4.) Love these marsh areas along the Arm River Track

5.) Marsh area along the Arm River Track.
Only a small section of the track has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

6.) Suspension bridge over Douglas Creek - looks like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.

7.) We are very near to Pelion Hut now. The mountain on the left of this picture is called Mt Oakleigh.

8.) A cute lovely wallaby watching us walking by. (Or is this a Pademelon? I can never tell which is which.)

9.) After 3.5 hrs walk on the Arm River Track, we reach Peilon Hut. This hut is meant for hikers on the Overland Track. Since we are from the Arm River Track, we will camp out at the back on a tent platform ... more of this later.

10.) We are on our way to Pelion Gap now, and walking on the famous Overland Track. This part of the track takes 1 and a quarter hours. Again, only a small section of the track has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

11.) This is Pelion Gap. Turning left (east) is to Mt Pelion East which we are going to climb right now. Turning right (west) is to Mt Ossa, Tasmania'a highest mt, which we will climb tomorrow (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html).

12.) Mt Pelion East - awesome looking !!! From Pelion Gap to the summit and return is about 2 hrs (including a 20 min rest at the summit).

13.) Mt Pelion East - awesome looking !!!
It looks like a scene from a Disney cartoon movie - a perfect place for a evil witch to built a castle at the summit.

14.) Mt Pelion East - awesome looking !!!
It looks impossible to climb ... but as it turns out, it is not too hard. There are some cairns pointing the way.

15.) Paul doing the hard climb.

16.) Made it to the summit !!!

17.) Paul taking pictures at the summit.

18.) Ricky climbs on top of one of the rocky outcrops.

19.) View from the summit - Here you can see Barn Buff, the nipple looking knob on the left. Cradle Mountain is just at the right of the centre of this picture (in the far horizon). Mt Oakleigh is the close by mountain (in front of Cradle Mountain).

20.) View from the summit - The highest point in this photo is Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain - we are going to climb it tomorrow !!! (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html)

21, 22.) Coming down from the summit is not easy!!!

23.) These small white flowers are abundant around the mountain.

24.) These small flowers are abundant around the mountain.

25.) Looking down at Pelion Gap where there is a sign pointing to the tracks up Mt Pelion East and Mt Ossa.

26.) Paul back at Pelion Gap.
I am pointing to Mt Pelion East which we have just climbed. Tomorrow will be Mt Ossa !!! (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html.) But for now, it is 1 and a quarter hours of walk back to Pelion Hut.

27.) At the end of a 10-hr day, we sleep out here on a tent platform at the back of Pelion Hut. But I wonder if the platform is also doubled up as a helicopter landing pad, because there are steel cables around the platform which can be used to anchor a helicopter.
All my stuff are in view here - sleeping bag is rolled up in the foreground. The orange thingie is a large plastic bag where everything go inside in case of rain. The grey blob thingies are stones - no, I don't carry those around.

28.) Ricky in his bivy bag

Bimberi, ACT, Australia (east approach)

2011-01-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

2011 January - 1.5 days climb of Australia's Bimberi Peak, from the east - start from abandoned Orroral Tracking Station in ACT and camp out for a night at Cotter Flats.

An alternate shorter 1-day route is from the west - start at Currango Plain (north-eastern tip of Tantangara Reservoir). I did it in Dec 2009. A write up of the trip is in:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/bimberi-act-australia.html

Bimberi Peak:
- 1913 meters
- Highest mountain in ACT
- Right on the border of ACT & NSW

Route, distance travelled and hiking time:
Day 1, 31 km, 12 hrs 15 min
- Start from the abandoned Orroral Tracking Station.
- Follow Cotter Hut Road.
- Turn west into Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT).
- Cross Cotter River at Cotter Flats.
- Rejoin Cotter Hut Road which soon becomes Yaouk Trail.
- Take south-south-west fork, the Murray Gap Trail.
- At Murrays Gap, bush-bash northward up to the peak.
- Retrace steps back to Cotter Flats.

Day 2, 13.5 km, 4 hrs
- Retrace steps back to Orroral Tracking Station.

Maps:
1:25,000 scale 8626-1N Corin Dam and 8626-1S-Rendezous maps

Water Requirement:
From Cotter Flats to Bimberi Peak and back is a long trip. On a hot day, you should carry 3 litres of water.

Camping Permit:
You need one, but it is free. Get it from Namadgi National Park Visitor Centre at Tharwa, ACT.

To get to the abandoned Orroral Tracking Station:
Any decent map of ACT would show you how to get there. From Civic (Canberra city centre) to there is about an hour's drive.

Description:
Ricky and I park the car and start walking at 5:50am. Nice and cool then. We first walk on Cotter Hut road. Unfortunately cars are not allowed on it, as otherwise one could have driven all the way to Cotter Flats and saves at least 4 hours of walking.

About 4.5 km (1 hour) on Cotter Hut Road, we turn west into a small foot track which leads to Cotter Flats. The only way you will notice this foot track is a small post with a yellow triangle sign with the words "Australian Alps Walking Track" (AAWT) in small print ... scroll down to see the 1st photo. You must keep an eye out for it, because one blink and you'll miss it. If you miss it, you can continue on Cotter Hut Road. It will also lead to Cotter Flats, but it will be 4 km longer.

This area is truly remote. We do not see a single soul for the 2 days. And as such, many stretches of the AAWT is overgrown with vegetation. At times, it is very hard to pick the trail.

At 9:40am we arrive at Cotter Flats and cross the Cotter River. There is a nice camping spot, a flat grassy area just by the river. We dump our camping gears there and explore around. Nearby is a ranger's hut called Cotter Hut. It has a well manicured lawn ... but don't even think about it ... you are not allowed to camp anywhere near the hut.

At 10:30am, it is time to get going again. The pack is much lighter now without all those camping gears.

From Cotter Hut, one could have bush-bashed one's way westward to Bimberi Peak. We take the longer and easier route, ie walk on the Murray Gap Trail to Murrays Gap which is at the border between ACT and NSW. Then we bush-bash northward to the peak.

A description of Murray Gap and Bimberi Peak is in http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/bimberi-act-australia.html and won't be repeated here.

We reached the peak at 14:20. Spend 30 minutes browsing around, then it is time to retrace steps back to Cotter Flats for the night.

All up, it is a 12-hr day!!! The last time I had such a long walk was ages ago when I climbed ACT's Mt Kelly from Gudgenby homestead on Boboyan Rd. Admittedly, the Kilimanjaro summit day was longer - 15 hrs; but there were plenty of rests and a long lunch. Whereas these ACT hikes have minimal breaks only.

There are lots of kangaroos around Cotter Flats. They are a friendly and curious bunch. They nose around our stuff; even copulated in front of us!!! Ricky claims that when he pees, some kangaroos come over and drink his urine. How gross!!!

I bought a brand new Blackwolf Cocoon Bivy Tent for this trip. 1.1 kg. It is quite good, easy to set up. But condensation is a problem. The weather is fine, so I have the vinyl flap off, leaving the mesh screen in place to ward off insects. But still, by the morning the inside of the tent is all wet. Fortunately I have a good sleeping bag which keeps me warm and dry.

Next day, up at 6am. Put on the backpack at 7am. Cross the Cotter River on bare feet. The water is freezing cold and painful. Reminds me of the Aconcagua trip where I had to do the same. At the time, I swore I would never do any hiking again if it involves crossing freezing rivers ... and here I'm doing it again!!!

We are back at the car by 11am.

Here are the timelines:
1st day:

05:50 From abandoned Orroral Tracking Station, start walk on Cotter Hut Raod.
07:00 4.5 km later, arrive at junction of Cotter Hut Road and AAWT.

------ 0 min rest

07:00 Start on AAWT.
09:40 9 km later, arrive at Cotter Flats.

------ 50 min rest

10:30 Leave Cotter Flats.
10:50 1.5 km later, arrive at junction to Murray Gap Trail.
12:25 4.5 km later Arrive at Murrays Gap.

------ 20 min lunch

12:45 Start Bimberi Peak climb.
14:20 2.7 km later, arrive at Bimberi Peak (total of 22.2 km from the car to summit)

------ 30 min rest

15:10 Leave Bimberi Peak.
16:10 Back at Murrays Gap.

------ 10 min rest

16:20 Leave Murrays Gap.
17:45 Back at junction to Murray Gap Trail.
18:05 Back at Cotter Flats and camp by the west side of Cotter River crossing point.

------ Total for the 1st day: 12 hrs 15 min, 31 km

2nd day:

07:10 Leave Cotter Flats.
08:48 Back at Cotter Gap.
09:50 Back at junction of Cotter Hut Road and AAWT.

------- 5 min rest

09:55 Leave junction of Cotter Hut Road and AAWT.
11:05 Arrive at Orroral Tracking Station.

------ Total for the 2nd day: 3 hr 55 min, 13.5 km

Pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1. Small post by the Cotter Hut Road - The yellow triangle sign points to a small foot track. Written in small print on the triangle is "Australian Alpine Walking Track". Both the foot track and this post are very inconspicuous. One blink and you will miss it.

2. The Australian Alpine Walking Track - This is the better part of the trail. Many stretches are completely covered with vegetation, making it very hard to find the trail.

3. A view of Bimberi Peak from Murrays Gap

4. Me at Murrays Gap. Murrays Gap is large flat swampy area between Bimberi Peak and Mt Murray.

5. At Murray's gap - This sign marks the border between ACT & NSW. There are wild pigs in this area. Avoid them if you can as they can attack you!!! (Just so that there is no misunderstanding, the wild pig is not me, ok!!!)

6. There is no trail from Murrays Gap to Bimberi Peak; need to bush-bash to the summit. Here Ricky takes a rest amongst the scrubs.

7. Love these small yellow flowers covering the slope

8. I saw this wind-beaten tree the last time I was here. And it is still here. A photo of the same tree is somewhere in http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/bimberi-act-australia.html

9. Bimberi Peak - almost there!!!

10. Made it!!!
(I got Ricky to carry my camera tripod. The last time I carried it was to climb Qld's Walshs Pyramid. It was heavy!!! From now on, he is going to carry it ... that is why one has a climbing partner ... hehe.)

11. Our hiking gears are under the shade of this tree

12. My smelly socks hanging here to dry. I always wear 2 pairs of socks. They got wet when crossing the numerous streams - it has been a wet summer.

13, 14: Small red flowers at the summit

15. Cotter Flats - we camp out around here for the night.

16. Cotter River crossing point at Cotter Flats - We set up tent right here beside the river.

17. Our camp site - it has been a grueling 12-hr day, looking forward to a good rest.

18. A pair of friendly kangaroos inspecting my cocoon bivy tent

19. Caught in the act!!! Kangaroos having sex right in front of me!!!
There are lots of kangaroos around here. They are friendly and curious. They nose around our stuff. Ricky claims that when he pees, some kangaroos come over and drink his urine. How gross!!!

20. Early next morning, I cross the Cotter River on bare feet.
The water is freezing cold and painful. Reminds me of the Aconcagua trip where I had to do the same. At the time, I swore I would never do any hiking again if it involves crossing a freezing river ... and here I'm doing it again!!!

21. Ricky and the friendly kangaroos

22. A pretty flower near our car at the abandoned Orroral Tracking station.

23. Kangaroos avoiding the hot summer sun. (Near our car)

Bartle Frere, Qld, Australia

2010-08-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

2010 August - 1 day climb of Australia's Mt Bartle Frere

At 1622 meters, Mt Bartle Frere is Queensland's highest mountain. Best time to climb it is during the dry season which is winter. Even then the mountain is often shrouded in clouds. We are lucky, the day Ricky and I climb it, the weather is mostly sunny.

This is a truly great peak on the Australian continent. On the north, there is nothing higher until New Guinea. On the west you have to cross the Indian Ocean to find a higher peak in Madagascar in Africa. On the east is the Pacific Ocean. On the south, there is nothing higher until you reach the Brindabella Ranges in ACT.

Some information on how to climb it...

Route:
We take the more popular eastern approach. The trail head is at Josephine Falls carpark near a small town called Miriwinni on the Bruce Highway .

There is a western approach from the Atherton Tableland. But the hiking distance is longer and the trail is not so well defined. It is possible to start from one side of the mountain and descend the other. But the logistics of arranging transport at both ends is not easy because of the large distance involved.

Book:
Tyrone Thomas' book (the bible for Australian hikers) has a good description on how to climb Bartle Frere. The book has a long title: "50 Walks in North Queensland World Heritage Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef"

Map:
The 1:50,000 Topographic Survey map is "Bartle Frere, Sheet 8063-2". But this map is not much use as the track is not marked on the map. More useful is the "Bartle Frere Trail" map issued by the Queensland Government. Do a Google search and you should be able to find it on the internet without much difficulties. But actually, you don't need a map. The track, though narrow and at some parts over grown with vegetation, is not hard to follow. At many places there are red triangle markers nailed to trees or rocks to guide you. Keep an eye out and you shouldn't get lost.

To get there:
On the Bruce Highway, about 2 km south of the small town Miriwinni, there is a large sign pointing to Josephine Falls. Turn into it. (If you are coming from Miriwinni, it is turning right into a country road.) Keep following the "Josephine Falls" sign and you will come to a carpark. This is the start of the trail to both Bartle Frere and Josephine Falls. The country road to the carpark is good. It is paved all the way.

If you are driving from Cairns, it takes about an hour to reach this carpark.

Hiking distance:
It is 7.5 km to the summit. Return trip is 15 km.

Hiking time:
Don't be fooled by the 1622-meter elevation. It doesn't seem high, but then you are climbing from almost sea level height. In his book, Tyrone Thomas said the return trip would take about 10 hours with minimal breaks and a short rest at the top.

Water:
It is a long hike. Even in winter, the weather is warm and humid in this part of the world and you lost a lot of water through perspiration during the climb. Hence it is recommended you carry 3.5 liters of water (if you don't intend to drink from the creeks).

Description:
We start the climb early ... at 6:00am, nice and cool then.

The first 3.5 km is level-ish through lush green rainforest. There are a few large-ish streams to cross. As it is not the rainy season, water level is low and we can cross them with ease by stepping on rocks jutting out in the middle of the streams.

After the 3.5 km of gentle hike, the trail turns steep, at times we are on all fours climbing over tree roots!

There are plenty of leeches even quite high up in the mountain. Luckily Ricky took along a spray-can of insert-cum-leech repellent. We spray plenty of it on our boots and the lower part of our trousers. Even then some leeches still manage to get onto Ricky's body.

Halfway up the trail, we meet a good looking female ranger coming down the mountain. We are most surprised on how she manages to get to the top and down faster than us. It turns out she helicoptered in; dropped off near the summit and walked down. Cheating!!! Wish we could have taken the helicopter ride with her!!!

At the 7 km mark we come to an emergency cabin and the helicopter pad where the ranger got off. This is also where one should be able to get a better view of the coastal lowlands than from the summit which has trees blocking the views. Unfortunaly even though it is sunny everywhere, a bunch of low lying white clouds is hugging the mid level of the mountain blocking off every thing below. But looking down from where we are, the clouds are stunningly beautiful ... see the photos below.

This is also where the trail ends. The final 0.5 km ascent (300 m in elevation) is mostly clambering over large boulders. Climbing them is quite a challenge even when sunny and dry. But if it is wet, it will be extemely treacherous because the boulders will become slippery. You should abandon the climb if this part is covered in clouds, because the boulders will then be wet.

At 11:00am we reach the summit. This is pretty good considering we practically ran up the Walshs Pyramid the day before!

We had a 40-minute lunch at the top before retracing our steps and is back at the carpark by 2:45pm.

In summary, the climbing timelines are:

06:00am - Start walking from Josephine Falls carpark.
10:10am - Reach 7 km point where there is an emergency cabin and helicopter pad.

Rest for 10 minutes.

10:20am - Start final 0.5 km ascent through the boulder fields.
11:00am - Reach summit.

Lunch for 40 minutes.

11:40am - Retrace steps back to Josephine Falls carpark.
14:45pm - Back at carpark.

Total trip: 8 hrs 45 minutes

I'll let the photos do more of the narrative. To enlarge a picture, click on it.

1: Start of the trail to Mt Bartle Frere summit. It is about sea level here, and it is 1622 meters at the summit. Distance to the summit is 7.5 km oneway. The 1st 3.5 km is level-ish. But the next 4 km is steep!

2: Typical lush green rainforest scenery

3: A clear mountain stream

4: Plenty of blood sucking leeches in this mountain!!! Tons and tons of them!!!

5: Halfway up the trail, we encounter this good looking ranger who helicoptered in, dropped off near the summit and walked down. Now, that is the way to conquer this mountain!!!

6: Need to scramble over these tree roots ...

7: ... which took the wind out of me.

8: View of the summit.
Here the trail ends. It is climbing over boulders for the final 0.5 km ascent (300 m in elevation).

9: Me - In the midst of the boulder field

10: Me - Clambering over the boulders. It is tough going through them. On some rocks, the park authorities have kindly installed railings for you to hang on to ... like here.

11: If you click on the photo to enlarge it, in the distance, you can see the emergency cabin and the helicopter pad just in front of it. The female ranger in the earlier photo, helicoptered in and got off there in the morning.

12: Ricky

13: This is the summit. We made it after 5 hours and 10 minutes - very good, considering we practically ran up the Walshs Pyramid the day before!!!

14: I rig my camera on top of a backpack to take this photo, which explains why we stoop down to fit into the frame.

15: The weather is sunny over this part of the world. But there is this bunch of white clouds hugging the mid level of the mountain. Otherwise, here near the summit, we could see all the way to the Pacific Ocean and the Great Barrier Reefs. But still, this is really a fantastic sight !!!

16: WOW!!!

17: Small flowers at the summit

If you still have energy after the climb, you can take a stroll to the nearby Josephine Falls which is only 700 meters from the carpark. It would be most refreshing to immerse youself in one of the many waterholes there after such a hard climb.

Walshs Pyramid, Qld, Australia

2010-08-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

2010 August - half-day climb of Australia's Walshs Pyramid

Walshs Pyramid at Gordonvale (near Cairns in north Queensland) is 922 meters high. It is a free standing mountain with a distinct pyramid appearance. There is a claim that it is the highest freestanding pyramid-shaped mountain in the world. I don't know how true this is.

Information on how to climb it:

Route:
From a small carpark in Moss Road, hike up the north side of the Pyramid.

Book:
To climb it, best is to follow the description in Tyrone Thomas' book "50 Walks in North Queensland World Heritage Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef".

Map:
You don't need a map. The track is clearly defined. You can't possibly get lost. But if you insist, the 1:50,000 topographic survey map is "Gordonvale, Sheet 8063-1". The track is not marked on the map. It follows a spur on the northern flank of the Pyramid, all the way to the summit.

To get there:
At Gordonvale, on the Bruce Highway, less than 1 km south-east of a bridge over the Mulgrave River; turn south into a small paved road which is supposed to be called Moss Road. However you won't find the road sign. Instead, you should look for the sign "Pyramid Walking Track". Once you are on Moss road, follow a parking sign which will lead to a small car park with spaces for a few cars only. This is the start of the Pyramid climb.

(From Bruce Highway to the carpark is about 200 meters.)

Hiking distance:
Return trip to the summit and back is 6.6 km.

Hiking time:
Don't be fooled by the 922-meter elevation. It doesn't seem high, but then you are climbing from virutually sea level height; and it is steep all the way. In his book, Tyrone Thomas said a return trip would take about 4.5 hours with minimal breaks. Once a year, on the 3rd Saturday of August, competitors from all over the world come to Gordonvale to race up the summit and down. The best runners can do it in less than 1.5 hours.

Description:
Ricky and I start the climb at 8:05am. True to its reputation, the track is steep from the word go. Ricky set a fast and furious pace. He seems hell bent on wanting to break the race record. I have to keep on reminding him we are not in the race, we are 3 days late.

We reach the top at 9:45am. This has to be the fastest time I ever ascended an elevation of 900 meters. Beat that if you can!!!

Except for a large granite rock, otherwise there is nothing to mark the top. But the view is good.

On the north, we have a clear view of the Gordonvale township and the patchwork of sugarcane fields around it.

Further north we can see Cairns.

On the south is Bellenden Ker Range where Queensland's highest mountain, Mt Bartle Frere is. We'll be climbing Bartle Frere tomorrow. I shudder at the tought of it because I am not sure whether my tired legs can recover from this climb by tomorrow.

We stay at the summit for a while ... hopping onto some of the large boulders to get a better view of the plain below.

50 minutes later, at 10:35am, it is time to return to the carpark which we reached by 11:25am.

Total time for the trip is 3 hr 20 min which includes the 50 minutes loitering around the summit.

Here are some photos. (To enlarge a picture, click on it.)

1: Walshs Pyramid taken near a small town called Edmonton (about 10 km north of Gordonvale).

2: Closer up view of Walshs Pyramid

3: This is the junction of Bruce Highway and Moss Road at Gordonvale; about 800 meters south-east of a bridge over Mulgrave River. You won't find a "Moss Road" road sign. Instead, you'll find this sign at the juction. By the way, Moss Road is paved ... well, at least to the carpark at the start of the climbing trail.

4: It is a steep climb.

5: I thought I was almost at the summit. But ...

6: ... But it was only halfway, and I'm tired. And tomorrow we still have Bartle Frere to climb!!!

7: At last, almost there ... the summit is at the centre of the picture.

8: The summit is just this rock.

9: Ricky and I at the summit. This picture is taken by a big tripod which I carried all the way up here. I am not going to make the same mistake again tomorrow for the Bartle Frere climb!!!

10: View from the summit: Looking towards the north is a patchwork of sugarcane fields around the small town Gordonvale. You can just make out the city of Cairns - at top right of the picture.

11: Looking towards the south-east - cane fields and more cane fields!!!

YuShan (or Jade Mt), Taiwan

2010-04-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

2010 April - 2 day climb of Taiwan's YuShan (also called Jade Mountain)

At 3952 meters, YuShan (or Jade Mountain) is Taiwan's highest mountain. It is also the highest mountain in East Asia and the Far East. To find higher peaks you have to go west to the Himalayan outliers in China's SiChuan Province, north to Kamchatka in Siberia, east to Mauna Kea in Hawaii or south to Mt Kinabalu in Malaysia's Sabah State.

The area where YuShan stands supreme includes Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indo-China, and all of eastern China. At one stage, the Japanese thought their Mt Fuji was the highest in this area. When they landed in Taiwan in the 1890s, they discovered to their chagrin that YuShan was even higher. So they promptly annexed Taiwan in 1900 which solved the embarrassment that the highest mountain was not in Japanese territory.

Supposedly there are a few English speaking climbing companies to YuShan. But I can only find one - http://www.barking-deer.com/ . However they never replied to my enquires.

So I signed up with a local Chinese speaking company http://www.yx.com.tw/ . They are very professional; the best organized mountain climbing outfit I have experienced. The draw back is they only speak/write in Chinese. But still, if you wish to go with them and is baffled by their Chinese website and application forms, contact me and I can help with the translation. On the trip itself, there bound to be someone in the group who can speak English to help you out.

The trip is a 2-day climb using the west face approach. Only a daypack is required as a sleeping bag is provided for the night at a halfway lodge called Paiyun Lodge. We only need to carry our own packed lunch, water and warm clothes. There is no need to carry the night's dinner.

The starting point of the climb is near Paiyun Visitors' Center (2600 meters) at the west side of YuShan National Park. We are there at 9:00am, register ourselves with the park ranger, look around and view a video about YuShan. By the time we start walking, it is 10am.

The first day's track is not too steep. It is 8.5km to the halfway Paiyun Lodge, at 3402 meters. We reach it 6 hours later at 4pm. Dinner is surprisingly abundant considering the spartan set up of the lodge.

We are in bed well before 8pm. The beds in the lodge is similar to that in Japan's Mt Fuji - in a small-ish room there are long double decker beds on both sides of the wall. Each deck sleeps 12 people in sardine-packed style, hence a total of 24 people on 2 decks at one side of the wall. Another 24 people on the other side of the wall and we have a total of 48 people in one room.

Naturally it is almost impossible to sleep in this environment - you can hear clearly people tossing and turning, coughing, getting in and out of bed. Everyone is glad to be waken up by the mountain guide at 2am for a light breakfast.

By 3am we are on our way to the peak in the dark. This part of the climb is steeper. Thankfully, the park authorities have provided poles and chains for us to hold on to. By 5:30am, 2.5km later, we reach the top just in time to see the sun rise. We are lucky, it is a clear day with not much cloud, minimal wind. As the sun gradually brightens the surrounding landscape, we can see the mountain ranges below, twisting and folding onto each other due to the collision of the Philippines and Eurasian Tectonic plates.

Of the "Asian trilogy"
. Malaysia Sabah's Mt Kinabalu - 4095 meters
. Taiwan's YuShan - 3952 meters
. Japan's Mt Fuji - 3776 meters
All are similar 2-day climbs. I find YuShan easiest, because the starting point of the walk is at 2600 meters. Whereas the starting point is around 2000 meters for the other 2 mountains. Kinabalu has the most fascinating wind-sculptured rock formations at the top. YuShan doesn't have them; but its 360 degree view of the mountain ranges below is still a sight to behold.

The following photos throw more light on the climb. (To enlarge a picture, click on it.)

1: Our group (21 hikers and 2 guides) at the trail head called Tataka Saddle (2600 meters) about 1.5km east of Paiyun Visitor's Center - here, we start walking at 10 am.

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2, 3: On the trail to the halfway lodge

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4: On the left is an Azelea. They happen to be flowering at this time. On the right is a typical tree in YuShan.

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5: An Azalea - there are plenty of them in YuShan. They brightened the hill side with their lovely flowers.

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6: YuShan is the little bump at the centre of this photo.

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7, 8, 9: We reach the halfway lodge, called Paiyun Lodge (3402 meters) at 4pm and stay here for the night.

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10, 11: Dinner is surprisingly abundant considering the spartan set up of the lodge.

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12: One of the rooms in the lodge - 48 people can be crammed into this little room.

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13. The frail old lady beside me must be over 65 years old. She made it to the top the next day. Shame to all those who claim they are too old to tackle high mountains.

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14: Closer view of the peak - we get up at 2 am. Have a light breakfast. Start walking towards it at 3 am.

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15, 16: We reach the peak (3952 meters) at 5:30 am, just in time to see the sun rise.

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17, 18, 19, 20, 21: Returning to Paiyun Lodge - glad we scambled to the top in the dark and did not notice the steep slope and the narrow trail !!! One slip and you may not be alive.

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22, 23: A covered walkway - to prevent hikers being hit by falling stones.

Bimberi, ACT, Australia (west approach)

2009-12-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

2009 December - 1 day climb of Australia's Bimberi Peak from the west - start from Currango Plain at north-eastern tip of Tantangara Reservoir

( An alternate and longer route is the east approach - start from abandoned Orroral Tracking Station in ACT and camp out at Cotter Flats. Refer:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html )

Bimberi Peak, 1913 meters, on the border of ACT & NSW, is the highest mountain of ACT. Ever since I came back from Aconcagua, I had been trying to climb it. But the weather forecast over that area was always cloudy. I always wonder whether the weather bureau ever bothered to update the details over there!

Anyway, today, Dec 6, the weather forecast is sunny, so Matt, Will, Tom, Thea and I are going to climb it.

First, some information on how to climb it:

Route:
From the north-eastern tip of Tantangara Reservoir, to Oldfield Hut, then eastward to Murrays Gap, then bush bash northward to the summit.

Book:
Best is to follow the description in Tyrone Thomas' book "120 Walks in NSW".

Map:
If you don't have the book, then the 1:100,000 8626-Tantangara map is good enough. If you wish, you can arm yourself with an even finer detailed 1:25,000 8626-1S-Rendezous map.

Hiking distance and time:
19.5 km

In his book, Tyrone Thomas said the return trip would take about 8 hours with minimal breaks.

Water:
You should carry 2.5 litres of water. But if you are prepared to drink from the creeks, then 1.5 litres is sufficient.

To get there:
On the Snowy Mountains Highway, half way between Adaminaby and Kiandra, turn north into the unsealed Tantangara Road. Don't drive too fast, as there are the occasional kangaroos and brumbies who love to cross the road right in front of your car. The road leads to Tantangara Reservoir where it changes its name to Pocket Road. Keep following it till you reach a locked gate at the crossing of Gurrangorambla Creek in Currango Plain at the north-eastern tip of Tantangara Reservoir.

Description:
This is where we park the car and start walking northward along the Pocket Road. After a bit over a kilometer, we turn eastward into Murray Gap Trail. A further 2 kilometers along the tail, we come to an abandoned cattlemen's hut called Oldfields Hut. This is a good place to take a rest and explore around. The hut is still in good condition. Hikers sometimes spend a night inside or camp on its grounds.

Back on the Murray Gap Trail ... after another 4 kilometers, we reach Murrays Gap and come to a sign post marking the border between NSW and ACT.

Murrays Gap is a saddle point between Mt Bimberi to the north and Mt Murray to the south. Being the saddle point, it is a flat area where water doesn't drain away easily, thus forming a swampy treeless marsh. If it had rained a few days earlier, you would need a good pair of ankle-high waterproof hiking boots to walk through it.

It is quite interesting to stand alone in the middle of this large open swamp. It gives you a creepy eerie feeling of millions eyes watching you, even though no one is there. Just as well I have this creepy feeling, otherwise I would love to piss right there in the open and let half of the water flow down to Corin/Cotter Dams, then down the water pipes of Parliament house to let our politicians have a taste of an ordinary citizen. The other half of the water would flow westward to fertilize our western plains ... the farmers would love it.

Bimberi Peak is just north of Murrays Gap. There is no trail up there. Furthermore, because of the topography and the trees, you couldn't see the summit for a very long while, hence it is heavy duty compass navigation all the way to the peak.

Also due to the absence of a trail, it is scrub-bashing all the way too. It can be fun for people who have never tried it. But otherwise, it is a real inconvenience. It slows the pace down to about 1 km per hour. Thus the 2.5 km from Murrays Gap to the peak takes about 2 hours.

Once you reach the top, you are rewarded by a magnificent 360 degree panoramic scene. You can see Corin dam to the northeast. To the south is Mt Murray and the swamp at Murrays Gap.

We have lunch there. Then explore around a knoll south west of the peak. There we get a clear view of Oldfields Hut. Pocket Road can be seen winding its way to Tantangara Reservoir.

Then it is time to leave. The return trip is by retracing the steps.

Here are the stats:
06:25 Leave car and start walking
07:15 Arrive at Oldfields Hut

15 min rest

07:30 Leave Oldfields Hut
08:55 Arrive at Murrays Gap

20 min rest

09:15 Leave Murrays Gap
11:05 Arrive at Bimberi Peak

1:40 rest, including an excursion to a knoll south west of Bimberi Peak

12:45 Leave Bimberi Peak
14:00 Return back to Murrays Gap

no rest

14:00 Leave Murrays Gap
15:25 Back at Oldfields Hut

35 min rest

16:05 Leave Oldfields Hut
16:50 Return to car

Summary:
Hiking time - 7:35 excluding lunch time exploration
Rest time - 2:50 including the exploration
Total time - 10hr 25min

Here are some photos. (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: Start of the Murray Gap Trail. It leads east, past Oldfields Hut and then to Murrays Gap.

2: An abandoned cattlemen's hut called Oldfields Hut. The hut is in good condition and there are some interesting fruit trees around its garden area. Often hikers camp out here for the night.

3: Sombre looking Bimberi Peak (from Oldfields Hut) ... doesn't look inviting!

4: Goodradigbee River which flows into Burrinjuck Dam and thus is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River

5: At Murrays Gap ... It marks the border between ACT & NSW. It is called Murrays Gap because it is between Bimberi Peak to the north and Mt Murray to the south.

6: Murrays Gap is a large flat open swampy plain. Standing in the middle of it gives you a creepy eerie feeling of millions eyes watching you, even though no one is there. Up to this point, we have been following a well defined track. Now we turn north and start scrub-bashing up hill to Bimberi Peak.

7: Plenty of wild flower growing in Murrays Gap - I think this one is called Grevillea Lanigera, a dwarf Grevillea.

8: We are scrub-bashing up Bimberi. There is no track. And you can't see the peak ... being obstructed by scrubs/trees. Compass and good navigational skill is required for this part of the climb.

9: Bimeri Peak ... we are almost there. (The area is much open now because we are at about 1900 meters, above the tree-line.)

10: Made it!!!

11: View from the peak ... The clearing in the middle of the photo is where Oldfields Hut is.

12: Zooming onto the clearing. You should be able to see Oldfields Hut ... to enlarge the photo, click on it.

13: Looking south at Mt Murray. At its foothill is Murrays Gap, the flat swampy area mentioned earlier. In the photo it shows up as long and narrow and in light green colour.

14: Zooming onto Murrays Gap.

15: Towards northeast is Corin Dam, the main reservoir for Canberra residents.

16: A wind-beaten Snow Gum growing horizontally near the peak ... quite amazing!

Yasur Volcano, Tanna Is, Vanuatu

2009-06-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

2009 June - Evening tour to Vanuatu's Yasur Volcano

I saw a documentary on ABC TV on Yasur Volcano few years ago and had been itching to visit it for some time. With the Swine Flu now on full swing, decided to go now to take advantage of the discount travel and accommodation rates.

The volcano is 361 meters above sea level. It erupts continuously all year and is easily accessible. Just get to Tanna Island in Vanuatu. Once there, all accommodation sites will organize a trip there. The eruptions are best seen at night when you can better see the red fireworks and lava bombs.

My flight from Port Vila (capital of Vanuatu on Efate Island) to Tanna Island was in a 15-seater noisy propeller plane and took about an hour. There were 10 people in the plane, half were tourists; the others were natives. Some of the natives had never been in any vehicle before, let alone a plane. So I became a flight attendant and taught them how to buckle up the seat belts. And when the plane landed, help them to unbuckle. That was my one-kind-act-a-day for the day.

Tanna is an unspoiled beautiful island, no shops, no bitumen roads, no public transport, no taxis. Nonetheless, for such a tranquil island, it boasts a variety of accommodations, called lodges or bungalows, all catering for the volcano tourism.

We were supposed to be picked up at 3pm for the Volcano, but the driver didn't turn up until 4pm. This is known as Tanna time ... always add an extra hour to whatever time has been promised. For example, the next day's breakfast at the lodge where I stayed was supposed to be available at 6am. But the restaurant didn't open until 7am. It was too late for me as the return flight to Port Vila was at 8am; so I had to miss breakfast since it was time to head for the airport. And you guessed it, the plane was an hour late, so I could have had my breakfast if I had stuck to Tanna time like everyone else.

I side tracked ... back on the trip to the volcano ... it hadn't rained in Vanuatu for weeks. And would you believe on the day the sky opened up with buckets of rain!?! As already mentioned, Tanna has no bitumen roads. Whatever roads they have are narrow, winding, one-laned and full of bumps and pot holes. But our driver could still manage a speed of almost 100 kph on these muddy slimy roads on such a rainy day. It was a feat that Evel Knievel himself would be proud of!!! The ride was more thrilling than a roller-coaster in any amusement park.

It was all very exciting fun until Mr Evel Knievel tried to overtake a slower car. He misjudged the width of the road and we came to a sudden dead stop with half the car in a road-side mud ditch. I thought, oh oh, that is the end of the tour and how the hell are we going to get back to the lodge? Or worse, we may have to help push the car out of the ditch ... and as I had already done my one-kind-act earlier on in the plane, I was definitely not looking forward to do another kind act. Fortunately after some deft wheel spinning backwards and forwards, Mr Evel Knievel managed to get the car out of the bog and out of the ditch!!! He is my hero of the day!!!

Whilst we had a lucky escape and was able to keep driving onward to the volcano, the weather still didn't want to smile. It kept on raining. At 6pm, we reached the base of the crater. After a 10-minute climb up the crater rim, all we saw was thick white steam rising from inside the volcano - none of the red eruptions promised on the tourist brochures. Reason was when the rain hit the hot earth and molten lava inside the volcano, the water turned into thick white steam and mist, obscuring everything.

It was a big disappointment!!!

Not much pictures in this trip ... well, it was a rainy day and also very late in the evening ... too dark for proper photographs :(

(To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: Tanna is untouched by modern civilizaton. Here, a woman is washing her clothes by a stream.

2: The bungalow where I stayed for the night.

3: Yasur Volcano

4: Ash plane near Yasur Volcano

5: We had to cross this river. If the current is strong, a car can be swept away ... and many have suffered this fate. But we got through.

6: Near the volcano now ... hot steam rising from the earth.

7: A 10-minute path to the crater rim.

8: This is what we were supposed to see ...

9: ... instead, all we saw was white steam as a result of rain hitting the hot earth and molten lava inside the crater. In the photo, you can make out part of the circular crater rim.

10: A video.

By the way, Vanuatu's highest mountain is in Santo Island ... see http://www.tabwemasana.com/ Quite interesting. Is there any masochist out there interested in having a go at this mountain with me?

Aconcagua, Argentina

2009-01-27T23:28:00.000-08:00

2009 January - 18 day adventure to Argentina's Aconcagua

Aconcagua 6962 meters: Highest peak in the Andes in Argentina, and also the highest mountain outside the Himalayas.

2009-01-07
Finally!!! I'm going to climb Aconcagua. Ever since the Dec 2004 NZ trip where I was huffing & panting after only a few hours of walk up the Franz Josef Glacier, I had been dreaming/planning for this. And today I am actually flying out to climb it!!!

2009-01-27
Here is an account of the trip. Couldn't reach the top ... extremely disappointed ... high wind thwarted the attempt on the summit day. But first, some random observations of Argentina through my black tinted iris ...

Buenos Aires is quite an interesting city ... full of Spanish colonial architecture ... if you like that sort of thing. They like naming streets like "25th May Street", "9th July Street", so cute!!! There is a small China Town, but outside of it, there are no Asians. There are also no blacks, no muslims, no little green men. Small kids found me a curiosity, like someone from Mars!!!

The city is supposed to be dangerous. The hotel staff warned me not to wear a watch nor carry a camera on the street. I did that for half a day, then found it very inconvenient. So back to the hotel to wear the watch and took the camera ... well, hadn't been robbed so far.

After a few days sightseeing, it was off to Mendoza, 1000 km west of Buenos Aires, and it was there the Aconcagua trip officially started.

Mendoza is a small provincial town where midday siesta is strictly observed. From 1pm to 4pm, the town is virtually dead. All shops are closed, then re-open from 4pm onwards. Dinner usually starts from 9pm onwards which upset my stomach a bit ... when on the road, I prefer having dinner early and be in bed early.

San Martin seems to be Mendoza's patron saint ... everywhere there are San Martin Streets, San Martin Plazas, San Martin Buildings, San Martin Statues, San Martin Parks, San Martin This and San Martin That.

About Aconcagua... the company which organises the expedition has a trip up there every week in the Southern Hemisphere summer. So far this 2008/2009 season, every trip succeed in reaching the summit except ours due to high wind ... ah well, bad luck !!! No doubt, it was all because I didn't visit a San Martin Church earlier on.

But still, the scenery is fantastic. If you ever visit Argentina but don't wish to climb Aconcagua, it is worthwhile to fly west to Mendoza, and from there, join one of the day tours to the Andes Highlands and have a look.

Two minibuses took us and our gears from Mendoza to a small skiing resort called Los Penitentes a few hours drive further to the west. This was where the actual walk started. After 3 days of hiking along the beautiful Vacas River and Relincho Stream, we reached base camp, Plaza Argentina.

Base camp was like heaven after so many days on the feet ... because we had a rest day there. And because it had a hot shower ... which was only a 1-star treatment, but Geez, it had a 5-star feel about it. But I also wondered why bothered, because I put on the same dirty clothes afterwards. (I didn't take spare sets of clothes, else I had to carry them!!! So I was on the same undies for about 15 days.)

It also had internet service ... haha ... one just couldn't get away from this modern contraption. But after using it for only 10 minutes, it went belly up, because it was run on solar power, and a cloud came over, obstructing the sun. This was the start of our bad luck run, because the cloud brought snow with it, and it snowed almost every day from then on.

For us Aussies who hardly ever saw snow, it was a wonderful beautiful experience ... well, at first. Then we cursed it. The snow got into our tent, got into our backpack, got into our nose, and worse, got into our toilet business, because after base camp, all toilet business was done in the open!!!

Past base camp there were three high camps ... camp-1, camp-2 and camp-3. To get to one of these high camps took 3 days ...

- One day to carry and cache part of the stuff to a higher camp ... stuff like food and fuel for the rest of the expedition, and warmer clothes not required at a lower camp. Then straight back to the lower camp for the night.
- The next day was for the actual move to the higher camp, taking along the tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad, plus pots and pans required by the group.

- The third day was a rest day.

At camp-1, there was a stream where one can collect water, but not in the morning as it would be frozen overnight as I found out to my chagrin and had to break open the ice to get to the water.

At camp-2, the ice was permanent. Learning fast from my camp-1 experience, to get to the water, wait for someone else to break open the ice, then you quickly move in after him. To wait any longer, the water would be iced over and you'll have to break open the ice yourself.

At camp-3, there was no stream (it would be under inches of snow). Instead, you melted the snow for the water ... best was to avoid collecting yellowish looking snow!!!

The day after we moved to the final camp-3, the sky cleared. At 4am there was no cloud, and we could see the stars. So we quickly dressed up and set for the summit. The rest was history ... After we started climbing, the wind set in. It was so strong, it whipped up snow from the ground and formed a cloud around the summit, reducing visibility to almost zero. Thus after 1.5 hrs of climbing, we had to turn back ... so close yet so far. The next day was similar ... high wind again, and that was the end of the expedition.

Now, some photos: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1, 2, 3: We walked right through the following valleys on the way to Base Camp.

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4: Aconcagua (East face)!!! Awesome!!!

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5: Me drinking native tea called Mate (pronounced Ma-Tay) ~~ It tastes like green tea with a raw grass flavour. The Mate leaves are put into a gourd. Pour in hot water. The tea leaves will float on top. You sip the tea through a metal straw which has a filter at the bottom to filter out any errant tea leaves which may drop to the bottom. When the drink gets low, top it up with more hot water.

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6: Crossing a river ~~ The water was freezing cold!!! You could sort of feel the blood freezing up. You almost couldn't move and your heart almost stopped beating. This is one of those situations you should experience once in your life time to know how it feels, but you wouldn't want to do it again!!! In the photo, the guy in white shirt was in trouble due to the cold - he almost couldn't move. Our guide (in green shirt) went into the water to help.

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7: From Base Camp to High Camp-1 ~~ You can see a zigzag path up the mountain through a field of penitentes (see next photo). High Camp-1 is over the ridge, ie the sky line at the top of this photo. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

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8, 9, 10: The next 3 photos are close up views of the ice field. The ice columns are called penitentes. At some places, they can be as tall as a man. Walking through them was fun, like walking through a maze. But it was actually quite a dangerous place. There were lots of pot holes inside them. I fell into one. And in a reflex action to stabilize myself, I used both hands to grab onto a nearby penitente. This was a bad bad mistake as the penitenties are made of ice and the edges are razor sharp. I cut 8 of my 10 fingers, sparing the 2 little fingers. Normally, it is not a big deal. But there, at such a high altitude where oxygen level was about half that at sea level, the wounds would not heal. I had to wrap the fingers up with bandaids and wait for them to heal when I'm back down the mountain. Again, normally it is not a big deal, except when going to toilet to do big business ... if you don't believe me, try to wipe your bum with 8 of your 10 fingers all wrapped up in bandaids!!!

How are the ice columns formed? Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitentes (Don't ask me questions. I don't quite understand the article myself.)

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11: A frozen waterfall at High Camp-1

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12: Waking up on day 12 at High Camp-2 ~~ "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!!!"

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13: At High Camp-3 ~~ 8 climbers + 3 guides sharing 4 tents (There should be 9 of us. But one guy dropped out earlier at Base Camp.)

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14: Me all dressed up on summit day but going no where ~~ High wind prevented us from getting to the top.

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15: Another view of Aconcagua from the west side (we climb up Aconcagua from the Vacas Valley and go down it on the Normal Route.)

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16: I like this one!!! Attended a dancing show in Buenos Aires. Afterwards, took this photo with a dancer. This pic compensates for all the disappointment of failing to reach the summit.

Thank-you's:

To Eli who pointed out that San Martin was not a Saint. He was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.

To Pat who bandaged up my fingers when I fell and cut them badly while going through the penitentes.

To Michael, Bart and Liz who washed a sand out of my eye - especial to Michael who poured the water. Without you I would have to quit at High Camp-1.

To Bruce and Don who put up with my incessant snoring.

To Don again who mended my pants with duct tape.

Fuji, Japan

2008-07-18T01:08:00.000-07:00

2008 July - 2 day climb of Japan's Mt Fuji

"See this X-Ray picture here ... here are your knees ... you have arthritis!!!" so gloated the doctor triumphantly as if he had found some hidden treasure. This was in mid 2007 when I found my knees were not good. They hurt if I walked on stairs with some weight in a backpack. And why was I walking the stairs with a backpack? Well, I had been training for the big Aconcagua climb planned for Jan 2008 by walking the staircases of a multi-story carpark in the middle of the night when the carpark was empty.

The doctor's diagnosis was a bitter disappointment. Reluctantly, I cancelled the trip to Aconcagua.

Later on, a pharmacist friend suggested glucosamine and fish oil tablets may help the joints. After taking them for a while, I found the tablets worked wonders and the knees didn't hurt anymore ... although I could only climb staircases one step at a time. Taking 2 staircase steps in one go would still hurt. But one step at a time should be good enough for Aconcagua ... so I theorized. To prove it, I need to find a decent sized mountain for testing ... hence Mt Fuji !!!

Fuji is Japan's highest mountain, 3776 meters. In July, the month I climbed it, it was quite warm at the top, a comfortable 5 degrees.

Having climbed Africa's Kilimajaro, Fuji in summer turned out to be a bit of a disappointment ... well, the scenery was no where as grand as Kilimanjaro. Its crater was tiny by comparison. The landscape near the top was brown dirt with no white ice to jazz it up. No wonder there is this Japanese saying, you are wise to climb Fuji once, a fool to climb it twice.

Hey, you really ought to see the Kilimanjaro crater. It is HUGE !!! It would take 12 hours of walking on the crater rim to circumnavigate it ... I think. Whereas 30 minutes is more than enough to walk around the Fuji crater.

Although Fuji was not an exciting mountain for climbing, I did have the good fortune to meet 6 lovely ladies ... as a matter of fact, besides me and the mountain guide, all the other climbers were female!!! 4 were from USA and 2 were from Australia. I had no idea why they wanted to climb Fuji. When in Japan, why didn't they go and roam around the Ginza shopping district? ... far more exciting there.

About the climb: It was not an easy stroll. It was uphill all the way. But in another sense, it was a comfortable walk ... because the track was lined with shops selling snacks and drinks. If you were willing to pay 500 Yen for a 250 ml bottle of water, then you didn't even need to carry any water. And unlike toilets on other mountains which were stinking smelly holes in the ground, the toilets in Fuji had seats, flushable, clean and didn't smell.

How about my knees? They held up very well for the entire trip, no sign of discomfort. Aconcagua, I am coming!!!

Some photos: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: Subashiriguchi 5th Station - the starting point of the Fuji climb

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2: Group photo ~~ Our guide Brent is on the right. I'm in luck, aside from me, this an all female group!!!

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3: At the start of the trail, you buy a hiking stick for 1000 Yen. At each rest station such as this one, for a price of 200 Yen, you have your stick branded with the station's mark. My stick is being branded right here in this photo. Since there are many rest stations on the trail, and if the stick is branded at each stop, the total cost of the marks far exceeds the cost of stick. The Japanese are very smart at value adding. I won't be surprised if they bought the wood from us Aussies at 10 Yen. And now I'll be out of pocket for 3000 Yen for the stick and all the brandings!!!

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4: There are many encouraging signs like this throughout the trail. Here it says "Do Yoer Best!". There are several climbing trails to the summit. And not surprisingly, there are plenty of cases where people went down the mountain on the wrong trail and ended up on the wrong side of the mountain far away from where they had parked their cars. To minimize incidences like these, all routes are colour coded. Here, red is the colour of our Subashiriguchi trail.

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5: Closer view of Mt Fuji ~~ unfortunately we don't have any spectacular view of Fuji from this trail. This is the best I can do.

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6: As mentioned already, the starting point of the trail is 5th Station. The summit is called the 10th Station. And you guessed it ... there are 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th Stations in between where you can buy snacks, drinks and visit the toilet. These stations must have been quite popular, because in between them, spring up New 6th, New 7th, New 8th, New 9th stations. The previous photo where my stick was being branded was at the New 6th Station. Here in this photo, it is the Main 6th Station. I guess "Main" is an euphemism for "Old".

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7: Brent, the guide leading the fearless Amazons

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8: On the way up, we met a couple with their dog on the way down. The dog was wearing socks, so cute! But the poor dog didn't look happy. It couldn't understand why it had to climb up a mountain and then climbed all the way down again. I could hear it asking, "Why???"

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9: This view is fantastic!!! A perfectly cone shaped shadow of Mt Fuji on the clouds below.

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10: That night, we slept at the 8th Station in a dormitory styled bunk bed. No male/female section. Here was beautiful Barbara beckoning us to bed.

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11: We woke at 2 am and trudged on upwards; and were reward at the summit by this glorious view of the sunrise.

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12, 13: At the summit ~~ only 4 of us made it. The others were too tired to even bothered to get out of bed. They stayed back at the 8th Station.

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14: Going down the mountain ~~ This is a view of the 8th station where we spent the night.

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15: A typical scree where we slide down the mountain.

Kosciuszko, Australia

2007-12-29T00:03:00.000-08:00

2007 December - 3 hour return walk to Australia's highest mountain, Mt Kosciuszko
( A return visit was made to Mt Kosciuszko and Mt Townsend in 2011 April ... refer to this entry: http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html )

This Christmas, met up with the Kai family at Thredbo, and went for a walkie on the roof of Australia. In the past, we always met once a year in Melbourne. This time, it is a pleasant change from the usual routine.

2228 meters, that is how high, ooops, I mean how low Kosciuszko is. Ah well, Australia doesn't have high mountains, and Kosciuszko is the highest we've got.

There are many ways to reach the summit. The easiest way is to take the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift at Thredbo. In summer, this is the only chairlift operating. Get off at the top station, then follow an eco-friendly raised mesh walkway all the way to the peak. Return trip is around 3 hours, level-ish walk almost all the way. Well, that was how we did it, too simple!

Ok, some pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: On the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift looking back towards Thredbo

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2: On the same chairlift looking towards Eagles Nest station - the top station

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3, 4: Eco-friendly raised mesh walkway. The round hill in the middle of the pictures is Mt Kosciuszko, 2228 meters.

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5, 6: Scenery around the roof of Australia

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7: This is Australia's highest named lake, Lake Cootapatamba. You can take a swim, but the water would be very cold.

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8: Me (left) & Kai at the summit

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Mt Townsend, Australia's 2nd highest mountain is only about 2 hours away northward (5-km's walk). We didn't do it this time. My knees weren't feeling well throughout this year. But one day, I hope to be back here again and get to Mt Townsend as well. Keep tracking this blog!!!

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PS. Made it to Mt Townsend in 2011 April ... refer to this entry: http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html

Diamond Head Crater, Hawaii

2007-06-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

2007 June - 1 hour climb of Hawaii's Diamond Head Crater

When in Honolulu, you must and you should and you just have to walk up the Diamond Head Crater. It is Hawaii's premier natural landmark and is recognized around the world as a symbol of Honolulu.

To get there, take the Blue Line Trolley. Get off inside the Diamond Head Crater. You know you are inside the crater when the Trolley passes through a tunnel drilled through the crater wall.

The track is steeped in history. You walk on the same path as the US soldiers did during WWII. They trudged daily up this trail to the summit (232 meters) to look out for Japanese warships.

The track consists of many switchbacks, steep stairways, long dark tunnels, and a spiral stairwell. When you reach the top, you are presented with a magnificient panoramic view of the Oahu coast, Honolulu city and Pearl Harbour!!!

(To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: The track starts here. The summit is the first peak on the left of the 3 humps.

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2: Zooming in onto the peak

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3, 4: You can see the zigzag swtichbacks in the next 2 photos.

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5: There are 2 of these long dark tunnels. There is no light inside them. I think the authorities want to recreate the atmosphere as it was during the war. It is quite safe to walk in the dark ... you can hang on to the rail.

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6: And there are 2 of these looong stairs.

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7: And a circular stairwell

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8, 9: You need to bend down to get through this hole. Here is a tip: Don't wear a mini skirt. If you insist, then put on underpants.

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10: Here is the summit.

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11, 12, 13, 14: Breath-taking views of the Oahu coast and Honolulu.

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15: You can make out shape of the circular crater. The small black dot around the centre of the photo is the road tunnel through the crater wall.

Mauna Kea, Hawaii

2007-06-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

2007 June - 10 minute climb of Hawaii's Mauna Kea

Taking a breather from heavy duty climbing ...

After seeing an article in a magazine about red hot lava flowing out from a volcano in Hawaii, I just had to fly out to see it. Although friends suggested the red hot girls on Waikiki beach would be far more interesting.

Anyway, since I was in Hawaii, I just had to climb Mauna Kea, 4200 meters, highest mountain in Hawaii, and higher than Malaysia's Kinabalu. In typical American fashion, a beautiful road was built all the way to the top. No wonder so many Americans are so fat. They don't need to do much exercise!!! This road is described as narrow and treacherous in the Mauna Kea Visitors' Center website, but that is because they have never seen some of our Aussie roads!!!

It took only about an hour and a half to drive from Hilo, a coastal town on the east side of Big Island, to the top of Mauna Kea. The road doesn't quite reach the summit. You need to park the car, then take a 10-minute walk.

Aside from a few astronomers working on their telescopes, there was no visitor at the top ... very quiet. This was amazing!!! I had only climbed two big mountains so far - Kinabalu and Kilimanjaro. Both had heaps of people paying heaps of money for climbing permits and braving the torturous hikes to the summit. In contrast, here, one can visit such a big mountain in the comfort of a car for free, yet there was not a soul around ... amazing!!!

Just proves when a thing is free, no one wants it. Put a large price tag on it and everyone thinks it is valuable and wants a piece of it!!!

Scenery is fantastic. Here are the pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1, 2, 3: Road side scenery on the way to Mauna Kea

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4: The 4-wheel drive I hired. All car hire companies stipulate you can't take a 2-wheel drive car to Mauna Kea. You must hire a 4-wheel drive.

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5: Mauna Kea is in the distance.

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6: This is Mauna Kea. You can see the 10-minute track leading to the summit (from a carpark). Because of the short drive from the coast at sea level to here at 4200 meters, you can feel the effect of low oxygen level. Each step in the walk takes some effort and some panting.

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7: Mauna Kea again. You can make out two thin blots at the top of the mountain. The blot of the left is me. The blot on the right is a trig marking the summit.

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8: The trig marking the summit.

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9: Beautiful view from the summit !!!!!

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10: Another view.

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11: One more view from the summit - the white blot in the centre of this picture is a telescope.

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

2006-02-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

2006 February - 6 day climb of Tanzania's Kilimanjaro via Rongai Route

The trip was organised by World Expedition. They arranged a bus transfer from Nairobi in Kenya to a hotel in Marangu at the foothill of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. So my first stop in Africa was Nairobi.

Prior to the trip, World Expedition wanted to know whether I was healthy wealthy and wise. The wealthy part was easy - I just had to pay up fully for the trip. The healthy and wise bits needed a doctor's signature. So off I went to see my local doctor who happened to be a young chap. When told he needed to certify that I was of sound mind and sound health, he sent me packing to consult a specialist, at the same time muttering that an old man like me who wanted to climb Kilimanjaro should have his head examined.

Geez, just because I am older than him, doesn't mean he can call me old ... I hate young doctors!!!

Anyway, I panicked. A specialist might find some skeletons in the closet, like iron deficiency or some technicalities that would ground me from climbing high mountains. And besides, it would take ages to book a specialist ... our Aussie health system was a bit of a mess. So I went to see a female doctor in the next suburb instead, and also took along my Kinabalu climbing certificate.

The Kinabalu certificate did wonders. It was a beautifully print piece of paper full of Sabah's colourful fauna and flora. The doctor saw it and she loved it. And I helped along by exaggerating that Kinabalu was high. "Very Very High", I emphasized, even though it is a mere mole hill compared to Kilimanjaro. Without asking too many questions, she signed that I was of sound mind and sound health.

Phew!!! I loved female doctors!!!

Back to Nairobi ... it was a depressing place. Groups of seemingly unemployed men standing around streets doing nothing. I dared not step outside the hotel ... isn't Nairobi's nickname Nai-Robbery or Night Robbers or something similar!?!. Glad I was out of the place and on a shuttle bus to Marangu the next day.

Usually I don't sleep well out of my own bed at home, so I chose the shortest possible route for this climb ... to get it done as quickly as possible, knowing that I may manage only 2 or 3 hours of sleep per night.

Well, the shortest route was the Marangu Route - 5 days. I gave this the flick because I was warned it was a horror track, too dusty.

The next shortest route was the Rongai Route - 6 days. It tackled Kilimanjaro from the North side. So I picked this one. But if I were to do Kilimanjaro again, I would choose one the routes which approaches the mountain from the western side ... because you would get a marvellous view of the large white ice field on the western flank. Whereas the other sides are quite barren and brown. It is a pity, as photographs of Kilimanjaro from 30 years ago showed a beautiful white ice cap around the entire mountain top. Global warming has since melted away much of ice.

At the hotel in Marangu, I met the other 10 climbers in our group. They were a friendly bunch of people. And throughout the climb we encouraged and supported each other, which helped explained why all 11 of us made it to the summit. Although one young female of our group called Pippa attributed her success to Milo ... because she always scooped in 10 spoonfuls of that stuff into her cup whenever she had a drink ... sort of like Popeye gulping down Spinach to get his strength ... haha!!!

As for me, it was a piece of cake - very easy to hike to the top. From various blogs on the internet, it sounds as if one needs to be a super-fit human being. Could it be because all the authors liked to jazz up the difficulties to make their stories interesting?

One reason why I find the climb easy was because the guides walked very slowly. So slow that if it was any slower, we would be walking backwards. This slow walk was called "po-le po-le" in Swahili. And throughout the climb, the guides kept reminding us to "po-le po-le". Actually, because of the low oxygen level, it was quite impossible to walk fast without getting into heavy panting.

On the way down, I saw a group of one-legged amputees on crutches on their way up. The guides said this was quite common. They also said they had taken groups of blind men to the top. So I think any reasonably fit person should be able to climb Kilimajaro.

For someone like me who was new to mountains, the scenery on the Rongai Route was fantastic, both on the trail and on the summit. Every one should make a pilgrim to this mountain once in his/her life time !!!

The 5th day was the summit day. On that day, we waked up at midnight, had a small meal, then started the climb at 12:30am. We were in luck, it was clear sky, hardly any wind, no wind-chill factor to worry about. When we reached the top at 5895 meters, the temperature was a mild -5 degree at 9:30am.

Some photos: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: This photo was taken at Namanga, a town right on the border between Kenya and Tanzania. After the immigration check on our luggage, the bags were loaded back on the bus. Note that all baggages were put on top of the bus. The red bag in this photo is mine.

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2: Our mass tent where we had our dinner and breakfast. Note the Milo can on the middle of the table which Pippa liked so much.

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3: Me on the Rongai Route with Kilimanjaro in the background. Kilimanjaro is a volcano. The top is a crater created by a volcanic explosion eons ago. Hence the summit is not a typical cone shape. It is simply the highest point on the crater rim (on the left side of this photo).

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4: The porters ... they were amazing ... flimsily dressed and not afraid of the cold. In the morning after we started our hike, they packed up our tents, carried all our stuff on their head, overtook us, and by the time we reached the next camp site, they already had the tents properly set up. (For the record, there were 31 porters + 4 guides + 1 cook + 11 of us climbers.)

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5, 6: This was the camp site on day 3 at Mawenzi Tarn. The white stuff was snow from previous day's storm.

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7: This was our group at the saddle point between Mawenzi Peak and Kilimanjaro. The leading guy was the chief guide. The scenery was desert-like because we were at 4500 meters. At this altitude, nothing grows - too cold.

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8, 9: Ice fields seen from the summit.

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10: Kibo Crater: This is the name given to the crater at the top of Kilimanjaro. In the photo, you can see a part of the crater rim and the crater floor. This crater is huge. I suspect to circumnavigate it on the crater rim will take about 12 hours.

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11: We were walking on the crater rim and we were almost there. The hill in the distance is the highest point of Kilimanjaro, called Uhuru Peak.

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12: Me at Uhuru Peak, highest point of Kilimajaro, 5895 meters.

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13: Going down the mountain on the Marangu Route, we met these Giant Senecios. (We went up the Rongai Route, but we went down on the Marangu Route on the South side of the mountain.)

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14: A view of Kilimanjaro from Horombo Huts.

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15: Morning of the final day: The porters and guides were singing and chanting to farewell us. The word "Kilimanjaro" kept coming out of their mouth. But all I could hear was Aconcagua, Aconcagua ... my mind was already drifting to the next big climb.

Bogong, Vic, Australia

2006-01-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

2006 January - 1 day climb of Australia's Mt Bogong

(Note: I revisited Mt Bogong in 2011 March. A write up of the trip plus better pictures are in 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: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

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

4: Tasman flax-lily pods

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5: Caterpillars doing naughty things.

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6, 7, 8: Various views to Mt Bogong. The top is quite a flat plateau.

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9: The summit is just a pile of stones.

More photos are in http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/bogong-vic-australia-west-peak.html where I revisited Mt Bogong in 2011 March.

Kinabalu, Malaysia

2005-09-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

2005 September - 2 day climb of Malaysia's Mt Kinabalu

To recap ... After the half day walk on NZ's Franz Josef Glacier, I had decided to climb Aconcagua.

But first, one had to get some climbing experience ... which mountain?

As Australia doesn't have any high mountains, Malaysia's Kinabalu and Tanzania's Kilimanjaro come to mind immediately. Friends from Sabah had suggested climbing Kinabalu as a challenge ages ago, but I had never listened till now. So now it is decided ... Kinabalu first, then Kilimanjaro, then Aconcagua.

Kinabalu is Malaysia's highest mountain. At 4095 meters, it is also South East Asia's highest. (Although Indonesians like to call their Puncak Jaya at 4884 meters, also known as Carstenz, as South East Asia's highest mountain.)

World Expedition organized the climb. A car picked me up from the hotel to the Kinabalu Park entrance.

There, I was paired off with a mountain guide. To my surprise, I was the only one with him. I learned later on that an Australian couple and I were supposed to be together in one group. However the car which picked me up was late, hence the couple had already started their walk with the designated guide sometime ago. Thus my guide was arranged on-the-spot, which also explained why he couldn't speak any English, even though the tour brochure said an English mountain guide would be provided.

Not to worry, we managed to communicate by hand signals. But I missed any commentaries on the mountain which an English guide would be able to give.

From the start at Timpohon Gate, the guide led and walked in a slow even pace. it was too slow for me, so I overtook him - which was a hint to him that I was capable of walking much faster. It didn't last long though. The path was like a staircase, every single step was going upwards. Soon, I was tired, soaking wet in sweat, and decided it was better for him to lead and walk in a slow pace. You can see I was new to climbing mountains and committed the cardinal sin ... never overtake a mountain guide.

During the climb, I met a young American couple who were married only few days ago and were there for their honeymoon ... amazing!!! Even more amazing was that the idea of climbing Kinabalu was hers - to test his manhood!!! It was easy for her as she didn't carry any backpack. She got her husband to do the donkey work. Smart girl!!! When the honeymoon is over, he won't be so willing to be a slave.

Five hours later, we reached Laban Rata, the halfway lodge where all climbers would spend the night. I was very tired. Because I didn't do much exercise prior to the climb ... because I had a flu then which was good enough an excuse for not doing anything. But the reality was I thought I was still young and strong, hence I thought a run around the block once in a while was good enough.

At dinner time, I was seated with the Australian couple with whom we were supposed to be together in one group. The wife didn't seem enthusiastic. Her look told everyone she had rather be in a 5-star hotel than halfway up a mountain. In fact, she didn't even bothered to hike to the peak the next day.

In terms of sleeping, the bunker style dormitory in Laban Rata was a horror. People snored, coughed, flushed toilets. I couldn't sleep the whole night and was glad to be up at 2am, had breakfast and off to the summit with the guide at 2:30am.

It was a good day ... ummm ... I mean good night ... no clouds. The stars and the Milkyway not only lit up the sky brilliantly, they also lit up the path. You could see your way through just by star light alone.

We reached the peak at 5:30am. It was still dark. I gave the guide 30 Ringgits as tips, then sat down and waited for the sunrise due at 6am.

After the sun came up, one could start to appreciate the beauty of the surrounding landscape. It was fantastic. The rock formation looked as if they were sculptured by the gods. No wonder the local Chinese named Kinabalu "Mountain of the Gods".

Not long after the sun was up, the guide wanted to leave. I said ... ummm ... I hand signalled that I wanted another 10 minutes to soak up the beauty of the place. I think I knew why he wanted to go ... he was scantily dressed, on shorts and a flimsy jacket. Whereas I was all properly wrapped up ... down jacket, beanie, gloves etc and the chill still seeped through.

Going down the mountain turned out to be harder than going up - because my muscle were all melted into jelly. I could hardly stand let alone walk. The guide sensed I was in trouble. He found a tree branch for me as a walking stick. Ah, the tips I gave him earlier was money well spent. Without the walking stick, I swear I wouldn't be able to get down the mountain.

In the next two days, my muscles were so sore I could hardly walk. But I was triumphantly happy; I had Kilimanjaro in sight now. The sore muscles were simply due to lack of exercise prior to the trip. I won't be making the same mistake again.

Some pictures: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: I don't have a good view of Kinabalu from a distance as it was shrouded in clouds all the time. Here, you can just make out the "Donkeys Ear" peak.

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2: Me in a typical resting hut along the way

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3: A typical scene along the trail. You can see the "Donkeys Ear". The guy in this photo is my guide.

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4: Laban Rata, the halfway lodge where everyone spend the night.

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5: The next day is the summit day. The Donkeys Ear is here.

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6: Scenery around the summit. (The peak here is not the one we are going to climb.)

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7: This is the peak. Isn't it magnificent!!! It is called Lows Peak. Kinabalu has a few peaks. Lows Peak is the highest - 4095 meters.

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8: Here is the summit. It is crowed at the top. If you wish, you can use the white rope to assist you in the climb.

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9: I made it!!!

Franz Josef Glacier, NZ

2004-12-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

2004 December - Half day climb on Franz Josef Glacier

After this walk, I decided I would like to climb Aconcagua. More about this later.

First, the blog:

Arrived at Franz Josef township just in time to join the afternoon climbing tour to the Glacier. The tour duration was supposed to be 4 hours. But half an hour each way was taken by a shuttle bus from the town to the Glacier carpark. Another hour each way was taken up by walking from the carpark to the mouth of the Glacier, leaving only an hour for the actual climb.

This was the first time I used a crampon and walked on a glacier. The experience was fantastic; and I cursed myself for not taken the whole day tour which would allow us to climb higher up the Glacier.

However, at the end of the 4 hour trip, my leg muscles were very tired and sore. Just as well I didn't take the whole day tour ... I wouldn't be able to last that long. And suddenly I felt old, really really old. Looking around the shuttle bus that took us back to the town, I noticed the other people in the tour were all so much younger.

Only 4 hours ago I felt young and energetic and so eager to join the tour. Now 4 hours later, so much had changed. I had suddenly become an old man.

This realisation caused me to re-think about life's priorities. Prior to the NZ trip, my hobby was chess. Now I wanted to see more of the world before I became too old to travel. In particular, I would like to see the part of the world where an old man couldn't get to, like mountain tops. Cities like Paris and Rome can wait. Whereas summits can't wait as I wouldn't know when my body would pack up and can't climb anymore.

A Google search soon revealed that Argentina's Aconcagua is probably the highest non-technical peak one can climb. So now the die is cast ... Aconcagua watch out. I'm coming!!!

Back to the Glacier: (To enlarge a photo, click on it.)

1: You can see the glacier in the distance. Near its mouth, it is a bit dirty looking. But the further up you walk, the cleaner the glacier becomes.

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2: A typical path up the glacier

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3: Me on the glacier

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4, 5: This and the next photo show a crevasse in the glacier. This glacier is supposed to move quite fast - can be up to 70 cm a day. I didn't ask what would happen if the crevasse suddenly closed up while we were walking through it. The less I knew the more peaceful the mind!

Chess

1994-10-18T00:10:00.000-07:00

1994 October

Hurray!!! last month, I was awarded the title of International Master by ICCF Congress. I had been a chess nut since high school. Unfortunately, my only major success so far was Under-18 Queensland Champion eons ago. University, then work and other distractions took its toll. Hence it was very sastisfying to get this title under my belt just when I was about to retire from chess completely.

Looking back, this silly game on 64 squares had given me much pleasure. Of the many games I had played, 4 stick out in my mind:

1. Best played game - Win against L A Summers, CCLA Candidates 1975

2. Best draw - Against P Lehikoinen, CCCA-70 Grandmaster Tournament, 1991. Lehikoinen is a formidable Grandmaster. He has a website: http://www.dlc.fi/~pele/ura.html

3. My only win against a grandmaster, G C Van Perlo, in CCCA-70 Grandmaster Tournament, 1991. (Van Perlo is the author of a splendid book called "A Comprehensive Guide to the Sunny Side of Chess Endgames").

4. An innovation - Win against R S Booth, CCLA 1987 Australian Championship.

~~~~~

Here are the 4 games:

1. My best played game:

L A Summers - me; CCLA Candidates 1975. Win to Black, 0 - 1

Benoni
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
3. d5 e6
4. Nc3 exd5
5. cxd5 d6

6. Nf3 g6
7. e4 Bg7
8. Be2 OO
9. OO Re8
10. Nd2 Nbd7

11 . f4 a6
12. a4 c4
(White to play)

All this is book up to now. Many games have been played from this position. (A) 13 e5 leads to interesting firework but eventually fizzles out to a dead draw. (B) 13 Bf3 and (C) 13 Nxc4 are well analyzed and about equal. Hence if White wants to get out of well trodden paths, he has to try something new. Steffen Zeuthen in his monumental book on Modern Benoni suggests (D) 13 Bxc4 which, at the time, has not been played.

13. Bxc4
So White tries this new move which wins a Pawn and hangs on to it.

14. ... Nc5
14. Qc2 Ng4
15. Nf3 f5

16. h3 fxe4
17. hxg4 exf3
18. gxf3 Qf6
19. Qf2 h5
20. g5 Qf5

21. Rd1
(Black to play)

Now if you are Black, what would you do? Black can set a trap for White to fall in. Can you see it?

21. ... Bd7 !
Ostensibly to attack the Queen-side. And I bet he won't see the trap.

22. a5
Yup, he falls for it. But it is so easy to do, because in this position, the natural instinct is to play 22 a5.

Now, can you see the tactical combination coming up?

(Black to play)

22. ... Bxc3 !
White must have got a shock after seeing this. It is like a bolt from the blue. I'm quite proud of this move as you need to see it a move earlier on.

23. bxc3 Ne4
24. Qc2
There is no safe square for the Queen. (For example, 24 Qb2 Nxg5, 25 fxg5 Qxf3 winning.) It also explains why 21...Bd7 was necessary. Had Black's Bishop been at c8, then White can play Qe2 here.

24. ... Nxg5
25. Qxf5 Nxf3

26. Kf2 Bxf5
The point of Black's combination being that now 27 Kxf3 Bg4 picks up White's Rook at d1.

27. Be2 Nh2
28. Ba3 Bg4
29. Rd2 Bxe2
30. Rxe2 Ng4

31. Kf3 Rxe2
32. Kxe2 Re8
33. Kd3
Unfortunate for White, he can't move his King to the King-side.

33. ... Nf2
34. Kd2 Kf7
35. Rf1 Ne4

36. Kc2
This is the only save squre for the poor King.

36. ... Kf6
37. c4 Kf5
38. Bb4 h4
39. Kd3 h3
40. Be1 h2

41. Rh1 Rh8
42. Kd4 Rh3
43. c5 dxc5
44. Kc4 Kxf4
45. d6 Nxd6

46. Kxc5 Ne4
47. Kb6 Kf3
48. Kxb7 Kg2
49. Rxh2 Kxh2
50. Kxa6 Rb3

51. Ka7 Rb1
52. Ba4 g5
White resigns. 0 - 1

~~~~~

2. My best draw:

P Lehikoinen (Grandmaster) - me; CCCA-70 Grandmaster Tournament, 1991. Draw, 1/2 - 1/2

French Defence, Tarrasch Variation
1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. Nd2 Nf6
4. e5 Nfd7
5. c3 c5

6. f4 Nc6
7. Ndf3 Qb6
8. g3 f6
9. Bd3 cxd4
10. cxd4 Be7

11. Kf1 OO
12. Kg2 Kh8
13. Bc2 Nb4
14. Bb1
(Black to play)

It is all book so far. At the time this game is played, 14...Rf7 (or even earlier with 13...Rf7) has been suggested, claiming that 15 h4 Nf8 is ok for Black. But they seem to overlook 16 h5 with the threat of Bg6 next.

14. ... Qd8
This is my idea - to vacate b6 for the Knight at d7. But I overlook that White can win Black's h Pawn. Looks like this line of the French Defence is just not good for Black ... or is it? By playing 14...Qd8, I may have invented a new gambit line ... more on this later.

15. h4 Nb6
Sticking to my plan when I played 14...Qd8.

Not much better is 15...f5, because White has 16 g4, initiating a strong attack on the King-side.

16. exf6 ! gxf6
(White to play)

I feel ok at the time because I overlook white's next move.

17 Ng5 !
(Black to play)

Ouch! I am going to lost the h Pawn as well as having a wrecked King-side!!! (Needless to say, it is suicide to take White's Knight at g5.)

But I should know better. Ng5 is a move that is always on the cards in this line of the French Defence.

I spend a lot on time here on my reply. Not because Black's move is hard to find. In fact 17...Qe8 is more or less forced to prevent Qh5 by White. I am debating with myself whether it is worthwhile to continue with the game or simply to resign and be done with it.

But the more I analyse it, the more I find Black's position is quite good. I can develope the pieces quickly whereas White can't. And if I can break through with ...e5 quickly enough, then White will be in trouble due to his airy King-side position.

So, my 14...Qd8 and 15...Nb6 inadvertently produces a new gambit line ... Ha! Let's called it ... better still, let's patent it as Paul's Gambit.

17. ... Qe8 !
18. Nxh7 Rg8
19. Ng5 Rg7
Again, it is suicide to take the Knight at g5.

20. N5h3
This and the next two moves by White are designed to keep open the d1-h5 diagonal for White's Queen.

20. ... Nc4
21 Nf2
Personally I would have opted for a quicker development with 21 Nf3.

21. ... Bd7
22. Ngh3 Nd6

Hhmmm... better may by 22...e5.

23. g4 e5
24. dxe5 fxe5
25. fxe5 Nf7

26. Bf4 Nc6
27. g5 Nfxe5
28. Re1 Bb4
29. Re3 Bc5
30. Rg3 Bxf2

31. Nxf2 Qf7
32. Be3
On 32 Bxe5 Nxe5, 33 g6 Qf4, 34 Qh5 Kg8, 35 Qg5 Qd4. (A) 36 Re3? Re8. Threat is ...Nxg6 even if White plays 37 h5. (B) 36 Bc2 Rf8, with counter play. (C) 36 Bd3 Rf8, 37 Rf1; again Black has some chances.

32. ... Rf8
If 32...d4? 33 g6 Qe6 Bh6 wins.

33. Bc5
Another try is 33 g6 Qf6, 34 Bc5 Ne7, 35 h5 d4! followed by ...Bc6 after either 36 Bxd4 or 36 Qxd4. Black has enough counter chances for at least a draw.

33. ... Ne7
34. Bd4
White has to prevent ...d4 by Black. Otherwise for example, 34 Bc2 d4. (A) 35 Bxd4 Bc6 or ...Qd5. (B) 35 Qxd4 Bc6 or ...Nf3. In either case, Black has a very strong counter play and White may even lose.

Note that 34 g6 is no good here. Black simply plays 34...N5xg6.

34. ... N7c6
35 Bc5
Black is threatening 35...Nxd4. For example, 35 Bc2 Nxd4, 36 Qxd4 Nf3 and White could be in trouble.

On 35 g6 Qf6, 36 Bc5 Ne7, 37 h5, again 37...d4! comes to the rescue.

35. ... Ne7
36 Bd4
Draw 1/2 - 1/2
(Black to play)

In one sense I am disappointed in not winning this game as I have the initiative through out the middle game yet couldn't break through White's airy King-side. In another sense, I am glad of the draw after losing a Pawn in the opening ... getting away with a draw against a grandmaster is pretty good.

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3. My only ever win against a grandmaster:

Me - G C Van Perlo (Grandmaster); CCCA-70 Grandmaster Tournament, 1991. Win to White, 1 - 0

King's Indian Defence, Samisch Variation
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 g6
3. Nc3 Bg7
4. e4 d6
5. f3 OO

6. Be3 e5
7. d5 Nh5
8. Qd2 f5
9. OOO Nd7
10. exf5 gxf5

11. Bd3 Ndf6
12. Nge2 a6
13. Bg5 Qe8

Now, the usual way for White to play in this position is g3, h3 then g4. I decide to try something new, because Pawn pushing is not my style.

14. Ng3
(Black to play)

Compared to 14 g3, my move puts pressure on Black immediately.

14. ... Nxg3 ?
Oh dear!!! This ought to be counted as a big blunder. Opening up the h-file is suicide. One can almost write off Black now. 14...Qg6 looks yuk, but it holds everything as I can't find any immediate break through for White.

15. hxg3 Nh5 ?
I don't understand this. What is he trying to achieve? Van Perlo may be a Grandmaster, but he is playing like a little kid.

16. Rh3 Qg6
17. Rdh1 Nf6
See what I mean. 15...Nh5 is just a blunder.

18. Bxf6 Bxf6
19. Rxh7
So, White duly wins a pawn. The rest of the game is of not much interest now.

19. ... e4
20. R7h6 Qg5

21. Rh8 Kf7
22. R8h7 Ke8
23. fxe4 Qxg3
24. Kb1 Bg7
25. exf5 Rxf5

26. Qc2 ! Re5
27. Bg6 Kf8
28. Rf1 Kg8
29. Rhh1 Bh6
30. Rxh6 Re1

31. Rxe1 Qxe1
32. Nd1
Black resigns. 1 - 0

~~~~~

4. Innovation:

R S Booth - me; 1987 Australian Championship, Win to Black, 0 - 1

Of all the innovations I have played, the one against Booth stands out, because it turns a hitherto bad line for Black into a playable one.

Nimzo-Indian Defence
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Bb4
4. Bg5 h6
5. Bh4 c5

6. d5 Bxc3
7. bxc3 e5
8. d6 Nc6
9. e3 g5
10. Bg3 Ne4
(White to play)

Theory considered this position as bad for Black because White wins a pawn by his next move. But I have an innovation up my sleeve!

11. Bxe5 Nxe5
12. Qd5 Qf6
13. Qxe4
(Black to play)

This line (starting from 10...Ne4) is considered bad for Black because 13...Kd8 has been the only reply, and after which Black's Rook at a8 is hemmed in, unable to get into play. White is probably rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect of chalking up a win. But he hasn't counted on my innovation, 13...OO !

13. ... OO !
The point being Black's King is quite safe on the K-side even though the Pawn structure there is ragged. Now, Black has a better development as compensation for the Pawn.

14. Rd1 Re8 !
15. Be2 Re6

16. Qd5 Rb8
17. Qxc5 b6
18. Qd4 Bb7
19. Nf3 Bxf3
20. Bxf3 Nxf3

21. gxf3 Qxf3
22. Rg1 Rbe8
23. Rg3 Qh1
24. Ke2 Qxh2
25. Qd5 Rf6

26. Qg2
Followed by some scrappy play by Black. Lucky for me, White lost on time later on. 0 - 1