Originally written in 2019
I attempted this trail Crystal Cascades to Koah via Copperlode Dam and Clohesy River Road — sometime last year and it did not go particularly well.
I got lost.
So lost, in fact, that the SES, police and ambulance eventually became involved. 
To make matters worse, Graeme — who was supposed to pick me up at Koah — was also lost because neither of us knew exactly where the pickup point was.
And because there is almost no reception in the area, we couldn’t contact each other.
So yes.
A very successful outing all round. 
The experience was a little traumatic, but I didn’t want to leave the trail unfinished.
The problem was that Graeme understandably didn’t want to wait somewhere remote again with no way of knowing where I was.
So this time, we decided to reverse the route.
He would drop me at Koah, and I would walk back towards Crystal Cascades.
Simple.
Except Graeme had forgotten exactly where he had seen the trailhead.
So there we were, driving backwards and forwards along this very rough road trying to find it…
and apparently repeatedly disturbing the peace and quiet of a nudist colony along the way.
Eventually we found the trailhead and I set off along the 17 km Clohesy River Road.
Things were going quite well.
Until I reached Copperlode Dam.
The access was closed.
There was a warning sign saying that trespassers could be prosecuted and that images of offenders might be recorded.
Now, part of me wanted to be a good, law-abiding citizen.
The other part of me thought:
There is absolutely no way I am walking that 17 km back again.
Especially when I had no way of contacting Graeme to tell him I had changed direction.
So…
I trespassed. 
But I made one very important decision.
I had a completely full bladder, but if cameras really were recording offenders, I was not going to answer the call of nature anywhere nearby.
If I was going to be caught trespassing, I at least wanted the photographic evidence to be reasonably dignified.
Fortunately, the caretaker turned out to be very understanding.
Once he realised how far I had already walked, he let me through and even showed me where to find the track towards Crystal Cascades.
And just like that, the trail that had previously resulted in emergency services being involved was finally completed with considerably less drama.
Well…
apart from getting lost before I even started, disturbing a nudist colony, ignoring a trespassing sign and walking around with a painfully full bladder.
But compared with last time?
Practically uneventful.
Stories Along the Way 