the Last walk of the year.

Sunday 30th December, 2007.

The decision has been made. This Sunday's walk will be at Varirata for one last trek through the mud, before the real Moresby wet season begins. But as mentioned in the last post, we will be attempting the track in reverse order, but we will park up near the first lookout. From here, it will be uphill and down dale until we reach the third and arguably most rewarding view. From these lofty heights we will plummet down to the picnic area, and then follow the creek back to the cars.

This will be a cool walk with high humidity. Check some of the reviews and previews on this blog for other thoughts of Varirata. But, it will be wet underfoot, you will see leeches and you will fall on your backside at least once. Wear boots with good grip, or go barefoot. We will be picking up some guides along the way and they will lend a hand if you cannot manage the slippery conditions.

A walking stick/pole/bit of timber will help you stay upright, and it pays to take your time. Bring water, and bring swimming gear, because it is good fun splashing in the cool rapids as we leave. You will need K5 per person to get into the park and bring some extra cash for the cost of guides and our police mates.

This is a popular walk in the past, so remember to try to keep the group together, be mindful of your walking speed and the speed of others, and try to keep the group together. There are some steep sections of the track, but the rewards at the lookouts are awesome. Except when the cloud is low...

It may rain. 4WDs are not required, as the road in is sealed all the way. Meet at the normal time, at the normal place.

Varirata. 23rd December 2007.

A non-sanctioned walk.

On a non-bushwalking weekend, we decided to head out and see what the conditions were like at Varirata. It was wet. It had poured with rain all day Saturday in the ranges that surround Moresby and Varirata had received good falls.

We had a chat with Robert our Guide and decided to proceed with a well known and well used regular loop, which takes in three lookouts all with spectacular views of Bootless Bay and the Magi Hwy.

The leaf litter was heavy underfoot and this provided a level of grip which meant that only certain parts of the track were slippery underfoot. The moist conditions meant it was favourable for leeches and all sorts of mulch dwelling invertebrates. Butterflies and Spiders were also commonplace and it wasn’t unusual for the lead walker to be continuously brushing webs from one’s face, and the occasional spider.

The birds were also out in force with the extra insects about, and their bird calls filled the cool jungle air. Despite the comparative coolness of the morning, the lack of a breeze meant that the humidity was close and it was a relief when arriving at the lookouts to feel a gentle breeze.

Overall, a fantastic walk with plenty of things to look at and listen to and one that I think we should do in reverse this coming Sunday. Keep an eye here for details.

PAU – Mt Erima. December 16th, 2007.

This walk was undertaken on quite a hot morning, and in the middle of the festive season. So needless to say, what appeared to be a reasonably easy short wander around PAU, ended up being a fairly brutal climb to the top of Mt Erima. By all means not a tall Mountain, not even a tall Hill, but just a rocky outcrop at the very base of the Owen Stanley Range. But thanks to an early baking sun, the climb rewarded those who made the effort.

The start of the walk was fairly relaxed as the group of us left the PAU markets, walked past the veggie and banana gardens and across a small shallow creek. From here we wandered around the corner of a small hill, and then it was decided to go straight up the edge. The odd occasional scraggly tree was a refuge as we all realised that the sun was up and cooking. After some time climbing, we stopped and looked up at the tower that crowns Mt Erima, it looked a bit daunting as our guide said that was to be our destination. Those who had climbed the mountain before gave us a degree of confidence by saying that they were going to stay at base camp and watch us suffer from afar.

But first we had to get to base camp. It looked like a simple walk down the valley, up the other side, over the spur, and across to the fence that surrounded the water treatment plant. Well the spur proved difficult as we found the group having to use hands and feet in order to maintain grip on what was soon becoming a vertical rock face. And crumbly rock too. You could feel the heat radiating off of the rock face, making every pore sweat.

But finally, we made it to the shade of base camp under a mango tree. There were those of the group who decided to rest awhile and then there was the few of us who decided to scramble up the sun-baked climb to the tower. The rocky track to the top was near vertical in parts as we had to scramble with hands and feet to get to the top. But the views at the top and the shade on the darkside of the mount were a relief from the sun. After sometime spent relaxing in the shade, we then slipped down the track back to base camp.

From here, it was a steep walk down into a grassy meadow area and then a flat walk along the creek and back to the Market gardens. The creek crossing was deeper on the return and the cool water felt good on hot and tired feet. All in all a good fun short walk and a good introduction for a few of the first time walkers.