Mt Barney – the pinnacle of our mountain series each year is an exhilarating, if at times nail biting, adventure.
If the sign at the bottom in Yellowpinch carpark at the beginning of the hike doesn’t scare you away, then you’re in for a challenging and rewarding day.
Starting off in the dark, our CREW this year were blessed (?) with warmer than usual conditions and by the time the sun had risen we had all taken our jackets off.
Low lying fog made for a picturesque morning as the sun rose over the surrounding valleys.
There were wildflowers galore along the path as we navigated over rock faces, climbed up rock chutes, tiptoed over rock ledges and hoisted ourselves over rocky outcrops before eventually making our way to the summit.
It is a vertical climb of 1354m and our lunch and cup of tea at the Summit was enthusiastically consumed by the group while we had a well-earned break, took photos and took in the view.
The views from the Summit are amazing. Mt Lindsay and Mt Ernest to the South and to the north Lake Maroon and the Main Range National Park.
We take a different route for our descent, and we sometimes find ourselves using our fifth limb (aka our bottoms) for some of the climb down.
As we get to the fire trail through the tall forest and sections of rainforest it’s an easy walk back to the carpark.
The sun starts to set casting a beautiful glow back on the mountain we just conquered, and a full moon rises as we find ourselves back at the van that takes us to the cosy homestead and warm showers we’re all craving for.
While tired, there is a sense of accomplishment as we tell stories, share laughs and toast ourselves with a glass of champagne on having summited Queensland’s most impressive mountain.
