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The crew met at McDonald’s in Beaudesert at 7:30am. Four cars, Twelve people: Dennis, Jenesse, Mel Rose, Mons, Nicole, Shane, Brock, Dylan, Sarah, Nick, Stuart and Claire. By the time we arrived at Cotswold Rd at the base of Mt Maroon and started the hike, it was around 8:30am. The Cotswold Track (6km) crosses private property and then soon the North East ridge is encountered. The ascent is along steep terrain strewn with rocks, trees and shrubs. Across the path were many golden orb spiders which caused a couple of screams when people ran into them. As with large groups, they split in two with the gap between them about 10 minutes apart. Walkie talkies were handy to communicate between the two groups, often breaking the silence with knock knock jokes. The groups met up at Egg Rock, the gateway to either the East Face rock climbing routes and the tourist track up the gully between the peaks. Dennis went scouting towards the East Face to check out the infamous rockclimbing route, the Ruby Of India. Six years ago, Missy, Stu and Dennis were benighted about 80 metres below the summit as the sunset left them stranded precariously on a small ledge. The group were in single file scaling the gully. The wind was blowing a gale and soon the misty clouds were enveloping the mountain. Although slightly wet, it was a welcome treat to cool us down. At the top of the gully, the group rested briefly at the old camp site located next to a dry creek bed. From the campsite, the track leads south across rocky slabs and a final ascent to the south summit. A rock cairn about 3 metres high marks the summit. Dennis placed a rock on the summit cairn, but no one else followed this summit tradition. Unfortunately, due to the cloud activity, visibility was not the best. Mt Barney or other prominent peaks could not be seen or they too were shrouded in clouds. The descent down was quick but thankfully without incident as it was wet. Once again, the groups split in two but met at the car park. As anticipated the return trip was about 5 hours, including the rest stops. The group drove out to the Doogs (Dugandan Pub, Boonah) where we had big meals and drank a well deserved beer. Dylan found that the Doogs do a great Sundae! The Whytey of Maroon award goes to Shane for hanging back. For those that don’t know Whytey, he is a tri-athlete who despite his high level of fitness always stayed at the back of the pack while others disappeared in front when the crew did Mt Barney last year. He probably empathises well with those who struggle because he also once did on his first ascent of Barney – where Dennis took him up the SE Ridge, gave him only 600ml of water and taunted him that there was only 20 metres to go (hours before reaching the summit). He ran out of water very early Continue reading Cotswold Track, Mt Maroon Jenesse, Nicole, Brock, Shane, Troy (not the Troy Boy), and I hiked up the tallest Glasshouse Mountain on the Sunshine Coast: Mount Beerwah. The rest of the hike up is much like Tibro, where all limbs will be used to climb the rock slab. The trail up is mark with faint yellow lines painted on the rock. The slab finally ends about a 80 metres below the Organ Pipes (the large open cave). Trees now line the worn path leading to the "beach" of the Organ Pipes. We rested here and I went scouting for the Beerwah Bolt Route (Stainless Anticlimb), which is about 30 metres left of the resting area. At the Organ Pipes, Nicey’s boots had both soles peeling off. These were Scarpa boots which had only been worn about 5 times, but have done many kilometres of walking in their short time. From the Organ Pipes, the trail follows the cave South for about 200 metres and then continues to the summit. Along the way a rock wall is encountered but can easily be climbed directly or from a different angle. Arriving at the summit we had good views of the smaller but still impressive Glasshouse Mountains: Mt Cooniwrin, Mt Ngungun and Mt Tibrogargan. After a bite to eat and drink, we started on our descent. It was uneventful until the rock slab was met again. Nicey’s boots were totally useless now for the slab, so I gave her my boots which fit her comfortably. I figured going down barefoot on the slab shouldn’t pose an issue for me. Nicey and Nicole had a case of nerves due to the high exposure and slippery dip feel, but both slowly made the descent down. Meanwhile, I was barefoot and was confidently walking down and sometimes downclimbing some steep parts. The only issue I found was that the rock was quite hot at times! We celebrated our accomplishments as usual at Vecchio’s, where pancakes, smoothies and burgers were gulped down. The crew arrived in waves at Mt Tibrogargan car park. First to arrive was the Keegan farm people and Nicole, her mum, Shane and Stuart. Despite a 9am rendezvous time, the first arrivals began at 8:15am and they decided to proceed without the second group. The second group (Dennis, Jenesse, Mel Rose, Troy and Tom) arrived 20 minutes later. We saddled up, took the obligatory group photo at the entrance sign and marched up the 700m trail to the chicken gate rock wall. Two quick breaks were needed for the trail slog up though. Fitness levels were questioned, but a slight reprieve from the cardio exercise was just beyond the chicken gate. A chicken gate is a 3m rocky wall that offers the uninitiated a chance to turn back to the car park. The way forward now ascends a steep, exposed rock slab where all limbs will be used. The only time the heart would be racing will be because of the fear factor. Once over the wall, the second group caught up with the tail end of the first group. The going was a little slow ascending the mountain than previous encounters with Tibro. Perhaps it was because of the bigger group (over 15 people) and various levels of fitness. Several rest stops to relax and admire the views were needed before the whole group congregated on the summit. The summit offered great views towards the east. A few of the adventurous (or crazy people as some said) explored the summit edge. The summit edge is an overhang. Directly below is a small cave which can be accessed via a southern rocky wall. Troy descended the wall and went into the cave before exiting north over an exposed 380m drop off section. He scrambled his way back up appearing on the northern end of the summit outcrop. The group then split again. The first to start their descent off Tibro. The second waited 15 minutes before following. Towards the chicken gate the groups merged. Here the steepest part of the slab is encountered. So much easier going up isn’t it? Dennis, who brought along a 20m static rope, tied it around a small but sturdy tree and dropped the end of the rope which reached the thank god ledge above the chicken gate. The remaining group that was still on the slab decided to use the rope as an aid to descend off the slab. Dennis went first as the Guinea pig to test the setup. Tom stayed at the top to retrieve the rope when everyone was safely down. The setup was sound, and soon Jenesse, Mel Rose, Shane, Stuart, Nicole’s mum and Nicole followed. Although the rope was handy, the slab still proved difficult for some and putting trust on letting go of solid rock to grab both hands on a rope was a mental exercise. Nicole used her climbing shoes which helped her feet grip footholds that otherwise would be overlooked in boots. Surprisingly, Nicole’s mum descended off the slab with confidence. Just like a Keegan, she did not wait (not even for her "Nicky") and kept going. The chicken gate was much easily negotiated than the slab. Although steeper it has many holds and is not as exposed. On the trail on the way back, Jenesse lost her footing on a loose stone. This caused her to fall hard and immediately she clutched her ankle screaming that she heard something snap. Tom and Dennis were right at the scene and tried to comfort Jenesse. It took Mel Rose who in military style simply told Jenesse to "Stop panicking!" Jenesse calmed down immediately and upon self assessment said it might only be a sprained ankle and not broken. That was a relief. Shane and Nicole offered their ankle support brace and strapping respectively. Tom decided on the strapping and proceeding to apply aid to the ankle. Jenesse was able to stand back up with some support from the group and slowly walked the remaining 400m out. At the car park, a brief rest and change of clothes was needed. The two remaining groups met back at Vecchio’s for some well deserved food and drinks. Mango pancakes, banana smoothies, passion fruit ice cream, coffee and hamburgers were ordered and scoffed down. In Dennis’ car, the alphabet game was played. Troy was half asleep. Tom never stopped talking. Jenesse was nursing a sprained ankle. Dennis was watching the raod and traffic. During conversations, Mel Rose would blurt out of the blue the word she saw to gain her progress through the alphabet game. Despite a close game she narrowly beat Dennis (who was on "X") by yelling out "Zupps" when we were travelling through Zillmere. Shane, Nicole and I reached the summit of Mt Coolum within 30 minutes. The descent down was uneventful, stopping only briefly to look at the vistas next to a rock wall. On the way back to Brisbane, we felt good enough to climb Wild Horse Mountain. This is a simple 700m ascent along a concrete pathway, albeit a steep one. The summit has a nice 360 degree lookout with informative signs describing what you are looking at. The descent was quick and we were soon back at the car park. The drive home was entertaining when we decided to play the Alphabet game. Each player starts from the letter A and must make their way through the alphabet by announcing any word they see beginning with that letter. For example, billboards, advertising signs, stickers on cars, sign posts. Basically anything readable outside the car, but number plates rego’s are excluded. Nicole won. Continue reading Mt Coolum and Wild Horse Mountain hikes
Our first hike for 2008 took us to Mt Ngungun. An easy bush walk up one of the smallest Glasshouse mountains. We arrived at Fullertons Rd car park at 9:12 AM and within 30 minutes we were standing on the summit of Mt Ngungun. The track now has stone steps near each zig zag, where there used to be an eroded path from people taking short cuts. At the cave the track suddenly steepens and it was slightly muddy due to the rain the whole of Queensland was experiencing. We took a brief stop at the top of the cave before turning towards the summit. The summit views on Mt Ngungun offer great views of the other Glasshouse Mountains. Mt Cooniwrin (Crookneck) and behind it Mt Beerwah are perfectlyaligned in an East West formation. To the south Mt Tibrogargan and smaller peaks can be seen, as in the North. The mozzies were in plague proportions, so we quickly left the summit and was back at the car park at 10:18 AM, well within the recommended 2 hours the EPA signs say. On the way back to Brisbane we stopped in at Vecchio’s where I order a fantastic Banana smoothie. No pancakes for me today, and besides it isn’t strawberry season until May/June. |
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