Geoskid and his non-forumnite mate Bryan left from Dove Lake for the slightly more epic trip via Scott Kilvert hut, meanwaile the rest of us were just meeting up in Ulvyrock. After an exciting turbo charged drive up the most windy route we could find, we met up with Pomysi and Brett at Ronnies Creek. The weather was threatening but dry as we set off up the Overland Track.
We made reasonable time up to Marions Lookout where some of us enthusiastic ones actually checked the view, while some just bypassed it
Anyway the wasn't much snow about so the snow shoes made for excellent pack weights to help us burn some fat.
There is a nice new section of boardwalk up near Kitchen Hut, why don't they do em like the bitumen coated boards on the cirque??
Anyway, lunch was at kitchen hut, pizza and fresh strawberries for me - yum! Soon got pretty cool and moved on. The weather was still good with not too cooler temps and even a bit of sun now and then.
It was a nice walk past a fairly impressive looking snow capped Cradle Mountain looming into the clouds on our left. The walk from Kitchen Hut to the top of the Waterfall Valley descent was much easier than last year thanks to only a scattering of snow here and there, rather than soft uneven knee to waist deep stuff everywhere that we encountered last year.
Luckily, due to the not so cold temps, the track to Waterfall Valley was ice free and we made it to the hut at about 3.30pm (I think??), about 5 mins after it began to rain lightly. During the night the rain picked up and didn't let up until about 9am.
Meanwhile Christmas in July got into swing. Geoskid and Bryan had already decorated the venue, having arrived an hour or so earlier. They also had the juke box cranked up! After (and quite a bit before) some very impressive evening meals (including kebabs, roast turkey and veggies, Atlantic Salmon, dinner rolls, xmas pudding and custard as well as some chicken dish I didn't see but am told was rather impressive) the party got underway. Some poor buggers doing the Overland Track also shared the hut with us that night (sorry if you were there for a quiet night guys).
We departed at 10.00am the next morning (Corvus won't leave earlier on principle
), some with sore heads. We made pretty good time up what was now basically a creek into WFV. From the Cirque we could see many waterfalls in full flow - ahh so thats why the call it Waterfall Valley! Once again we had a long lunch at Kitchen Hut. From here 5 of us went back via the Horse Track and Crater Peak while Corvus, Penguin and Brett took the OT via Marions. We all met up at the junction of the two tracks near Ronnies Creek. It rained just enough from here back to the car to be annoying and make us all damp, but not wet.So ended our pilgrimage to WFV for 2009. It was a great weekend with excellent company, good weather and of course great sites as always.
Here are a few pics. Many of them have the left side chopped off by the forum, while the resizing has made them all look horrible - still you get the point!
Looking back at the car park where our Turbo charged all wheel drive beast is parked - even red paint to go faster!
Somewhere near Crater Falls
Hmm I wonder where?
Ascending Marions
I wonder if I'm the first human explorer to photograph this
Cloud & snow Capped Cradle Mountain
Some good ol taxpayers dollars at work
Christmas decorations in WFV Hut
Rudolf and a big elf?
Leaving WFV
On the way to Kitchen Hut
Pomysi claims a snow cave in Merrigold valley! (okay I know that isn't how you spell it)
at least that what they said on Sunday morning 
