I woke on the 15th November near the shore of Lake Mackintosh with a premonition that great danger stood in wait for me before I reached Cradle Valley.
Fresh snow on Mt Murchison. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.
I had slept long but felt lethargic; it was as if my body knew there was an ordeal ahead and wanted to get as much rest as it could before it all began. The air was chill, and it felt more like the end of winter than the start of summer.
The ridge of Mt Farrell and Lake Mackintosh. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.
My first objective was to climb onto the shoulder of Victoria Peak to the SW, so I could survey my route ahead towards Granite Tor and pick out a line to follow. I had Hellyer's letter that he wrote to his superior, Edward Curr, detailing their trip. Hellyer's description of the country became my map and guided me in retracing his footsteps for the following week.
Victoria Peak. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.
From a high point on the shoulder of Victoria Peak I spotted a NE line that seemed to pass through a saddle and traverse gently undulating country. Although I couldn’t really see the open 'grass-tree plains' that Hellyer wrote about, the route I identified seemed to head towards Granite Tor in more or less a straight line.
But I was soon to discover that walking in straight lines is quite problematic in this part of the country.
‘Open Grass-Tree Plains’ - according to Hellyer 194 years ago. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.