Seven Fine Days In The Perth

Wednesday, 25th Jan. 1978: We (Tony Teeling, Stewart Jackson, and I) are enjoying a lazy day at Scone Creek Hut in the mid-Perth after carrying 60-70 lbs up here from our road-end camp yesterday. It was a stinking hot day, as today is, and we really made hard work of it, taking 10½ hrs to get up here. It's bloody good to be back in the Perth. The river is currently (ha, ha - typist) somewhat lower than when we were here last year. Scared a deer on the way up.

Thursday: Spent 1½ hrs crossing Scone Creek up at the Bettison Forks, and bushbashed up on the blazed route to Prospectors Basin. Bushline for lunch. Worked our way up a rocky face for a further 3500 ft until we were about 6000 ft and 1600 ft above the basin. Descended to basin where bluffs were smallest and found a bivvy rock on true left just above the 1st gorge.

Friday: Stewart hunted up and down river-no luck. Tony and I climbed beautiful slabs for nearly 2000 ft to hit the west ridge of Edison at about 6500 ft. Ridge, however is loose and rotten above this height and we were forced to turn back at about 7200 ft still some way from the top.

Saturday: Ascending saddle of three shingle slides downstream from the bivvy and up a steep gully brought us back to the ridge in l½hrs. Down ridge to a scrub and bushbash. Crossed Scone Creek on a rope.

Monday: Wandered out from a mosquito and sandfly infested Nolan's Hut in 3¼ hrs to the car. Hit the piss at Whataroa.

Tony (call me Fernando) Connell