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I forced myself to get up at 7 AM even though it was barely light
and quite cold. The sky was clear and it promised to be another
sunny day. I didn't get going until nearly 9 AM because I lost time
dealing with prickles that had attached themselves to some of my
clothes and towel.
I hiked cross country up the slopes of Mt Nelse to rejoin the
AAWT and avoid backtracking a kilometer. Once on the trail, it was
about 5 km of easy walking across more High Plains with stunning
views of Mt Bogong. Along the way I met Paul, a young southbound
AAWT hiker, travelling a bit slower than me, and we had a brief
chat. At Roper's Hut the descent of the Duane Spur began. It seemed
to go on forever, though wasn't too tough. Eventually I reached Big
River and decided to take off my boots and socks and put on my spare
running shoes for the crossing. I also packed a few things more
securely in case I fell in! There was a wire rope across which I
used to help me and the water was deep enough to wet the bottom of
my shorts. On the other side, I took a break and put boots and
socks back on leaving are my runners on the outside of my pack to
dry.
Then I had a long ascent up T-Spur which also seem to go on
forever. It was hard work though the shade was cool and the views
great as I got higher. Around 1:30 PM I reached Maddisons Hut site
and had lunch lying in the sun with the tent out to dry. It would've
been easy to have a nap after the exhausting climb. After checking
the map, I decided to try to get to Mt Wills where there was a hut
with water for the night rather Big River Saddle where I would have
to camp and water was not convenient. It was going to be hard work.
The long journey down Long Spur wasn't too bad in terms of grades
but it was very rough track. I was now heading east away from the
High Plains. The spur was quite narrow and the views were
marvellous. Lower down the track was more overgrown and some of it
was blackberry vines which was annoying. I didn't get to Big River
Saddle until 6:30 PM, but decided to continue the last 3+ kilometres
even though it was all climbing and likely to be rough trail. It was
very slow going, and was getting quite dark by the time I reach a
fire trail where I had less concern about losing my way.
It was almost too dark to see when I eventually reached the
summit of Mt Wills and the hut at 8 PM. It was empty and in good
condition. I picked a bunk (hard metal) and unpacked and had a wash
outside before cooking dinner. It wasn't that cold and quite
comfortable. Having gone a bit further and not having to pack up the
tent, I may have a bit of a sleep in tomorrow. I went to bed at 10.
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