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<\/a><\/p>\nNobody can argue that we aren\u2019t a club of keenos, so many people signed up, with enough experience, that we split the trip into two groups! Team Awesome\/Beta was headed by Brendan and Sammy, while team Adequate\/Alpha was headed by Stephen and Mira.<\/p>\n
Day 1<\/b><\/p>\n
Causeway creek is located in the Jamison Valley. After descending the Furber Steps and traversing tourists gawking at the mining exhibits, we planned to explore the valley by walking down the creek. Everyone had come prepared with light shoes on that would drain better than boots and drybags in their packs as we would definitely get wet. However, as this was a trip to practice Nav, Brendan set the group members the task of choosing the path themselves.<\/p>\n
The group looked at the land, orienting themselves to the surroundings, and decided to descend down a ridge rather than wade through the creek. Furious bush bashing ensued for the next few hours. As Brendan had warned, gardening gloves were indeed essential for the thick vegetation of the south-facing slopes.<\/p>\n Group members took turns to navigate to points along the way chosen by trip leaders. Much to Stephen\u2019s disappointment, neither team got lost, only temporarily misplaced every now and then. The two groups leap-frogged each other frequently without realising, taking slightly different paths, variations on a theme that eventually lead us to the same destination, our camp spot.<\/p>\n Camp<\/b><\/p>\n Both teams camped where Causeway Creek meets the Kedumba River, a wooded area with some flat ground. After setting up camp and designating a group cooking spot, it was time for a dip.<\/p>\n *SPLASH!!!*<\/p>\n The sound of Brendan executing an exquisite belly flop into the bracingly cold water.<\/p>\n After getting dry clothes on and a fire lit, Mira and myself sat at the group cooking spot, considering whether it was too early for dinner at 4:45pm. To pass some time, till at least 4:55pm we thought, we instigated a game of Ninja (a.k.a. Ninja Shapes). To briefly explain the game: everyone stands in a circle in their chosen ninja stance, taking it in turns to make one swift movement with the aim of karate chopping someone else\u2019s hand. The person under attack is allowed one swift movement to move their hand out of the line of fire. If someone hits your hand, you are out. Last ninja standing is the victor! Four or five rounds of this took us to 5:05pm, a perfectly acceptable dinner time.<\/p>\n With the cosy campfire, some port and chocolate, plus a short trip to see some bioluminescent fungi Juri had located, we had rounded off a very satisfying day.<\/p>\n Day 2\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n A chilly night broke to a chilly morning with Mira and Brendan\u2019s cheery morning wake up call at each tent still sleeping. Promises of early morning swims by some individuals were not kept, but several wise souls did stretch in preparation for the day ahead.<\/p>\n The aim of day two was to get back to the cars, which involved a great deal of ascending. Team Adequate\/Alpha headed out first, while Team Awesome\/Beta pulled themselves together and collected any litter left by either ourselves or previous visitors, including \u2153 of a large blue bucket and some miscellaneous soft plastics (https:\/\/www.trailhiking.com.au\/preparing-to-hike\/leave-no-trace\/).<\/p>\n Venturing up the ridgeline parallel to Ruined Castle Gully, our navigators, and their burning thigh muscles, soon discovered the linear relationship between 10m topo line spacing and suffering. Rests required.<\/p>\n The two teams joined forces to walk the last stretch to Ruined Castle Gully together. Some well deserved relaxation time was spent scrambling over rocks, squeezing through gaps, catching lizards, and gazing out across the magnificent scenery.<\/p>\n We probably could have stayed there exploring for several more hours, but we still had 6.5 more km to go to reach the cars before dark. So, after the UNSWOC first aid kit had been put away - Fossils 1 : Juri\u2019s hand 0 - we set off!<\/p>\n Now on an actual track<\/i>, and everyone clear on the destination, we made great progress along the Federal Pass Walking Track; flat and beautifully graded, it was a walk in the park (if you\u2019ll pardon the pun) compared to the previous day\u2019s vine wrestling.<\/p>\n Keen UNSWOCers, some still restless with energy, challenged themselves to beat the 25min limit on the Furber Steps. Some completed the Furber steps in 15 mins, plenty under 22, a very impressive pace to round off several hours of pack laden climbing. Others (i.e. lazy trip leaders) slowly meandered up the Furber steps, appreciating the views out into the Jamison and savouring the last steps of a great adventure.<\/p>\n As the last stragglers arrived at the Scenic World courtyard, smiles were seen all round.\u00a0 Multiple UNSWOCers sprawled out on the floor for a cool down session certainly drew looks at Scenic World. Wrapped up in jackets and beanies after a weekend of bush bashing, we were all a little colder, a little dirtier, but definitely better navigators! With no injuries (except Juri's fossil incident), plus plenty of fantastic photos and memories, the trip was a resounding success.<\/p>\n With more UNSWOCers having been exposed to the freedom and challenges of off track walking, there will be plenty of adventures to come!<\/p>\n Final takeaways and learning points from the weekend:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n