Mount Hull

Saturday 19th August 2017

Summit Cairn Mount Hull

I decided to walk to Mount Hull today and opted to start from the Glenlusk area. I parked on the very sharp bend on Collinsvale Road where the Zig Zag Fire Trail starts.
I set off up the fire trail, zigging and zagging as I went up higher.

Collins Cap from fire trail

Glenlusk area

Soon I reached the top of the climb and a light dusting of snow was evident beside the fire trail.

Zig Zag Trail

East West Trail

I carried on along the East West Fire Trail to the base of Mount Hull where I made a right turn along a disused trail before beginning the ascent of Mount Hull. There was some scrub but nothing too bad. I was aiming for Leamans Knob which is a large rock up towards the summit or just before it starts to level out, really.

Scrub on the ascent

After some scrambling I came upon the Knob. Underneath is a cave which can be walked through...not really a cave but a space between the rocks.

Leamans Knob

"Cave"

Leamans Knob

Leamans Knob

From the Knob the country flattened out as I neared the summit and the snow increased as I went further south across Mount Hull and began the descent.

There was much more snow on the southern side as expected and I had to watch my footing when going down. There were a few views through the trees.

Collins Bonnet through the trees

Descent

Once I reached the East West Trail at the bottom of the descent, I carried on south for a short distance and then headed up to the summit of the small hill next to Mount Hull. From here were good views of snow capped mountains.

Mount Wellington

Collins Bonnet

Collins Cap

Once satisfied with my escapade I simply returned to the East West Trail and walked back along it and the Zig Zag Trail to the car.
This was an excellent walk in some cool conditions with nice snow capped mountain scenery. Parts of the walk are offtrack.
Distance: 11.7 kms.
Time: 4'55"
Ascent: 610 metres
Click here to download GPX file.

Mount Hull

Sunday 9th August 2015

Mount Hull Summit Cairn

There are many routes that can be taken to reach Mount Hull, but the one I chose starts from the end of Montrose Road (Upper) off Main Road.
I found a place to park on the side of Montrose Road about 100 metres before the locked gate and set off up the Montrose Trail. This climbed steadily up beside Islet Rivulet which was flowing from the recent rain and snow melt. As I got higher, I started to encounter snow on and beside the track and it became considerably colder. The trail was in good condition and walking was easy although it was uphill for 3.4 kms. before the East West Trail was met. Along the way the trail intersected the Chapel and Goat Trails.

Montrose Trail

Montrose Trail

Intersection Montrose and East West Trails

On the East West Trail there was evidence of recent motor bike activity and later on as I ascended Mount Hull I did hear a couple of bikes. I walked along the East West Trail in a south westerly direction to the cairn which indicates the start of the Mount Hull track. There were limited views of Hobart and the Derwent from here. I think I located the cairn although it was mostly covered by snow, but a tape in the tree assured me I was on the right track.

Hobart and Derwent

East West Trail

East West Trail

Mount Hull track cairn

I set off following some tapes but soon lost them so I just headed up the ridge following the line of least resistance. The going was slow because of the snow as I had to be very careful with foot placement and did sink up to my knees in places where I found a hole. Eventually I did reach the summit plateau where I came across a few more tapes. It took me 1'20" to walk the 1.0 km. from the East West Trail to the summit. Of course this would be much quicker without the snow cover. The summit is marked by a large cairn of rocks. On the ascent were some views of the surrounding snow covered mountains.

Start of ascent track

Mount Wellington showing the landslide on North West face

Summit Plateau

Summit Plateau

Summit Cairn

By now it was lunch time so I found the only dry spot available on top of the summit cairn and had a short break. I did not stay long as there was a wind blowing and it was very cold, although apart from that it was very pleasant up here.
Not wanting to retrace my steps  I just kept heading in a north easterly direction down to the East West Trail. It was quite treacherous going down and even though there was less snow than the other side it was very slippery and I managed to fall over many times. Luckily I did not sustain any injury and was glad to reach the trail in one piece. From here I simply walked back to the car.
This was a great walk and I would say that the snow made it more enjoyable, although somewhat slower than normal. I would guess that it would be at least an hour less without the snow covering.
Distance: 12.1 kms.
Time: 5'36"
Ascent: 740 metres
Click here to download GPX file.