September 14 saw my mate Luke and I on a hike up Victoria’s second highest peak Mt Feathertop. This was our second time this year up the mountain but our first ever during the snow season. Needless to say we were pretty keen on the idea and had been gearing ourselves up for quite a while, hoping that the weather would come good on the dates we had planned. By pure chance we had 3 days worth of sunny skies, an overnight low of -6, and not a drop of rain to be seen, this weather made the hike a very enjoyable one.

The planned route up Feathertop was the very popular Bungalow Spur track, offering a pretty nice gradient the whole way along with a nice clear trail. Although the track is not an awfully hard one, there is still a vertical climb of around 1,200m so it isn’t for the faint hearted. To its advantage, much of the track is sheltered by tree cover which keeps you cool and out of the sun. The Bungalow Spur track starts in Harrretville, about 4-5 hours from Melbourne. To access the track by vehicle take the turn off just before the main bridge in town marked ‘Feathertop Track’, it is a sealed road and leads all the way to the base of the Spur, here there is a car park and information board.

Once on the track it is just a matter of zig-zagging your way up the Spur. Eventually the tree cover will thin and the alpine environment will start to reveal itself. It is at this point, where you may start to encounter snow on the trail. On our trip there were only patches of snow on the last kilometer or so before the hut, but this can vary depending on the season. The temperature will also start to drop and you’ll notice how cold it actually is if you stand around for a little while. Along the way you will pass the old Feathertop Hut site which can still be used for camping, but the much better option is to walk the extra kilometer to the newly built Federation Hut. This position is right at the top of the Spur and is the perfect starting point for the trip up to summit. At the campsite you have the choice of camping inside the hut or pitching your tent (however you should always carry a tent incase the hut is full) The hut is setup nicely with sleeping benches for about 6, a cooking bench, clothes hooks, and a fireplace.

If the weather allows you to continue up to the summit from Federation Hut, then you need to be prepared with the right gear. In the winter months you will almost definately be walking on snow between the hut and the summit, so it is important to carry either snow shoes or skis. Many of the slopes between the hut and the summit are very steep and a slip may cause you to fall a long way down into a gully. Whatever gear you chose to take, you need to know how to use it safely. From the hut it is a short walk up to the track junction where you will then start to head up the summit ridge. As you reach the steeper sections of the summit, it is important to be aware of the snow cornice that builds on the south face of the mountain, walking on top of the unsupported snow could be fatal so it is important to be aware of where you are walking at all times (if in doubt, hope there are someone else’s tracks to follow). Once you reach the summit you will be rewarded with a 360 degree view of the alpine area, from Mt Buller in one direction to Mt Bogong in the other, it is a truly spectacular spot. Once you’ve snapped a heap of photos you’ll probably be wanting to return down to the warmth of the hut.

Having been up Feathertop during both summer and winter, it is one of the ‘must do’ trips for any hiker.

Harrretville to Feathertop Summit via Bungalow Spur Track : 21km (Return)

See more photos from this trip in the Feathertop ‘09 Gallery

The Hornet is Black Wolf’s second highest rated tent (beaten only by the Expedition) It is a 3 man, 3-4 season, geodesic structure tent which is designed to withstand most conditions that one would encounter outdoors.

The Hornet is a double skin(layer) tent which provides extra insulation from the outside conditions and makes it suitable for just about any type of conditions, including mild alpine weather. The geodesic pole structure not only provides great internal space but adds to the strength of the pole system, allowing the Hornet to handle strong winds and the extra weight of rain or snow. One of the great attractions to the Hornet for me was the size, a common problem with many tents is the length to accommodate taller people, coming in at 2.25m internal length the Hornet performs extremely well.

The Specs:

• 3-4 Season Tent | Geodesic, Up to the snow line
• Capacity : 2 (Gear Inside) / 3 (Gear Outside)
• Color: Green or Yellow
• Weight: 3.8kg trail weight
• Internal Dimensions: 180 x 225 x 110 cm
• External Dimensions: 180 x 335 x 110 cm
• Floor: Polyester PU 5000mm
• Fly: Polyester PU 3000mm
• Seams: Heat taped
• Poles: 3 x 8.5mm T6 Premium Alloy
• Pegs: 15 x Lightweight Alloy

I purchased the Hornet with a mate as our larger hiking tent. As we both already owned lightweight single man tents, we were really after something that gave us more room to move when we weren’t worried about the weight so much. We were also after a tent which had a suitable design to handle the occasional winter alpine trip. After a bit of searching we came across the Hornet, it seemed to suit our needs and our wallets. Priced at $360 AUD it will hopefully be our all around 3 man tent.

Having already owned a Black Wolf  tent I was confident that the quality of the Hornet would meet our standards. And as expected I cannot fault the manufacture of the Hornet, there were no lose threads to be seen and everything fitted together perfectly. Just like all other Black Wolf tents, the Hornet comes in a sturdy carry bag with pole and peg bags made from the same material. From my experiences, Black Wolf makes excellent tents without blowing your budget.

Once out of the bag, setting up the hornet is very simple. The inner tent is set out with 6 pegs, and then the 3 poles thread through mesh tracks and clip onto the inner. The geodesic design created by the 3rd pole not only adds extra strength to the frame but also helps to keep the fly from resting on the sides of the inner(very handy in wet weather). Once you have the inner set, which could be used stand-alone in dry weather, the fly velcro’s to the apex and the clips to the 6  pole points. All the fly points have adjustable straps to set the tension. The two vestibules require 4 further pegs and give both easy entry and great storage space.

After setting the tent I was glad to notice the 4 ventilation points in the fly, all of which have velcro struts to keep them open(but can also be sealed closed). With many double skin tents condensation can be a problem which is directly related to the ventilation. On top of the vents in the fly, there are 4 well placed mesh vents in the inner. Ventilation can be hard manage in a double skin tent but I think Black Wolf have done a good job on the Hornet.

Entrance into the Hornet can be either via the front or the back, both without too much trouble. The size of the vestibules quite impressed me and would allow plenty of space for 3 packs with ease. The doors are an oval shape and make getting in and out simple, they also have zippered fly mesh panels for extra ventilation.

Once I got inside the Hornet I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of space on offer. We had purchased the tent specifically cos of its good internal space, and it was certainly no disappointment. At 2.25 x 1.8 m inside the Hornet can comfortably fit those who are taller, or gives extra space for those not soo tall. I’m just on 6 foot tall and i’ll sleep very comfortably in the Hornet. Also on offer inside is even more storage space, there is a very large gear hammock which hangs from the ceiling of the inner, along with several small mesh pockets around the base or the inner for storing small items. Its often very easy to lose track of small items inside a tent, so im glad to have all these extra pockets.

Back on the outside, there are 4 guy ropes for use in rough weather (with built in reflective tape so you can see them in the dark). Just be sure to not leave them hanging on the side if you expect rain, as its likely they will cause drip lines down the fly. On the first day of owning the Hornet I had it set in the backyard and within an hour or soo it started to rain, I decided to leave it out to give the fly a chance to stretch. It rained very heavily for a few hours without any leaks at all, it continued to rain overnight and the Hornet was still solid in the morning. I was very impressed. I look forward to making great use of this tent.

The only modification I have made to the Hornet is to add some small loops off 5mm accessory cord to the peg loops. I have done this to make the use of snow stakes a bit easier as I found the standard loops to be a tight fit with the larger pegs. This would really only be necessary if you intend to camp on the snow or on sand.