It was a fine sunny Canberra day as I drove out to Giralang to pick up Ian and drive to Craig's place, despite the forecast for rain this weekend, and what a rainstorm we experienced. This trip sadly provided more questions than answers in regards to the Hume and Hovell but Ian and I were thankful we had a chance to prove some equipment and some of our procedures were not up to standard and we would have just 7 weeks to put things right.

It was a late meeting time of 2.00pm at the Murrumbidgee River bridge in Tharwa, Canberra's southernmost suburb. The car park meeting place was being used by the police doing random drug testing of drivers. We weren't in their way for long as introductions were made and Sean got us all up-to-date on the weekend's plans and by 2.15pm we were heading south towards Orroral Valley.

There were some new faces to the group this weekend, but some Sub 24 regulars were again in attendance that included Sean's wife Julie, Canberra club president Michael de Raadt and his son Isaac, Jacqui Rosier and Steve Carter. I had packed my new Macpac Cascade rucksack with enough equipment to simulate what I would be carrying on the HHWT, so I was basically overpacked with lots of gear I would not really require for such a short hike. This was due to the fact that on two previous walks with this rucksack I have had problems with the harness system which has required constant adjustment. I'm setting out today hopeful that everything is finally spot on. Ian too is trying out one of my older packs and has packed his along the same lines as myself.

We follow Orroral Road until we reach the Nursery Swamp car park. We waste little time in putting our packs on and heading across the road to follow the foot track. Sean asks me if I'd like to bring up the rear of the group as Tail End Charlie and keep any stragglers in line which gives Sean a chance to lead from the front for a change. The track ascends utilising steps for almost 2km through light forest until a short descent brings us to a track intersection. Almost immediately my pack starts to slip over my hips. I know it's not the waist harness that is the problem, it's the entire 'Liberator' back harness system which is still too long for my back. I now have no choice but to wait until we get to camp where I can work on an empty rucksack. The harness adjustment straps are in a very difficult to get to spot behind the back padding. I grit my teeth and get on with the walk, but I'm far from happy.

The walking is quite pleasant though, although in the afternoon heat it is very warm and my shirt is soon soaked with sweat. Ian and Craig are at the back with me and we discuss our equipment problems. Ian is not happy that there are no side pockets on my old pack to place water bottles. I suggest he buys a hydration bag similar to what I use which utilises a drinking hose from the pack itself. Instead Ian has a drink bottle hanging from a rucksack strap via a carabiner and his movement has the bottle swinging side to side which annoys him. I suggest utilising the sternum strap to hold the bottle in place which appears to work.

We're making slow going. It appears most of the group are well ahead and disappeared into the distance while I have issues with my uncomfortable pack, Craig gets used to his new rucksack and Ian is making adjustments to his. The track's ascent seems to be going on for ages with the only respite being some very photogenic rocks that the track negotiates its way through. The trail soon descends gradually to pass through an open grassy plain before re-entering the forest and we catch up to the rest of the group.

We drop packs here and after a short refreshment we leave our packs behind for the casual stroll to view Nursery Swamp. This track is mostly flat and well defined and suddenly walking without our rucksacks on we appear to feel like we're floating. The track features a number of duckboards similar to the type featured in the Budawangs. For some of us it is a sense of deja vu. The trail to Nursery Swamp is about the same length as what we have already walked so far, about 2km and without packs in the heat probably enough considering most of us left our water supplies with our rucksacks.

After following the track across duck boards and through a small forest patch we step out onto open grasslands and take in the view of Nursery Swamp which is bordered by the surrounding hills. A couple of benches make a welcome spot to sit in the shade of a large tree while we enjoy the scenery, but Sean has us up and walking back very quickly as we still have a decent walk to camp. We arrive back at our packs and continue our walk south west towards Rendezvous Creek camping area.

The track is less defined here and is badly overgrown. We make our way with the help of red tape placed on trees and patches of blue paint on logs and rocks at scattered intervals, yet we constantly find ourselves losing the track and having to stop to locate a marker before continuing on. In the heat of the late afternoon this becomes quite tiring and when Sean brings us to a halt in the scrub to inform us that this is where we can take a detour to view some aboriginal rock art we form into two groups.

It is now 6.00pm and we still have a hard slog through thick scrub for 1.5km to get to camp. Despite wanting to view the rock art site I was also keen to get to camp so I could get my tent pitched and then take a look at this stupid rucksack harness system before it got dark, so Craig and I decided to head for camp with a group of about 6, gambling on the weather being good enough tomorrow morning to take a look at the rock art site. We gambled wrong as it turned out. Ian went to look at the rock art.

We continued following the track to Rendezvous Creek and soon it started to descend, quite dramatically and negotiation of several fallen trees were required. Looking at the track as it descended steeply and continually I started to think how difficult the walk out was going to be first thing in the morning. It looked like quite the hard breathless climb, not helped by the overcrowding scrub and fallen trees.

We eventually stepped out onto a plain dominated by grass tufts and easily crossed Rendezvous Creek utilising fallen logs then stepped into a forest area dominated by a campfire and grassy level campsites. This looked great. It was almost 7pm when Craig and I selected our spots and started unpacking our rucksacks and pitching our tents. I had my old trusty Adventure Designs Fastback tent which is getting on to 22 years old now, but it still doesn't let me down when it gets brought out for 2 day hikes. Craig though is putting up his brand new Macpac Microlight for the first time. Having borrowed my old microlight for the past 3 years he had no issues putting it up quickly.

While Craig assisted a few of the others gathering firewood I set to playing with the harness system on my new rucksack yet again and by the time the rest of the group arrived from viewing the rock art site I felt I had the harness system finally fixed. By 7.30pm we've started dragging our cooking gear over to a spot near the campfire which Craig and several others have got lit. I looked through the trees at the sky in the distance to see very dark clouds forming. Pointing this out to Craig he gave out a very sarcastic laugh and pointed to the clouds. They were heading our way.

No sooner had I opened up my stove than the heavens suddenly opened and it was a torrential deluge. Campers broke new speed records bolting for the shelter of their tents. Most of us didn't make it without getting totally saturated. All I could do was throw my rucksack into the tent, grab my rain jacket (Too late - I was soaked) and retrieve my food bag before jumping into my now very wet tent. The rucksack was leaning against the side of my tent and water was coming in where the pack pushed the inner tent against the fly of the outer. My sleeping bag was getting wet and I needed to get my wet boots off without my body touching the side of the tent - not easy. My soaked jacket and cooking gear was in the vestibule now thankfully closed off from the elements. The heavy rain hammering on the tent roof was almost deafening and now we had lightning flashing in the evening sky.

The one thing I was grateful for was the bath towel I had packed in the rucksack. It had only been put there as ballast to fill out the pack and give it some similar weight to what I'd be using on the HHWT. It was quickly put to use mopping up and did a sensational job. Very quickly the tent floor was dried, along with the rucksack which was now placed near the tent entrance. The sleeping bag was only damp and in the warm conditions was only going to get used as a blanket. Next job was retrieving my head torch and lantern from my pack so I had some light, then placement of all the items in my tent so they stayed dry and not pushing against the walls. Then I considered dinner.

One look into the vestibule revealed an inch of rain water. The matches for my stove were soaked, so I decided to enjoy cold chorizo for dinner followed by a couple of muesli bars and some mixed nuts. I then lay on my sleeping mat, pulled my sleeping bag over me, rested my head on my rucksack and listened to the violent storm raging outside.

I was awakened by Craig calling out to me from his tent nearby, asking me what time it was. A check of my watch revealed it was 8.30pm, at which stage Craig suggested it was bedtime. Good one Bozo, I was already asleep till you woke me. I spent the next two hours trying to sleep while Craig's snores reverberated across the 10 feet of space between his tent and mine.

During the night I awoke several times to hear total quiet outside, followed by another rain squall which created another drum solo on the roof of my tent. No water got into the tent during the night and I awoke next morning to a dry tent, though everything else apart from my sleeping bag was damp or wet. It was just before 7.00am when I stepped out into a very damp campsite. The rain had stopped temporarily and I was amazed at how wet the outside of my tent was. I was even more amazed at how little space Craig had in his microlight. Owning one myself I'm used to basic one person tents but his looked really tiny and I wondered how he possibly got a decent night's sleep in his new model.

I quickly located some spare matches in my emergency kit and fixed myself a lovely 2 cups of hot coffee which went down a treat, but I was soon running for the trees as the coffee's laxative effect took place. Just in time too as when I returned the heavens opened again to give us another downpour. As it passed I wasted no time in packing my rucksack, deciding to utilise a zippered compartment to place the wettest of gear - away from what was basically dry. Last down was the tent which was now saturated all through, so it was basically rolled up and stuffed into the wet compartment. All the wet gear I guessed added several more kilograms to the weight of the pack, including the pack itself which got a good soaking. Waterproof this one is not, the placement of some zippers, especially in the lid pocket has to be a major fault, the water just seeps in there. Craig had the same problem.

Sean gathered us around for a group photograph and to give us his plans for the walk back, deciding we would start walking back at 9.00am. It was going to be hard. At least for the first section which was steep uphill and with a track covered in overgrown wet vegetation. Once again I was given the duties of tail end Charlie which I was quite happy with. Those in front could brush away most of the rain soaking the bushes. As it was I probably would have been better not walking in my raincoat. From the exertions I ended up just as wet inside as out.

I was quite amazed when we gathered for a break on the track to discover we had reached the top of the ascent. It just seemed so effortless. The only thing I can put it down to is the fact the weather was so cool this morning and those ahead of me who maybe kept the pace a little slower than normal, but maybe some of the cardio work I've been doing at my local gym has helped too. The rain mostly held off as we made our way back to the cars, save for light drizzle. I also realised that I wasn't having any problems with my rucksack. It sat perfectly on my hips for most of the walk back, though there are still issues there I'm not happy with. We were pleased to get back on open well defined track near the turn-off to Nursery Swamp. Now it was all downhill back to the cars and we stepped into the car park right on 11.00am. This was a sub 24 by several hours. We drove off just in time as the rain again pelted down.

Craig reported that he lost his watch during the hike and last remembers putting it down at the campsite at Rendezvous Creek. The watch holds sentimental value, so it looks like I at least have a chance to try out other options in the next 2-3 weeks when we take a return to Rendezvous Creek to retrieve this watch. I think again I'll be packing as if Iím doing the HHWT, to see what will work and what won't but I don't think we'll get weather like that storm.

On Monday 5th March 2018 I again linked up with Craig Rayner and Ian Taylor to revisit Rendezvous Creek camping area in Namadgi National Park. There were a couple of reasons for the quick return. Ian and I were keen to test out more equipment with a view to next month's Hume and Hovell Walking Track (HHWT) epic, but Craig was very keen to try and locate his watch which disappeared on our last visit just over a week ago. He was also keen to give his new Macpac tent and rucksack another go. Ian picked me up in his Ute just after 12.15pm and by 1.00pm we were at Craig's place and soon driving out towards Orroral Valley south of Canberra. It was a cool sunny Autumn day and there were plenty of clouds about as we arrived at the now familiar Nursery Swamp car park, put on our rucksacks and headed off on track at 1.45pm.

For this trip I left my new Macpac Cascade rucksack at home. Instead I decided to try out my red Mont Flyte rucksack which is about about 5-10 litres capacity smaller than the Macpac and has a few less features. Immediately I noticed the difference in ease of load bearing and comfort. The adjustments on this pack were so much simpler to set. I can't believe I used to get a sore back carrying this pack. Maybe my recent increased fitness and weight loss has helped me out here. I let Ian and Craig set the pace as we had a 45-60 minute ascent from the road up to the main saddle. This trip we were not taking the side trip to view Nursery Swamp, but we hoped to find the footpad to the aboriginal rock shelter that Craig and I had missed out on last time. Ian wasn't 100% sure he could remember all the route, but thankfully I had my GPS with Sean Sunley's gpx file from that walk added to the hand-held's library.

The first thing we noticed on the early part of the ascent was the large number of snakes on the track. Thankfully they were mostly babies and very small, but that meant that somewhere nearby was mum or dad. They all slithered away at our approach. Obviously they were here a week ago, it's just that we were at the tail end of a group of 14 walkers and most of the wildlife had scarpered as the 'Gung-Hoes' passed by. I took the opportunity to turn around and get photo's of Orroral Valley through gaps in the trees or of bushfire remnants like old burnt tree trunks or charred logs. Again the photogenic track side rock tors came into view and I resisted the urge to snap away with my camera (which had miraculously dried out and started working again)

After 45 minutes the track started its short descent to the saddle where we crossed Nursery Creek via a wooden footbridge and we soon found ourselves at the spot in the forest where we had stopped for a short break before taking the track to Nursery Swamp a week ago. We again stopped for a quick snack and drink and I now fired up my GPS and logged in to Sean's track file. When we headed off track we soon located the blazes of blue paint and red tapes attached to trees marking the faint route to Rendezvous Creek. The track got more defined the further we went in, but we had no problems locating the track at corners or where fallen trees had obliterated the track and suddenly Ian remembered features at one spot that he remembered was where the group had split up to go to the Rendezvous Creek Aboriginal Rock Art and this was supported by the red marked trail on my GPS. It was just a couple of minutes to 3.00pm. We were making great time.

We dropped our packs on the trail, made sure we had a good drink of water then headed off into the scrub. Ian wasn't certain of our exact route at first, but I just followed the marker on the GPS which soon had us on a small grassy section and a small creek crossing that Ian had remembered. We crossed the creek easily and ascended the ridge where large rocks suddenly came into view. Ian suddenly remembered which way to head and the GPS proved him correct as we bashed our way through thick scrub to come out at a rock overhang with yellow ochre paintings of turtles and a hunter on its wall. The figures were small and somewhat insignificant, but still very interesting to look at just the same. We were able to circumnavigate the main rock body here, finding some interesting niches, slots and rock formations before we decided to head back to our rucksacks.
 
 

We had no problems finding our way back to the trail and actually came out onto the track 100 metres further on from where we had dropped our packs. We wasted little time putting our packs back on and following the track which now ascended gradually into the forest to meet the saddle before the track descended steeply to Rendezvous Creek. I was having no issues with my rucksack which was a huge difference to a week ago where the harness system on my new pack was causing me to stoop uncomfortably whilst walking. I'm now more determined than ever to get it to the place of purchase to have the harness system set properly. Even Craig was having no problems with his pack on this trip, but then there was no heavy rain, though a look at the sky revealed some dark ominous clouds forming overhead.

The track soon started to descend and it seemed to take ages to reach the creek grasslands below but at 5.15pm after crossing Rendezvous Creek and making our way through a field of grass tufts we stepped out onto the grassy forested area we had camped in last week. We immediately made our way to where Craig had pitched his tent last week and started searching in the long grass and leaf litter for Craig's watch and things didn't look good at first, then, several metres away Ian picked up a silver looking band and handed it to Craig. His watch had been found and still working. It was a good 20 feet from where he had pitched his tent last week. Mission accomplished.

We now had the choice of the campsites. What had squeezed in 13 tents last weekend now became an enjoyable choice of the prime spots. We dropped packs and grabbed our tents. All of us had Macpac Microlight tents, albeit from different era's. Craigís green tent being the newest, my mauve job dated from somewhere in the 1990's and Ian was using an even older vintage, a sky blue tent with brown inner that I had picked up at a sale and which was probably dated pre 1980. Ian fell in love with it immediately and suffice to say he bought the tent off me next morning. As the tents went up the sound of thunder down the valley reached us and we looked up as drops of rain started falling from a black clouded sky. Deja Vu again surely not. I counted 3 drops of rain on my tent and that was it. The storm headed off in another direction.

With the tents pitched we gathered our drinking water from the creek and gathered wood for the campfire. By the time I had returned from the creek with my water the fire was already lit. We grabbed our food and cooking gear and took our positions around the campfire utilising either rocks, logs or my my case, the fold-up stool I had carried in again. Lightweight yet sturdy, this $16 job from BCF of all places has proven to be an excellent purchase. It allows me to sit comfortably and if I lean forward just a little can use my stove without any trouble. The freeze-dry Kung Pow Chicken was quite tasty though very spicy, one of Back Country Kitchen's newer flavours. I washed that down with a couple of cups of tea and a cup-a-soup and considered that a very satisfying meal for camp. We sat around talking well after dark, stopping only to add another log to the fire when required. the fireside chat must have been interesting as a check of our watches revealed it was almost 10.30pm. We all headed to our respective tents.

I slept really well, save for one moment during the night where I found I had rolled off my sleeping mat, while completely cocooned in my sleeping bag. I awoke at 7.40am and exited the tent to greet a chilly morning, but the sky was almost clear save for a few clouds. Ian was up and claimed he had a great night's sleep in a tent he was unfamiliar with and apart from feeling a little cold had found the small one person tent perfect for sleeping in. When Craig joined us 20 minutes later he also claimed a good night's sleep but had felt the cold. I seemed to be the only one who didn't notice the chill until I got up.

After breakfast I took a quick look at what was obviously an old roadway heading into the bush. All grassed over the road was quite obvious and I now wished I had an earlier edition of the Rendezvous Creek map which would have this road marked. My present edition doesn't but I considered that this road would eventually take us to Rendezvous Creek Car Park some 13km away. A thought for a walk in the future. When I returned we started breaking camp. There was little condensation on the tents and of that most was under the tent base. It took just minutes in the sun to dry. At 9.40am we hoisted the packs onto our backs and headed back up the track.

Again the steep ascent just seemed to subside under our boots. There was hardly a heavy breath taken by the time we reached the saddle and I can only think the slow easy pace we were making made the ascent so much easier. I hardly raised a sweat which is a minor miracle for me. We followed the trail markers until we reached an open grassy area near where we came off the main track to Nursery Swamp. Here we ran into a little difficulty locating the main track as last week the group had taken a different route which wasn't marked on Sean's gpx file. Using the GPS had us walking in circles as the direction arrow kept moving in different directions, but eventually we crossed Nursery Creek just up from the footbridge and rejoined the main Nursery Swamp track. We strolled up the hill and then started the descent past the rock tors and again dodged baby snakes on the track as we descended the trail back to the car park. We arrived back at Ian's car at 12.35pm.

Overall, for Ian and I we had a few more questions answered as to what we might be taking with us on the HHWT. Certainly the Mont Flyte had edged its way into favouritism to be used out of all my rucksacks and I'll definitely be using my Macpac Microlight tent rather than any of the others. I'm pretty sure I have my preferences in clothing and meals sorted out. I have a pretty good idea what I can pack and what can be left behind, but I'm also lucky that Craig has offered me the chance to leave certain items of equipment with him so when he delivers the food drops I can swap items of equipment to suit conditions if required. Ian too has just about come to decide what can be packed and what gets left behind. Craig got his wristwatch back but he still isn't convinced that his Macpac purchases were value for money compared to his older gear, especially when it comes to quality.