Mt Difficult (Grampians National Park) Hike – May 2013

Strenous walking involved

Day one

Our planned hike to Mt Difficult at the Grampians commenced with an early departure on Friday afternoon after work. We all managed to leave Melbourne by 4.45pm and traffic was surprisingly flowing well. We stopped by in Beaufort after 2 hours of driving for dinner at the local pub, where my chicken parma was moist and yummy.

After dinner we drove for a further 1.5 hours before arriving at our campsite – Troopers Creek. We were all in a rush to pitch our tent in case the drizzle we encountered returned. Fortunately this did not eventuate.  I was also looking forward to seeing how Miss Marathon’s new tent would function overnight. Her Exped Venus II ultralight tent had massive vestibules, the largest I have seen on a two person hiking tent. 

After pitching our tents we settled down to a glass or two of red, but was distracted by a young wallaby that was particularly interested in our food. Eventually it was time to go off to bed for our big day ahead.

Troopers Creek campsite

 

Day two

We awoke early and made ready our preparations for our hike, which included having a hearty breakfast. Unfortunately for Miss Frenchy, the same young wallaby managed to steal her avocado which was going to be part of her lunch – the only good thing about this was a slightly lighter pack. It seemed like this was not the first time the wallaby had scavenged from people. Thoughts of stewed wallaby crossed Miss Marathon’s mind, but luckily for the wallaby my current vego mode saved it from being the main ingredient. 

Naughty wallaby enjoying avocado

Our hike commenced with an easy 0.5km stroll to a large rock formation which would make an ideal setting for a romantic lunch or dinner. Note to self – take my date to this place one day, although some rock scrambling will be required. The trail then started getting more rocky and steep. We passed a sign that said “strenuous walking involved” and I was thinking this walk can’t be that bad. 

The track slowly climbed upwards until we got to a section where 45 minutes of rock scrambling was required. This was my favourite part – I felt like a kid again surrounded by beautiful views of the valleys below and mountain ranges in the distance. I was glad that we all had good hiking boots on with grip for sections were slippery and required some upper body strength to pull ourselves up. By the end of this rock scrambling section I was on a big buzz, although not everyone in my party felt the same way. I think Miss Frenchy felt like she had completed a mini marathon, while Miss Marathon had plenty in reserve for a lot more. 

Some rock scrambling required

After the rock scrambling section we passed a stream which seemed like it flowed year round where we collected extra water. After this it was another hour before we got to the campsite at Mt Difficult. We were the only ones there so had the pick of the place. The campsite though does not have any pit toilets, so we had to trust my trowel which came in handy many times during the trip. There was room at the campsite for around 8-10 tents which were well spaced out and offering privacy. To our dismay there was lots of rubbish left behind by lazy campers – we decided to rectify this the next day by doing our own “clean up Mt Difficult day”. Near the section where the walk to the summit of Mt Difficult commenced was a tiny stream where water could be collected, although likely to be dry during the warmer months. 

We decided to base camp at the campsite and undertake a day walk to Briggs Bluff. The walk there initially traversed ridges and rocky outcrops which made the going slow. Unfortunately for us we had started out on this leg a bit too late and did not have enough time to complete the 2 hour hike there. Although close to our destination we decided to turn back to avoid walking in the dark – this was a wise decision although we were somewhat disappointed on not being able to reach the Bluff.

Mt Difficult remote campsite

Day three

I awoke early on day three to a beautiful and cold morning. Miss Marathon decided to have a sleep in, whilst Miss Frenchy woke with a migraine. After breakfast we made our way up to the top of Mt Difficult, which was an easy 7 minute stroll to the summit. We were rewarded with splendid 360 degree views of the surrounds – was totally amazing! After some happy snaps and poses, we made our way back to the campsite to pack up our gear for the walk back to the car.

Views from Mt Difficult

Our hike down was easier than our trip up, even though certain sections required care. It took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to get to Troopers Creek campsite, 10 minutes less than on our way up. Upon reaching Troopers Creek, we were greeted by our young wallaby friend again!

Mt Difficult summit