Bushwalk Australia

As Ben says, rain, moisture and cloud will make it trickier. I'd also be concerned about snow and ice. There was snow down to about 900m on kunanyi/Mt Wellington this morning, and being further west, Mt Anne and Lot might have more of it. I daresay that the stretch from Shelf Camp to Lonely Tarns would be tricky to navigate and traverse with any of the white stuff around.

Cool. Yep. If it's snowy I definitely won't be going past shelf camp. At the moment only one of the models on Windy is showing any snow in the area over the next ten days, but I am pretty aware that forecasts get pretty broad over that time frame, so I'll definitely be monitoring things and making more more firm decisions later on.

Hi Kestert. Shelf camp is not a place to be in foul weather, in my experience. One of the scariest nights I've ever experienced was there. Like a cross between an almost-cyclone and a washing machine. Wild wind was coming from all directions, almost flattening our 4 season tent. We took turns during the night to go out of the tent in the horizontal rain to pull back rocks that I could barely lift, that the wind was dragging in, causing guy lines to loosen. There's basically only bog or rock to camp on, and camping on bog causes damage. Tent pegs won't work in it anyway. On the other hand, it's a glorious place to be in good weather. I'd have a plan B up your sleeve.

The Notch provides a wide range of experiences, depending on the person's scrambling abilities and confidence with a large drop below. First time, going up, I was petrified, and thought I was going to die. Second time, going down, after working solidly on my fear of heights, I enjoyed the scramble, and didn't want to use the rope that was set up. If someone in the party finds Anne hard, I expect they'll find the Notch harder. I wouldn't recommend tackling it in slippery conditions.

Tortoise wrote:Hi Kestert. Shelf camp is not a place to be in foul weather, in my experience. One of the scariest nights I've ever experienced was there. Like a cross between an almost-cyclone and a washing machine. Wild wind was coming from all directions, almost flattening our 4 season tent. We took turns during the night to go out of the tent in the horizontal rain to pull back rocks that I could barely lift, that the wind was dragging in, causing guy lines to loosen. There's basically only bog or rock to camp on, and camping on bog causes damage. Tent pegs won't work in it anyway. On the other hand, it's a glorious place to be in good weather. I'd have a plan B up your sleeve.

Yes, I'd avoid shelf camp in windy conditions if possible (although it seems to get windy there so frequently as to be unpredictable). I know of a number of people who's tents literally blew off the cliff, never to be seen again. Mine was picked up by the wind there once while I still had one foot in the door, so I managed to save it. Just got a bit of a rip in one corner.

The sound of the rocks scraping along during the night is disconcerting when you know that your tent is tied to those rocks, and there is an enormous cliff nearby.

Also, the ceiling hitting me in the face repeatedly all night long was not conducive to a good nights sleep.

But sitting on the edge of the cliff with a drink in the evening, watching the sunset before the wind picked up, was hard to beat.
(I remember that I brought a six pack of beer on that trip to surprise everybody with. Turns out everybody else had the same idea. So we were all very surprised, I guess.)

I have grudgingly decided that the forecast of "freezing rain" and snow and 70km winds might not be conducive to a good time. Hopefully our next surprise public holiday for our monarch passing away coincides with better South West weather!

I have a general rule regarding bushwalking in September (in Tasmania):

• Don't

I did the Mt Anne circuit a few years ago in June, just before the fires. The weather was mostly kind. The notch was dry and doable. Beyond there on the back of Mt Lot and down to the lakes was mostly frozen and quite dangerous in places. If I was to return there at that time of year I would take crampons or similar. It was also clear and cold. Everything froze.

I've done from the Notch over Lot in ordinary conditions and it was not a particularly pleasant experience. There is a fair bit of steep, loose ground to cover and, while the track (it's often little more than a pad) is cairned, those cairns can sometimes be less than clearly visible.

Lots Wife is around three hours return from Piccones, but when I went through earlier this year, the pad throughh the forest wasn't the easiest to follow, due to treefalls and a landslip. Once you're up on the ridge it's better.

Anne with snow and/or ice is hard-core and potentially deadly. Glad you've rescheduled.

Son of a Beach wrote:I have a general rule regarding bushwalking in September (in Tasmania):

• Don't

One just has to choose one's locatiion very, very carefully. And then, if one has any sense at all, cancel.
Although mid-thigh deep creeks aren't really that much of a problem when you're soaking wet anyway ...

Postby Son of a Beach » Sat 17 Sep, 2022 2:32 pm

I have a general rule regarding bushwalking in September (in Tasmania):

Don't

Yeah...naaaa!

Son of a Beach wrote:I have a general rule regarding bushwalking in September (in Tasmania):

• Don't

Turns out September was actually quite decent this year. Very odd.

However, it seems that October is the new September.