The annual SUBW Christmas Dinner Walk to the Coxs River. One of my favourite weekends of the year, a tradition going back to my earliest bushwalking days. This year I took a group of SUBW members for an introductory abseiling session on Saturday morning before we headed down to the river for our relaxing camping weekend on a cool summer evening. A lovely weekend enjoyed by all.

This navigation weekend was rescheduled from the previous weekend due to the extreme rain event that took place during the day and night before the trip. So this last minute rescheduling resulted in fewer people attending. But the weather was absolutely perfect for this weekend with clear skies, mild temperatures and no wind. It was a great group of people and a very enjoyable hike with a huge amount of new skills learned along the way. Both days were full and active, both physically and mentally, with everyone on the trip participating actively in the learning. Each client had several opportunities to lead the way on our hike to find a beautiful campsite in the wilderness. And it was more than just leading the way. Clients learned to plan the route to take advantage of the terrain and the techniques to find the optimal route through rugged country with few tracks or trails. We had a lovely quiet evening at our campsite which we had all to ourselves. Clients even used a rope as a hand line to clamber up a rock slab and learned some new knots and roping skills as a bonus in addition to the navigation training. A great weekend in perfect weather enjoyed by all. Looking forward to the next one already!

It was a really great group of 9 clients for this navigation weekend, the first of the spring 2024 season. It was a cold and windy day on Saturday, but not as cold as it can be at this time of year. There was the occasional squall of rain during the afternoon and the reward for this was a beautiful rainbow as we climbed out of the Wollangambe River. It was a very full day of navigation training on Saturday but we were rewarded with a beautiful spot to camp on Saturday night and no rain fell while we cooked around a warm campfire in the evening. Wine, cheese and bikkies came out and this was a welcome small luxury to enjoy at the end of a busy day. On Sunday we continued the navigation training and hiking, the hiking distance was longer today because we returned to Bell via a different and longer route. It was very scenic and the route provided different terrain types and opportunities to learn different ways of applying navigation skills. We returned to our cars on the dot of 4pm on Sunday. The group were happy and tired after a packed weekend, all really enjoyed the unique experience of an amazing landscape and everyone learned a lot of great new skills that will provide confidence and safety in their future hiking endeavours.

This was the second navigation weekend in the spring 2024 season, and this time it was a small group of 3 clients who joined on this weekend. As is often the case in the mountains, it was quite windy all weekend but it was unseasonably warm for the time of year and there was virtually no rain. So it was a great weekend to learn navigation and for going hiking in a very special area. There were lots of other groups hiking in the area on the weekend, some quite large, but many of these were day trippers and in the end we had a very sheltered campsite out of the wind all to ourselves for the evening. And so a very nice evening and good night’s sleep was had despite the wind blowing on the ridges above us. Some early wildflowers were out, heralding the fact that spring is just around the corner, and a mouse spider was found on the march on one of the ridges. The 3 clients had a great time and learned a heap of new navigation skills that they will use to find their way safely and with confidence on their future hiking adventures.

Despite forecasts of high winds on Saturday morning, the wind had already dropped by early morning and this navigation turned out to be one of the best in terms of weather so far in 2024. Saturday in particular was a beautiful day, and Sunday, although a bit cloudy and windy, had almost no rain at all. It was a great group of 5 people who joined this navigation weekend and all had a great time. Two ladies had travelled up from Melbourne the day before and it was their first time bushwalking in the Blue Mountains. And with the good weather and early spring wildflowers in abundance, not to mention the beautiful wild scenery, they absolutely loved the experience. It wasn’t just an opportunity to explore the wonder that is the Blue Mountains in spring. It was also a great learning opportunity, and everyone learned an abundance of practical bush navigation skills that they all put immediately into practise in a real off-trail wilderness environment. So with it being a great 2 day hike, a wonderful campsite, and a weekend packed with learning of new skills and a great group of people, this was a great weekend enjoyed by all!

A full house of 10 people for the navigation weekend this weekend. And despite forecasts of snow and an apocalyptic cold blast from Antarctica on Sunday, we enjoyed mostly sunny weather the whole weekend, not too much wind, and just a cold morning on Sunday and a cold but mostly sunny day. Nothing that a fleece and a beanie can’t fix. Saturday was a day packed with learning the skills of navigation in fine weather and putting them into practice immediately in varied terrain. By the end of this very full day we established our camp on a lovely cool afternoon in a beautifully peaceful spot. Unfortunately due to a minor slip just before reaching camp, Vee Jin had a sore knee upon arriving at camp, but she was still very mobile and very positive. In the end it was decided that on Sunday the group would split, with one group very capably led by Leanne and George would walk back the way we came, and the other group led by me would continue the normal nav weekend route which was longer and steeper. The two groups remained constantly in touch with 2-way radios. This way, everyone was able to enjoy the weekend at a pace and distance suited to them. And everyone had the opportunity to put into practise everything learned on the previous day and in the morning at camp before we parted. The group who walked back the short way completed their walk in time to enjoy a lunch together at the pub in Mt Victoria. The group who went the longer way arrived at Bell about an hour and a half later, after having crossed the river gorge in a steep but scenic spot. All up another fantastic navigation weekend in beautiful weather enjoyed by all.