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| Mt JIM CROW National Park |
Mt JIM CROW National Park
This is a dominant rock feature situated approximately halfway between Rockhampton and Yeppoon. It is relatively small as far as national parks go. Approximately 144 hectares in total. Sounds tiny, but as I discovered, this mountain is more gruelling than it looks.
Until 1978 it was a stone quarry supplying most of the capricorn coasts requirements for stone and gravel. It is what is known as a Trachye plug. A volcanic structure that was literally pushed up out of the ground. The whole area is scattered with similair rocky outcrops that dominate the landscape with an almost eerie presence. Unfortunately most of the outcrops are contained within private property so are not accessible by general public, though I am working to meet some of the propertty owners in the hope of getting acloser look at some of these mighty spectacles.
Mount Jim Crow stands approximately 220 metres above sea level, it can be climbed as I found out, but this is no easy task. It is fairly densey vegetated with hoop pine, bloodwood, ironbark, paperbark and Moretan Bay Ash. Unfortunately the lower lying area's are also over grown with lantanna. Though in sections it appears the rainforest plants are claiming back their territory, it is fascinating to see ferns overgrowing and in some cases choking the lantanna pest.
Despite it's tiny land area, the park is home to a host of australian wildlife including rock wallabies and several species of possum. Unfortunately there is also plain evidence of feral cats, dogs and even dignoes in the park. The photo's that follow are an account taken by myself over a six hour period in the park. It seems easy from the outset, and even a bit of fun, I assure you that even small parks such as this pose serious dangers to the unsuspecting visitor.
General entry to the park is unsuspecting. Simply a sign and a trail leading into the bush.
Though the photgraphs don't do it justice, this is a very daunting and dramatic feature of the landscape, particularly this close to the base.
The following sequence is a general snapshot of the terrain that surrounds the base of this marvel.
Now it was from here that things got very interesting. it wasn't too many years ago that I used to climb mountains and hike for fun, I seriously underestimated the difficulty of this outcrop.
This shot was taken less than 50 metres off the ground, aready legs were shaking and I was feeling the effects of fatigue. This was a frightening reminder of the lack of fitness i have maintained in recent years.
Dominant cliff features such as this are evident all the way up the rock face.
The following shots were taken at the halfway point. now at this stage I had little choice but to press on because the track back down was nothing short of dangerous and I had to proceed to another track around the mountain to descend.
Rock formations got more and more interesting the higher I climbed, this formation looks to have been cause by a rock slide, the larger rock just happened to land in the righ place!
Three quarters of the way up the mountain and two and a half hours later... Sound ridiculous but it is very slow going up the mountain, rockslides have made the path loose and treacherous in places, al care needs to be taken.
Now I feel it is important to mention a few things at this point. What seemed like a quick hike up an interesting landmark was fast turning into a frightening experience. The last couple of photos were taken at probably around 140metres up the rock. My legs were like jelly, I was out of breath and completey exhausted.
i sat on the outcrop where I took he last photo and had what can only be described as a panic attack.....
It's a strange feeling to be sitting completely alone in a place like that, completely out of energy and heaving for breath. I don't mind saying at that point I was absoutely terrified, I could see the highway from where i sat, but had zero energy to continue, and thinking about the path I had taken up, was certain I couldn't get back down in one piece.
I know a lot of this was mind over matter, but I think it illustrates an important point. It took me a good hour to muster up the courage and the energy to start the descent. I had hoped to reach the top. I was probably 20 minutes away. There was no way I could have done it and returned to the bottom safely alone.
What struck me hard was how easy it was to get yourself into real trouble. I now understand how easily people can become disoriented. It happened on the way down, and I ended up at this clifftop.
It's fair to say I was physically and mentally exhausted by the time I reached the base of the moutnain. The 600 metre walk back to the car felt like an eternity.
I realise this probably all sounds very dramatic, but in truth today was a huge awakening for me, If I am to enjoy everything I love about the outdoors, I need to get fit and re-acquaint myself with the dangers of our environment. During the time spent in the park I saw four snakes, I have no idea what type they were and I really don't care. This brings me to the next point..
I hiked alone, and incredibly stupid thing to have done in a harsh environment such as this. If I hadv'e been bitten or fallen, who knows what would have happened, the park is well visited at the base, but rarely climbed and quite dense in places.
So in summary, I will return to Jim Crow. I will be fitter, I will take others with me, and I will reach the top!!! Challenge set, but never again the way it was done today.....
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Created on 05/08/2008 07:41 PM by admin
Updated on 05/08/2008 08:17 PM by admin
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