Day 21 hiking the Australian Alps Walking Track solo

Australian Alps Walking Trail, Hiking, Trail Journal

Summited Mt Bogong through mist and wind, crossed Quartz Ridge with stunning views, then settled by a roaring fire at Edmondson Hut.

Cleve Cole Hut (via Quartz Ridge) to Edmondson Hut (25.7km) | TOTAL – 444.8km

This morning, I followed a well-formed foot track, which sidled a seemingly endless row of historic snow poles up to the summit of Mt Bogong (1,986m).

Misty clouds drifted before me and above, pushed by strong wind gusts. As I climbed higher, the clouds turned from white to grey, and cloaked the surrounding mountain ranges.

At the peak of Mt Bogong, I was greeted by a large cairn and due to the cloud cover, the summit afforded no views.

It was still exciting to be up there, as it meant I had now summited the highest peaks in NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

As I descended from Mt Bogong and made my way to Quartz Ridge, the clouds opened up and revealed stunning views of tree-covered ranges.

The path down was narrow, and made for a stack and a couple of ankle twists.

The foot pad took me across the very top of Quartz Ridge, with spectacular views from every angle, including of the Mt Hotham township to the southwest.

After descending from the ridge, the trail followed an old 4WD track to Bogong Creek Saddle, before rock hopping across the rushing Big River.

Bird life was abundant in this area, and they sang a beautiful tune.

The 4WD track wound its way through a tree-lined valley, with the gushing Big River at its base, and a series of switchback style tracks aiding my ascent.

The higher the track went, the vibrant green landscape gave way to a dry environment with muted tones of green, yellow and grey.

The 4WD track followed the mountain’s edge, towering well above the valley with a sea of green trees intertwined with streaks of lifeless grey trees covering its steep walls.

The track emerged onto the open plain, with a patchwork of coloured shin-high scrub lining the earth.

I arrived at Edmondson Hut at around 3.30pm to 10 or so tents, but no one there. The little aluminum clad hut was nestled among beautiful big old trees

After setting up my home for the night, I collected wood and got the open fire started in the hut.

About an hour later, a group of six hikers returned to their tents then joined me by the roaring fire. Tales of adventure and future plans were shared.