If you can’t stand the heat…

A summer trip to Mount Howitt

Earlier in the year I undertook a short trip into the Mount Howitt region, one of several alpine high plains in Victoria. Even though the weather forecast was hot – expected to be over 38 degree Celsius even at elevation, with thunderstorms on the second day - I had been planning this trip for some time and was keen to go.

These trips are a big commitment, and with a nearly five hour drive, I wanted to make the most of my time. I had a rough plan to visit three locations and would see what happens, although the outcomes photographically were very uncertain, especially in the heat of summer.

Bryce Gorge

I arrived at the Bryce Gorge carpark in the late afternoon and decided to head down the trail I planned to take tomorrow to scout out Piemans Falls.

Although I got back in the dark (past 9.30), the scouting trip was well worthwhile as I had a composition lined up for dawn and a clear idea of what the light would do. I got the tent up, had dinner and set the alarm for 5 am.

---

Next morning, I was at the first lookout well before dawn, although no early shots really worked out and the wind was creating issues with the long exposure. The photo I really wanted to take required the sun to rise above the ridge line at about 6.30 so I waited. In a very rare event, the light did exactly as expected and I got my shot of Pieman Falls (which I have shown before) which recently won the Natural Landscape Photography Awards Water World category.

I then explored Piemans Creek itself before continuing along the undulating track above the escarpment through beautiful Alpine Ash, Snow Gums and open plains. I tried to get some images of trees perched above the escarpment but by 7.30 the sun was very harsh and it was already getting hot. The impact of the light can be seen in the two photos below, taken at 6.10 and 8.30 am respectively, and in both cases the light was tricky.

I was particularly pleased technically with this image of Conglomerate Falls. With the full sun bouncing off the far cliff face, the conditions were challenging and required an exposure blend to deal with the dynamic range. I can envisage climbing down to the base of the falls, perhaps in Spring with some good flow – it would be a viewpoint rarely seen.

From there, I enjoyed the walk for the remaining 5-6 km circuit back to the car knowing that any further photography was unlikely to yield anything. First location, one good photograph. Time to move on.

Mount Howitt

By 6.30pm I was sitting just off the summit of Mount Howitt and I was suffering. The heat and the flies were close to unbearable, although I had found a nice patch of shade with just enough cooling breeze to keep the flies away (although in truth they were probably all sitting on my back swimming deliriously in my sweat). At times, I do wonder why I do landscape photography.

I had walked in along the Mount Howitt walking track to the Vallejo Gantner hut where I had lunch. It is a beautiful walk, fairly flat with big drops either side, down to Zeka Creek to the east, which feeds into the Wonnangatta River, and the MacAlistair River to the west, both 400+ vertical metres below. As the track is over 1550m above sea level, the vegetation is a combination of open plains and snow gums, although these trees are showing extensive dieback caused by the native wood-boring longicorn beetle.

Luckily there was good water at MacAlistair Springs, so I was able to fill up and wouldn’t have to be too careful with water – although it is heavy to carry.

After the Springs, the track curves to the west around the headwaters of the MacAlistair River along a relatively narrow ridgeline before heading up to the open summit of Mount Howitt. Along the way I had found a spot to pitch my tent, just at the edge of the tree line given the expected thunderstorms, but with spectacular views to the north across Terrible Hollow towards Crosscut Saw, Mt Buggery, Mt Speculation, Mt Despair, the Viking and the Razor (I suspect the early explorers were not having a good time).

Sitting in the welcome shade of a Snow Gum, I was able to take in the views to the west across the Howqua River catchment. The alpine plains were covered with wildflowers, including this Trigger plant, nicely backlit by the sun.

I wandered around searching for compositions, enjoying the breeze and watching the incoming weather.  I could see distant rain and some ominous thunder clouds, but none came too close.

As is often the way, bad weather makes for good light and I got a magnificent sunset as the storms rolled in. A bit after 9pm I decided the light was finished so I was keen to get out of there. In the increasing gloom, I raced the storms back to the tent. I timed it perfectly as I reached shelter as the storm hit. For 20 minutes there was almost continuous lightening and then came the torrential rain. For the next hour or so, there was not much to do but sit in the tent as the storm moved past, and hope for the best.

Crosscut Saw

After a hot but wet night, I was up early again and in position to watch the sun rise and light up the Crosscut Saw. This was my favourite image, just as the sun struck the peaks of the Saw, with Mt Buggery, Mt Speculation and (perhaps) Mt Cobbler in the far distance.

The walk along the Crosscut Saw is one of Victoria’s most spectacular alpine walks. The east side rises steeply from Terrible Hollow (as can be seen in the photo above), but it is the west side that drops off vertically. The walk undulates steeply along the ridgeline but the views are spectacular and there is no chance of getting lost in good conditions. I don’t feel I got a good image of the west face that captures the scale. Here is probably the best.

I walked along as far as the saddle to Mt Buggery where I decided to turn around. I had a tough 10km back to the car and the light was becoming too harsh, although I did get some nice black and white photos of some very old Snow Gums (for another post).

The only thing now was a slog back in the heat, a five hour drive and I would be home for dinner.

---

It is sometimes tempting to romanticise about the wilderness and landscape photography. But generally, it is tough uncomfortable work, where the conditions seem to conspire against good images. But the wilderness is entirely indifferent to my presence – that is why going into the wilderness is so worthwhile. You go out, focus on surviving and come back in one piece, hopefully with a photo or two, but certainly with a reminder of what Planet Earth is really all about.

To really get to get a sense of a place requires multiple visits and time, preferably alone. This is not just about understanding the topography and the light, but to move beyond thinking about country on my terms and allowing the country to speak to me in its own voice.

I will come back to this spectacular area for a longer visit - I tend to get a little obsessive about fully exploring an area. Options would include exploring Bryces Gorge below Piemans and Conglomerate Falls. There is the Viking Circuit through a designated wilderness area (no signs and indistinct tracks) which would take 4-5 days, although the priority would inevitably be on covering the territory and not getting lost rather than photography. Or in the winter, with a more challenging walk in and greater risks. The wilderness does not give up its secrets easily.