AKA: Colo Canyon or Bob Buck’s Pass No. 5.
Attendees: Only me!
Map: Six Brothers
Sat 02:
It was supposed to be a SUSS trip but some people pulled out and others didn’t sound keen on a long trip. I didn’t want this to stop me and had been thinking about doing a solo trip for a while…
I drove from my parents to Blackheath NPWS to pick up a PLB and then continued to the Bells Line of Road via the Darlington Causeway. It was a fair old trip, and by the time I turned off the Putty Road and into the Caloul Ridge Firetrail it was around midday.
I parked at the Hollow Rock carpark near the locked gate (around which someone has put in a bypass). I was a bit annoyed at the amount of rubbish some group had left behind. (Apparently there is a Hollow Rock formation which “isn’t shown on the New Series topo map but is on the old one”).
I followed the firetrail messing around with the new-to-me GPS. My plan was to follow ridge to the top of the hill (as shown by the blue arrows), but I somewhat distracted I walked too far and chose to cut across the valley instead of heading back. This proved to be a poor choice as the valley proved to be a lawyer vine lair (additionally, on the way back I fond that there was a track to Crawfords lookout which went to the top of this hill – I actually crossed the part of the road you don’t walk on!).
After passing some nice overhangs I soon reached the top where I came across the firetrail that would have been the easier way in. I dropped from the top aiming for the creek which starts at 712234. This was less accessible than I had imagined and in several spots I had to throw my bag down so I could climb down some bluffs – I think a better route would be to follow the ridge down to 798232.
I followed the creek down for quite a while beginning to doubt my navigation. As I neared the Colo I began to think that I had missed it. I soon approached a large drop and spotting a sling around a tree realized I had made it to the canyon.
The first pitch proved to be over 25m as the 50m rope I decided to use didn’t quite make it. I attached a 10m piece to the end using two double fishermans to make it down. There where a few more drops before reaching the last pitch into the Colo, they where all quite long abseils, but the 60m abseil into the Colo is the longest. I abseiled down the face to the right of the slot. I managed to get down with just a 60m + 50m rope; I abseiled down to a ledge and then pulled the knot down so the ends both where low enough to get down.
It was getting late at this point so it was frustrating when the rope got stuck. I decided to retrieve it the next morning and took my boots of to cross the Colo. The water was cold and bit at my feet. Once across I chose a tree growing out over beach as my campsite and gathered wood for my fire. By the time it was burning and my fly was set up, the light was failing. I heated my can of pumpkin soup on the fire, broke some pieces of Leb bread up and used some twigs as chopsticks.
Sun 03:
I woke at 3am in the morning. It turns out that not using a sleeping bag was a bad move. I relit the fire and slept next to it.
By the time I woke it was later than intended. Starring at my stuck rope I suddenly realised the silly mistake I had made: I pulled the wrong end of the rope down… I walked several hundred meters downstream using some rocks to cross the river. I headed straight up and managed to find a somewhat dodgy way up onto a ledge; I followed it around to retrieve my rope.
Instead of going down the face again I decided to go down the slot (which also has a sling). This was also a very nice abseil. I almost had to abseil for a third time as I was close to repeating the same mistake :S).
I returned to my camp standing in the warm sand around the smouldering fire to keep my feet warm, rushing off to pack a little more once they where warm again. Once packed, I headed upstream to the junction with Wollemi Creek. Here the route I took made a transition from a wide calm sandy river into a bubbling rock strewn waterway. I enjoyed hopping from boulder to boulder – despite being somewhat overbalanced by my 17kg pack.
I was surprised to see clams spread apart on some of the rocks; I later found out that animals (birds?) dig them out of the sand and enjoy there meal whilst siting on a nice rock.
Before making up the spur at 695244 I filled my water bottles up. I thought a shortcut up the side of the spur would save time, but it was hard going and often precarious and in the end it may actually have taken longer by the time I finally found a safe(ish) route up.
Once on top of the spur a trail became evident. As this meandered up the ridge it soon became a well worn track. After a final climb up into the cliffline I headed right to have a look at Crawfords Lookout. I then tried to bush bash up the ridge soon coming across the proper walking track which would probably have been the easier option.
From here it was a quick walk back to my car.
Other Trip Reports:
http://lists.anatomy.usyd.edu.au/pipermail/subw-announce/2010-May/003789.html
http://fatcanyoners.org/2011/06/26/epic-fail/
http://www.david-noble.net/canyoning/2008/Colo/ColoCanyon.html
http://onropexc.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/wounded-knee-canyon_09.html
http://thezbz.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/winter-canyoning-better-offerwounded-knee-56th-august/
eclecticcats 