| Group | Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tailender |
| Stds | Warren | Chris | Jan Brw | Victoria |
| Alternates | Norma | Wendy A | Nick | Bev |
Stats: Stats: distance 13.4km, ascent 750m, time 4hrs 50mins
Today’s tramps to Camp Saddle (option 1) and Helicopter Hill (option 2) didn’t provide much fodder for this diary writer. The weather was benign, no one left their lunch at home and the route finding was easy – nothing much to write about!
The big news is that once again the club had a highly successful trip on which 39 trampers had a great day’s walking in the mountains in glorious autumn weather. Since joining the club in 2015 I’ve completed the Camp Saddle tramp six times and remarkably, the weather has been fine and calm every time! 2022 was no exception – it was a cool start and there were signs of frost on the ground as we crossed Broken River, but the day was sunny and calm – perfect weather for the high tops.
After a 1 3/4-hour trip from Bishopdale, Viktor dropped us off at Mistletoe Flat in the Craigieburn Forest Park and the group of 39 split into two with 20 aiming for Camp Saddle and 19 Helicopter Hill. After a very pleasant walk through the beech forest that lines the Broken River skifield road, the standard group gained Camp Saddle at 12.35 but decided (a few needed gentle persuasion) to carry on a little bit higher before lunch. At lunchtime we sat on the 1550 m highpoint of the ridge with a view of the Castle Hill Basin spread before us. Continuing along the ridge after lunch, everyone safely negotiated the tricky descents and short steep climbs of the undulating ridge, looking out for (and adding rocks to) the rock cairns that mark the route. Soon after 2 pm we were at the top of the scree slope that is the way down towards Lyndon Saddle. This is the part of the tramp that many relish but which others find rather nerve-wracking. The opportunity to run down the loose gravel and lose ~200 m of height in just a few minutes is truly exhilarating for some! This year we had several trampers who hadn’t conquered the scree before, and all accomplished it with aplomb.
After legs had recovered and stones were emptied from boots, it was a short (but steep) walk down through the bush to Lyndon Saddle then an easy 45 minutes down the Mistletoe Track to the waiting bus.
While the standard group was walking the skyline above them, the alternative group walked up the skifield road, along The Luge track to Lyndon Saddle then up to the top of Helicopter Hill for lunch. After lunch and a tricky descent from the hill (when apparently a bit of controlled sliding was in order), the group returned to Mistletoe Flat via the tracks and road that skirt the eastern and southern sides of Helicopter Hill. Warren G
