Jagungal Widerness KNP

[Tony]

These are some photo's from a snowshoeing trip to Tin Hut in the Jagungal Wilderness area, Kosciuszco National Park last weekend (22,23,24 August, 08)

Yesterday morning we recorded a low of -16ºC, we slept in tents as Tin Hut was rat infested. My pack at the start weighed in at 12kg including food.

Tony

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View toward Gungartan Pass 2000m
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Rocky Ridge on Kerries Ridge

Tin Hut

View from Tin Hut window

The moon at sunrise

Granite rocks

Dave (left) and me on Gungartan Trig 2068m, Main Range behind

Gungartan Trig

Kerries Range at sunrise

The Main Range from Gungartan trig note Victorian snow fields in background

Part of the Kerries Ridge

Last edited by Tony on Mon 25 Aug, 2008 4:02 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[Robbo]

Looks like you had a great time, with good weather. Great pictures, and I don't feel a bit cold looking at them

-16 does seem fairly chilly, but with the right gear, and when the sun comes up, all is good...

Tony Robinson

[Son of a Beach]

Looks like you had fantastic weather. Great pics!

[Tony]

Hi Tony and Nik,

The weather was outstanding, my gear was adequate. I took the pictures with a cheap Canon PowerShot A550, I will post some more pics later.

I just posted improved panoramas, photobucket reduces them a lot.

Tony

[luke_vic]

Hi Looks like a good trip!

What tent did you use? Was it sufficient?

Cheers
Luke

[Tony]

Hi Nuts,

I bet though, once you were in there, that you would Rather have had 20kg worth of warmth!

Absolutely not, I was comfortable and warm, the gear that I took handled the conditions as expected and I had a better than usual sleep.

Hi Luke,

Hi Looks like a good trip!

What tent did you use? Was it sufficient?

The Trip was one of the best I have done.

The tent I used was a single skin Black Diamond BetaMid and it was marginal, I will looking at getting another lightweight winter tent.

BetaMid tent

IMG_1091.JPG (85.65 KiB) Viewed 8992 times

[walkinTas]

The weather was outstanding, my gear was adequate. Tony

Do read this as criticism, its just a questions. What do you mean be adequate? Do you mean the gear you took kept you warm in the outstanding weather you experienced? OR Do you mean that if a blizzard had blown up you would have survived without any problems?

[Tony]

Hi WalkinTas,

Do read this as criticism, its just a questions. What do you mean be adequate? Do you mean the gear you took kept you warm in the outstanding weather you experienced? OR Do you mean that if a blizzard had blown up you would have survived without any problems?

I mean't that I slept in -16C temperatures and my clothes kept me warm that temperature as I ate breakfast and by the way I still had another thermal layer to put on plus I still had my wet weather/wind proof layer, I also did not use the extra layer for my hands and head. As for surviving a blizzard I have no doubt that my clothes where adequate, my tent is the only piece of gear that I still have some doubts with, even though it is rated as 4 seasons, I have yet to tested it in very high wind conditions, it was fairly windy when I went to bed and the tent was fine, as a safety backup the area we where in we where not far from one of the mountain huts. You can make your own mind up if that is adequate.

In the warmer day time we stripped off some layers I think it is called the layering principle.

Hi Nuts,

And a better tent

Yes but not heavier.

Tony

[walkinTas]

Do read this as criticism .... ouch! That was unfortunate! Where did I put the not. But nice to see you were practicing safe walking.

[Ephebus]

Hi Tony,

Looks like a great walk. I would have loved to get down into the Snowies this winter but haven't been able to find the time. Did you by any chance pass Mawsons Hut in your travels? I'm planning on staying there one night in December while looping round Jagungal partly using the Farm Ridge and Toolong trails. I'm also considering detouring to Tin hut before heading west up to Valentines if its worth a look.

[Tony]

Hi Ephebus,

Looks like a great walk. I would have loved to get down into the Snowies this winter but haven't been able to find the time. Did you by any chance pass Mawsons Hut in your travels? I'm planning on staying there one night in December while looping round Jagungal partly using the Farm Ridge and Toolong trails. I'm also considering detouring to Tin hut before heading west up to Valentines if its worth a look.

I have been to Valentines hut-MtJagungal-Mawsons Hut in no snow and in little snow and it is fairly easy walking but I have not been to Mawsons Hut-Tin Hut with out heavy snow cover so I am unable to give advice what it is like but I suspect it is not too bad, should be a nice walk. The Kerries Ridge looks like it would be good walking.

Some caution in December I got caught with the weather in a very bad snow/ horizontal hail storm 23 rd December a few years back. At that time of the Year the Alps are a bit like Tasmania and the weather can change very quickly.

Tony