Stinson Walk training

[sn17]

Hi, can anyone provide some advice about a few good walks to do in training for the guided Stinson Walk ( http://www.oreillys.com.au/activities-e ... inson-walk )? O'Reilly's suggest doing the Bull-Ant Spur track to Blue Pool in Lamington National Park. Any other suggestions to get us prepared for this? Any help is much appreciated!

[Champion_Munch]

Hi sn17,

I haven't done the Stinson wreck walk, but from all accounts it is a very demanding bushwalk and 34 km in one day is no easy feat (particularly when the track you are on is heavily overgrown with various rainforest obstacles). I have done many walks in Lamington NP, however, and would recommend doing any (or many) of these other options in preparation. Since you are planning to do the Stinson walk in a single day, you will probably need to prepare by walking full-day walks, and after you build up your fitness, try and do them as quickly as possible - any of Toolona Creek Circuit, Albert River Circuit, the Border Track, Shipstern Circuit, Coomera Falls Circuit would be a good start. Very full-day options could combine Shipstern with Dave's Creek and Upper/Lower Balanjui falls, or combine Coomera Falls with Mt Merino/Mt Wagawn/Araucaria Lookout (both in the Binna Burra section). You could also add Mt Merino to Toolona Falls from Green mountains section. Many variations are possible at Lamington, see the following rough maps for a starting point:

Green mountains section - http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/lamin ... ns-map.pdf
Binna burra section - http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/lamin ... ra-map.pdf

I also haven't done Bullant Spur track to Blue Pool, but if I remember correctly, this is 'off-track' and you should carry a topo map and compass (if possible, go with someone who's done it before!).

If you haven't been before, Lamington NP offers some of the best rainforest bushwalking in SEQ. Training doesn't need to be a pain, you'll really enjoy your walks here in rain or shine. Be aware that you will encounter many leeches in the wet/if you do any of the creek circuits.

Of course there are plenty of other options for walking in SEQ. If you have a good chunk of time before your walk and are looking for some variety, I can suggest more places to visit/walks to do.

Cheers,
Munch

[cams]

Being guided means route finding won't be your major issue. As mentioned above though, the fitness will be. Because you follow the ridge/escarpment the whole way there are numerous ascents and descents so include plenty of hills in your training.
If you have bad knees I'd think about walking poles. However, they may become more of a nuisance than anything with all the bushbashing. You will probably appreciate them for the final descent down to Christmas Ck though.

One good idea would be to to include a bit of a recce up the stinson track from Echo Point if you are comfortable with it and are doing the Albert River Circuit anyway. It will give you a bit of an idea as to the conditions that you'll face. Although the track will get worse than this first section further on.

Personally, I'd prefer to do the walk over two days. 34kms is a massive day in those conditions and you'll barely have time to stop for a snack let alone take in your environment.

[dannnnn]

34km is a big day!! can't you split it up into two days with a tent?

[cams]

34km is a big day!! can't you split it up into two days with a tent?

The guided walks as mentioned by the OP have always been run as a single day. We were overtaken by one shortly after setting off on our second day. Doing it without a big pack definitely has its appeal. But so does doing it at your own pace and taking in your surroundings.

If you aren't confident with the navigation (or potential navigation if/when you lose the "track") then it is the only way if you don't have friends who can take you.

[Pteropus]

Hi sn17,

I think it would be a very tough day walk but since it is guided it should be rewarding and considerably safer if you are unfamiliar with the terrain. Having a good level of physical fitness for the terrain, and mental fitness for the thick rainforest would be the key. If you are unfamiliar with the terrain and vegetation on the Lamington Plateau I recommend doing a walk or two ON the track system in Lamington before you go. This is some of the most rugged country you can imagine, which is part of what makes the Stinson story more remarkable, and while the track system makes things easy, looking off into the forest does give you a good sense of what it would be like walking through the bush here if there was no track. However, I'd only recommenced going off-track in the rainforest if you are confident with navigation under a thick canopy of trees and few visual clues to location. One can get lost pretty quick once off the track here.

Bullant spur in Lamington is simply a spur off the main ridge along which the road to O’reilly’s travels, just near the turn-off to Duck Creek Road. It is off-track and can be used as part of the Middle Ridge traverse as a quick way to the Blue Pool. Perhaps it could be used as training, but getting to O’Reilly’s for regular training would be unlikely unless you lived at Green Mountain! So any steep (very steep!) hill would make a good training ground. If you live around Brisbane, Mt Coot-tha is perfect. While nowhere near as moist as Lamington, there is some very steep terrain on Coot-tha, and if you are willing to go off track, you can somewhat emulate a little of what the conditions in the rainforest will be like…just minus the stinging trees and wait-a-while lawyer canes! I have done both Bullant spur and Mt Coot-tha, and I think the later could substitute for the former for training purposes...though some may disagree.

If not around Bris, just find a steep wooded hill and climb to the top….over and over again! If you are in the general SEQ region, get a copy of the Daly’s “Take a Walk in South-East Queensland” and do some of the walks in that. This is a very good guide book in my opinion, with comprehensive track notes, and I have used it for most of my SEQ walking.

Cheers
Andrew