by Allchin09 » Mon 18 Feb, 2013 9:16 pm
Hey,
Nice trip report, always good to read of an adventure in that part of the Blue Mountains. I also really like those first two photos of Kanangra, such a magnificent place.
There always seems to be a bit of trouble keeping on the track South of Dex Creek. I'm not sure if you saw it, but there is a small tag nailed to a tree which points the way for the path out from the creek. If you find that and it's not too dark, you should be able to work your way through the few scrubby patches after that where the track is a bit patchy.
A 10kg pack did sound a bit heavy and might have been what caused you to slow down on some of the descents. In saying that, most of it seemed to be water! I would have aimed for closer to 3L of water as opposed to 6L, but in saying that it's just a personal preference. You can generally obtain water from three sources along the walk: Dex Creek, Kanangra Creek and Mobbs Soak. Be warned though, I walked the track late last year when it was dry and water was very minimal, only small puddles in Kanangra Creek with Dex and Mobbs pretty dry. Puri-tabs were a must.
As for Mt Strongleg, it always seems to go on forever and that red shirt has been there for over 3 months if it's the same one that I've seen before.
When crossing the Coxs, I have always been inclined to walk downstream to where it shallows off a fair bit at the base of Mt Yellow Pup. From there it's a defined horse track all the way up the ridge to Mt Yellow Dog, but others do prefer the more direct route which you followed.
Shame you didn't quite make it in your targeted time, but I guess that's just the fun of a solid challenge!