Location: 41 km.
21/4/2010. Silver Peaks No. 3. Trampers. Leaders: George, Ken.
Eight of us started off from the nearer Hightop entrance to avoid taking the cars through the deep ruts on the road further on. The day was perfect. The dry weather meant that muddy patches on the track were nothing to worry about. We had morning tea at the Sleepy Hollow signs before setting on towards Green Hut. On the way someone had signed up the Eucalypt Spur track. It was nailed only to manuka, but still a pity the nails were not galvanised.
We stopped only briefly at the Green Hut site before carrying on to lunch on the track as it passed under Pulpit Rock.
Further on, where the track turns off away from the route to Mount Allan, the Painted Forest was worth a shot.
Despite protests that they had turned off too soon onto the wrong track, the leaders, who had been unable to do a recce, prematurely turned off to lead us along the Rocky Ridge track, only to have to lead a scramble up the side of Silver Peaks No. 2 to get to the trig. But we all made it.
However we followed the correct ridge track back to rejoin further on the track leading ultimately to Jubilee Hut.
We followed this a little way to get to its small peak to view the track, ass it went down and across to the Devils Staircase. Ken explored a little further along this before returning.
On the way back, this is a pic of another of those new green signs, this time indicating the side track to Green Peak.
Then it was just a case of retracing our steps back to the cars.
A great day’s tramp. This, one of our longer ones, and very satisfying. Excellent weather and company. – Ian.