Sudden Valley

13-14 Feb 2021

Our four turned off the main road near Mt White Bridge as a hoard of Coast to Coasters were lined up on the road, waiting to carry kayaks to the water’s edge. We had only a 3 hour walk into Sudden Biv so a delay of 10 minutes wasn’t going to matter. John had the clever idea of crossing the Hawdon in sandals then changing into boots but he soon had to wade Sudden Valley Stream so the gesture was wasted. Useful short tracks helped us make good progress, though some need a trim. Winter will take care of the frost-sensitive tutu. We stopped for lunch just before the scree that gets you onto a long forest track above the gorgy section, which includes Barrier Falls. The scree is wide enough that you can zig-zag up it to minimise the steepness. There are lots of mustelid traps along the forest track and even some Good Nature traps. Above the falls, the valley widens and 2.5km on, we came to the modern little biv which John and Kerry occupied. Rich and Lisa pitched their tent in a super spot just 10m from the biv. Kerry lazed while the others walked a little way upstream to get a view of the upper valley.

We left our spot at 8:30am on another sunny day, for a relaxed downstream exit, so were back in civilization by early afternoon. Lisa was pleased to have made it to the biv this time after a failed attempt with a slower companion in years past.

We were: Rich and Lisa Ainley, John Robinson and Kerry Moore. (KM)