The Blue Mountains

Over the last three days I have spent some time with some colleagues from work in the Blue Mountains doing some walks in preparation for a three day expedition on the Six Foot Track which will take place in either September or October. For those that are unaware, the Blue Mountains forms part of the Great Dividing Range which runs through three states of Australia with peaks of up to 2300 metres.

I also mentioned preparation. The Six Foot Track, which runs between Katoomba and the Jenolan Caves and spans around 45 kilometres. It currently serves as a fire trail, used by the Rural Fire Service but was once the only way to transport goods from Katoomba to the shale oil town of Megalong. The Six Foot Track takes an average of three days to walk and is for experienced hikers only - in other words, people like me.

Being experienced however is no excuse for not thinking ahead and preparing adequately for the trip. For example, only last week a British tourist lost his way on a hike to Mt Solitary and beyond. One of the pictures below shows how far it is from civilisation. He was found alive and is the subject of accusations that his misadventure was calculated for the purpose of gaining financially motivated attention from the press. A lot of people belive this to be the case despite the victim's vehement denials.

Getting back to my recent treks, one of 5.5km and the other of 4.5km included a descent to Vera Falls on the first day, a drop of around 450m to the bottom of the valley. The first five photos are taken from a larger number taken on this hike, completed on the 24th July.

On the 25th July, not content with lying around and massaging our ankles we set out again, this time down to the Valley of the Waters between Katoomba and Leura. Some photos follow of the journey which we walked in the opposite direction two years ago.

One or two of the photos above are slightly blurred. This is due to the extremely low light conditions on most of these walks. The Blue Mountains are part of a large sandstone and shale formation that is up to 600 million years old and the waterfalls that currently exist have worn once-flat ground into the deep gorges and canyons that exist there today. Even at high noon, the tops of the very tall trees including the turpentine and many species of eucalypts keep the sunlight out.

A short note about all walks into the various places in the Blue Mountains - never walk alone. Confine your walks to your level of experience. Carry at least a litre of drinking water and on the longer walks, two litres. Carry or wear warm clothing. Even in summer the temperature can drop by more than 15°C in a matter of minutes. Tell a relative or friend where you are going and when you expect to return. On walks of more than 20km purchase an EPIRB beacon and carry it on the trip. Don't trigger the beacon unless a life-threatening emergency arises - you can be sent to gaol and/or heavily fined for a frivolous call. With regard to beacons, make sure you are carrying the newer type which transmit your exact location via the GPS sytem. Mobile phones work on some walks but not on others - don't rely on them. Last but not least, make sure you are fit. If you have heart problems or seldom exercise then you will have trouble on the return leg of the hike - all of them require a steep ascent walking up ladders and stairs.

Written at 21:43 on 26 July 2009 by Lord Watchdog.

Comments

Steve Member #: 195 16 February 2009. Posts: 22.	Posted at 20:39 on 27 July 2009.
	I like the photos! The one of the clouds lying low in the valley remind us of the sheer size and grandeur of the mountains. We have nothing like that in South Australia, which is about 2/3 desert. It has been many years since I visited the mountains and the photos bring back some great memories. I have never done the six foot track so please can we have some photos of that when you do the walk?

CrackerJack

Member #: 182
16 November 2008.

Posts: 45.

Posted at 15:02 on 28 July 2009.

Good pictures. Timely advice is raised about safety in the bush too. It is sad when we see father and son bitching over money they shouldn't have got in the first place. It shows the mentality of the poms though. They come out here, get lost, cost our emergency services a small fortune and what happens? This moron goes on telly and is treated like a movie star, gets paid 200 grand, gets into a fight with daddy over who should get what and ultimately the people that were involved in the search get nothing. No thanks, no compensation, no remuneration. The sooner Jamie Neale pisses off back to England the better it will be for us.

CrackerJack Member #: 182 16 November 2008. Posts: 45.	Posted at 15:04 on 28 July 2009.
	I'll add that I think the whole thing is a sham. This bloke went into hospital pretending to be at death's door yet he's lost little if any weight, has colour in his cheeks, has not cuts, bruises or broken bones and has a thank fuck 60 Minutes wanted a good story look on his face. I don't believe for one second he was genuinely lost.

Lord Watchdog

Top Dog

Member #: 2
28 January 2006.

Posts: 537.

Posted at 20:17 on 28 July 2009.

Crackerjack, I am a little suspicious about the affair surrounding Jamie Neale too. Most people I have spoken to about it seem to be of the same opinion. It is all a little too convenient. I wouldn't be surprised at all if one day someone hiking along the same route as Mr Neale stumbles upon a shallow grave with Mr Neale's tent and food supply packaging buried within.

In September last year I hiked with some workmates out to the Ruined Castle, which was on the route Mr Neale took when he allegedly got himself lost. The round trip to the Ruined Castle is approximately four and a half hours. Mr Neale covered a distance at least three times that to the Ruined Castle. This means he was only around 14 hours away from civilisation by foot and even less when you take into account the fact that when Mr Neale would have got back to the section of the walking track frequented by more people he would ahve been closer still to knowing where he was.

I've been hiking in the Blue Mountains for more years than I care to remember. My first was in 1982 on a school camp and I have been going back ever since. I'd never discount that it is possible to get lost and lose one's way but one would have to be incredibly stupid for that to happen.

Mr Neale was worse though - he went alone and completely unprepared. I think the other thing which people haven't cottoned onto yet is the fact that Mr Neale simply had no plan at all. My belief is that he didn't even know where he wanted to go.

All of the money paid to him by Channel 9 should go to the emergency services involved in his rescue and rehabilitation.

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Regards, Lord Watchdog.