120 days wintering in the High Country – I have this fantasy….

"design a few electronic things I’ve had in mind for a while"
- but you'll have everything except that one critical part - and I don't think DSE will allow helicopter deliveries of electronic components.

120 tins of Camp Pie should see you through :-)

Better do it before you run out of time.

BUT how will you survive without EO...hahahahaha

All I can say in the nicest way is "Your a fruit cake"

At least with 120 days of being by ya self you might come up with a few fantasies you haven't thought of.

Now, tell us some of ya other fantasies.

Cheers,

Cruiser

Dont mention the goat!

Sounds like an adventure. I would be very keen to take something like a snowmobile so I could get out if I had to for whatever reason

Perhaps Harding I can give you a few phone numbers for some suitable casual skirt to keep you warm over your winter fantasy.
If you really are serious why not volunteer for a stint at Mawson, chaps with your obvious skill are in demand down there and you could rest assured any casual skirt has a PhD and absoultley no interest in being casual skirt...
I had just the thing for you but sold it... A Traeger Pedal radio...

"the prospect of 120 days alone doesn’t trouble me" sounds absolute bliss if I were to make a small ex gratia payment would you take Sybil with you?

Well theres one thing for sure Mike!!, you won't have to worry about the bloody fridge playing up!....lol.

Cheers Axle.

Mike

That period, alone is not something to be taken lightly (your no spring chicken). The first three to four weeks may feel good, but there'll come a time whereby you'll start to crave decent food and a bit of company.

You don't say where the hut is and I'm not going to ask. Just be aware that temperatures in the High Country can get a lot lower than reported on the BOM web site.

There are a couple of valleys east of Benambra that regularly record -10C for example. I have no idea how robust HF sets are in the cold, but you should consider this.

Irrespective of what any other buggars say, snow is not a good source of water if quantity is needed. Therefore, your going to come out of there smelling like a dead Wombat if the tank freezes up.

120 days of sheltered burning wood.....Where is this going to come from?

Depending where the hut is located, I'd be talking to the cattlemen in Corryong or Licola before proceeding further.

Give me a ring (97821701) and I'll take you thruogh what you need in the high country bush.

Might have some warm Mountaineering gear and boots I can give you if they fit.

You owe me a beer ya bloody dill...! LOL

Regards

Kim

I have just been looking at various sites on the High Country planning a trip in a couple of weeks, and I thought it said the huts were just for shelter, not holiday houses or long term stays.

Am I wrong?

Dave

Mike,
Mate you wouldnt be going through some sort of mid life crisses would you. Might be safer to buy a sports car and start chasing after 20 year old bimbos. lol. Seriousily after 30 days you will be pulling your hair out, and you will still be stuck their for another 90 days
I too love the high country, its in my blood so I do understand. What atitude is the hut at? You may also be able to catch rabbits for fresh meat.
Good luck Pete

Mike,

An interesting idea.......some thoughts from someone who loves the High Country in winter.

A few years ago, I taught outdoor education and part of that program involved snow camping. Over about a 5 year period I spent upwards of 10 weeks per year camped in the snow...occasionally at huts, but mostly in a small (high quality) hiking tent. It wasn't always in the same spot as some of that time was spent in the HC of NSW also, skiing the Main Range....it is an awesome place in the winter.

I'm not sure whether you think that your car will be there with you as the Parks blokes check that everyone is out before locking gates. I doubt they will let you keep your car there, so your supplies/radio gear etc would need to be dropped and stored there whilst you remove your car and either walk or ski back in depending upon the weather. You would also have the difficulty of keeping batteries charged for this equipment given the relative inefficiency of solar panels in winter (they're not so great with a foot of snow sitting on top of them).

You would need a HELL of a lot of pre-cut firewood and/or fuel of some sort for cooking/chainsaw etc.

Remember if anything were to go wrong and you needed to come out of the bush, it may be quite an undertaking given sno and/or weather conditions ... I once had to evacuate a girl with torn knee ligaments from a remote area in winter and is was MAJOR as with the fog, there was no way we could get a helicopter up there, so it was a some good pain relief/warm sleeping bags and clothing and onto our Ferno stretcher which then had to be towed out in soft snow for nearly 8km. Took almost all day, then we found the vehicle half way up to the door handles in snow....and it went on...long day that one.

You will not be alone up ther for that time as there are many people who undertake overnight or multi-day ski tours these days and you would be surprised where they go and how many of them there are....I have had people turn up and knock on the wall of my snow cave whilst camped on the side of Mt Twynum during the early part of the spring skiing season. On Bogong on any day in winter there can be MANY people up there.

Probably the most remote area to ski would be the Jagungal Wilderness area as it doesn't usually attract the telemarkers as it is (generally a flatter area for ski touring....)

As someone else stated it woul be an interesting story which we would all love to read in late spring when you come down, so I'm not trying to discourage you in any way....just PM me with the hut and I might just come up and say hi.....though not really interested in the camp pie 8-{

Let us in on any other thoughts you have....... would love to hear.

Cheers,

Mark

Mark

Thank for the replies so far everyone – more welcome…?

Bonz: I like the idea of the snowmobile but… big, expensive, cumbersome etc
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Fawlty: some casual skirt would be most welcome from time-to-time :)
Damn! About that pedal radio!
>would you take Sybil with you?
Friendship has its limits you know Fawlty! :)
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Axle: Oh I dunno… I was going to ask if people thought it would be better to take an Engel or a Waeco :)
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Kim: >your no spring chicken
Ya cheeky bugger, I’m hardly more than a slip of a boy :)

>valleys east of Benambra that regularly record -10C
Yep! And that is a bit on the chilly side, spent a week up there about two years ago when it was –5 every day. Coldest I’ve experienced to date (not in Oz) is –22C bbbbbrrrrr.

>You owe me a beer ya bloody dill...! LOL
Sounds good to me and it’s about time I caught up with your dog again :)
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Pete: [Mid life crisis]
Thanks for the concern but no, I’m not :)

>You may also be able to catch rabbits for fresh meat.
And there are quite a few up there currently but they don’t come out very much in the snow.
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Mark:
Some great info, thanks.

>You would also have the difficulty of keeping batteries charged for this equipment
Correct, solar panels would be useless. Electrical consumption would be low and a small generator should keep the batteries topped up.

>You would need a HELL of a lot of pre-cut firewood and/or fuel of some sort for >cooking/chainsaw etc.
Yep! This one is a worry. I haven’t done the sums but I guess 100lt or so of petrol for the gen, chainsaw, duel fuel light and duel fuel stove should see me through.

Firewood! What do you reckon? 5 cubic meters? Certainly a LOT. Two thoughts; I’ll be in there some time before the snow starts (after the roads close) so should have plenty of time to cut wood. I’ll give some thought to improving the open fire of the hut, maybe taking in a pot bellied stove or fabricating something similar which would reduce wood consumption significantly – I hope :) Once the hut gets a decent layer of snow on the roof that will help insulation too.

>just PM me with the hut and I might just come up and say hi....
That would be great – if it ever comes to anything I’ll let you know.

>though not really interested in the camp pie 8-{
You and me both! But sssshhhh don’t tell Willem :)
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Once again; thanks for the comments everyone.

Couple of points:
Loneliness – it’s an issue, I’m a sociable person but have spent lengthy stretches on my own in the Middle Eastern deserts. Amateur Radio is a wonderful medium for interconnection and frequently provides solace for me in the bush. And, as Bonz mentioned, I could take the goat – although she can’t play Backgammon worth a damn :)

Safety:
There is a risk, I accept that and I don’t expect others to put themselves in danger if I get into trouble. Given the choice between dying (which we all must) in a hospital bed over three months with cancer or spending five years dribbling in a wheelchair following a stroke or 36 hours before becoming unconscious with a broken leg and dying from hypothermia… I’ll take choice three thanks.

I look at it like this: my responsibilities are fulfilled, children raised and independent, no wife any longer, no dog any longer :( I’m not interested in a career (been there, done that) but I’m still fairly young (despite what Kim says! :) Don’t care about money but do want to make the very most of the years left to me. And I fervently believe that we must continue to challenge ourselves, to discover as much as we can whilst we still have the health to do so.

This trip may happen this year, next year, it may never happen or it may happen in a reduced manner… who knows…? But what I do believe is important is that we wonder and speculate and imagine and live life as full as we are able.

Mike Harding

Sounds sensational to me Mike.

I can't see any reason not to do it. If you're well prepared, as you obviously will be, all should be fine. After all, there are millions of people in other parts of the world who live through this year in, year out.

With your radio, personal contact and conversation will save you from going stir crazy.

One question. Why would solar be useless? Surely if you stick a panel out in the sun each day it should charge as well there as anywhere. They are after all light energy panels, mistakenly called solar panels.

I wish you well. You've got some balls.

Regards,

Jim.

I can see it now . . .

You've finished unloading the vehicle at the hut as light snow starts to fall, and you wave your friends a last goodbye as the vehicle disappears into the swirling mist.

As the falling gets heavier and heavier, you see headlights approaching and a heavily-laden Troopie screeches to a halt with the bullbar justb touching your waist, and the driver screams "what the hell are you doing hear - I've been planning for 12 months to spend the winter in this hut !"

. . . . and she doesn't even tell you her name for the next hour.

(Detailed "my fantasy" scripts are written at reasonable charges)