Easier and Closer Option

Tuesday 6 November 2018

With the weather forecast not looking ideal and showers showing up on the radar to the south west, it was decided to just confine ourselves to clearing some vegetation and making minor repairs on the Thark Ridge track. The original destination of Devils Throne required an hour and a half just to walk there and of course the same back and at least on Thark Ridge it wasn't so far to the cars if it did rain.

After an  earlier dry spell, recent rains had softened the track up and provided an indication of  a few spots needing some repair work. At one of these, which was just a short wet length, we put some rocks in, but our main effort was clearing vegetation from the Thark saddle and then upon to the higher ground further to the south.  The vegetation had grown quite substantially and in some sections yellow bush particularly completely blocked out the track.

These yellow bushes (Orites acicularis) had almost completely closed over the track

Now cut through, Greg and Scott

.

A light shower developed about midday and we opted to have lunch in case it got worse but it did clear and we resumed work on the track for about an hour. .

Section where the original track was overgrown and walkers have made a direct line pad. Rather than attempt to close we hardened it and accepted it as the track.

Rocks being added to the section

There are more photos online