Ruins and Rivers - A Summer Walk in the Snowies. By Nick Hall

A sunny, mild weathered Saturday was the perfect start to a weekend in the Snowies. Myself and two other members of the NSW State Emergency Service Alpine Rescue Unit were heading out to hone our familiarity of the terrain South of Charlotte Pass. Avoiding the fairly crowded carpark at the lookout, we set off from the bottom of the village. Pushing uphill, we followed a fairly straight bearing to the saddle below Mount Stilwell, though progress was slow as we weaved our way through the scrub. Aiming to stay mostly off track to practice our navigation and route finding skills, we made sure to minimise our impact on some of the more fragile alpine flora with a small party size and sensible route choice.

Gaining the saddle, we settled onto a footpad leading to the summit of Mt Stilwell. The weather was kind and we enjoyed a spectacular view to the North and only a hint of a breeze. From here, we left the track and found a circular route over to Little Stilwell, and then on to the ruins of the old Thredbo to Charlotte Pass Chairlift. Having only been to the ruins in Winter, it was amazing to see the ruins in full, the bathroom floor of the restaurant and motor that ran the chairlift still largely intact.

Moving again, we aimed North for the headwaters of Wright's Creek. The creek was fairly low, and we saw a number of spectacular waterfalls (of sorts) as we descended the creek line to our campsite for the night. Finding a fairly flat spot a hundred metres or so from the river, we refilled water bottles and setup camp. With views to the East and South, we enjoyed a colourful sunset and an almost cloudless view of the night sky. A great night to be in a bivy bag!

The following morning was just as stunning with a beautiful sunrise over the tree line to our East. The weather had turned up a notch and higher winds were pushing cloud through the sky at a fairly rapid pace. Coffee and a muesli bar made for a quick breakfast before we descended the creek line further. Turning off the creek line, we headed back up hill, over a saddle and down into the next valley. Finding a partially completed section of the Snowies Alpine Walk, we picked up the pace and made good time back towards Charlotte Pass. The wind had certainly picked up as we made it back to the carpark, and we were glad for good timing to end a spectacular trip.

Nick Hall - Mont Staff Member