Three day circuit Cross Cut Saw

[jus...@gmail.com]

Hi all,

Any suggestions on a fairly challenging (read very hard) 3 day circuit
walk taking in the cross cut saw. Any input appreciated.

If nothing to suggest there, although i am sure there is, what about a
circuit bogong, feathertop, the fainters, bogong, etc.

Thanks all

Justin

[ziggy99]

3 days or 3 nights?

If the latter, you can start from the Snowy Plains Rd sth of the
Howitt car park, drop into the Wonnongatta around the Dry River tk
IIRC, head up to the Barries, then the Viking, Speculation and Xcut
saw, Mac springs and back (assuming a car shuffle).

Should give you a head start on a hernia ;-}

[Ken]

In article <11a5401e-90e9-4c25...@q27g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,
jus...@gmail.com wrote:

I have heard of the standard 4 day Viking-Razor circuit being done in 3 days,
starting from Howitt RD, then Cross-cut saw, Mt Spec, Viking, Wonnangatta River.
I Think they collect water at Mt Spec then camp further along the ridge. Then
next day is long and without water to Wonnangatta River (don't expect to find
water at Viking Saddle it may be a long way down the creek), then standard last
day.

Ken

[ziggy99]

Last time I was there, there was a tank near where the 4x4 tk from the
Wonongatta hit the Barries 4x4 tk. May be nothing in it now of
course.

An alt is to take a spur roughly NE of Macsprings down into the W.
There's a pad there which is marked on that monochrome walkers map
produced by ?? At the W river you walk down to the 4x4 tk that
crosses the river (Zeka ck IIRC) and then follow a spur up to the
Viking. Not marked but not hard to find. Coming the other way the
pad on the spur up to the plateau on which Macsprings sits is
mismarked on that map and needs a bit of searching out.

[James]

An alternative circuit is to start at the gate on the Mt Speculation
Rd (4WD only after Lake Cobbler, and assuming it's open). Scramble up
to the ridge and pick up the AWT to Viking Saddle. For a fit party
this is probably only half a day, however VS is a lovely campsite.
I've always found water there, but could be an hour round trip to get
it. In fine weather it wold be pleasant to camp on the back of the
Viking, but no water.

Leaving the Viking, ideally one would descend the spur before the one
that leads to the Wonangatta ford, cross the river west of the ford
and ascend the steep spur that leads almost directly to Mc Springs.
This avoids the fire trail bash up the zeta track. All of this is off-
track, although there is a pad once you get on the route. As someone
noted above, the VTMC map (or whatever it's called these days) is not
entirely accurate at the top of the route.

From Mc Springs it's a straightforward walk to Speculation and back to
the car.

This a reasonable three day walk, although not one I would care to do
in poor weather. Last time I was at Viking Saddle (in great weather)
we met a couple of fit looking uni students who had walked from the
Howitt car park via the crosscut saw & Speculation to Viking Saddle in
one day (autumn).

For my money this is the finest walk in the Victorian Alps.

If you are looking for a really hard three day walk, try starting on
Stanley Name Spur, up to Buggary, circuit, then down SN spur again.

BTW, has anyone here ever descended the fire trail from Catherine
Saddle into the Wonangatta Valley? I've long wondered what that was
like.

[ziggy99]

>
> BTW, has anyone here ever descended the fire trail from Catherine
> Saddle into the Wonangatta Valley?  I've long wondered what that was
> like.

If memory serves one of my maps had this marked while the other
didn't.

Wouldn't surprise me if it were thoroughly overgrown the closer it got
to the valley bottom.

[James]

A few years ago someone asked on aus.bushwalking if this track was
suitable for mountain bikes, and a reply suggested it was, which
surprised me. Apart from anything else I would have thought the
section along the river would have major blackberry issues.

I guess there is no real reason to go that way, aside from curiosity,
as you miss the Razor and the Viking.

[ziggy99]

True; except for a quick exit from the W., saving you the Barry
(Barries?) road and the Viking.

[Dave]

Hi James.

I once did. I recall the decent being fairly easy, but once at the
river things were very overgrown and the going was slow. It was also
infested with leeches. Then there's that extremely tedious climb up a
fire trail to get back to the car. Overall, wouldn't recommend it.
It's meant to be a shortcut, but honestly, I doubt just continuing
over the Razor and Viking would take that much longer, and the scenery
is a thousand time better. My 2¢

[Dave]

OK I've done this walk a few times. Three days is possible, but you'd
want good weather and there's no time for sleeping in. It'd be three
full days of walking more or less.

Day 1: Mac. Springs to Speccy or Catherine Saddle. Pretty easy to do
in a day.
Day 2: Speccy or Catherine Saddle to the Viking, collecting plenty of
H20 on the way & camping on top of the Viking for some fine views.
Day 3: Descend Viking to Wanangatta, ascend back to car on boring,
tedious, son-of-a-bitch fire trail.

Alternative, with a twist...

Bring mountain bikes & hide them near the top of the fire trail that
descends to the Wanangatta River.
Drive vehicle (pref. 4WD) down to river and park it there.
Get the crappy part of the walk over with at the beginning, and ascend
from river to the Viking, and if there's time, continue to Viking
Saddle and camp there.
Proceed with walk in reverse all the way back to Mac. Springs and the
mountain bikes. Glorious all the way.
Swap pack for bike and finish off with an extended downhill hoon to
the car.
Collect packs on the drive out.
You've just done a great walk, finished off with a bit of an
adrenaline rush, and avoided having to walk up that horribly long and
boring fire trail!