[SUBW-A] Trip report - 40th birthday trip to Hatchers Hollow, 22-23 Jul 2006

[Ashley Burke]

TRIP: Ashley's 40th Birthday Party at Hatchers Hollow

DATES: 21-23 July 2006

PARTY:

Andrew Cox
Armando Ortega
Ashley Burke
Carla
Dave Noble
Jacqui Knox
Jo Boyd
Kate Lord
Kendy Burke
Martin Pfeil
Nazzih Chammas
Rachel Melrose
Rob Hynes
Steffy
Tara Geldard
Tom Gleeson
Tom Murtagh

ALSO PRESENT:

Casper
The Possum
T.W.

APOLOGIES (waylaid by colds, flu and other maladies):

Alan, Dan, David C, Kateryna, Meghan, Sarah H, Stacey J, Stacey L

PHOTOS:

I have put some of Rachel's and Andrews photos of the trip at
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aburke/40thBirthdayTrip/Photos.htm

TRIP REPORT:

Colds and flu swept through the ranks in the week preceding the trip but it
was nevertheless a great group of 17 that fronted up for this trip. The
festivities began on Friday evening at Jo and Jacqui's place at Wentworth
Falls, where most of us met up after leaving from different Sydney
locations. This was quite an exciting meeting, or at least it was for Casper
the friendly labrador, who took an immediate and insatiable fancy to Kate's
leg.

We then headed to our respective destinations, most of us to the Uni Rover
Trail near Kanangra, and Dave, Tom, Nazzih and Jacqui to Mt Werong. The plan
was to walk into the campsite from different directions and all meet there
on Saturday afternoon.

The second 40 years of my life began the next morning by getting up suitably
early and making enough noise breaking up firewood, opening and closing car
doors etc to serve as a gentle indication to everyone that it was time to
get up. Precisely 40 years earlier I had been doing much the same thing,
getting my folks out of bed early by being born.

Anyway, we eventually got the very damp wood burning and enough heat in the
fire to produce tea and jaffles.

By 8:30am, the ten of us had set off along the Uni Rover Trail, and the wet
and overcast weather of the previous week was in recession. As we walked
along, feeble rays of sunlight began to shine through, giving the bush a
rich and verdant character.

Not far behind us were Andrew and Tara, who had driven up on Saturday
morning. They turned off the Uni Rover Trail at Mt Misery and headed to
Hatchers Hollow via Despond Ridge.

The group of ten continued to Sombre Dome where we came to the first of many
spectacular views into the Kowmung Gorge. Buttressed in by layer after layer
of ridges, the Kowmung shouldered its way through this rugged terrain, and
even in this time of drought the sound of the river could be heard as it
pressed its way through a narrow gorge below. Not a bad place for lunch.
More tea and jaffles were enjoyed as we admired the scenery.

Meanwhile, the group of 4 who were heading in from Mt Werong arrived at
Hatchers Hollow, had lunch there, setup camp, and began laying in a supply
of firewood for later on.

>From Sombre Dome the main party headed down a steep ridge to the Kowmung
with more spectacular scenery seen on the way. When we arrived at the river
we were confronted with the prospect of a midwinter crossing of the waist
deep river. A few of us just plunged straight in without delay, wincing from
the cold, whereas the more sensible people found an ankle deep crossing a
little further downstream.

Once we were all across it was only a short walk up to Hatchers Hollow.

Of all the places on Earth where a large group of people can camp, Hatchers
Hollow is my favourite. It is a special place. Set a little above and away
from the river, this is a large area of open woodland, virtually no ground
cover except for leaves and bark, yet a forest of tall gums sheltering an
acreage of idyllic grounds. The chosen camp site was at the far end of this
special place, not far from where a small creek trickled by. Here the Mt
Werong party had setup camp and got a fire going.

It had only just gone 3pm and we had made good time, allowing plenty of time
for afternoon relaxation. Not long after, Andrew and Tara arrived, having
come down Despond Ridge.

But not everyone took the time to relax. For some, there was important work
to do, and for me there was one final mission before the festivities could
begin.

Jo, having been unable to leave Penrith until after midday, had driven out
to Mt Werong and had only just begun the walk into Hatchers Hollow. Soon it
would be dark. By prior arrangement I set off up Irrae Gowar ridge to try to
find her. This provided an opportunity for the people left behind to do some
secret party preparations ...

Charging up an open ridge in the lengthening shadows of late afternoon was a
perfect way to spend a 40th birthday. Orange rays of sunlight caught Despond
Ridge and other prominent features as I hove steadily higher. Not far from
the top of Irrae Gowar I called out and sure enough there was a reply. Jo
wasn't far away. She had been following a trail of cairns left by Dave, Tom,
Jacqui and Nazzih, dutifully knocking them over as she passed of course.
Together we found the way back down to Hatchers Hollow, arriving at about
6pm. By now it was completely dark. We were all down at Hatchers Hollow and
ready to join the festivities. A quick dip in the creek first to cool off
was all we needed.

The weather held good during the evening and stars were coming out. While I
was gone, people had been busy. Some kind of complex biochemical reaction
was taking place in Kate's billy, under carefully controlled temperature
conditions. Ie: the billy was somewhere near the fire. A doughy mass that
looked a bit like Deb was expanding suspiciously slowly. Something was
happening.

Wines were opened. Kendy's Plantagenet Mt Barker Cabernet got things off to
a good start, followed by a 1994 Shiraz from Mr Bean. Then came Dave's 1990
St Henri Shiraz, and finally, my 1990 Eileen Hardy Shiraz. These were wines
of stature to accompany the penne and tomato paste.

A fine platter of dips went around, and then, the amazing cake! Kendy had
carried a fantastic cake all the way down from Kanangra and while I was up
Irrae Gowar, everyone had added the decorations. Atop the cake was a model
bushwalking scene. A river and river banks (made from coloured coconut), a
fly (made from a piece of plastic), there was some dried fruit shaped into a
camp fire, and there was something in the shape of a trout too. There was
even a tiny jaffle iron, made from foil, and with attention to detail it had
even been filled with some cheese and spinach. There were some paper wild
animals thrown in as well. All in all, here was an edible Hatchers Hollow. A
work of art. Such a shame to have to put a knife through it.

But that wasn't all. The biochemistry in Kate's billy was just the
beginning. Somehow the pastry that looked like Deb was extruded from the
billy, and with an empty wine bottle as a rolling pin, Kate set to work. A
metamorphosis took place and finally cinnamon scrolls emerged. It took a lot
less time to devour them than it did to make them.

After all this fine wine and food, the general noise volume increased and
there broke out a good old rendition of the Wild West Show. And looking down
upon all this commotion up a nearby tree was a brushtail possum. The poor
creature had to cling desperately to a high branch while Nazzih shook the
tree, but luckily the possum managed to hang on. Fortunately Nazzih then
left the possum alone and entertained us with some singing.

Midnight came and there was the obligatory anthem, and then the night
subsided into the small hours. With our bellies full of aged wines, birthday
cake and cinnamon scrolls, we retired for the night, replete.

Needless to say, Sunday morning brought a break in protocol - no early
start. We were more than happy to lie in, listening to the morning bird
chorus and waiting for the dappled sunlight to filter through before
emerging. Breakfast was a leisurely occasion, protracted over a period of
hours. Some of us had a hit of volleyball while others continued to relax
around the fire.

The Mt Werong contingent set off up a ridge to the south, while the
remaining 13 of us set off for Despond Ridge. This required another river
crossing, although here the water was shallower. The ascent of Mt Doris is
steep and spectacular, and the traverse of the ridge from there is a great
walk too. The ridge then ascends onto the South Boyd Range. Lunch was had in
a saddle where there was water nearby, and more great culinary delights were
produced. The fire became virtually smothered in jaffle irons, and Kate's
lunch was an abundance of healthy herbs and toasted pita bread.

We progressed slowly towards the Uni Rover Trail, Armando was beset by
cramps and we took turns carrying his pack. We arrived back at the cars just
on dark, to find Armando's car battery completely dead. This caused some
delay, but the tactic of swapping car batteries worked perfectly. We took
the battery out of Tara's car, put it in Armando's car, then took it out
again while the engine was running - not a problem.

Then at last it was time to drive home, and many of us stopped at the Grand
View Hotel for a drink and food before the final stretch into Sydney.

Well it was certainly an absolutely fantastic weekend. It was great company
in fantastic country. I couldn't think of a better way to turn 40. A big
thank you to everyone who made the trip so enjoyable. Sorry that the victims
of flu and other bugs couldn't make it.

Ashley Burke
Phone: +61 2 9476 3531
Mobile: 0414 633 315
Email: aburke at ozemail.com.au