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Rescue - Bunny Bucket 26-May-2014 At 1:00:50 PM martym

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On 26/05/2014 PThomson wrote:
>Hey mate,
>
>For us it was easy, because we were over on the "east side" of Pierces
>Pass (which is, strangely, at the western end of the pass) we basically
>emerged almost on the walking track down to Accacia Flat, and just had
>to follow it back up the hill (leaving a moderate amount of gear behind
>to facilitate the 3 abseils back to the ground).
>
>If you bail off Bunny Buckets or anything over that side, you have to
>parallel the cliffline (trending vaguely down into the grose) back past
>mirrorball, below lunch ledge, the rap-in routes, and so-on until you eventually
>arrrive at the main walking track. You can't just parallel the cliffline
>the whole way as there are some difficult steep sections of rock around
>the Yogaphobic area. There are actually a few footpads (the guide describes
>them as "base jumpers tracks" from memory) but they weren't super-obvious
>3 (or so) years ago. When you get to the main walking track its a doddle
>back to the car. Without a headlamp it would be a nightmare.
>
>I think Neil's point is: recognise when you aren't going to achieve your
>goal, and back out while its still possible. On BBB you could back out
>of the route relatively easily up until the end of the roof-traverse thing.
>On Hotel C, up until the main traverse on it.
>

Thanks for very much for the reply.
As I said, I know it's there - but I have never actually been on the walking track - and as you say, the cliffline walk is not super obvious (it's a jungle out there) so at night it would be very difficult. Of course - getting to the edge of BBB at 3am would be no less trying, so I hope that the party had a very good reason for calling the authorities.
I've done many a retreat in the dark - just not in the Grose, which is because I haven't take that time risk.
A few years ago, my friend and I were at the base of Hotel Cal a full 2 hours after our agreed ETA (we aimed for 8am, then agreed we could still do it if we got there by 9am; it was 10.15) - we even had the ropes uncoiled! We then packed up and went to BBB because - it's just not worth the risk!

>So we got back to the ground with a reasonable amount of daylight
>left, and Neil still had time to do the only repeat of my mini-multipitch
>route next to grasshopper wall before hightailing it to the car on dark

Now that's impressive "bailing"!