Mt Barney NP - Mt Ernest western traverse

Direct approach to Mt Ernest, western traverse, descent via forested ridges. Winter 2021 #7 - An ascent of Mt Ernest and traverse along the western cliff line. Walking conditions : Tracks, ridge crest walking, steep scrambles, and a small climb or two. Walk length : Approximately 16 km. 600m height gain, plus some ups and downs along the traverse. Notes : Mt Ernest (960m) is one of the many satellite peaks near Mt Barney. The mountain has a long summit ridge which joins up with an equally long western cliff line. The cliffs are made up of rhyolite columns, and their sharp flutings are often referred to as the organ pipes. The length of these two ridges is known as the Ernest traverse. The full traverse begins on private property, and the landholders request that permission be obtained for access. Mt Barney Lodge has all the knowledge, and the full traverse is offered as part of their itinerary. This is a shorter version of the traverse, which first climbs the peak via a very steep side ridge, then follows the western end of the traverse, so keeping within the park boundary. The foothill scrub here can be very unforgiving, especially in the gullies, but some ridges lead directly into the area with few obstructions. Mt Ernest has some of the roughest terrain around, and there are many ups and downs along the western cliff line, making it very tiring on the legs. The area is fairly isolated and the entry and exit ridges are quite far apart, with a lot of difficult ground to cover in between, and for this reason it pays to have extra time by leaving early. I always take extra care when leaving the Mt Ernest summit. It seems important to immediately locate the correct descent ridge, which begins a little below and to the right of the summit when heading west. The lay of the land tends to lead naturally left into much more difficult ground. Usually, thick undergrowth must also be dealt with in this area, but the bushfires in 2019 have cleared out a lot of the scrub for the moment, and the tops are still fairly open. A footpad has usually been pushed through the sections where the ground cover is thickest. Near the end of the cliff line, a pinnacle is encountered, and can be gotten around on the left, or carefully climbed. The descent ridge is fairly straight forward, but has one important turning, shown in the video. If the gps data is located on a topographic map, it is easy to see the bend in the ridge which then leads down to Cronan creek via old logging roads. The turning would barely be noticed if ascending this ridge. The falls track (4wd road) runs beside Cronan creek to the Logan river, and then back to Yellowpinch. Keep safe to enjoy the wonderful mountains! 0:00 Beginning 0:20 Walk in to Cronan creek 0:53 Cronan creek to ridge crest 1:20 Ridge crest walk 3:10 Ridge climb 8:27 Ridge top 9:11 Walk to summit 9:38 Summit 11:07 Descent to the west 13:00 Rocky saddle 13:30 Early in the traverse 14:53 Fluted cliff lines 16:00 First plateau 17:23 Second plateau 18:30 Pinnacle section and final cliffs 20:56 End of the traverse 21:50 Descent ridge to sneaky right turn 23:10 Turn to Cronan creek 25:07 Cronan creek 25:26 End shots