Bibbulmun Track Day 6 - Monadnocks Campsite to Mt Cooke and Nerang Campsites

 Sunday 30 August

https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/

Darling Range Section of Bibbulmun Track

We were up at 5:15am and there was very thick fog in the campsite. The fog lifted from the campsite just before sunrise. We had a lovely walk through the forest before climbing to the top of Mt Cuthbert. The view was limited as the mountain top was shrouded in fog. It was beautiful with moss and small patches of water in the rock amid the fog. The descent southbound was steeper than the ascent had been.

The climb to Mt Vincent was steeper. It was very humid this morning, but the fog had largely cleared by the time we reached the summit and we had great views. It was a nice walk through the forest again today. We saw several trail runners who stopped to chat. We also saw lots of day-walkers many of whom completely ignored us - no hello or head nod, most unusual. Throughout the forested areas we could hear a lot of bird noise. 

We arrived at Mt Cooke shelter around 11am. There were two teens sleeping in the shelter when we arrived and a pile of packed up gear. Near the Mt Cooke campsite was a burnt water tank as the only remnant of the previous campsite which had been totally destroyed by fire.

Mt Cooke Trail

Mt Cooke Summit Cairn

We departed Mt Cooke campsite about 11:30am. It was a solid climb up to the northern summit of Mt Cooke. We then continued along the ridge line to the southern summit. I really loved the top of this mountain- dappled shade from trees, granite boulders and domes, and wildflowers. Being a Sunday and a beautiful sunny day there were lots of day-walkers. It was very hot today when in direct sun. We stopped for lunch near the eastern cave - views, shade and breeze, the trifecta. The descent from Mt Cooke was steep and went across the granite domes - I was glad it was a dry day as this could be very hazardous in wet, windy conditions. Some of the forest after Mt Cooke had a very barren feeling, probably from the severe fires that burnt the campsites either side (Mt Cooke and Nerang). Closer to Nerang campsite the fire damage was less. We arrived at Nerang Campsite at 4pm. There was one other End to Ender in the shelter tonight. As it was a very sunny warm day I put the solar cells out to charge. We did not see any kangaroos today. There were a few mosquitoes in camp, so we put aerogard on.