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© 2002-2004 Matthias Weiland,
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Build on 11/05/2002, last update on 23/04/2023. |
Down in Down Under - Diary - 08/09/02
---07/09/02--- | table of content | ---09/09/02---
hiking mt. bartle fréreBetween Innisfail and Cairns, the Bruce Hwy skirts the edge of the Bellenden Ker Range, which includes Queensland's highest peak, Mt Bartle Frere (1657m). Most of the area is protected as Wooroonooran National Park. You can hike to the top of Bartle Frere from Josephine Falls, 8km from the highway about 22km north of Innisfail. The Mt Bartle Frere Hiking Track leads from the car park to the Bartle Frere summit. The ascent is for fit and experienced walkers - it's a 15km, two-day return trip, and the weather can change suddenly.This can be read in the Lonely Planet and many other brochures. But we thought: Aussies already complain about a 400m walk to Josephine Falls, so it can only be an exaggeration". So we left early in the morning to Josephine Falls and were a group of six people (Chris, Marita, Sharon, Eve, Phil, locu) and began our way up shortly after 6 a.m. We didnīt know details, just rough facts but we saw that there was a well marked path. First we walked through a rain forest, where it was still dark at this time of the day. When we crossed little creeks we were laughing to see if something more interesting would happen. But the path was starting to wind up and down. On the way up there was a campsite, where people from the Codge Lodge, who started the trip the day before, spent the night and wanted to join us to go to the peak. And so we went on walking for a while, stopped near a little waterfall and at about 9 a.m. we reached the campsite. People there were just packing up. They put their stuff somewhere behind a tree and then we went on. And now the climbing started as we later noticed on our way down. Besides we all collected some leeches - I had two on my leg - thatīs real fun ;-), when you have to search all over for leeches at each rest ;-) So at the end we took more and more breaks which is inevitable with a group of ten. The problem was that Phil and I always had to wait for the others and when they reached us they wanted to rest for a while. But finally we ignored the "waiting rule" and continued walking. You quickly reach your limits and if you would know how far you have to go, you would probably give up. It was really hard, even if it was only 1600 m. The path was getting smaller and smaller, it was still marked but the only thing missing would have been to free your way with a machete (it can be described like this - rainforest pure - it canīt be compared with a mountain hike in the Alps). The climate gives you trouble as well - you just donīt stop sweating (and it was quite a cool day!) Later we met some people on their way down (at about 10.30 a.m.) and they told us that it were another 3 hours up to the top. If Phil didnīt went on walking I think I would have given up. I had 4 litres of water with me but I didnīt know how much water I would need, so I used it sparingly. At 11.32 a.m. (it is very practical to have a digicam) we passed the timberline. There was still some rainforest but only small trees. But now there were a lot of big stones, we had to climb over. After 20 minutes (meanwhile we really passed the timberline and there were only some bushes left), we saw a sign that said: Water 300 m <---. So we took the chance, went a bit down again and refilled our water bottles in a small creek near the peak camp site. On the way back to the path we met the rest of our group again. So they werenīt that far behind us as we thought. Now the real climbing began and the next hundred metres we went through a desert of stones. Here we overtook the others again. They decided not to go up to the top because of the time. At this time we didnīt know how long it would take to reach the peak. But we thought we got so near to the top that we keep going. Soon we walked through a forest again. Here we met some other people and they told us that it were only 15 minutes from the top. We didnīt wait to be told twice and finally at 12:39 p.m. we reached the peak which is not really a peak. You canīt see anything because you are surrounded by trees. It was a great sense of achievement. After a few minutes Kim reached the peak and so 3 people out of 20 made it to the peak. Of course we had a big rest and then we ventured on the way down. Phil started walking down a bit earlier because he left his backpack with the others in a rock. So I followed him and thought he would wait for me. But soon I saw him, coming towards me. He had lost the track and couldnīt find his backpack. The others had left already. When we had passed the rocks we nearly ran down the mountain - and it was a neverending descent. Again and again we saw what a huge challenge we had mastered. Near the campsite we passed the rest of our group because we wanted to take a bath in Josephine Falls After all it was a really strenuous day but a good day. Finally, after a long text here are many pictures, of course again seperately. |
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