THE DIRTY HALF DOZEN

[taloyoak]

I headed out from Katoomba after submitting my trip plan and getting an EPIRB from the Police, and made my way along the scenic Narrow Neck trail. Arrived at the fire tower which is about ¾ the way to the end of the trail, and out to Carlons Head. I’d read the descriptions, but wasn’t deterred because of the “climb” on chains. Well……hahaha, was I wrong. At what point do you listen to that voice in your head that tries to talk sense when all you do is fight that, and the urge to explore new things and places takes over… Welcome to my head, and Carlon’s Head.

“All of the pitches involve some awkward moves and a fall on any of the pitches would be very nasty, if not fatal. Be warned, some of the rungs are loose, and one has in fact broken off. If you have concerns, you would be advised to take 20m of rope and set up a belay. Carlon Head is not a pass for the faint hearted! A Coast and Mountain walker had a bad fall descending the exposed section around 1971-72 and for a while it was feared he'd broken his back. He had to be airlifted out with an Iroquois helicopter. Although there are chains and spikes/loops on the exposed sections it is imperative that you employ a tape or rope to set up a safety backup. Attach it to a harness or use a bowline knot to place a body loop in the end and place under the armpits. Wrap the other end around one of the bolts or through the large eyebolt to use as a belay friction device” – This is an excerpt from one of the Blue Mtn’s guidebooks.

Basically it technically isn’t too bad, just a lot of airy exposure, and obviously as stated above- a slip or fall would almost definitely result in serious injury or death. There are a number of cliffs to descend using fixed chains and metal spikes- I wish I had of taken some photos for you all, but to be honest I was too involved in whether or not I was going to be able to get down. At the base of one of the down climbs there was a broken metal spike- nothing like that to instil more fear!. With my pack on, down climbing was very difficult. Well finally I get to the bottom, but then spent 30 mins trying to figure out exactly where the trail went, as there were 2 options, 1 I followed to the right, it contoured the cliff, but led nowhere- at least nothing that I could get down, then the other way led to a cliff with a chimney rock down climb. I looked at it for 5 mins, trying to figure out whether this was the right way- looking for worn rock etc, but decided to take that option. I had to basically drop my pack over the ½ way because it was too hard to squeeze through with it, and as I did drop it managed to roll down, down, down about 30 meters of hill. Shit!. Sketched my way through the chimney, then got my pack, and then it was a horrendous extremely steep downhill descent to the fire trail that leads from Packsaddlers to Medlow Gap. Now…. The whole idea of taking this route was to cut time. Usually to get from Katoomba to Medlow Gap takes around 3 hrs. Well by the time I got to Medlow Gap it had taken well over 6 hr’s, I was tired, hungry and pissed off- but also kind of happy that I had checked out another area of the mountains. Never again!.

So as I walked in to Medlow Gap at around 4pm, I toyed with the idea of camping at Medlow ( all it is is a signboard with a small eave roof maybe 1m wide), or I could walk the next 60 mins to Mobbs Soak and bivvy at the cave. I decided to walk to Mobbs, but the whole time trying to convince myself to keep going the extra 3 hr’s ( in the dark) to Kanangra ck, where my gear was. I got to Mobbs and decided to stay in the cave.

I had nothing. I spent about 20 mins collecting Casuarina needles- basically those thin string like needles on the ground, to use as a bed, then also used tree branches and leaves to make a bed. I had a bivvy bag- but not your normal goretex one, but a coated nylon “sack”. I settled in to the cold, yes it was really cold, I ended up putting on my Simms waders, and every single piece of clothes I had, in the VB( Vapour Barrier ) bag. Well those of you that do not know what a Vapour Barrier is- basically it is a sack ( or socks etc), that are non-breathable. They are designed to keep you warm by holding in the radiated heat you naturally lose, however the downside is that they also trap your insensible loss (the almost 1 lt of fluid you lose in an average night’s sleep from sweating). I had to basically every 2 hrs, use my chamois towel to soak up the water/sweat- it really was that bad!. Needless to say, I had a shit sleep, it was freezing cold. I was soooooooooo glad for the morning- had set my alarm for 630am.

Packed up, ate some muesli bars, and made my way to Kanangra ck.

Got down to K ck and my camp around 1030am. It was a great clear and sunny day, it is hard to describe how beautiful this part of the mountains is. When I walk in to that place, I am overwhelmed with happiness, my tired legs are instantly renewed, and I feel just so privileged to be able to spend time in this almost untouched wilderness. My little buddy Supreme Lyrebird was chortling away as usual- he makes me laugh with his crazy calls and rants. Last trip with Irongusavius et al – I left my tent up with gear in it, and it was all there. Basically just got sorted and ate something then Kyuss (Scott) arrived, happy and in good spirits.

We exchanged handshakes and started bantering and getting to know you chit chat. He was going pure ultralight (UL). So the big news was that the week before we had spoken and also emailed many times to organise the trip, I had recommended some UL gear- and then he pulls out his 450gm, double skin tent- yeah baby Terra Nova Laser UL. I won’t tell you how much it costs, but I can tell you I was jealous as hell!.

The fly is made of a new textile called Cuben Fiber- the most incredible ultralight fabric that destroys every other textile for weight vs puncture/abrasion/tear strength, plus it is waterproof. And YES it is expensive as hell. ( a little side note: I just ordered some from the US, and I bought a cheap dome tent, unstitched/unpicked the tent, so I can make a pattern, and I am going to sew a Cuben Fiber tent)….. LOL- Kyuss was seriously going lightweight, and I love that!. Then he pulls out an orange from his pack- hahaha gotta ward off that scurvy!.

Scott’s pack and gear were just awesome and I am really impressed with his UL approach to hiking. Anyway we sat around chatting for some time and ate some lunch then chatted some more and finally decided to head down to the mouth of K and C. When I first started coming down to this place I never fished the mouth thinking that the Cox's was too polluted to have lots of fish living in the actual area so it wasn't until another raider told me of his exploits and how good the fishing can be there. Well since then every trip I have caught some good sized bows. I also figured that seeing as it was spawning time but the stream was too low to allow the trout up into it they would just be waiting and milling around there for the rains to come. I was right. I made a few casts into the normal runs and riffles but nothing. Then Scott made a couple and hooked onto a really nice big fat "dolphin".

It gave him a bit of excitement but no real acrobatics and I waded out to net him. A perfect example of a wild male Rainbow Trout!. It had the eloquent hook jaw and superb markings. Every time I see a nice example of these beasties it puts a huge smile on my face. We nabbed a few kodak moments and Scott released him and he disappeared into the depths and we both silently thanked him for allowing us to meet such a beautiful fish. I have to admit I hate it when the lure beats the fly but the other real excuse for my donut or skunk was that I had forgotten to buy some big flies like buggers etc as the week before when I went with irongustavius and luderick angler to TCD - I had lost pretty much all my good big flies. My box was basically full of dries!!!!.

Scott moved up the Cox's working the area around the mouth and he proceeded to nail a few more bows but all big females, big fat and clean.

I acted more like a guide than fisherman and netted the fish then we took photos and I think I actually managed to get a smile out of Scott" flat affect" Bradburn!!-lol. He also told me that he had seen a "massive silver flash" swim downstream in front of him. He couldn't exactly see what it was but by the look on his face it must have been humongous. I made a few more casts in-between his and also waded out to retrieve some of his million dollar lures. I had a spare pair of Gore-Tex waders for him to use but his sneakers wouldn't fit over the stocking feet so he went “sans” waders and yes the water was fcuking freezing!. It was getting late and so we leisurely strolled the 10 mins back to camp walking through the homestead ( konangaroo crossing). I had also borrowed an old, rusting thunderbox that has been sitting way up in the corner of one of the paddocks full of spider webs and dirt- so I cleaned it up a bit and had placed it up in our "latrine" area. You wouldn't believe how fantastic it is to be able to sit down in comfort when you are dropping the kids off at the pool!-heheheheh.

So we got dinner going, I had actually brought along ingredients to make Chilli Con Carne- dehydrated kidney beans, dehy peas, carrots, corn, TVP which I let soak in tomato paste and beef stock, Spanish onions, fresh Chilli, fresh coriander. all the food that I had dehydrated 2 months ago is still awesome.

If you have doubts about taste etc I am telling you it is exactly the same but of course weighs 90% less in your pack. During the prep I also got stuck into some nice scotch which warmed me up just nice. The best part was that Scott doesn't drink anything but Vodka - just suited me fine!. Scott had brought along a few of the Mountain House freeze dried meals. They make some amazingly tasty meals but also a few can be bland. They are usually priced around $15 for a "2 person" serving which really equates to a 1 man out camping serving as Angus found out the previous trip!. For dessert we had a bunch of Tim Tams that I had brought. We then watched a movie on the iPod and it was a beautiful clear night full of stars- wow!

Hit the rack around 10pm or a bit earlier and I had a great sleep unlike the night on leaves the night before.

Saturday morning we got up around 8am I think- Scott had actually gotten up early to fish a few of the pools near the camp and caught 2 fish I think. We ate, and got ready and basically skipped all the low pools and worked the upper reaches- where the deep pools are. During the skipping between pools, we were amazed at how many big fish- particularly big browns that were in these pools. Some of these Brown’s were huge.

We spend about 5-6 hr’s working our way up to the Wilhannia Creek junction, and the huge pool before it was chock-a-block full of BIG fish- but even though I did the Chuck Norris stealth manoeuvre into them- we spooked them.

Headed back to camp, we were starving and I had remembered that I brought along 2 loaves of Garlic Bread, and I had forgotten to bring alfoil to cook the bread, so I just fried them in a pan, and OMG they turned out awesome- Scott said it was the “best garlic bread he’d had in his life”- quote Verbatim!....LOL- and I don’t dispel this- cause as any of you guys and gals know- when you are out in the boonies, any food tastes great. We both vowed to bring garlic bread on every single trip from now- carbs, lightweight and tasty- what more is there to convince?.

We also made a Laksa- no fish this time, so use salami, deep fried tofu, chilli, coriander, coconut cream, laksa paste etc- and it tuned OK- not as good as last trip with Gus, but filling and tasty. We watched another movie- this time in my tent as it was chilly out- watched the Aussie WW1 movie – “Beneath Hill 60” – I love that movie. That night was pretty cold.

Sunday am- we got up at 7am, to a clear cold morning, made a huge breakfast to fill our bodies with protein and carbs for the walk out, cleaned up camp, packed up my gear that stays down there, and I think we headed out by 10am’ish.

The walk out like I have described before is not real fun. The 2hr extreme uphill mountain hike to the top of Mt Yellow Dog is awesome- it will test your faith, your heart, and mental spirit. Those 2 hr’s you are hating everything and trying to suck in the O2 and fuel your legs as they work like pistons to propel you upwards. A great time for all the family!.

Luckily this time we had tonnes of food- many choc muesli bars, an Orange!!!!!, and a whole salami between us.

We got to Packsaddlers/aka Carlons Farm in the Megalong around 5pm- this time the trip was good weather and because we had plenty of food for the trip out it was actually quite pleasant.

I’m heading back in next weekend, cause I made the dumb mistake to leave my mobile phone/drivers licence and visa card in a ziplock in a jacket I leave down there- yeah Matt for the win!......then a bit of a hiatus, then we ( a few of us) are gonna do a mission to the Kowmung.

I just ordered a tonne of Cuben Fiber fabric from the US to make my new tent- when done, will be a waterproof single skin tent weighing less than 400gm’s. For you that like ultralight gear etc- Cuben Fiber is the new ultralight technology- unreal- all these people in the US are making packs, tents, tarps, stuff sacks, sleeping bags et al from this fabric- it is the lightest, most abrasion/puncture and tear resistant fabric known- but is expensive. Truly the new fabric!.

Every time I go into the mountains I feel like George Mallory and when asked by friends and family why I punish myself to go into these places… I respond – “Because it’s there!”

Get out, explore, do the things you dream of, make the most of your lives before arthritis, dementia, alzheimers etc take hold…. We live in the best country in the world, and we owe it to ourselves and our kids to show them how wonderful this country is. I NEVER get sick of hiking in to Kanangra- If I could- I’d live there for the rest of my life…….

[taloyoak]

SOME MORE PICS

[luderick -angler]

Nice Matt very nice!

[Catchin Jack]

Speechless mate, what a fantastic read.

Love the photos.

[Joco]

MATE gorgeous.....

[mike82]

Fantastic read!

Only a small part of the Blue Mountains is seen by many due to the massive amount of tourists that have popularised Leura and Katoomba. Once you get away from the "tourist attractions" you get an insight into the beauty of the "real" Blue mountains. You have captured this very well in your photos!

Thanks for taking the time to write the story and post the pictures.

[mrsswordfisherman]

Unreal read as usual Matt. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

Next time you trek in there, get a movie called The Way Back - some guys escape from a Siberian gulag and do a 4000-mile walk to freedom in India. I am sure you will enjoy it

[kyuss]

Awesome trip. Thanks Matt!

Some highlights:

- Not dying of dehydration during the final hour on the way in (for a change)

- Seeing some improvements to Camp Nanook including a seat and the thunderbox.

- Proving to Matt that it isnt so bad wading in sneakers... once you lose feeling in your feet it's tolerable

- Relief that my new tent worked as intended - tent and mat well under 1kg!

- The taste of my two mocked oranges (and yes - the garlic bread)

- Getting to watch movies in the middle of nowhere

- The fishing was alright too

[irongustavius]

Damn guys . . . if I hadn't been hit by a car while riding to work I would have been in like Flynn.

Lock me in for the next one though, not gonna go as UL as Scott (probably just SL), got to bring the fly rod and the spinning gear so as to avoid being skunked. Also the biiiiiiiiiig streamers. Don't worry Matt I've got a few you can borrow.

[luderick -angler]

Angus you allright?

[Hodgey]

Another epic read Matt, and the photos are amazing, especially the underwater and scenic shots. Photographic evidence of why you do what you do. The UL material sounds awesome! How will you waterproof the seams of the tent you're going to make? That chilli con carne looked bloody tasty to me Great report as always mate

Cheers

Ian

[robeebee]

Fantastic photos mate

[taloyoak]

Oops!, forgot to add the big hook jaw male that Scotty caught,

and also his titanium tent pegs against ultralight aluminium ones

[Penguin]

Mate what a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it

Thanks for sharing.

cheers

[Centrepin]

Thanks for the read Matt.

It was great

Kowmung time is nearly calling.

Geoff

[taloyoak]

Thanks nurse Ratchett ( LOL- just kiddin'), I have downloaded the movie and gonna watch it with the ball and chain tonite!

Unreal read as usual Matt. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

Next time you trek in there, get a movie called The Way Back - some guys escape from a Siberian gulag and do a 4000-mile walk to freedom in India. I am sure you will enjoy it

[taloyoak]

Geoff, I am feverishly organising time off,getting my new tent made, shaving kilo's off both my fat ass and gear list, and trying to convince the "slave labour camp commandant" that I can buy more gear!. Needless to say I will be going no matter what, even if that means straight to divorce- no trial separation etc.....I'm good to go.

Thanks for the read Matt.

It was great

Kowmung time is nearly calling.

Geoff

[bombora]

Damn as soon as I saw the report posted up I knew my work productivity would go down the gurglar this arvo. Fantastic pics and fish!!!!! Astonishingly stunning country. Among the best fishing reports/pic essays I've seen on the web.

[taloyoak]

I would NEVER mock Oranges....my middle name is Citrus Sinensis!

Awesome trip. Thanks Matt!

Some highlights:

- Not dying of dehydration during the final hour on the way in (for a change)

- Seeing some improvements to Camp Nanook including a seat and the thunderbox.

- Proving to Matt that it isnt so bad wading in sneakers... once you lose feeling in your feet it's tolerable

- Relief that my new tent worked as intended - tent and mat well under 1kg!

- The taste of my two mocked oranges (and yes - the garlic bread)

- Getting to watch movies in the middle of nowhere

- The fishing was alright too

[iggy]

that seriously is the best post i have ever read mate . great pics too.

[taloyoak]

Thanks Igg,

But It isn't my best post- I procrastinated for a week or so to type it up- my philosophy is basically that if you are a memebr of a fishing website that has around 20,000 members- surely you can spend 30 mins or so to type up a report- spell check it ( my pet peave!), and if you go out and want to make a report- take the time ( which isn't real hard) to take some good photos. Unfortunately every time I have ever gone on trips- even up in the Arctic, 70% of the time I neglected to take pics- not anymore. I love sharing reports with everyone, and all you membersn have a digital camera- just take loads of pics- maybe 10 out of 50 tuen out great- well the other 19,000 members appreciate pics. Everytime I log on, to look at the site, I really appreciate members who take the time to take pics- like MAKO, GREG L, etc etc and even SWORDIE- he takes great photos...that is what keeps the interest with the site/forum.

There is nothing worse than checking out a report without pics.

Just my 5 mins worth!

that seriously is the best post i have ever read mate . great pics too.

[kyuss]

that seriously is the best post i have ever read mate . great pics too.

For anyone interested - pics were taken using a $300 lumix point and shoot (and in the wrong setting most of the time!). The lumix is waterproof to 3m which allows for some great pics underwater. If it wasn't so damned cold I would have taken more. A good option for trips like this.

[cheap charlie]

Geoff, I am feverishly organising time off,getting my new tent made, shaving kilo's off both my fat ass and gear list, and trying to convince the "slave labour camp commandant" that I can buy more gear!. Needless to say I will be going no matter what, even if that means straight to divorce- no trial separation etc.....I'm good to go.

Hey Matt,

Did u end up finding your Gortex jacket from you TCD trip? Or is that on your shopping list as well?

[irongustavius]

Angus you allright?

Yeah mate, bit bruised and battered but gearing up for a Blue Mountains mission in the future.

[taloyoak]

nO NEVER FOUND MY nORTH FACE JACKET- DOESN'T MATTER IT WAS TOO HEAVY ANYWAY, GETTING A MARMOT SUPER MICA JKT.

Hey Matt,

Did u end up finding your Gortex jacket from you TCD trip? Or is that on your shopping list as well?