Mt Bartle Frere, Qld, Australia

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2010 August: Climb Mt Bartle Frere - Qld, Australia

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:
Day trip ... and 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.

We did it in 8 hours 45 minutes

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 - 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 yourself in one of the many waterholes there after such a hard climb.

The next day, I drove to Undara to visit the lava tubes and to climb Kalkani Crater. It was an interesting experience of the Australian outback. A write up and photos of the trip are in: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/undara-kalkani-crater-qld-australia.html

Post Script - State-8 Peaks:
This is the start of my mission to climb the highest peak in all 8 Australian States & Territories.

The other 7 peaks I will climb are:
- 2011 Jan, ACT - Bimberi Peak
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html

- 2011 Feb, Tas - Mt Ossa
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html

- 2011 Mar, Vic - Mt Bogong
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/bogong-vic-australia-west-peak.html

- 2011 Apr, NSW - Mt Kosciuszko
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html

- 2012 Jul, NT - Mt Zeil
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/zeil-nt-australia.html

- 2012 Aug, WA - Mt Meharry
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/meharry-wa-australia.html

- 2013 May, SA - Mt Woodroffe
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/woodroffe-sa-australia.html

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Walshs Pyramid, Qld, Australia

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2010 August: Climb Walshs Pyramid - Qld, Australia - half-day hike

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.

For the record, our return trip is 3 hours 20 minutes.

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 for the race.

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:

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!!!

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YuShan (or Jade Mt), Taiwan

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2010 April: 2-day trip

YuShan, also called Jade Mountain
Taiwan


Prolog

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
- 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.


Mountain guides

Supposedly there should be a few
English speaking climbing companies
to YuShan.

But I can only find one:
http://www.barking-deer.com/  (now defunct).
But they never replied to my enquiries.

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.
I may provide limited 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 1st day

The trip is a 2-day climb - west face approach.

Only a day pack 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.

No need to carry the night's dinner.

The starting point of the climb is at
Paiyun Visitors' Center, 2600 meters,
(now called Paiyun Mountaineering Center)
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 8.5 km 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.


The night in Paiyun Lodge

We are all in bed well before 8pm.

The beds in the lodge are 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
along one side of the wall;
and another 24 people on the other side
of the wall ...

Thus 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.


Summit day

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,
and 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.


Asian trilogy

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.


Pictures

The following photos throw more light
on the climb.


1)  Our group (21 hikers and 2 guides).
- At the trailhead called Tataka Saddle, 2600 m
- About 1.5 km east of Paiyun Visitor's Center
- Here, we start walking at 10 am.

2, 3)  On the trail to the halfway lodge.

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

5)  Azalea.
- Plenty of them in YuShan.
- They brighten the hill side
  with their lovely flowers.

6)  YuShan is the little bump at centre of this pic.

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

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

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

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

14)  Closer view of the summit.
- We get up at 2 am.
  Have a light breakfast.
  Then start walking towards the summit at 3 am.

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

17, 18, 19, 20, 21)  Returning to Paiyun Lodge.
Glad we scrambled to the top in the dark
and didn't notice the steep slope
and the narrow trail !!!
One slip and you may not be alive.

22, 23)  A covered walkway ...
             to prevent hikers being hit by falling rocks.

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