Donkey Mountain stands majestically tall in the Wolgan Valley surrounded by the spectacular cliffs of the Greater Blue Mountains namely the Gardens of Stone National Park. It is one of the few mountains in the Greater Blue Mountains area that stands alone from a range and involves summiting from the base. Join Hikeandseek on a challenging overnight hike to the majestic Donkey Mountain and see the majestic Wolgan Valley from a unique perspective.

The Donkey Mountain summit is on a kilometre long plateau and this overnight tour will give you the perfect chance to see a large portion of the mountain top. Only after attempting Donkey Mountain can one understand the amount of time required to traverse the top of the plateau. Overgrowth and walking conditions have grown more to a wilderness after three years of closure so participants are to expect a tough walk and scramble. What may seem like a straight forward adventure will want you coming back to revisit Donkey Mountain in the future.

As with any Hikeandseek tour, I will strive to introduce more features of the area to you that will not otherwise be discoverable via mainstream methods or following the beaten path as well as prevalent on social media platforms.

Grade

• Moderate-Advanced Fitness Level (4-4.5/5) (with overnight packs on)

• Moderate - Difficult Technical Difficulty (4.5/5)

• Must carry overnight pack at times self-sufficiently minimum 14kgs (including extra water) for up to 5 hours a day.

• There are no naturally occuring water sources atop of Donkey Mountain so extra water must be carried to last you the two days.

• Not Appropriate for first time overnight hikers

A minimum of 12km is to be walked each day where at least half will be with overnight packs on and a transition into daypacks once base camp is set up for the day. There will be at least 400m of incline that must be walked with heavy overnight packs on. The rather manageable distance travelled is not a fair indicator of output for this hike but rather the climbs and scrambles involved while carrying overnight packs are more accurate.

MEETING LOCATION AND TIME

We will leave Sydney (Epping Station) approximately 6:00am to drive to the trailhead with a very brief stop by Richmond for last minute supplies and a coffee/breakfast. Pickups will be arranged with tour participants and picked up from home where possible or a communal location organized en route to Lithgow. We will arrive back in Sydney approximately 5-6pm. We

BASIC ITINERARY

Day 1 - 4 Hours hike to reach the summit of Donkey Mountain via the Eastern end. Briefly set down overnight packs for some adventuring around the Western spur. After a rest break and setting up camp (Camp will be made in one the cave/canyons systems in this area), daypacks will be taken to spend the rest of the day venturing without heavy packs. After viewing sunset, we will make our way back to the camp for dinner. Pending weather conditions - we will head to a nearby location for star gazing during the night

Day 2 - Wake early to view Sunrise from an appropriate lookout and afterwards have a relaxing morning. After breakfast and a little more venturing, pack up camp and head out of the area. The journey back to the car may take up to 5 hours due to the scrubby nature of the walk and sharp descent in places on the return journey - by this time the packs should hopefully be lighter than first started.

Price: $260 (Please enquire for booking details)

Currently max 10 people (First Come First In)

IF UNSURE, please enquire before booking

Included in Costs are

·         Transportation and fuel

·         National Park Entry Fees and licencing

·         Access to First aid and Beacon, Rope and other miscellaneous equipment

·         1 x overnight hiking meal and 1 breakfast (both dehydrated) and some snack options - Please alert me on any allergens and dietary requirements

·         Hikeandseek Guiding Fee and Tour (includes navigation and basic orienteering introduction)

·         Full extensive Itinerary

·         Complimentary advice and recommendations to equip for overnight hiking

·         Packing List + Check List for Participants

·         HQ Photos and media shared from the two days

·         Chance at a lucky draw for some outdoor gear

Some activities undertaken during the overnight hike pending conditions will include:

• Orienteering

• Watch Sunrise/Sunset

• Scrambling

• Making Campfire

• Flora and Fauna Identification

• Cooking in the wild

• Star Gazing

• Tips and Tricks to overnight hiking

• Bush Toileting

• Responsible LNT principles