Ridges

Western Arthur Range Index

Crepuscular Rays

Today was going to be a long day. We had 20 kilometres to cover, a distance that was definitely manageable, but was considered long compared to the average daily distances that we had covered over the previous week. I was already a little weary by then but the fact that the walk was mainly downhill made me feel a lot better about the task up ahead. Read more

Western Arthur Range Index

A Change of Plans

I awoke with a start and realised very quickly that the drumming of the rain had stopped and that a heavy silence had blanketed us. It was still dark outside as it was well before dawn, but since the storm had passed, I decided to crawl out of my sleeping bag to stretch my legs and to get some much needed fresh air. As I emerged from my tent, I was greeted by a sky that was blazing with stars. The storm had moved away and its cloud-cover could still be seen, low on the distant horizon, intermittently lit from within by flashes of lightning. Read more

Western Arthur Range Index

Lakes Galore

It was dawn of the seventh day and breaking camp had become an established routine - a change clothes, coffee, a visit the privy, and some breakfast, before replenishing my water supply and packing my bag. Once I was ready to set off, I made my way along the trail and continued up the hill for approximately 100 metres Eastwards towards the viewpoint that was located on the saddle. I turned left here to continue along the main track instead of turning right, which would have taken me on the 2-3 hours return trip to the summit of Mt. Aldebaran (elevation : 1107m) and continued on past the magnificent views. Read more

Western Arthur Range Index

The Beggary Bumps

We set off from High Moor at 10:00 that day, very glad that the storm had finally subsided. After clearing camp, we walked South-Eastwards along the wooden walkway, past the toilet, and began the short climb onto the ridge above us. When we reached the top, we were greeted by spectacular views of the lakes as the ridge ran above and between the two lakes of Lake Saturn and Lake Ganymede, with the former on the left and the latter on the right (travelling Eastwards). Read more

Western Arthur Range Index

Lake Oberon

We left the Lake Oberon campsite at 09:00 the next morning, still completely oblivious to the hidden beauty that surrounded us. We made our way back up the junction towards the base of Mt. Orion (elevation : 1151m), but took the path on the right that snaked up and around the lake instead. The path continued along the ridge, then dropped down once again past a smaller tarn on the upper tier and to the flat saddle between Mt. Orion and Mt. Pegasus. Read more

Western Arthur Range Index

White Out!

The original plan had us pushing past Lake Cygnus and on to Lake Oberon on the same day but the inclement weather that had suddenly rolled in had forced us to stop at the Lake Cygnus campsite instead. We ended up taking our sweet time getting ready that morning, knowing that we only had about half a day of hiking ahead of us, and set off around 10:00, unperturbed despite the weather still remaining gloomy and the rain intermittent. We made the steep climb North-West back up to the junction and turned right to follow the main track as it continued East along the crest of the range. Read more