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197004 [2016/05/29 20:29] – lucym197004 [2016/05/29 21:07] – lucym
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-Some weeks after the trip was over, I was talking about it to Don Matthews, who had been in the same area a few days earlier, when he asked, "Are you a Jagungal Man too?" +Some weeks after the trip was over, I was talking about it to Don Matthews, who had been in the same area a few days earlier, when he asked, "Are you a Jagungal Man too?" Although this sounds rather like a relic from pre-history - such as a Neanderthal Man or the Peking Man - I knew what he meant. There are places in the high snow plains which do not always appeal at first, but they grow on you, catch the imagination, and call you back again. Perhaps it is the sheer size and silence of the country that captures one.
-Although this sounds rather like a relic from pre-history - such as a Neanderthal Man or the Peking Man - I knew what he meant. There are places in the high snow plains which do not +
-always appeal at first, but they grow on you, catch the imagination, and call you back again. Perhaps it is the sheer size and silence of the country that captures one.+
  
  
Line 241: Line 239:
  
  
-The track is almost a road however it would be a bold motorist who took a conventional car more than three or four miles south of Round Mountain. The whole of the way is through snow plain country with odd patches of forest, and the ridge undulates gently, but reains generally within the compass of 5000ft - 5300 ft. In this season, following a winter of poor snows, the wild flowers :ore oaly, and whole fields of yellow bachelors buttons, white, yello,7 and purple daisies, buttercups and eyebrights reached cut ahead of us. +The track is almost a road however it would be a bold motorist who took a conventional car more than three or four miles south of Round Mountain. The whole of the way is through snow plain country with odd patches of forest, and the ridge undulates gently, but remains generally within the compass of 5000ft - 5300 ft. In this season, following a winter of poor snows, the wild flowers were early and whole fields of yellow bachelors buttons, white, yellow and purple daisies, buttercups and eyebrights reached out ahead of us.
-Not long after leaving the car we topped a gentle rise; fororard ond left us was the valley of the T.7pcor Tumut River - +
-a relatively gentle hollow at this point, - and beyond that was a groy-groon mountain rising wail above its outliers. Fissured +
-dark rocky battlements formed it north-western face, - the one we "TOT viewing0 in a matter-of-fact way 1 said "That's our target - +
-Quito a lump isn't it?" but I felt far more impressed than I'd expected. +
-Throughout a warm afternoon we walked across those flowery alpine meadows, with Jagungal ,:;rowing larger as we closed up. Once we spotted an emu - the first Pd sighted in the Kosciusko country, althogh I had seen a small group in the Bogong High Plains of Victoria more than 20 years ago. +
-:e camped early on the forest above an pan of Hellhole Crock, and as the yellow light lengthened, we wondered at a +
-white object on the oentral knob of the three crowns of Jagangal. Could it be the trig? Perhaps, but from an angle the southern +
-top looked highest. +
-It was mild, and there wore mosquitos about that night - another kind of wild life I'd not found in that area before. +
-Luckily we had netting as a fly-screen and that kept most of them out of the tent. +
-In the morning it was again worm and bright with some wind in the south west, and it took only 2A hours to roach the track junction at the western side of Jagungal. Our plan was to set up camp, have early lunch, then tackle the hill without packs in the afternoon, and a nicely sheltered spot in a side gully becme our tent site. +
-We had got into position so early that it was only a few minutes after midday when we started for the top, up a steep little spur which leads on to the long gentle south west ridge of the mountain. Half an hour brought us on to this meadow-like +
-spur with some of the densest growth of snow daisy I've ever seen. The added height allowed us to look south towards the main Kosciusko - Townsend top and west over the Dargals, and between those two high areas The sky had a hazy, bruised, blue black book. (Had I said a little earlier "'Te don't need capes oxygroundsheets - it's not going to rain?" ). Kath said "That's a weather change - we'd better hurry if you're going to get photographs." It was a change, all right, and coming up fast, so we made a dash for the summit. +
-The first few drops of wind-blown rain hit us first below the top, and we refuged in an overhang formed by several leaning boulders. The crevices in the rocks were clogged with brown-yellow moths (? Bogong moth?) and when I lit a cigarette they tumbled out in hundreds, flopping stupidly on the earth floor. +
-That first sprinkle blew over, and we scuttled up to the trig- the white cement object on the middle crest, now quite obviously the top. Now cloud was sweeping over, there was no photograph in it, even thogh the big tops to the south looked intriguing in the fleetin scod of cloud and rain. After that, apart from a brief refuge in another flying shower, we wont down fast, and were back to the tent by 3.00 p.m. +
-The sky cleared, warm sunlight streamed dawn, while we took +
-afternoon tea. Then another,cloud - a dark, threatening met +
-and we retreated to the tent. "We'll have dinner when it blows past." +
-It didn't "blow past" till the middle of the night. In the +
-intervening hours the hills rolled with thunder, the wind roared +
-up and down the side gully, carrying sheets of rain, and dribbles ran down the lower walls inside the tent where the long snow grasses rubbed the wildly waving fabric. We managed a cold tea, and settled +
-down for the night in an attitude of great togetherness. +
-After midnight it blew clear, and in the brilliant morning +
-the tent was frozen stiff. We thawed ourselves and the tent in crisp sunlight, and started along the trail which skirts the northern side of Jagungal, then heads east and north towards Farm Ridge and Doubtful River. The myriads of flies had gone to cover in the keen and back in the north west. was Round Mountain - now our 'destination. +
-A couple, of hours on the way, passing again through clustered daisy bush and yellow buttons, brought us to O'Keeffe's Hut. The visitor's book contained an entry two weeks old by Don Matthews, who had been there with a colleague of winter skiing trips, and had written "going on to Farm Ridge Hut for the night." +
-T'or some distance beyonCL O'Keefe's Hut, Jagungal still dominated the ekyline behind us, but its northern outliers blocked it out as we went down to cross Dogong Creek. It reappeared as we topped Farm Ridge, and there - ab, the hut, it was a tumbledown ruin with loot a stick standing. e wondered ilew Don and his mate had wnjoued their sojourn there. (He told me later "I was pretty sure it had gone, but Roger seemed positive we could use it --- any how we camped just near.") +
-We did likewise, nampinL by lunch time in a patch of forest with an ourlook over ,a pasture that was almost as yellow with flowers at noon as it was in the golden evening light after wo had returned from a leisurely afternoon stroll along the Happy Jach. trail, and over the Doubtful '2Livea- where I'd "come in" to the alps more than 22 years before. +
-On the east morning we turned off at the signposts a few yards above the wrockaGe of Farm Ridge Hut, and headed north along the range. The spur obviously he,,an't been traversed by wheeled vehicles for a long time, and the track was obscure in spots, but it proved an easy, open ridge. At each halt we looked backward, and though cur big mountain was receding, somehow it loomed larger in our recollections as we moved on. +
-we didn't lose Jagungal until we descended the final 900ft. into the wide treeless valley of Tumut River, where some fallen fence rosts yielded full for our lunch brew-up. Then we took to +
-the final hill, climbing past Round Mountain Hut and rejoining our +
-outward path near the eastern shoulder of that mountain. Once again the big fellow served to fill the south-eastern sky-line behind us, and only at the last knoll before we came down to the "car park" by the Cabramur:ca Road, did Jagungal finally disappear. +
-It seemed quite proper that the mountain should be out of sight from the road. Jagungal is still sufficiently far from frequented roads to bc a walker's mountain, and there is some satisfaction in going to It, coming under its particular fascination, and being able to say to Don's question - "Yes, I'm a Jagungal man."+
  
  
 +Not long after leaving the car we topped a gentle rise; forward and left of us was the valley of the Upper Tumut River - a relatively gentle hollow at this point - and beyond that was a grey-green mountain rising well above its outliers. Fissured dark rocky battlements formed its north-western face - the one we were viewing.  In a matter-of-fact way I said "That's our target - quite a lump isn't it?" but I felt far more impressed than I'd expected.
  
-All articles and notices for publication in the + 
-May Magazine to be in the hands of the Editor not later that 15th. My, 1970. +Throughout a warm afternoon we walked across those flowery alpine meadows, with Jagungal growing larger as we closed up. Once we spotted an emu - the first I'd sighted in the Kosciusko country, althogh I had seen a small group in the Bogong High Plains of Victoria more than 20 years ago. 
-The Treasurer advises all Members of the Sydney Bush Walkers that subscriptions for the !970/71 year are now duo and. payable. Rates are as follows:+ 
 + 
 +We camped early on the forest above an arm of Hellhole Crock, and as the yellow light lengthened, we wondered at a 
 +white object on the central knob of the three crowns of Jagungal. Could it be the trig? Perhaps, but from an angle the southern top looked highest. 
 + 
 + 
 +It was mild, and there wore mosquitos about that night - another kind of wild life I'd not found in that area before. Luckily we had netting as a fly-screen and that kept most of them out of the tent. 
 + 
 + 
 +In the morning it was again warm and bright with some wind in the south west, and it took only 2 1/2 hours to reach the track junction at the western side of Jagungal. Our plan was to set up camp, have early lunch, then tackle the hill without packs in the afternoon, and a nicely sheltered spot in a side gully becme our tent site. 
 + 
 + 
 +We had got into position so early that it was only a few minutes after midday when we started for the top, up a steep little spur which leads on to the long gentle south west ridge of the mountain. Half an hour brought us on to this meadow-like spur with some of the densest growth of snow daisy I've ever seen. The added height allowed us to look south towards the main Kosciusko - Townsend top and west over the Dargals, and between those two high areas the sky had a hazy, bruised, blue black look. (Had I said a little earlier "'We don't need capes and groundsheets - it's not going to rain?" ). Kath said "That's a weather change - we'd better hurry if you're going to get photographs." 
 + 
 +It was a change, all right, and coming up fast, so we made a dash for the summit. The first few drops of wind-blown rain hit us first below the top, and we refuged in an overhang formed by several leaning boulders. The crevices in the rocks were clogged with brown-yellow moths (Bogong moth?) and when I lit a cigarette they tumbled out in hundreds, flopping stupidly on the earth floor. 
 + 
 + 
 +That first sprinkle blew over, and we scuttled up to the trig - the white cement object on the middle crest, now quite obviously the top. Now cloud was sweeping over, there was no photograph in it, even though the big tops to the south looked intriguing in the fleeting scod of cloud and rain. After that, apart from a brief refuge in another flying shower, we went down fast, and were back to the tent by 3.00 p.m. 
 + 
 + 
 +The sky cleared, warm sunlight streamed down, while we took afternoon tea. Then another cloud - a dark, threatening one - and we retreated to the tent. "We'll have dinner when it blows past." 
 + 
 + 
 +It didn't "blow past" till the middle of the night. In the intervening hours the hills rolled with thunder, the wind roared up and down the side gully, carrying sheets of rain, and dribbles ran down the lower walls inside the tent where the long snow grasses rubbed the wildly waving fabric. We managed a cold tea, and settled down for the night in an attitude of great togetherness. 
 + 
 + 
 +After midnight it blew clear, and in the brilliant morning the tent was frozen stiff. We thawed ourselves and the tent in crisp sunlight, and started along the trail which skirts the northern side of Jagungal, then heads east and north towards Farm Ridge and Doubtful River. The myriads of flies had gone to cover in the keen and back in the north west was Round Mountain - now our destination. 
 + 
 + 
 +A couple of hours on the way, passing again through clustered daisy bush and yellow buttons, brought us to O'Keeffes Hut. The visitor's book contained an entry two weeks old by Don Matthews, who had been there with a colleague of winter skiing trips, and had written "going on to Farm Ridge Hut for the night." 
 + 
 + 
 +For some distance beyond O'Keefe's Hut, Jagungal still dominated the skyline behind us, but its northern outliers blocked it out as we went down to cross Dogong Creek. It reappeared as we topped Farm Ridge, and there - ah, the hut, it was a tumbledown ruin with barely a stick standing. We wondered how Don and his mate had enjoyed their sojourn there. (He told me later "I was pretty sure it had gone, but Roger seemed positive we could use it --- any how we camped just near.") 
 + 
 + 
 +We did likewise, camping by lunch time in a patch of forest with an ourlook over a pasture that was almost as yellow with flowers at noon as it was in the golden evening light after we had returned from a leisurely afternoon stroll along the Happy Jach. trail, and over the Doubtful River - where I'd "come in" to the alps more than 22 years before. 
 + 
 + 
 +On the last morning we turned off at the signposts a few yards above the wreckage of Farm Ridge Hut, and headed north along the range. The spur obviously hadn't been traversed by wheeled vehicles for a long time and the track was obscure in spots, but it proved an easy, open ridge. At each halt we looked backward, and though our big mountain was receding, somehow it loomed larger in our recollections as we moved on. 
 + 
 + 
 +We didn't lose Jagungal until we descended the final 900ft. into the wide treeless valley of Tumut River, where some fallen fence posts yielded full for our lunch brew-up. Then we took to the final hill, climbing past Round Mountain Hut and rejoining our outward path near the eastern shoulder of that mountain. Once again the big fellow served to fill the south-eastern sky-line behind us, and only at the last knoll before we came down to the "car park" by the Cabramurra Road, did Jagungal finally disappear. 
 + 
 + 
 +It seemed quite proper that the mountain should be out of sight from the road. Jagungal is still sufficiently far from frequented roads to be a walker's mountain, and there is some satisfaction in going to it, coming under its particular fascination, and being able to say to Don's question - "Yes, I'm a Jagungal man." 
 + 
 + 
 +===== Notices ===== 
 + 
 +==== Deadline for May Magazine ==== 
 + 
 + 
 +All articles and notices for publication in the May Magazine to be in the hands of the Editor not later that 15th. May, 1970. 
 + 
 +==== Subscriptions ==== 
 + 
 + 
 +The Treasurer advises all Members of the Sydney Bush Walkers that subscriptions for the 1970/71 year are now due and payable. Rates are as follows:
 ACTIVE MEMBERS: $6.00 ACTIVE MEMBERS: $6.00
-MORD]) coups 3eoo +MARRIED COUPLES: $8.00 
-FULLTIME STUDENTS $4.00 NONACTIVES: $1.00 +FULLTIME STUDENTS: $4.00  
-Please oblige with an early remitt7mce.+NONACTIVES: $1.00 
 +Please oblige with an early remittance.
  
  
-The Paddy Pallin Orienteering Competition, 1970 will be held on Saturday, 23rd.. May. Please see or get in tough with Alan Pike (Walks +==== Swimming Carnival Results ==== 
-Secretary) to obtain your entry form. +
-, u mc ono r  +
-DEADLINE FOR MAY MAGAZILE+
  
-SWIMMING CARNIVAL RESULTS 
 The following are the results of the S.B.W. Swimming Carnival held earlier this year at Lake Eckersley. The following are the results of the S.B.W. Swimming Carnival held earlier this year at Lake Eckersley.
- WOMEN'S FREESTYLE: 1st, N. Bourke +WOMEN'S FREESTYLE:  
- 2nd. C. Brown +        1st N. Bourke 
- 3rd, M. Lloyd + 2nd C. Brown 
-MEN'S FREESTYLE: 1st0 D. Ackland + 3rd M. Lloyd 
- 2nd. B. Pacey +MEN'S FREESTYLE: 
- 3rd. L. Quaken + 1st D. Ackland 
-WOMEN'S BREASTSTROKE: 1st0 R. Bourke + 2nd B. Pacey 
- -----2nd3 N, Bourke + 3rd L. Quaken 
- 3rd. C. Brown. +WOMEN'S BREASTSTROKE: 
- MEN'S BREASTSTROKE: 1st. L. Quaken +        1st R. Bourke 
- 2nd, L. Rayner + 2nd N. Bourke 
- 3rd. E. Engels + 3rd C. Brown. 
-wommrs LI-LO: 1st0 R. Bourke +MEN'S BREASTSTROKE: 
- 2nd. C. Brown +        1st L. Quaken 
- 3rd. D. Noble + 2nd L. Rayner 
-MEN'S LI-LO: 1st. K. Muddle + 3rd E. Engels 
- 2nd. B. Pacey +WOMEN's LI-LO:  
- 3rd. C. Shappert +        1st R. Bourke 
-WOKEN 'S PEANUT + 2nd C. Brown 
-SCRAMBLE: + 3rd D. Noble 
-LEN'S PEANUT SCRABLE: +MEN'S LI-LO:  
-1st. N. Bourke +        1st K. Muddle 
-2nd. H. Lowrie + 2nd B. Pacey 
-3rd. K. Brown + 3rd C. Shappert 
-1st3 7. Engels +WOMEN 'S PEANUT SCRAMBLE: 
-2nd0 S. Hinde +        1st N. Bourke 
-3rd. L. Davidson & L Rayner +        2nd H. Lowrie 
-The Club Cups were awarded as follows:- +        3rd K. Brown 
-FARQUFAR CUP: N. Bourke (For highest aggregate - women) +MEN's PEANUT SCRAMBLE 
-HENLEY CUP: L. Quaken and D. Ackland (RinisnEinT aggr te s +        1st E. Engels 
-mm BEANDELBERG CUP:N. Bourke and L. Davidson.+        2nd S. Hinde 
 +        3rd L. Davidson & L Rayner 
 + 
 +The Club Cups were awarded as follows: 
 +FARQUFAR CUP: N. Bourke (for highest aggregate - women) 
 +HENLEY CUP: L. Quaken and D. Ackland (highest points - men) 
 +MANDELBERG CUP: N. Bourke and L. Davidson (equal score - aggregate).
197004.txt · Last modified: 2016/05/29 21:09 by lucym
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