Snowy South

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Snowy South

Saturday 26th January 2013

Snowy South Summit

I had been waiting for a clear day to walk to Snowy South, and, although today was not totally clear, it did not look to bad, so off I went.
To access the start of the walk drive out from Judbury on Lonnavale Road and take the left fork into Denison Road and then right into McDougalls Road and finally left into an unnamed road and drive a short distance to a small parking area. Signs indicating "Lake Skinner" generally indicate the correct direction.

Lake Skinner

I started off at 0740 with fine weather and walked south westerly for about 20 minutes until I met up with the old track. From here the track climbed steadily through nice forest until it reached a plateau and then went down slightly and the up again to come out at Lake Skinner at about 3.4 kms. from the start. Here I stopped for a snack and photo opportunity.

Shelter Rocks at Lake Skinner

Lake Skinner is a beautiful large lake and just near the its outlet of Falls Rivulet is an ideal rock shelter to protect ones self from the weather. The weather was okay so far so I did not require it and soon headed off across the rocks on the outlet of the lake. I picked up the track on the other side which went uphill gradually and then very steeply up to the top of the ridge. The track from here was mostly boulder hopping for a while and then became a track marked with cairns.

Tarn near the summit

When I could see the small tarn near the summit I turned left and headed for it and to the left of it. By now the summit was shrouded in cloud but I had come this far so I just kept going. It was just a matter of finding the best route up to the top along a bit of a ridge. I finally reached the summit which was still in cloud so there were absolutely no views to be had. I found a sheltered spot for lunch and discovered a sort of a cave.

Cave at the summit

After lunch I walked back down to the tarn and back along the ridge. There was no cloud along here and the views were great. I descended the steep section and came across a fellow hiker at Lake Skinner, and after exchanging a few words, carried on back to the car.
This was an excellent walk with fantastic views (what I saw anyway when I wasn't in cloud). I will have to do it again but choose a slightly better day.
Distance: 12.3 kms.
Time: 6'30"
Ascent: 860 metres
Click here to download GPX track.