Vallejo Gantner Hut to Catherine Saddle, AAWT, Alpine National Park - October 2017

Walking up Mt Speculation through snow showers.

Well it turned out to be a good idea to drop down to Vallejo Gantner Hut. Apart from the wind howling the weather had largely stayed dry for most of the night, that was until just before dawn when thunder, lightning and rain woke me from my slumber, well for a few minutes anyway as I was soon back to sleep. The thunder and lightning soon rolled off into the distance but the rain kept up until the new day arrived, not having a huge day in front of me I wasn’t in a hurry to leave the dry hut this morning so I enjoyed a slow wake up, dozing on and off in the loft watching the rain fall on the windows above me. At one stage I noticed that I couldn’t hear the rain anymore, opening my sleepy eyes I soon realised why, while the rain had stopped it had been replaced with light snow. So now I laid there watching the snow flakes drifting down, not a bad start to the day really. Packing up all my now dry gear that was scattered around the hut after breakfast, I shouldered my pack and burst out of the hut to be greeted by …..sunshine, well this was unexpected!

The blue sky and sun was slightly unexpected this morning.

Devils Staircase

I'm about to head out onto this high jagged ridge, The Crosscut Saw.

Good times.

By the time I’d climbed back up to the AAWT I was already thinking about shedding a few layers although the biting wind held me back a little in that respect. Once I met the AAWT again I almost immediately started my traverse of The Crosscut Saw. The AAWT more or less follows the crest of this high ridge and as you would expect the views are fairly good, so having the sun out and the skies blue was definitely an unexpected bonus, I’ve been across here in crappy weather before and it’s not a pleasant place to be in those conditions. So with the weather good it was a fairly slow walk as I stopped numerous times to try and do justice to the rugged scenery, the jagged ramparts and bluffs perched over The Terrible Hollow being particularly photogenic.

Looking back down towards Macalister Springs which is on the other side of that saddle.

The AAWT track enters the Razor-Viking Wilderness Area as it heads across The Crosscut Saw.

The views off The Crosscut Saw down into The Terrible Hollow are particularly good.

It might be a ridge walk but The Crosscut Saw isn't flat.

After around an hour and a half of ridge walking I left The Crosscut Saw and climbed up to the Snow Gum forested summit of Mt Buggery, there is a nice camp up here amongst the Snow Gums but obviously it would be BYO water if wanting to stay up here. While the walk so far had been mostly on or very close to the ridge top it is by no means flat as the track passes over the numerous ‘teeth’ of The Crosscut Saw, so by the time I shuffled onto the broad summit of Mt Buggery I was ready for a bit of a break. Resting under the Snow Gums on the summit it looked like my good luck with the weather was going to be ending in the imminent future, there was a solid bank of dark clouds coming in from the south west, not a good sign.

Looking back towards Mt Howitt.

That's Mt Speculation in the middle distance.

It looks a bit daunting but the AAWT is pretty good across The
Crosscut Saw.

So with some dodgy weather on it’s way I didn’t linger too long up on Mt Buggery, shouldering my pack and starting the steep 200 metre descent into Horrible Gap. Now with an equally steep 300 metre climb up Mt Speculation on the other side, Horrible Gap is not only it’s name but also it’s nature as well I reckon! Dropping down, the AAWT track initially passes through a couple of grassy openings complete with some Snow Gums before dropping into a bit of alpine scrub and regrowth as it gets closer to Horrible Gap. The last time I was here was over ten years ago before the fires ripped through, back then there was very little in the way of scrub encroaching the track but things have changed a lot since the fires, I really think that we should talk about walks in the High Country in terms of BF (before the fires) and AF (after the fires), as a lot of the tracks and routes are now very different to what they use to be like, mostly for the worst unfortunately especially with regards to scrub and regrowth. Ironically, the last time I was in Horrible Gap, years ago with my mate Skip, we were busy shedding our wet weather gear as the sun had just come out after a wet and cloudy walk across The Crosscut Saw that morning. Today I was working in reverse, quickly digging out my gortex and pack cover ready for the in coming rain.

Starting my descent down into Horrible Gap from Mt Buggery. Mt Speculation is towering above.

Dropping down to Horrible Gap the AAWT crosses some nice open areas.

The initial climb up towards Mt Speculation was a pretty scrubby affair today, the AAWT pushing through a couple of thick belts of regrowth on the very steep initial part of the climb. Thankfully the rain more or less held off until I climbed above the most of the regrowth today so I didn’t get soaked from wet vegetation. Now if you are thinking of heading out to Mt Speculation, Mt Buggery or The Crosscut Saw you could probably expect this section of the track to be a little different when it comes to the scrub, this is a fairly popular section of track in the warmer months so I’m imagining that there will be a bit of track clearing going on…maybe? Anyway, climbing on today I had just got out of the belt of scrub which more or less corresponds with the steepest section of the climb, when the rain arrived, now while that was definitely good news in relation to the scrub it wasn’t so good in relation to shelter from the elements. The upper section of the climb up Mt Speculation crosses more grassy areas populated with some nice Snow Gums and plenty of large rocks, in fact the crux of the day is scrambling up a couple of the rocky bands that protect the summit of Mt Speculation.

Climbing out of Horrible Gap towards Mt Speculation was a bit scrubby on this visit.

Once through the scrub I started climbing up through these small bands of rock, oh and it started to snow.

Thankfully after around twenty of minutes or so the rain stopped, now while it was replaced with snow that was still a better outcome in my books! Climbing higher the snow got heavier but for the most part it didn’t settle. Now while I had to be a little careful on the two short rock scrambles in the snow, the good news wast that some of the rock outcrops also allowed me to get out of the weather for a few minutes, so much so that I managed to get the phone out and get a text through to Sam again, happy days! With my Feral Mojo once again at a high point after texting Sam that all was good, I grabbed my pack and set off again on my final push to the summit. I’d been up here around 5 months ago when I was doing my Mt Speculation food drop and while there was snow about at the start of winter,  the overhead conditions had been blue and sunny which along with almost no wind which meant there was quite a contrast with today.

The rocks and Snow Gums gave me a little shelter when I stopped to text Sam.

This is the second little scramble going up Mt Speculation, the scrambles are very easy but I was a little bit wary of the wet snow on the rock.

Approaching the summit of Mt Speculation.

The Snow Gums on the summit ridge of Mt Speculation are particularly photogenic, normally.....you'll have to check out my link at the end of the post to see what it looks like under blue sky though :)

My mood only got better as I approached the open summit of Mt Speculation when I managed to walk into a bit of a break in the weather. It didn’t look like it would last long but for the immediate time I was able to use the DSLR again to try and do justice to the rugged scenery surrounding me. With plenty of weather heading my way there was no lingering under the Snow Gums up here today though and after few minutes desperately trying to burn it all into my memory I started down the AAWT again, now heading down towards Camp Creek. Initially I followed the AAWT down the steep ridge east of the mountain before leaving the official AAWT (which continues following the ridge) and heading down a shallow valley for a 300 metres or so to meet up with Speculation Road.

I've made it to Mt Speculation, another milestone on my long journey north.

The weather actually cleared a little while I was up on Mt Speculation.

Looking across to The Razor (in the cloud) from Mt Speculation.

The summit ridge of Mt Speculation, there are some camping spots up here if the weather is looking ok.

Mt Howitt is under the cloud.

As I mentioned a little earlier I’d left a food drop up here before winter and that was the reason that I’d dropped off the AAWT. My food drop was a little way down the old Wonnangatta Track past the locked gate on Speculation Road, so after a quick stop to grab some water from Camp Creek where it crosses Speculation Road, I passed through the locked gate and wandered a few hundred metres down the old, eroded Wonnangatta Track. With thunder crashing around me it appeared that the black clouds that had been stalking me since I’d left the summit of Mt Speculation were about to deliver, so on reaching my food bin I was pretty keen to get everything sorted quickly. I had a near tragedy here though, with my food drop having been buried under a metre or two of snow for the best part of three months it appeared that water had infiltrated my supplies, most of the food was all good but the tragedy was that my socks and toilet paper hadn’t made it…bugger!

Hmm, this doesn't look ideal!

The official AAWT follows this ridge for awhile, I was dropping off to the left down to Camp Creek to pick up my food drop though.

Once off the ridge I dropped down this valley to meet Speculation Road near Camp Creek.

Just as I managed to get the last of my supplies safely stashed into my pack the hail arrived, and f*#k me didn’t it come down! Within minutes the old fire track was awash with hail stones, where they weren’t flowing down the track they were coating the ground like snow. The old Wonnangatta Track zig-zags a bit on it’s way down to Catherine Saddle, meeting the AAWT which comes in steeply on the right at a big cairn. Catherine Saddle makes for a pretty good grassy camp site, normally I camp at a small saddle just before The Razor but from all reports water isn’t easily available over there since the fires came through so Catherine Saddle was it today. With the hail gone and only a few showers scudding through I soon had the tent up with all my gear stashed dryly inside, it was now time to set off to find some water. Last time I’d been here I’d found water down a very old track past a dug-out but pushing through the regrowth today I couldn’t find any water close to camp, although I did find the dug-out and it appeared that someone had been living in it for awhile judging by the supplies and gear scattered around inside. Retracing my way back to camp I headed down the Wonnangatta Track for a 100 metres or so, here I found a bit of a soak seeping out of a cutting and running across the old track, with a few deer prints, blackberries and a bit of mud around it once again wasn’t pretty, but the water was clear and clean and it saved me scrub bashing into a gully. As was becoming normal on the AAWT tent o'clock came pretty early again tonight and I retired to the sleeping bag to listen to a bit of ABC local radio, life was indeed good!

My second food drop on my way to Mt Hotham, happy days!

Heading down Wonnangatta Track in the hail.

That's hail not snow.

The AAWT comes in on the right, down the hill through the bush.

The Dirt.
I walked 13 kilometres and climbed 650 metres on another hard days walking on the AAWT. My stats for my 12 days on the AAWT so far are 189 kilometres along with 9315 metres of climbing. Water today mostly came with me from Macalister Springs, there is a good creek down off The Crosscut Saw down Stanleys Name Spur but you have to drop a fair way so unless you're desperate I’d give it a miss. The next good water is at Camp Creek down on Speculation Road off Mt Speculation, I got water for my Catherine Saddle camp to the east of the saddle down the old Wonnangatta Track, you will always get water down here it’ll just depend on how far down towards the Wonnangatta River you have to descend. Camping wise there are a couple of very exposed options on ridge line of The Crosscut Saw, Mt Buggery and Mt Speculation, more sheltered options are near the creek on Stanleys Name Spur and near where Camp Creek crosses Speculation Road, as well as Catherine Saddle of course. Navigation is all pretty straightforward today, while since starting across The Crosscut Saw the AAWT has been traversing the Razor-Viking Wilderness Area which in theory means no track marking, in reality on the ground the defined track is pretty easy to follow and there are a few signposts scattered around. I got a Telstra signal up on Mt Speculation and I’m thinking that there would of been one for most of the day across The Crosscut Saw and Mt Buggery but I didn’t turn the phone on. I used Mr Chapman’s notes and maps as well as carrying the SV Maps Buller-Howitt Alpine Area 1:50,000 sheet and Rooftop’s Jamieson-Licola Adventure Map in case I need an overview.

Relevant Posts.
AAWT, Day 1, October 2017.
AAWT, Previous day, October 2017.
Mt Speculation, Alpine National Park, 2017.

My camp at Catherine Saddle.

It looks like the old dug-out at Catherine Saddle has had someone living in it for awhile.