Now taking bookings for autumn 2025 navigation weekends!
3 Day Navigation and Leadership Hike
Have you previously attended a MountainSphere 2-day navigation training weekend? Do you want more practise and to take your skills to the next level on a 3 day hike? Do you want to consolidate what you have already learned and become a trip leader competent in wilderness navigation?
About the 3 Day Navigation Hike
The 3 day navigation hike is offered only to those clients who have already attended the MountainSphere 2 day navigation weekend and who want to take their learning and navigation skills to the next level.
Held in the same general area as the 2 day navigation weekend but following a different route, you will rise to new challenges and will discover hidden locations in the wilderness by applying navigation skills already learned.
Your task will be to find places of exceptional natural beauty, hidden in the wilderness, with only a dot on the map given as your clue to its location. Uncover amazing natural rock sculptures, locate idyllic campsites, even discover a little known and rarely visited canyon and an ancient fern glade.
In your 3 day adventure you will consolidate your navigation skills, your leadership skills, and friendships. Work with a small team of like minded people in a wild and undeveloped environment, camp in a wilderness far from anywhere, and return from it invigorated and inspired, and having risen to new challenges.
Aims and Objectives
To Have Fun
As with all MountainSphere trips, the primary aim is to have fun, to enjoy and appreciate the bush, and to build friendships.
To Appreciate the Bush
We all have in common a love for the bush and we see it as a place to go for our personal wellbeing, enjoyment, health, and appreciation of the natural world. Navigation is simply the skill that we deploy to venture into wild places and find our way back again.
To Enhance your Navigation and Leadership Skills
Navigation is a leadership role on any bushwalk. Take your navigation skills to the next level and gain confidence as a trip leader. In a small group of like minded people, safely expose yourself to the responsibilities of navigation and leadership, under the oversight and expertise of someone with more than 30 years’ experience in wilderness navigation and leading trips in this specific location.
More on Level of Difficulty
Description of the Terrain
Much of the walking is through bush where there is no track. Under normal circumstances there would be a few areas of dense scrub that you need to push through. However, due to recent severe bushfires, the untracked bushland is largely bare of dense vegetation and it is possible to walk through it unimpeded.
The terrain is hilly and steep in places, especially when we enter and exit river and creek gorges.
There are 2 river crossings, as well as a few crossings of smaller creeks. The bush in the vicinity of the creeks and gorges is often dense and difficult to move through. That is why we aim to follow the open and now somewhat denuded ridges instead of creek gorges when walking.
Rock Scrambling
There are one or two places on this walk that involve some basic rock scrambling. The term “rock scrambling” refers to steep and rocky ground where ropes or other protection is not needed however you might be using both your hands and feet to climb or descend. Your hands and arms are not needed to support your weight in any way however you may use your hands for balance and added support to climb or descend. There are a couple of places on this walk where this technique is used. It is well within the capabilities of people unfamiliar with this sort of terrain.
There is one short route used to exit and enter the camping area where a rope will be setup to allow you to climb and descend easily. Use of this route is entirely optional and an alternative route exists which does not require rope or rock scrambling. People of all ages and abilities have used this scrambling route successfully.
River Crossings
On Day 1 and 3 we must cross the Wollangambe River. The crossing is at a different place on each day. The width of the river at the crossing point is only about 2-3 metres. The depth of the river is below knee deep. The riverbed is comprised of smooth stones which may be slippery.
Crossing the river is simply a matter of wading for a few steps through water that is above your ankles but below your knees.
Still Unsure?
Don't hesitate to write to me if you are unsure if the trip is suitable for you.