Leven Canyon
Around an hour after leaving Blackwood Camp the PCT breaks out onto the river bank.
Walking the wet rocks along this section was particularly slow going.
The rocks made a good spot for another break.
Leaving the river I had the aid of a fixed rope to help me up a steep section, and after another descent I was at the bottom of the climb to Griffiths Ridge. The 400 metre climb up and over Griffith Ridge would be the crux of the days walking. The track is a marvel in route finding as from a distance it appears that there would be no way to get a track up and over the ridge that steeples overhead. Once the climb began it was fairly well defined, but relentless and steep. On meeting the ridge top cliffs the track doubles back on itself and follows the cliffs steeply up hill searching for an opening. After much climbing there was an opening in the cliffs and I scrambled onto the top of Griffiths Ridge.
From the top of Griffiths Ridge I managed to get a signal to text Sam again and let her know that everything was OK. I dropped my pack at the descent point and took the 300 metre side trip out to the end of Griffith Ridge, all the time taking a lot of care on the wet rocks. From the end of the ridge I looked across the chasm and could easily see the tourist lookout, which is only a fifteen minute walk from the carpark. Between me and the tourist lookout on the other side of Leven Canyon was the raging Leven River 300 metres directly below me.
From the top of Griffiths Ridge I managed to get a signal to text Sam again and let her know that everything was OK. I dropped my pack at the descent point and took the 300 metre side trip out to the end of Griffith Ridge, all the time taking a lot of care on the wet rocks. From the end of the ridge I looked across the chasm and could easily see the tourist lookout, which is only a fifteen minute walk from the carpark. Between me and the tourist lookout on the other side of Leven Canyon was the raging Leven River 300 metres directly below me.
Looking across towards the tourist lookout on the other side of Leven Canyon from the end of Griffiths Ridge.
From the end of Griffiths Ridge the River Leven is around 300 metres below me, Taylors Flats are in the middle distance and the Black Bluff Range is in the distance.
On the end of Griffiths Ridge - there are no safety fences or platforms up here.
After a bite to eat and a couple of photo's it was time to descend off the ridge. The track down was more constructed than the track up, there are steps, ladders and chains in places, however it was still a serious undertaking in the rain. After two days of rain and showers the ground was fairly well saturated, and I spent a little bit of time on my bum trying to negotiate particularly gnarly sections. By the time I reached the Leven Splits Bridge I'd had enough, I decided to head out to Loongana Road and escape the wet green hell. Before I left the river I took some more photo's as it is truly awe inspiring scenery and I was thinking that it'll be a long time before I'm back down here.
Down in the canyon things were looking pretty rugged.
Once over the ridge and back down in the canyon conditions were still pretty rough.
Leven Canyon
The River Leven near Leven Splits.
My plan now was to climb up to the road and then make my way along the quiet road to Mountain Valley Wilderness Cabins where I could dry everything and hopefully get some information about the weather on the Black Bluff Range. So down the Loongana Road I went, meeting the PCT again just over the Loongana Road Bridge. My detour was a couple of kilometres longer however it probably saved me four hours of walking.
The view from the bridge near Leven Splits.
Leven Splits
I've just emerged from the wet cold green hell behind me.
After more than a day battling Leven Canyon...
... I decided to climb the only exit track up to Loongana Road.
Once at the cabins I spread my tent and clothes around the room and let the open fire do its work, the owners kindly got onto the weather site for me. Tomorrow wasn't looking good with snow showers down to 1200 metres, so I decided to call a rest day as most of the track across the Black Bluff Range hovers in the 1000 to 1200 metre range. The rest of the afternoon was spent drying gear, checking out Platypus in the River Leven and watching the Tasmanian Devils eat some road kill on my veranda!
My accommodation for the night.
The River Leven was a short walk from my cabin.
Taylors Bridge was only a little way up stream.
The River Leven.
The brown blur in the tannin stained water is a Platypus.
I've done a lot of travelling and walking in Australia over the decades however seeing a Platypus in the wild still gives me a buzz.
I was certainly enjoying being warm and dry after my time in Leven Canyon.
The wildlife here was a real feature.
Looking up towards the Black Bluff Range conditions were looking a little dodgy.
Looking the other way the weather was a little bit more promising.
The Dirt.
I walked 12.5 kilometres and climbed around 520 metres on what was another hard days walking. Over the three days of my PCT walk so far I've walked 49.7 kilometres and climbed 1830 metres. The walking today as the PCT crossed Griffiths Ridge was rough and tough, once again I was lucky to average 1 kilometre an hour as not only the topography but also the rain slowed me down. I stayed in the Mountain Valley Wilderness Cabins today (actually I ended up staying two nights) and the old cabin with it's big open fire place was a great spot to relax for a couple of days. The native wildlife in the form of Platypus and Tasmanian Devils at the cabins were a real highlight for me.
Relevant Posts.
Yes.... that's my next objective.
The cabin was comfortable enough, although the big open fireplace was the highlight for me.
I really should get a photo of these places before the pack explosion occurs!
Tasmanian Devils on my verandah... this was undoubtably the highlight of my stay at here.
To get these photos I had the verandah light on and the interior cabin light off... with the flash off on my camera obviously.
Watching the wild devils eat from less than a metre away was an amazing experience.
Once the devils went to bed for the night the Wallabies came out to graze in front of my cabin.
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