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===How Natural Nature?=== | ===How Natural Nature?=== | ||
- | Earlier this month is was my good fortune to visit Japan, a country which is uastly | + | Earlier this month is was my good fortune to visit Japan, a country which is vastly |
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Back to our trip. With our walk permits all valid, we arrived at Pokhara late in the afternoon and commenced to walk due north until we could find porters. Through the town - no porters! Passed the outer suburbs to the famous Shining Hospital; still no porters. Away up the valley could be seen the Tibetan Refugee Camp in the evening gloom. 25 minutes to go and I had a terrific headache, so much so I had to lay down when I reached the funny " | Back to our trip. With our walk permits all valid, we arrived at Pokhara late in the afternoon and commenced to walk due north until we could find porters. Through the town - no porters! Passed the outer suburbs to the famous Shining Hospital; still no porters. Away up the valley could be seen the Tibetan Refugee Camp in the evening gloom. 25 minutes to go and I had a terrific headache, so much so I had to lay down when I reached the funny " | ||
- | I was snoring around 8 p.m. all three of us in the same room. At dawn opened the window and lo! Guess what was in view. Macchupuchare (The Fishtail). I awoke my offsiders and called "Here is my New Years present!" | + | I was snoring around 8 p.m. all three of us in the same room. At dawn opened the window and lo! Guess what was in view. Macchupuchare (The Fishtail). I awoke my offsiders and called "Here is my New Years present!" |
Our porters were very odd. Both Tibetan. The eldest had two cotton shirts and a pair of jeans; the youngest had 3 pairs of pants on and 4 shirts. No parkas, no balaclavas, no sox either, or gloves. The eldest had lice. The younger spoke English. Of course they were not really porters at all. It seems they had nothing to do and were just filling in time. | Our porters were very odd. Both Tibetan. The eldest had two cotton shirts and a pair of jeans; the youngest had 3 pairs of pants on and 4 shirts. No parkas, no balaclavas, no sox either, or gloves. The eldest had lice. The younger spoke English. Of course they were not really porters at all. It seems they had nothing to do and were just filling in time. | ||
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We wound along a ridge always up, passing fields of what seems to be mustard seed or digitalis. Frank tried to lift a load that a Tibetan gent had just taken off. 20 gallons of kerosene and a sewing machine head. Impossible to move. Mule trains with lobs of dull bells around their necks wind their way all the time. They have red plumes and exotic tails wound with red wool. The track is always interesting. | We wound along a ridge always up, passing fields of what seems to be mustard seed or digitalis. Frank tried to lift a load that a Tibetan gent had just taken off. 20 gallons of kerosene and a sewing machine head. Impossible to move. Mule trains with lobs of dull bells around their necks wind their way all the time. They have red plumes and exotic tails wound with red wool. The track is always interesting. | ||
- | Men in nice suits carrying valises going from nowhere to nowhere; Nepali women in their colourful aprons carrying roofing slates that weigh 50 ibs; kids going to school (I wonder how Aussie youngsters would like climbing 3000 ft of a morning and returning at night - I saw this myself later at Gandrung, whilst | + | Men in nice suits carrying valises going from nowhere to nowhere; Nepali women in their colourful aprons carrying roofing slates that weigh 50 lbs; kids going to school (I wonder how Aussie youngsters would like climbing 3000 ft of a morning and returning at night - I saw this myself later at Gandrung, whilst |
That evening we arrived at a village called Chandrakot a collection of lodges all called Annapurna. Let me stop and I will in all modesty describe an overnight in a Tibetan inn. On the ground floor is a table and benches, with a kitchen attached. Rugs are always rolled up and you can grab one and plonk down, which our porters did. The aristocracy slept upstairs. The first floor is nothing but beds and blankets with a miniature window that is always closed. It is also the storeroom. Bags of dried corn cobs, rice, potatoes, etc., with bottles of rice wine, kero against the walls near the ladders. No stairs, I forgot to mention. There is no charge for accommodation. Dinner is always rice and a sprinkling of vegies, breakfast is fried egg (poached is cheaper - no oil, see!) with chappatis. There is never any washing facilities or any toilets of any description. You go anywhere. Seven rupees per person will cover all expenses bar wine. Seven rupees = 42c. Which is not too bad. Add lunch and say 8 cups of tea and the whole day will come to less than $1 Aust. | That evening we arrived at a village called Chandrakot a collection of lodges all called Annapurna. Let me stop and I will in all modesty describe an overnight in a Tibetan inn. On the ground floor is a table and benches, with a kitchen attached. Rugs are always rolled up and you can grab one and plonk down, which our porters did. The aristocracy slept upstairs. The first floor is nothing but beds and blankets with a miniature window that is always closed. It is also the storeroom. Bags of dried corn cobs, rice, potatoes, etc., with bottles of rice wine, kero against the walls near the ladders. No stairs, I forgot to mention. There is no charge for accommodation. Dinner is always rice and a sprinkling of vegies, breakfast is fried egg (poached is cheaper - no oil, see!) with chappatis. There is never any washing facilities or any toilets of any description. You go anywhere. Seven rupees per person will cover all expenses bar wine. Seven rupees = 42c. Which is not too bad. Add lunch and say 8 cups of tea and the whole day will come to less than $1 Aust. | ||
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That morning from the front fence was a view of Annapurna 1 (or was it 2 or 3). Climbing down to the valley below, its snowy peak was always visible between the trees. I reached the swinging bridge and found the porters who said that they had no permits to go further, and so they said they would climb around the police checkpoint, I was to tell the police I had no porters. Then they vanished up a hill. Panic. Will they run off with all our gear. I rush back to find my assistants, calmly drinking tea. I went berserk. I had been waiting 30 minutes and Frank and Helen couldn' | That morning from the front fence was a view of Annapurna 1 (or was it 2 or 3). Climbing down to the valley below, its snowy peak was always visible between the trees. I reached the swinging bridge and found the porters who said that they had no permits to go further, and so they said they would climb around the police checkpoint, I was to tell the police I had no porters. Then they vanished up a hill. Panic. Will they run off with all our gear. I rush back to find my assistants, calmly drinking tea. I went berserk. I had been waiting 30 minutes and Frank and Helen couldn' | ||
- | Thackeray if he was writing this episode would have noticed the sheer 1000 ft cliffs covered in moss and vines, described in detail how the filtered sunshine sparkled in the limpid pools, have mentioned the contrasts between the harsh natural marble river bed and the light airy faerie nothingness of the ferns and Daphne bushes that surround you on all sides. He would have described with loving detail how the hot sun sent its shiny shafts into the gloomy Rhododendron forests, of how every limb was covered in moss, with hairs 5" long and giving that ' | + | Thackeray if he was writing this episode would have noticed the sheer 1000 ft cliffs covered in moss and vines, described in detail how the filtered sunshine sparkled in the limpid pools, have mentioned the contrasts between the harsh natural marble river bed and the light airy faerie nothingness of the ferns and Daphne bushes that surround you on all sides. He would have described with loving detail how the hot sun sent its shiny shafts into the gloomy Rhododendron forests, of how every limb was covered in moss, with hairs 5" long and giving that ' |
I never mentioned the episode of serenading a Tibetan family of porters. Helen and I came across Mother-Father-Son all resting their awe-inspiring loads. I said " | I never mentioned the episode of serenading a Tibetan family of porters. Helen and I came across Mother-Father-Son all resting their awe-inspiring loads. I said " | ||
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by Jim Brown. | by Jim Brown. | ||
- | The Annual General Meeting of '76 could be counted a highly successful affair; although attendance was not high starting at about 45 and building up to something like 60 at its peak there was a surpising | + | The Annual General Meeting of '76 could be counted a highly successful affair; although attendance was not high starting at about 45 and building up to something like 60 at its peak there was a surprising |
First, two new members were welcomed Bill Blackburn and John Fox - and we heard the February Minutes, with no questions arising. Correspondence contained the usual bulletins and magazines, a letter recording the payment by the Electricity Commission of $150 for the damage caused at Coolana by the easement for a transmission line, and the notice of rates by Shoalhaven Council on the property, which also amounts to about $150 and will be settled in quarterly instalments. A further item related to an amendment to the Myall Lakes National Park and to this Alex Colley, Conservation Secretary, indicated he had prepared a reply saying the proposal represents quite a pleasing improvement, | First, two new members were welcomed Bill Blackburn and John Fox - and we heard the February Minutes, with no questions arising. Correspondence contained the usual bulletins and magazines, a letter recording the payment by the Electricity Commission of $150 for the damage caused at Coolana by the easement for a transmission line, and the notice of rates by Shoalhaven Council on the property, which also amounts to about $150 and will be settled in quarterly instalments. A further item related to an amendment to the Myall Lakes National Park and to this Alex Colley, Conservation Secretary, indicated he had prepared a reply saying the proposal represents quite a pleasing improvement, | ||
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Next the special Annual Meeting affairs with the Annual Report and then the Financial Statement being taken as read and adopted without quibble. Standing orders were suspended to allow election of officers to go on concurrently with other normal business, the system of voting was agreed (first past the post), and Craig Shappert, Peter Miller and Peter Scandrett undertook to be scrutineers. A question was raised about the admissibility of proxy votes and after thought the President ruled that, as we had not recognised them before and there had not been any prior arrangements made, they could not be accepted. | Next the special Annual Meeting affairs with the Annual Report and then the Financial Statement being taken as read and adopted without quibble. Standing orders were suspended to allow election of officers to go on concurrently with other normal business, the system of voting was agreed (first past the post), and Craig Shappert, Peter Miller and Peter Scandrett undertook to be scrutineers. A question was raised about the admissibility of proxy votes and after thought the President ruled that, as we had not recognised them before and there had not been any prior arrangements made, they could not be accepted. | ||
- | The voting, which then got under way, went on in quite an animated fashion, with two or more people offering themselves for most pf the posts. The results were given in the March magazine. | + | The voting, which then got under way, went on in quite an animated fashion, with two or more people offering themselves for most of the posts. The results were given in the March magazine. |
- | In intervals between electing officials, we learned that the ready cash in our account at bnd of February stood at $1189, and then launched into a recital of walks activities which was interrupted on several occasions to proceed with voting. | + | In intervals between electing officials, we learned that the ready cash in our account at end of February stood at $1189, and then launched into a recital of walks activities which was interrupted on several occasions to proceed with voting. |
The report commenced with Jim Vatiliotis' | The report commenced with Jim Vatiliotis' | ||
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Spiro Hajinakitas had a constitutional amendment, and it was carried without dissentient, | Spiro Hajinakitas had a constitutional amendment, and it was carried without dissentient, | ||
- | We had almost got to the announcements and advertisements section, when Peter Miller moved (and it was carried with acclamation) that we carry a vote of thanks to the retiring Committee. Having said it once - only to have another question raised briefly afterwards - the retiring President, Barry Wallace, tapped the Bone tenderly on the table and said in the time-honoured phrase "Let us Re-unen". It was just on 10.25 p m. | + | We had almost got to the announcements and advertisements section, when Peter Miller moved (and it was carried with acclamation) that we carry a vote of thanks to the retiring Committee. Having said it once - only to have another question raised briefly afterwards - the retiring President, Barry Wallace, tapped the Bone tenderly on the table and said in the time-honoured phrase "Let us Re-une". It was just on 10.25 p.m. |
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Day 3 begins all hustle and bustle, and we are away with 38 pounds on our backs, a mild shock on a morning with the promise of heat to come. On the route to " | Day 3 begins all hustle and bustle, and we are away with 38 pounds on our backs, a mild shock on a morning with the promise of heat to come. On the route to " | ||
- | It is well into Day 4 before we are atop the South-West Cape Range and having our first glimpse of the west coast. It is strikingly beautiful; to the north Port Davey and its offshore islands, below us Window Pane Bay like a big blue jewel. The curving stretch of its beach is dissected by the Cola-colourbd | + | It is well into Day 4 before we are atop the South-West Cape Range and having our first glimpse of the west coast. It is strikingly beautiful; to the north Port Davey and its offshore islands, below us Window Pane Bay like a big blue jewel. The curving stretch of its beach is dissected by the Cola-coloured |
It is not hard to be a lotus-eater in such a place, so we stay put the next day too, the fourth in a row full of golden sunshine. At 9 p.m. a flattened fireball of a sun quenches itself in the southern ocean and an hour later it is dark enough to go to bed - one must not waste the precious hours of darkness for they are indeed brief. Window Pane Bay is unique but we must get on with the walk. | It is not hard to be a lotus-eater in such a place, so we stay put the next day too, the fourth in a row full of golden sunshine. At 9 p.m. a flattened fireball of a sun quenches itself in the southern ocean and an hour later it is dark enough to go to bed - one must not waste the precious hours of darkness for they are indeed brief. Window Pane Bay is unique but we must get on with the walk. | ||
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Last December I spent two fascinating and very enjoyable weeks in South Africa and Rhodesia, most of it not relevant to bushwalking, | Last December I spent two fascinating and very enjoyable weeks in South Africa and Rhodesia, most of it not relevant to bushwalking, | ||
- | I drove up from Durban on the Friday afternoon, equipped with a box of groceries from Woolworths (usual disclaimers) on the back seat and my trusty Spiro Ketas sandshoes on the floor beside me. Since no vehicles are allowed to travel the reeerve | + | I drove up from Durban on the Friday afternoon, equipped with a box of groceries from Woolworths (usual disclaimers) on the back seat and my trusty Spiro Ketas sandshoes on the floor beside me. Since no vehicles are allowed to travel the reserve |
We were relaxing outside our huts afterwards in deck chairs, enjoying the last rays of sunlight and scanning the hillside opposite with binoculars when I had my first introduction to the style of African hiking (" | We were relaxing outside our huts afterwards in deck chairs, enjoying the last rays of sunlight and scanning the hillside opposite with binoculars when I had my first introduction to the style of African hiking (" | ||
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Our two nights on the trail were spent at a semi-permanent camp beside the White Umfolozi River where we enjoyed the luxury of tents and stretchers. The only other furniture was the seating round the campfire which consisted of two logs and a rhino skull so the wilderness aspect was well maintained. There was an unobtrusive enclosing fence of wire netting and thornbush and we were told this was a fairly recent innovation. Earlier parties had had the excitement of discovering lion wandering through the camp at night and Park officials felt it was only a matter of time before someone was taken. We ourselves were quite happy to have the fence there. | Our two nights on the trail were spent at a semi-permanent camp beside the White Umfolozi River where we enjoyed the luxury of tents and stretchers. The only other furniture was the seating round the campfire which consisted of two logs and a rhino skull so the wilderness aspect was well maintained. There was an unobtrusive enclosing fence of wire netting and thornbush and we were told this was a fairly recent innovation. Earlier parties had had the excitement of discovering lion wandering through the camp at night and Park officials felt it was only a matter of time before someone was taken. We ourselves were quite happy to have the fence there. | ||
- | As far as walking itself went the pace was leisurely and we covered about 16 km each day, mostly following pads made by the animals, although the countryside is open enough to allow walking in any direction. Our provisions and gear for the night were carried in on asses so we had no more than cameres, binoculars and lunch to weigh us down. Temperatures were mild in the morning turning to hot and humid by midday and then in the early afternoon a brief thunderstorm generally occurred to bring cooler conditions. We spent the hottest part of the day with a lunch stop and siesta, after cooling ourselves off with a swim in the river. There are crocodiles in the Umfolozi but the water is too muddy to see them and no-one seems much concerned. | + | As far as walking itself went the pace was leisurely and we covered about 16 km each day, mostly following pads made by the animals, although the countryside is open enough to allow walking in any direction. Our provisions and gear for the night were carried in on asses so we had no more than cameras, binoculars and lunch to weigh us down. Temperatures were mild in the morning turning to hot and humid by midday and then in the early afternoon a brief thunderstorm generally occurred to bring cooler conditions. We spent the hottest part of the day with a lunch stop and siesta, after cooling ourselves off with a swim in the river. There are crocodiles in the Umfolozi but the water is too muddy to see them and no-one seems much concerned. |
What made this trip out of the ordinary was the feeling of excitement always present of not knowing what animal might lie ahead behind a bush or over the next rise. The richness of South African fauna is incredible and makes the Australian bush seem a desert by comparison. It was a rare ten minutes that we did not catch sight of nyala, warthog or a herd of impala or hear the sneezy snorts of wildebeeste as they sensed our presence. Teeming with game is the only expression. | What made this trip out of the ordinary was the feeling of excitement always present of not knowing what animal might lie ahead behind a bush or over the next rise. The richness of South African fauna is incredible and makes the Australian bush seem a desert by comparison. It was a rare ten minutes that we did not catch sight of nyala, warthog or a herd of impala or hear the sneezy snorts of wildebeeste as they sensed our presence. Teeming with game is the only expression. | ||
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|K-2 Intermediate rucksacks|47.50| | |K-2 Intermediate rucksacks|47.50| | ||
|K-2 Junior rucksacks|35.00| | |K-2 Junior rucksacks|35.00| | ||
- | |K-2 Aarn I climbing & skitouring | + | |K-2 Aarn I climbing & ski-touring |
|K-2 Aarn II pack|44.50| | |K-2 Aarn II pack|44.50| | ||
|Wintest nylon, tents from|37.00| | |Wintest nylon, tents from|37.00| | ||
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|Explorer sleeping bags from|50.00| | |Explorer sleeping bags from|50.00| | ||
- | And much moore - write for a price list (Address above) | + | And much more - write for a price list (Address above) |
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"He never larfs, and he never smiles\\ | "He never larfs, and he never smiles\\ | ||
- | Ana he never larks nor plays,\\ | + | And he never larks nor plays,\\ |
But he sits and croaks, and a single joke\\ | But he sits and croaks, and a single joke\\ | ||
He has, which is to say:\\ | He has, which is to say:\\ | ||
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|28, | |28, | ||
|Sunday 30|Joe Marton leads the way to Mt. Solitary and all the scenic wonder of the Blue Mountains at Katoomba. A very early start.| | |Sunday 30|Joe Marton leads the way to Mt. Solitary and all the scenic wonder of the Blue Mountains at Katoomba. A very early start.| | ||
- | |Sunday 30|The Bundeena - Marley walk. Travel by relaxing ferry to nice seabord | + | |Sunday 30|The Bundeena - Marley walk. Travel by relaxing ferry to nice seaboard |
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- | Stephen Harvey will soon be moving to Melbourne because of a job transfer. Stephen | + | Stephen Harvey will soon be moving to Melbourne because of a job transfer. Stephen |
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A theatre party has been organised by Owen Marks to see the Swedish film version of "The Magic Flute" on Monday 3rd. May. Price per seat is S2.50. If interested speak to Owen and reserve your place/s. His telephone number is 30.1827. | A theatre party has been organised by Owen Marks to see the Swedish film version of "The Magic Flute" on Monday 3rd. May. Price per seat is S2.50. If interested speak to Owen and reserve your place/s. His telephone number is 30.1827. | ||
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====Bushwalkers' | ====Bushwalkers' |
197604.1472184505.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/08/26 14:08 by tyreless