The nor'wester blew with "severe gales in exposed places" and Calum decided the ridge of Goat Hill was very likely an exposed place. Never mind, nine people gathered for a good Plan B which stayed low and east of the Divide, exploring the East Hawdon valley up to the Biv. Much had been heard of this area but none of the party had been in before and it turned out to be well worth exploring.

A shift in the bed of the Hawdon since our last venture up the river necessitated crossing early-on and a lot of the old track had been washed out but a steady walk into the wind led us to the East Hawdon confluence and morning tea. Then we headed up-river finding some lengths of track on the true right in places to ease the passage. The track had been recut in March by a couple of volunteers and was very pleasant, so crossing the main stream could be avoided.

After a narrowing of the valley, shortly followed by a right angle bend it really started to feel remote and the upper valley opened out with great views of Mt Valiant. After four hours and a deceptive amount of gentle climbing we found the 2007 biv in excellent order—just the right timing for lunch. We managed to all cram into this two-bunk “hut” with Graham literally under the table. There was discussion about a possible return to climb Mt Valiant. The drizzle on the Divide cleared and a very pleasant walk out completed the trip.

River ramblers were: Calum & Pat McIntosh, Chris Leaver, Graham Townsend, Kathryn Mueller, Dorota Giejsztowt, John Robinson, John Allan, Gary Huish. (PM)