Ascent of Mount Dandenong on 2016-08-21| Others in Party: | Pierz N.
| | Date: | Sunday, August 21, 2016 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Mount Dandenong | | Location: | Australia-Victoria | | Elevation: | 2077 ft / 633 m |
Ascent Trip ReportAs a young child, I had visited the Dandenongs many times, but in hindsight I couldn't prove I'd ever actually been to the true summit of Mount Dandenong. Therefore, on a rainy winter's day, I decided to climb it properly. In the spirit of "not driving to the top," I decided on a circuit, with the summit near the end.
The route we took to the summit was a rather roundabout way, beginning two thirds of the way up the mountain, and following a vehicle track across the western face of the mountain, through woodland. There was rather a lot of downhill in this stage, which was ultimately why our total ascent was just short of Mount Dandenong's elevation. This was by no means a wilderness walk - the outer suburbs of the city were in full view below - but it was enjoyable enough. After several kilometers, so began our steep climb up the Glasgow Track. The route was surprisingly rocky and relentlessly steep, but exhilarating after walking on fire trails. The woodland was quite sparse and grassy here, affording good views to admire when resting.
Upon reaching the crest of the range, we joined another 4WD track, and began heading towards the summit, now less than 100m above us vertically. Typically, we ended up passing below the summit again before making a detour to reach it. To remind us we were not in the wilderness again, there was a cafe on top, but the views of rainy Melbourne were nice, and we sat and ate afternoon tea. We set off for the car with increasing rain and mist, the track meandering through forest and houses. Upon returning to the car, we felt quite satisfied. |
| Summary Total Data | | Grade/Class: | YDS Class 1 | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Maintained Trail | | Weather: | Drizzle, Cool, Breezy, Overcast |
This page has been served 150 times since 2005-01-15.
|
