Mount Barney, South-East Ridge/South Ridge

Mount Barney West Peak

Barney's mountainous bulk looms mightily above the other, lesser peaks of the scenic rim, thrusting its many-faced peaks skywards in defiance of the weathering processes that have slowly devoured much of the ancient Focal Peak shield volcano.

One of the great attractions of this mountain is the variety of options for ascending and descending its peaks. Some are easier than others, but all require some degree of scrambling, a high level of fitness and sound bushskills. Having tackled the 'easiest' route - the south (or 'peasants') ridge - several years back, I found myself being drawn back again to take on a new challenge.

The south-east ridge is generally considered the next 'step-up' for those seeking a more challenging Barney experience. If this is the logical progression for other walkers, then I figured it should be the case for me as well. Thus, this morning I sought to climb the beast by means of the south-east ridge.

Today started fine and crisp, and although I left home well before sunrise there were many cars already at Yellowpinch when I arrived. In less than an hour I was at the accepted 'start' of the south-east ridge, diverging from the old road that runs along the base of the mountain and which forms the start of the popular south ridge trail.

The track is obvious the whole way, although unrelentingly steep. It wasn't long before I bumped into the source of some (or perhaps most) of the crowding at Yellowpinch - two groups of a dozen or so people each, and a couple of smaller groups. I made only short stops at some lovely early viewpoints in order to overtake them - I prefer to have the bush to myself (and besides, greater views were to come!).

Forested slopes south of Mount Barney

Mount Lindsey poking out behind the prominent ridge of Mount Ernest

After these early rest spots, the route became far rockier. Eventually I reached the razorback section, which, although being not very exposed, was quite spectacular. After climbing up through more bush, I reached a gully that lead to the first 'tricky' part of the climb, a bulging convex slab known as 'wave rock.'

I found this to be by far the most difficult section of the south-east ridge. With water dribbling down on either side (which would be the obvious up-route in the dry), the only option was to launch myself straight up the middle, where there are no convenient places to grip, and drag my flailing body over the rocky surface. I was left with a great big dirty smear on my front and a few scrapes, but otherwise escaped without harm. There is a wide ledge immediately below so there is no danger of falling, at least.

Less than an hour to the east peak from here, and the views continued to improve. This final stretch runs beside and then directly above the 300 m east face rock wall, so at a few places it is worthwhile to take a peek (with care) over the edge for some dizzying views.

Peering down over the ledge onto Logan's Ridge

Final steep section coming up

Here there was a couple of steep, rocky chutes whose difficulty appeared to be intensified by trickling water. However, with surplus handholds available, there was no great trouble in ascending them.

A rocky chute not far from the east peak

Three hours after leaving Yellowpinch I was standing on top of Mount Barney's east peak.

Looking towards North Peak, Leaning Peak (peeking out on the left) and Isolated Peak (right). Mounts May and
Maroon are visible further to the north.

With views like this, who wouldn't want to stop for lunch?

After lunch I began the descent from the east peak to the Rum Jungle, an odd name given to the rainforested saddle between the east and west peaks. I passed a couple of other groups heading to the summit (busy day) including another family group with young kids! Where are all these young mountaineers being bred?! Kids these days must be tougher than I thought.

Mounts Lindsey and Ernest

There is no distinct route to the saddle region - more like a network of random trails all heading in a generally westerly direction. A highlight of this part of the walk is the impressive views of Barney's west peak, and the merging green hues of open forest and rainforest in the saddle.

From the Rum Jungle I planned to descend via the south ridge, which I had already climbed previously. I was well ahead of schedule, but in the absence of any interesting views I felt no need to stop and was breezing down the mountain. It seemed as though the rest of the walk would be uneventful.

One of the few decent views on offer on the South Ridge

45 minutes into the descent I took a short break at a clearing, when I heard a distant shouting. Was that someone yelling out help? Or just some loud kids making noise? When I heard the same noise again and then a third time, I couldn't dismiss it - someone was calling for help. I knew from chatting to other walkers I passed earlier that there was another solo hiker doing the same route as me, not far ahead. Could this unknown fellow be the source of the screams?

I cried out with my best cooee - the caller seemed to respond and soon I was racing downhill towards its source. After a dozen or so screams of help, the caller's cries died out and my cooees echoed away into silence.

Anyone who has climbed Mount Barney knows that it is a wilderness area of considerable size. An alternating series of ridges and gullies connect the peaks with the lowlands, offering the experienced hiker countless walking and climbing routes. However, the vast majority of this region is trackless bush, and it not uncommon for inexperienced walkers to become disoriented and lost. Worse still, the rocky, precipitous nature of the mountain can lead to serious injury or even death.

Had the caller been badly hurt, attempted to attract attention but then tragically passed out before being found?

20 worryingly quiet minutes later I encountered two men strolling downhill ahead. "Did you guys hear someone calling out for help a little while back??" One of them smiled sheepishly and put his hand up "yeah, that was me." A quick survey indicated he wasn't injured - just lost, apparently - very relieving news. No need to call out a search and rescue party then. A gentle reminder to take bushwalking in remote areas a little more seriously - to come prepared with compass and map, or (better yet) someone with experience in the area.

Back at the Logan River I took a break to dip my feet in the icy water (they deserved a break after ascending and then descending over 1000 m), before returning to my car at Yellowpinch.