Wild Dogs Search

The call came out for a search in the Wild Dogs. I had mixed feelings about this one: the last time I was there I swore I would not go back: the regrowth was insane and the small rocks obscured by the vegetation on the ground presented the perfect opportunity to twist a knee or an ankle… Anyway I went!

The tasking was ambitious for a day search but there are not many access points in this area. So off we went along Carlon Creek, calling and searching. When we stopped for the first sitrep, we discovered that we were not alone: we were under siege! Leeches were crawling on my pants, several had found a way through the gaiters and were aiming for my succulent flesh… After some de-leeching we continued, but I still had to stop to remove a few more… We finally made it in Breakfast Creek which is drier and less vegetated. We pushed on, criss-crossing the creek several times, calling and looking for clues. About a kilometre away from the Coxs River, we heard over the radio that a PLB had been set off: we were delighted! This also meant that we would not be searching in the dark!

The closest team was dispatched to assist the bushwalker and we turned back ready to run the gauntlet of leeches! An excellent outcome!

NSW SES article: NSW SES reminds bushwalkers to be prepared after successful search in Blue Mountains.