Grose River Walking Trail- Kariwoga Ridge

[kanangra]

Managed to get out for a quick trip on the weekend. Set out from the gate on Faulconbridge Ridge at 3:30 Sat. Left a cache of water at the Kariwoga Ridge turn off for Sunday morning as it was quite hot and I wasn't sure about water from the Grose River? The fire trail has just been regraded which makes a boring ridge walk even worse. ( They've done the same with the fire road on Springwood Ridge, for fire access? ) Found the turn off to the Grose River walking track no problems and found it in quite reasonable condition. A couple of pieces of fixed line helped with a couple of tricky bits near the bottom. Someone had strung a tarp in the overhang near the bottom. Looked abandoned. Pleasant pool with cliffs opposite where the track joined the river.

Headed down stream. Loked for but found no trace of the Engineers Track. Seriously did they really think they were going to be able to build a railway through there? It was difficult enough walking over the boulders and through the scrub. Every now and again good progress could be made along rocky slabs but generally it was quite slow going. We didn't arrive at the Springwood Ck. junction till 7:15 just as the last of the sun was illuminating the cliffs below Grose Head South. Cooled off in the large pool at the juction before setting up camp. A very mild evening. Needn't have bothered with the sleeping bag. Hit the sack early and was just dozing when WACK! Something bit me in the side of the neck. Don't know what it was but my neck really throbbed as the venom started to spread. I applied a cool washer and was able to get back to sleep but whar was it?

Next morning my neck was red and inflamed but my head felt OK and there was no numbness in my fingers so I should be OK. Away early after topping up water supplies from Springwood Ck. ( We drank this without any ill effect ) The ridge is steep at first but soon tops out and there is a long pleasant level section. Scrub is not too bad. Then it kicks up again with a narrow knife edge section which affords excellent views in all directions. Quite a skyline traverse. Negotiated the jump in the middle and picked up the foot track which led back to the fire trail. Retrieved the water cached which was very refreshing as even though it was still early it was already quite hot. Re-energised we were back at the car by 9:00AM.

All in all this an excellent walk which could quite easily be done as a day walk.

K.

PS As I write this Mon. morning neck is still red swollen and inflamed?

[johnw]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a good trip.

...Loked for but found no trace of the Engineers Track. Seriously did they really think they were going to be able to build a railway through there? It was difficult enough walking over the boulders and through the scrub...

Apparently they did. If you haven't read it already I can recommend Back From The Brink: Blue Gum Forest & The Grose Wilderness by Andy Macqueen. A significant part of the book focuses on the the early exploration and Engineeers Track. A new edition came out about 18 months ago and I believe he has added further material.

...WACK! Something bit me in the side of the neck. Don't know what it was but my neck really throbbed as the venom started to spread. I applied a cool washer and was able to get back to sleep but whar was it?

Spider?

[kanangra]

Yes possibly. I came out in red spots yesterday but the heat is going out of it today.

K.

[melinda]

Hi Kanangra,
Sorry to hear you got bitten so badly. It's always a bit scary when that happens because you never quite know what it was that bit you. At the moment my favourite horror bug is a white tailed spider! I'm seeing them everywhere

For more info on them see http://australianmuseum.net.au/White-tailed-Spider
Kariwoga is pretty amazing, ssssh, don't tell anyone!
The tarp overhang setup has been there for at least a year that I'm aware of. Looked like kids had been down there camping. (Southern Comfort I think it was, and cans of baked beans)
Melinda

[kanangra]

Melinda,

I hope it wasn't one of those babies! The lump has gone now but it lasted a week or more.

K.

[WarrenH]

Kanangra, I hope you have recovered well from the bite. I wonder if it could have been a Redback?

I was bitten by a Redback in Kanangra-Boyd last March and I was OK for the first 4 days, until the venom reached the lymph nodes in my groin. Then I had an extreme reaction to the venom. I spent 11 days in Calvary Hospital, in Canberra. I'm still being treated for the bite, 10 months later.

Some adults when bitten by a Redback hardly know that they've been bitten, for others it can feel like a red-hot bee sting, then there are others like me, who go down quite severely.

Sweating profusely is a sign of being bitten, and suffering red-hot pain, like a burn. The photo was taken 5 days after I was bitten. A Doc at Calvary drew the border on my leg to watch the progress.



All the best.

Warren.

[kanangra]

Warren,

Wow I thought mine was nasty but nothing like that. Hope you are fully recovered now. My bite came up red, hot and angry straight away. It was an issue for about a week.

k.

[WarrenH]

Kanangra, thanks for your kind words Mate.

I certainly didn't wish the worst on you, that's for sure. When I read your first account of the bite I had a flash back ... and I was just wondering.

It is very good to read that you are fully recovered.

Warren.