Day 4: Lake Myrtle
Again, wild weather overnight so we wait out the rain before heading off around 11am. We want to reach Mt Rogoona on the way to Lake Myrtle. Like yesterday, the track is overgrown so we’re pushing through scrub a lot - that and light rain slows us down.
Part way up Mt Rogoona the worsening weather and lateness makes us rethink our plans and turn back to reach Lake Myrtle before dark. In hindsight we could have camped part way up Rogoona - there are plenty of tarns - and braved the wild weather but we are conservative hikers and like to stay within our comfort zones. If we’re not having fun then we change plans! This decision also ensures that we reach Lake Myrtle - indeed a lovely spot to camp. Stunning country even in wet and extremely windy weather.
We walked 11 km with an elevation gain of around 300m today
The short distance today belies the difficulty. The track is quite overgrown, especially between Lake Meston and Lake Myrtle. The start of the route up Mt Rogoona takes a little while to find, as well as the cairns. In a few places, two alternate tracks are cairned, which is confusing
The day begins with bucketing rain and we wait for it to ease before we leave. A cosy breakfast in the tent is always welcome and the Stratospire Li’s huge, well-ventilated vestibules and offset door pole design make cooking straightforward.
The rain clears momentarily. We’ve been pushing through vegetation. We’re very glad for our bombproof heavy goretex jackets. Anything light would get shredded.
The rain doesn’t clear for very long. It rains pretty much non stop but we are down in a sheltered valley rather than at altitude. Lake Meston Hut is perfect for a break. We are still bone dry and our wool thermals have kept us at just the right temperature.
Rustic sphagnum insulation!
Most of the huts have a few bits and pieces left behind for visitors. This one is used by fishers – there is apparently a boat down by the water’s edge.
Lake Meston Hut, as pretty as all the huts we’ve seen. Just as we leave, two drenched young lads in shorts arrive. They are heading to Junction Lake and the Never Never Track but have no dry clothes. I hope they will be okay.
It took a little while to find the track to Lake Myrtle / Mt Rogoona because there is a plethora of them immediately from the hut.
The trick is to backtrack a little way north along the path we walked in on – we’d passed the fork but had missed it because of the angle it diverges.
Making our way up Mt Rogoona. The cairned route leaves from just before the saddle. The cairns are actually quite hard to spot – can you see the two in this picture? Lake Meston in the background.
Mist and rain over the lake. This is to become a familiar sight! We are very grateful for excellent wet weather gear and a great tent.
The weather worsens up Mt Rogoona. We don’t reach the top and stop for a late lunch. The wind is howling. There is plenty of water and good rocky campsites but it doesn’t occur to us to camp there. In hindsight, we could have continued to the top, but it would have been very windy. Instead, we hike down to Lake Myrtle, which is every bit as beautiful as we had hoped it would be. We set up the tarp as well to cook under should rain arrive early.
Mt Rogoona hulking over the lake. We don’t use the tarp, the wind is absolutely screaming across the lake now so we find a sheltered spot tucked under a tree instead to cook.