This was going to be my worst night on a walk, and my hardest experience walking ever.

Earlier this year (in April) I undertook an 8-day loop walk starting from Round Mt carpark on Tooma Rd.

I was by myself, mainly arising from deciding quite late to do the walk. I had an ambitious plan that included most of Australia’s highest peaks. My first night (pictured above) was up Mt Jagungal, and then a couple of days enjoyable off-track walking across ‘The Rolling Ground’ and along the plateau.

It went well until the 4^th night. I was approaching the Main Range (from the North) and the forecast was for some wind. I had a place in mind, down a gully, but found that the area had been closed by Parks with treatment of some pest in progress, so kept walking. Just before getting to the Main Range track there was a promising area on the West side of the ridge, with rocky outcrops. I couldn’t find anything suitable next to rocks so settled for a spot down a bit from the ridge top, but in a fairly open area. Finding a site was also complicated from being near to a Parks declared no-camping area – being the catchment area for alpine lakes – so I was avoiding going to those areas.

There was a gentle/moderate breeze blowing as I setup. Very cold with drizzle. 

It started poorly, I was cooking, out of the drizzle and wind, in my tent annex, boiling water. I tried adjusting the cooker (never a good idea) and when I reached quickly for the sliding pot I took the tent inner with my wrist and brushed it against the cooker – resulting in 4 melted holes in the nylon inner.

After dinner the wind was picking up, and it just kept picking up. I had the tent pegged out as best as I could.

I packed my day pack ready for the planned day walk the next day – along Main Range and multiple mountains, hoping to get an early start.

But by the time I was ready for bed the wind was to gale force, and the tent was flapping wildly. 
It was pitch black, drizzling rain and freezing. I considered whether to pack up and go, but I didn’t have any alternative spots nearby, and it would have meant walking down off the range (a couple of hours), making it unlikely to be able to do my planned day-walk the next day. So, I stayed and hoped for it to ease off, but it didn’t. I had a new, good quality tent, but each time the wet fly banged into me (about once each second) I would get a spray of water over me/everything. With the freezing wind howling thru the tent, and everything wet, made for challenging conditions. 

I have never been overnight in a tent with such wind before. I thought there was a good chance that multiple pegs would fail, or the tent fabric rip, and I’d be blown inside my tent off down the hillside. I had my wet weather gear on, inside my sleeping bag – ready for a forced exit. If I could have, I would have had my boots on too, but I settled for keeping them nearby.

With the howling wind, banging tent, everything wet, freezing temperature, and contemplating being blown away, meant no chance of any sleep.

I considered walking out again, but with the terrible outside conditions I was not keen to do so. Also, I was having issues with my new re-chargeable headtorch not fully trusting it.

I briefly considered calling Search & Rescue or setting off my PLB. But decided I wouldn’t do that until I was actually in trouble, not just worried about it.

About 3 am with sleeping bag quite wet, and getting colder, I had the thought to get out my emergency bivvy. Pulling it over my damp bag was hard, and I put a couple of rips in it; but once on it did help. Particularly a big mental relief with my thinking my bag was no longer getting wetter.

About 5 am I found (in the pitch dark) that the tent entrance zipper on the wind side was completely opened (oh – that explains why it seems wetter in here), do it up, 10 min later realise it is opened again. Repeat for 1 hour. I found out later that a corner peg had come out resulting in extra flapping and causing the zipper to open.

Before first light I had packed up all I could, and at first light I was out, taking gear 20m away wedging between rocks, before returning to take down the tent. Being a new tent I was unsure how best to get it down in the gale and tried to get the main pole out after only taking out a couple of pegs. This proved difficult, and in the wind and frustration I slipped, put a knee into the pole and snapped one of the pole sections. My tent survived the weather, but it had more trouble surviving me. I managed to lose the tent pole bag, and my bed socks.

I was packed up and heading down off the ridge by 7am. Almost blown over multiple times, but managed to stay on my feet. I did a half day walking before setting up in the valley in a sheltered and calm spot – and made repairs to my tent pole. Day walk abandoned, and a less ambitious walk back out over the next 4 days.

I don’t ever want to have a night like that again – so some notes to self:

1. Make every effort to avoid setting up in an exposed spot on a night forecast for wind.
2. If you do, make sure you know where your sheltered fall-back place will be.
3. If conditions are bad early evening don’t wait in the hope they will improve, pack up and go.
4. Carry extra pegs and guy-ropes (I normally do, but I hadn’t added such to my new tent). 

I hope to be back to do the planned 9 day walk again sometime. It is a fantastic walk, and it will be far more enjoyable without repeating that night 4!

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