Mt Gower Climb (Lord Howe Island ) amazing pics !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Well today was the Day . Darold Petty and i were up at the crack of dawn in anticipation and preparation of fulfilling one of our lifelong ambitions - climbing Mt Gower on Lord Howe Island and seeing Hedyscepe canterburana and Lepidorrachis mooreana in habitat .

I must add that since seeing a very old 60's tv show " Adventures of the sea spray " series about a family that sail the South pacific .I can remember as a child seeing Mt Gower and Lidgebird in the background as the yacht was moored on Lord Howe i always wanted to go there .

We had to wait outside our lodge near the road for the minibus to pick us up .

I remember at 7:15 with no sign of the bus Darold and i were wondering how fast we could run to get the the other side of the island to rendezvous with the other in the climbing party . Fortunately for us the bus chugged around the corner in the next few minutes .

After meeting our Guide Jack Shick whom operates Lord Howe Island Sea to Summit expeditions and is a fifth generation Islander we knew we were in expert hand for the climb .

Mt Gower looms over us like an unexplored wonder offering a challenge to anyone that wants to see the palms on top !

Our small convoy marched in single file towards Gower i didn't appreciate the flat even earth at that time until 8 hrs later .

Jack said that Mt Lidgebird(pictured ) was absent of both Hedyscepe and lepidorrachis

[Tassie_Troy1971]

after walking through a kentia forest and over 1300 boulders on the worlds youngest beach we started to climb and hard hats was mandatory for the rope assisted area on a steep rock ledge .

By this stage Jack knew that Darold knew more than the average tourist about the two cloudforest palms

[Tassie_Troy1971]

By this stage the Howea forsteriana gave way to Howea belmoreana and some were over 9 m tall .

That is Jack in the blue hat

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Pandanus forsteri was around quite a bit at this level and would make a great plant in areas that were too cool to grow the regular variety

Many other rare and unusual plants showed up as we climbed higher and i had to watch where i put my feet as there were so many mossy rocks and roots to contend with .

And the tree ferns were unbelievable

Cyathea robusta

[Tassie_Troy1971]

We had morning tea and refilled our water bottles at Erskine creek where i showed Jack Shick pictures of all 4 Lord Howe palms in my garden on the smart phone .

"blown away mate , thought they only grew devils down in Tasmania "

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Jack produced a hessian strap and gave us a lesson in Climbing Howea forsteriana

Darold had a go but wasn't up to "spiderman " Jacks effort !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Richea Dracophyllum is a coryline type plant that has a high altitude relative in Tas

[Tassie_Troy1971]

After a while it was obvious that we were getting alot higher the air was cool and it was a loong way down

The views are amazing and Jack called this spot the WOW stop just before the "get up place "

[Tassie_Troy1971]

If you look closely in the previous pic you will see Hedyscepe poking through the canopy !

Cyathea howeana is a gorgeous tree fern that you wont find down at the local Home depot !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Unfortunately i didn't take any pictures in the "getup place " as i was hanging onto a rope that was anchored in the rock like grim death as i inched my way around looking for a place to put my foot as it was a long way down .

Finally the windswept scrub and rock walls of the "getup place " gave way to the unbelievable cloud forest that encapsulated the top of Mount Gower like Icing on a cake !

Up here it was 16 c (60 f ) and very cool for late Summer . It was 26 c 79f down below in kentia country . Jack said it can be around 13 C (55F) in Winter on top of Mt Gower just like Hobart and SFO winters .and never more than 22 C in Summer.

Hedyscepe canterburyna raised it's not so ugly Head !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

At this stage Darold Petty had the "fever " and while lesser mortals huffed and puffed Darold charged ahead and disapeared into the mist of the Cloudforest ( Just like he does when he steps into his backyard in foggy San Francisco )

A lady said " hey where did the American palm man go ? " as we all gathered at start of the Cloudforest !

This Scene confronted me as i stepped forward into the enchanted mist of palm LuST !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Then i saw the path !

I saw some huge Hedyscepe with Rhopalostylis sized crownshafts .

[Tassie_Troy1971]

The soil was moist basalt and had a generous leaf litter who needs fertilizer these palms looked as good as anything that i have ever seen . :greenthumb: :greenthumb:

[Tassie_Troy1971]

The Lepidorrachis were everywhere and some were very tall indeed ! remember that the top of Mt Gower is 57 acres !

Everywhere i turned they were loaded with seed and it was good to see adolescent and baby lepidorrachis everywhere regeneration is occurring !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Say ello to my little friiieeend ! Currawong !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

As we sat in a group the bird was eying off my sandwich and he sucked me in and gobbled a few pieces of crackers as he checked Darold and i out .

A lord Howe Island wood hen called in to say hi !

[Tassie_Troy1971]

King Kong in the mist aint got nuthin on me says Mr Lepidorrachis in his best Denzel Washington accent !

With the gangster lean

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Now for Video from the cloudforest

[Tassie_Troy1971]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmN3gsSMtlE

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Well here i am after the climb down Tired aching sweaty but fulfilled after seeing the amazing cloud forest .

I rate this hike as one of the worlds best !

Tassie Troy - over and out !

[tinman10101]

Quite possibly one of the most spectacular post I have read here. Thank you so much Troy for posting!!!

[Ben in Norcal]

Very cool...looks like you chaps are having a stunning trip!

[Peter G]

I have been looking forward to this thread all week and it was well worth the wait!

[Josh-O]

Tassie, killer thread!!! Sounds like you and Darold had a blast. Thanks for taking us along on your trip with your wonderful commentary and all the amazing pic's. I felt like I was there with you guys.

[Danilopez89]

That was awesome! Thanks Troy.

Now let me scroll up and down on this thread few more times.

I liked the one with the "gangsta lean". Hahaha! I never heard anyone say that about a palm tree and that's what I was thinking to myself about one of my palms yesterday.

[bgl]

Troy,

My Saturday morning couldn't have begun in a more perfect way! What an incredible and spectacular experience - definitely in the category 'once in a lifetime'. Thanks for the great photos & commentary.

Bo-Göran

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Thanks so much for sharing.

LHI seems enchanting !

[Hammer]

There is nothing I can say that can express how gorgeous those photos are. In person must be incomprehensible. Thank you for sharing Troy and Darold.

[CLINODAVE]

Fantastic photo-essay of your climb! I could almost smell the foliage in the cool air. Some of the vegetation -- other than the palms -- reminds me of Hawaii mountain forests.

[humangenomaproject]

Wow. I wish I could grow these beauties (too hot here). You guys are legends.

[elHoagie]

Great work Troy and Darold! The photos are fantastic, and they bring back a lot of memories from our climb up Gower in 2009. We'd love to get back and do it again some day!

[Daryl]

Great documentary and photos Troy! How long did the climb take?

Daryl

[Kim]

What an exciting day for you two -- the photos just blow me away! The best palm adventure I've seen in a long time. Thanks for the terrific photos and commentary.

[Pedro 65]

Postcard pics Troy, the Lepidorrachis look almost Newcaledonian A very scenic hike indeed, thanks for sharing, very enjoyable.

Pete

[pigafetta]

Wow…Looks amazing even in pics, must have been ten times better in real life…i think I'm going to buy another Hedy this week those things look amazing in habitat

[richnorm]

Just magic, thank you so much for sharing.

[KrisKupsch]

Ive the Pandanus forsteri and yes it likes it cool & wet and dislikes even my subtropical heat at the peak of Summer, quite unlike "normal" Pandanus species which like it warm. When too hot the centre distorts and shrivels. Worth growing in temperate moist areas. If you can find any available great pics

[Walter John]

Thanks Troy, you are very generous in posting these pics, great commentary as well. They are the most tempting photos I've seen yet of Mt Gower, that is to say tempting me to go there. The photo in post #11 is absolutely stunning, heaven on earth. Glad Darold and you went, great meeting you Darold, the American palm man, very good.

[Pip]

Thanks for sharing Troy. It looks amazing

[WestCoastGal]

As someone who has trouble with heights I especially have to say thanks for doing that climb and for all the amazing photos. All the palms look so robust. Seeing them in habitat is really a unique perspective. Any chance you and Darold will be submitting an article for the IPS Journal? If you haven't thought about it, you should.

Boy that rope ledge area would have stopped me in my tracks! How many hours up and back was it? Have to say having read your other post and then this, what a beautiful place on earth from top to bottom.