Private

Friday 1st April - Booked my tickets.

Monday 4th April - The journey begins.

I travelled down to Launceston in Tassie to spend the night in the Launceston Backpackers. Meet some really nice people, as you usually do in a backpackers, but also met some loud people that wouldn't let me get a good nights sleep, also not uncommon for a backpackers :-). A nice big pub meal with Michael and a few pints of Boags made sleeping all that much easier - albeit not long enough.

Tuesday 5th April - Start of the actual walk

The start of the actual walk included a free bus ride to the start of the walk. I had met a guy on the bus trip and we started the walk together. There are 3 tracks at the start, I chose the one that was apparently a more gentle climb, wrong choice. The one with the steep climb is over with much quicker... ahh well the view was still pretty good. The walk takes you up Horse Track, past Crater Lake and then over to the old Kitchen Hut, which is not a normal sleeping hut, but could fit 8 in an emergency. The weather was lovely, clear blue skys and not much wind. This was just as well because most of the first 2 hours of walking is totally exposed to the weather, and rain/snow would make it horrible.

Lunch was a nice stop, considering I started at 11am, I'd only really been walking about 1 hour when lunch looked really nice, but I was at the top of the first hill, and Cradle Mountain was just a little way over in the background. I'd love to have climbed it, but the extra walk load I had on my plate, and the late start didn't allow the time... and it leaves a good reason to head back for another walk.

After lunch was an open and exposed walk past Cradle Mountain and Kitchen Hut. Kitchen Hut is an emergency only shelter that sleeps 8 if needed. It is an old hut, and you can see in the photo there is a snow shovel... apparently it gets really deep in that area. A lot of the rest of the afternoon was spent walking between acres of button grass. This is a grass that takes a very long time to grow, and dies very quickly when heavy humans with heavy packs stand on it. As such there is a lot of board walks to keep people off the grass - and apparently away from the snakes too. Up ahead I could see Barn Bluff growing with each step, but again that is a good reason for another trip. It is a steep mountain, and we found that on the Thursday morning it was covered in snow, although the photos I took don't show it well, someone who had a good telephoto lense could see it.

After passing near the base of Barn Bluff the terain went through a change into more treed areas as I approached Waterfull hut. Most of the people I saw walking were using this as the rest stop for the first day. I stopped for a quick look around and to refill the water bottle as well as taking a quick rest. It was 3pm and still 2-3 hours till the next hut. This hut had 4 bunks with space to sleep about 24-28 people... you wouldn't have to worry about warmth in that situation as the space was small. The gut also has a gas heater, with the gas flown in by helicopter. There was an old hut located a little way back, and pleanty of tent camping. Time was getting tight so I pushed on.

The terrain changed again, back to some small rolling hills and then out into button grass again. There were little lakes scattered all around and the sky was starting to show some signs of clouds - and a threat of snow on Barn Bluff (see photo). I bypassed the side trip to Lake Will and kept moving. By the time I sighted Lake Windermere I was starting to feel a little worried that I might be getting to the hut after dark, luckily I packed my torch at the top of the bag. Some of the local wildlife started to show up with rock wallabies and birds all over the place. I got fairly close to the side of the lake, while still on the path, and the water looked very inviting, although I knew it would be very cold. Finally I walked over a little crest and found the first signs of camp for the evening. Tent platforms were visible, although still no hut. The hut was tucked away in the trees, and finally it showed itself. I had made it... 5:15pm and it was good to take a quick break before getting dinner out and starting to cook before it got too late. Thankfully the hut was fairly quiet (and this was the reason I pushed onto this hut for the first night).

There was a family of four, and an uncle, two others whom knew each other and another person travelling by themselves, plus me. Totaling 9 persons. Everyone hit the sack early, some people had been travelling for two days, but 3 of us had started that morning. The night was most eventful, snoring seemed to keep half the people awake, with the other half making the noise and then there was the constant shuffling in the sleeping bags... hrrmmm I always wondered why people sleep in their tents when huts were still available.

Wednesday 6th April - Day two...

Suddenly - as it seems to do a lot on this walk - it went from a tree covered area into the vast openess. And the weather had not improved. There was a drizzle coming in and some wind blowing it along. The open and exposed acres of button grass were not as welcome as yesterday. The weather started to close in and while the drizzle kept up it wasn't bad enough to reach for the jacket - placed at the top of the bag as I felt the weather was going to get nasty. I missed the chance to look across the Swallow valley as drizzle and fog limited the seeing distance to ~50m. This was also about the distance between the sighting poles, which didn't matter as it would have been hard to leave the track.

Resting out in the open is not easy when it is windy and cold as well as being wet, so I pushed on till I found some decent shelter, this turned out to be about 1.5 hours from the start of the day walking. I generally like to take a break for 10 mins every hour so this was a little longer than I preferred. However, the Pine Forest More area was a welcome change, pleanty of protected area, and a nice climb up and over a hill. It got dark inside the trees, but there were some really nice areas, covered in green moss, and a few waterfalls.

After leaving the other side I pushed on toward Frog Flats, I expected to make it there in time for lunch, and the walking was good enough to ensure I did that. Acutally it was only 12pm when I pushed out the otherside and found a fellow walker sitting down boiling the billy. I didn't realise at the time that he was one of the leaders from the comerical group I had passed just before frog flats. That group caught up with me as I was finishing my lunch. So did some of the walkers from earlier that day.

Well I hit the track again, pushed up and over the hills and on toward Pelion Hut. I decided to take the side trip out to the Old Pelion hut. This track is really degraded, most of the wood is rotten or not there at all, and it was very boggy. The track thus far had some bad spots, but this was bad the whole time. About halfway to the hut I made the mistake of assuming that every puddle was only an inch or so deep - this one wasn't. It was a sink-hole and I sank... right up to my right hip, the right foot still didn't touch the bottom, and I was very lucky that I didn't hit the hole in the middle. My left leg was bent at almost a right angle to my body and I was fairly well stuck. I had ~24kg on my back and no usable legs - I was not pleased.

It only took a roll onto my side and short crawl to get out of the sink-hole, but I was covered in mud. Thankfully I had my gators on or I may have lost my boot as well... although I would have gone back for that. I was only about 25-30km along the hike and just had the first thing go wrong. This is why it is sometimes nice to have a friend to bail you out when you get stuck. Anyway, I was covered in mud and feeling frustrated that I had let myself do that, so I pushed on, ensuring to dodge the other 3 sink-holes. I made it to the hut, dumped the pack and headed for the river with some fresher clothes. A quick wash and then cleaning of the pants ensured that I felt much better. The hut was old and rustic looking, and spending a night in there may have been a nice quiet choice, but I didn't want to have to walk past all the holes again the next morning. I walked the remaining 1km to the new Pelion hut still feeling frusted, but at least dry and clean again. It was 2:10pm and I was at the hut... much better than yesterday. I spent the afternoon resting and enjoying the view. Although the weather had started to fine up, it wasn't the clearest, and there was the choice to do the Mount Oakleigh walk, but I decided against it (save it for another time - how many side trips is that now 3 or 4 - couple of days extra walking).

People started to pile into the hut around 4pm, including those that I had spent the previous night with. There was also some extra people walking from the other direction. Dinner was going to be a freeze dri meal, simply add water and eat. It wasn't too bad actually, and the chocolate and port washed it down nicely. Who says that you should do without some luxuires when you are camping. This hut sleeps 60 people, 6 bedrooms of 10. My room had myself and the single guy from the last hut. It was a quieter night than before, but still you could hear the snoring - I must remember to take ear plugs next time. Ohhh and speaking of luxuries I was using a silk sleeping bag liner.

Thursday 7th April - Day three, hike highest mountain in Tassie...

Well the weather was going to be the important part of the day, we awoke just after 6am to what looked like being a miserable day. There was some fog around and the weather looked very cold outside, and it was. It had been so cold overnight that snow had fallen on Barn Bluff - pitty my photos don't really show it well enough. That didn't dappen my spirit too much as by the time I was on the track the fog had lifted and the sun was shining through. The first target of the day was Pelion Gap, the point between Pelion East and Mt Ossa, also 400m higher and only 5 km away. The whole walk was through a lot of trees with their roots attempting to trip me up the whole way. I made good time anyway and was at Pelion gap well before 10am.

I met up with two older guys there and we struck off for the top together. There was a small group ahead of us that had come in from the south (we came from the north) as they had not been able to attempt the hike due to bad weather the day before. The climb to the top of Mt Ossa is hidden from view at the start, so walked over and around Mt Dorris, through the valley between and then up the steep face of Mt Ossa. I left the other two behind as they rested more than I needed, needless to say I wasn't sprinting ahead, it was a steep climb. The climbing sometimes meant that you needed to use your hands as well as your feet to make it up the steep rocky slope. The higher I went, the colder it got, so cold in fact that there was still ice in the shadow from the night before, and not just a little bit of it, there was a fairly decent amount, mainly on the shrubs.

The summit is reached after a short downhill and then back up hill again - being just as steep as the original climb, just not as long. At 1617 high it has quite a decent view around the area, as can be seen in my panorama shot. I was also not the only one there. I took a good look around, keoping my hands in my pockets when I could so that I didn't get too cold. The top was covered in ice, and there was a stiff chilly wind blowing. I figured 30 minutes was long enough and started to head back down. I passed the guys I was walking with before and kept heading for the bottom. I was eventually out by around 12pm, and very glad that I didn't hike that hill with my pack on. There were quite a number of people at the bottom, all lineing up to start the trek to the top. I wished them well, said it was a good trip, ate my lunch at hit the track.

I had been going about 1.5 hours when I stumbled into camp, totally unexpected that it was actually that close, 2pm in camp, time for a good rest. I took a look in the hut, another one of these 4 bunks and 28 people... I counted the number of people I thought would be there that night, remembered the snoring from the previous night and pitched my tent on one of the platforms. The weather looked like it would be a good night to sleep in the tent, and I figured I had been carrying it all that time anyway.

I had dinner in the hut just before dark, but had spent the rest of the afternoon talking with other travellers as well as taking a good look around and reading a book. This was meant to be my rest day, and I had spent nearly 5 hours on the track anyway.

It felt like I had only been asleep a few minutes - turned out to be a few hours - when I heard the thumping on the deck my tent was on. Possums can make such a loud noise when they want to. I had heard the stories of possums tearing holes in tents to get the food and I wasn't taking any chances. I tried to scare them away but it didn't work. So after about 30 minutes of hoping they would leave I rushed them from the edge of the tent and they bolted up the tree... only to come back down 2 minutes after I rezipped the tent. Thankfully they not only came down out of the tree, but they left me alone for the rest of the night. A peaceful nights sleep at last.

Friday 8th April - 5 hours in the rain

Packed at ready to hit the trail at 8am. On my way and thinking that perhaps the rain might just stay away for a little while longer.... wrong again, 5 minutes down the track, with me already in my rain jacket in case... down came the rain. It was heavy enough to penetrate any forrested areas, and the open areas were just going to be very cold and exposed. Nothing else for it, but to put your head down and walk. The views aren't there, there is not much wildlife and the time is very miserable, even when walking with others, and I was alone.

Needless to say I made good walking time regardless of the weather, Du Cane hut was only 35 mins down the track, and then on towards Du Cane Gap, the highest point of the day, all downhill from there. Between Du Cane hut and Du Cane gap are some waterfalls, I didn't see any point in missing them, so I dumped my pack, hiked on down (a lot further down that I thought) and found D'Alton and Fergusson falls, both of which were worth the side trip, and made up for the bad weather, they were really flowing fast. What was it they said about this place, it gets 5 meters (yes really) of rain a year?

I picked up my pack on returning to the top and made for Windy Ridge Hut. I was there at 12pm, better than I had been hoping for, and I was very happy to get a dry hut to have some lunch in. I wasn't the only person stopping for some lunch. The food was good - warmed me a little, but I needed a cup of tea to warm my insides as I was starting to get chilled to the bone. Approx 4 hours of walking in rain, I was cold. Myself and one other helped the local workers to move some wood that had been dropped in the wrong place by the helicopter crew. These guys do a wonderful job, and I didn't mind helping out.

Lunch lasted about 1 hour, enough time to dry off a little and warm up. Throwing the coat back on, struggling with the pack I set off for Narcissus Hut - camp for the final night. The going was fairly good, all downhill, and under a canopy of trees. I passed the bowling greens, a very nice flat area of grass that doesn't look natural. Walking on a little further I found a side trip that I had originally planned - up to Pine Valley, but there was little hope of taking that in this weather, not because it was bad going, I just didn't want to walk the extra distance. I was getting cold and tired. I passed over a large river via a swing bridge, the sign said Warning - Maximum load one person. I could understand why. Just make sure you step out of time, that bridge really rocks. I had a nasty slip on the far side the wood was really slippery, luckily no damage. I made camp about 1 hour later. 3:15pm and the ferry left at 3:30pm - jezz I could catch it and be out tonight if I wanted. But why come all this way to catch a ferry when it is only 17km more.

The hut was worth sleeping in tonight, although there were about 14 of us in there, it wasn't worth pitching the tent in the rain, which stopped shortly after dinner. The coal fire was started early and ran well into the night, it was amazing how much bits of string were found to hang wet clothes on. Dinner was a very nice treat, better than I expected, another of the freeze dri packages, Thai Chicken Curry - it has just the right amount of everything, except I wished it was bigger. Chocolate and port to wash it all away, and in bed around 7pm. I couldn't sleep straight away, just listened to the others talking, adding my 2 cents when needed.

Saturday 9th April - The last day of walking

I don't know if it was the good weather, the lighter pack, or the fact that the end was near, but I made really good time, with enough rest stops to make me happy. The ferry passed me some 15 minutes outside of Echo Point (where it also stopped) and I took a photo of the slackers taking the easy way home. The rest of the walk was realyl nice, the wildlife was out, birds, roos and skinks. I trundled along at a stead pace and found the end was in sight around 11:30am - pity I had to walk the long way around, it looked much shorter across the lake.

Signs of normal human life started to come into view not long before the end. People without big packs on their backs, works with electrical equipment, and the sounds you hear around tourist attractions. I was out! 12:30am and I was finished I had spent 4 full days with 1.5 extra hours... what a trip.

Lunch was eaten at the restaurant and I talked with some of the people that caught the ferry, including Dion (from the backpackers). I was the first person out that day and it felt good to slip my shoes off and sit on the decking and just read a book as well as chatting with others about their adventures. I took the 4:15pm bus back to Hobart and talked all the way with the others, reaching hobart just before 7pm where Aidan and Claire came and picked me up. A BBQ was for dinner, and this went very nicely. Bed was welcome and it was nicer than the 2 inches of air I had previously been sleeping on.

Sunday 10th April - Homeward bound

Thanks to Aidan and Claire for putting up with me on Sunday... and the funny little beetle with its werid antics.

Back