Tasmania – The Overland Track

The beginning of the Overland Track

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Cradle Mountain
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From the top of Cradle Mountain with Barn’s Bluff behind
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Top of Cradle Mountain

Day 1 of Tasmania’s Overland Track – Feb 4 – Ranger Station to Waterfall Valley Hut

18.2 km
Start time 12:05pm
Finish 8:00pm
Hours of actual hiking 6:35

An amazing day. Last night’s boat ride went well, except it was hard to avoid all the good overpriced food on board. It was a bit rough at times in the middle of the night, one wave got us pretty good. The bus ride to the visitor center at Cradle Mountain was painless and comfy, there weren’t a lot of other people on the bus. Most people start the walk at the parking area at Ronny Creek, but I walked 5.5 extra kilometers from the ranger station. I didn’t leave the ranger station until just after 12, the entire path to Ronny Creek is along a boardwalk. They go all out to protect the environment here. I had time to climb Cradle Mountain, one of the steepest climbs I have ever done, lots of serious rock scrambling. The 5k from the bottom of Cradle took longer than expected and I didn’t get to Waterfall Valley Hut till 8. A warm welcome from two rangers volunteers. I had tried not to get my hopes up, but it was a nice place. I could have stayed in the hut but opted to put up the tent so I could write and read at night; the clicking as I type is probably bothering the heck out of whoever is in the tent near me. Saw two kangaroos on the way down to the hut and a wallaby or baby kangaroo here at camp.

Day 2 – Feb 5 Waterfall Valley Hut to Windermere Lake

20km
Start time 9:20 am
Finish 6:05 pm
Hours of actual hiking 6:05

Started the morning backtracking to climb Barn Bluff, a daunting monolith that towers above the highlands. I caught up to a young lady from Taiwan named Chi. She has been on a yearlong work holiday working in lake St. Clair, where we will finish the hike. I also ran into a Frenchman named Marion, whom I met yesterday when we got on the bus; I am afraid that yesterday I was not too friendly, but sleepy. He just finished a 14 month sail from France to New Zealand.

We conquered the rocky bluff – I was worried because the guidebook said it was more difficult and more exposed than Cradle Mtn, and I found the rock hopping on Cradle Mtn. pretty precarious. There were some steeper parts and longer drops but the deep spaces between the boulders were not like on Cradle Mtn.

Back to the shelter where I noticed the mesh to my tent door is already compromised after just two nights of camping. I am having other equipment problems. I have horrible blisters on my heels. I think part of the problem as Chi aptly pointed out is that my H&M socks are too thin. I also busted a hiking poll yesterday, a tape job is helping but I will either need to try to fix it with glue or buy new ones. And finally, I noticed for the first time today that I accidentally bought a women’s sleeping pad.

I saw three wallabies last night. I thought they were kangaroos, but I’m told there are no kangaroos in Tasmania. I can’t tell the difference. Makes me think what I saw in Koscioszko National Park were also wallabies. After breaking camp I made the easy trek to Windermere Lake. On the way I took the side trail to Lake Will and had a dip along a sandy beach. Saw what I think was a Tasmanian padymelon eating vegetation right under the stairs to the toilet. Didn’t get scared and run off. Lots of animals running over the tent platform after dark – possums.

Day 3 – Feb 6th – Lake Windemere to Pelion Hut

22 km
Start time 9:15 am
Finish time 5:40 pm
Actual hiking time 5:15

It was cloudy this morning but became sunny before noon. An easy day. I got to camp before 2 pm and had hoped to hike up Mt. Oakkeigh, an 8 km round trip from Pelion Hut but the trail is closed due to fire. In talking to the ranger I learned that the whole Overland Track was closed for a week and was only opened back up the day before I arrived. I got an email a few days ago about some trails being opened back up but I guess I didn’t realize to what extent they had been closed. I was lucky.

The highlight of the day probably was seeing an echidna. It looks like a porcupine and was coming right down the trail towards me. It didn’t seem to care at all that I was there and I was the one who actually backed up to get out of his way. Since Mt. Oakleigh was closed I went back to the Old Pelion Hut. This is the oldest hut in the park. Nearby is a swimming hole in the creek and a copper mine that goes back about fifty meters. Copper was discovered here in 1892 and expeditions here built routes to get to the copper mines, quite an undertaking, particularly since a few years later they decided that there wasn’t that much copper here to keep mining.

Day 4 – Feb 7 – Pelion Hut to Kia Ora

16.2 km
Start time 10:00 am
Finish 5:50 pm
Actual hiking time 6:20

Another full day. I really feel strong and have become more and more sure that I am still in pretty good trekking shape even though it’s been over two months since my last trek in Nepal. I climbed two mountains on side trails and I believe I was the only one in my travel group to do that today. Everyone else did one or the other, or neither. I gained about 1100 meters in all today. Another perfect weather day. I got pretty low on water by the end but no big deal.

My mind really wanders sometimes, that is, when I am not playing numbers games in my head. I had great flashbacks to the 5-day hike with Jared, Brian, and Craig in Vermont, and got excited for the 20 year reunion of that hike as they are looking to join me on the trail in August for a section.

A nice cold wash in the creek here upon arrival. Sharing a tent platform with a guy named Kiernan, an Australian from Wallongong, south of Sydney who will be going to school to get a teaching degree. Lots of other nice folks whom I see on a day to day basis. Australians are really friendly for the most part.

On the second mountain today, the smaller one, I saw no one. The top part was really steep and I had to be very cautious. When I reached the top it was like I was on top of a rock tower with two nearby but lower rock towers to my left and right. I worried about getting down the steep section. I threw my poles and jacket and fleece to the bottom so I could traverse down unhindered. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. On the way up I had been thinking, “are you kidding me?” Tasmania continues to remind me of Maine and I’ve thought a lot about my upcoming thru hike of the AT. It’s getting close!

Day 5 – Feb 8 – Kia Ora to Pine Valley

21.8 km
Start time 9:25
Finish 6:10
Hiking time 6:45

A long one. Anything over 6 and a half hours is pushing it. But I feel good. The knees are a little sore but should be fine in the morning (famous last words). I saw three waterfalls with the last one being the major highlight. All of the side trails for each took me along ledges with 75 to 100 foot drops, made dangerous because they were along a path made not of rock but of earth. I took a swim above the third falls, a hidden spot all to myself with shallow pools in the sun, then found my way down to the base of the falls where everyone else was hanging out. There a was a deep pool and some youngins were swimming, but it was in the shade and the water was freezing.

I was running low on food, but I made a tasty late lunch of oriental flavored ramen and smoked tuna at the next hut that had a beautiful view of the Acropolis and the Du Cane Range, then pushed on to Pine Valley, which is on a side trail 4.7 km off the main route. I swear the kilometerage is off as I was really booking it, but according to the guidebook only made 2.5 miles an hour. The trees were amazing today.: eucalypt trees up to 300 feet tall with huge trunks, and beautiful pine forests that were such a contrast to the gum and peppermint trees over the past few days. The flora is amazingly varied here. I saw a tiger snake for the first time, well, just the back half of one as it slipped into the woods away from my presence about twenty feet off the trail. I’ve already seen the green white lipped snake a few times.

It was weird at the hut at first not being with the group that I’ve been traveling with for the past few nights (no one else made it here) but I quickly got talking to the new folks as we all sat down at the table in the hut and ate together. Three older men shared a lot of their food with me, which was huge! They couldn’t believe that I was eating peanut butter straight from the jar. I came away with crackers, some more jam (which I didn’t really need) and some muesli. They also shared some fruit cake with me and a cup of tea. Pretty huge, I was very grateful. When you have too much food, giving it away comes with the satisfaction that you are lightening your load, both parties win. But I still felt fortunate. I was still quite hungry after eating my bag of ramen tonight. One bag is only about half a meal for a rugged hiker.

I was awake last night between 2 and 5. Had a panic attack about nanoseconds. Been having vivid dreams. Last night I dreamt that Craig and Brian got into a physical altercation, and also that I interrupted Meagan from CDE in a recording studio singing and recording ‘Let It Go.’ She was nailing it and wouldn’t be able to get another take like that, but I ruined it. The thing was, it was in my apartment and I didn’t know it was a recording studio. I woke up feeling guilty and had to convince myself not to feel guilty because first and foremost it was just a dream. These are just a couple of the vivid dreams I’ve had over the past few nights.

Day 6 – Feb 9 – Pine Valley – side trips to The Acropolis and The Labyrinth

Km – ?
Start time 9:40
Finish 6:45
Actual time hiking 7:15 – day pack only

What a great day! Up the Acropolis with amazing views of the surrounding peaks including the cliff ridden Mount Geryon surrounded on three side by straight drops and the cathedral spires. One dicey spot along the way, a steep section where you can’t lose your balance.

Came down for lunch and then headed up to the Labyrinth –  felt good and sprinted up steep sections through the woods. Made it up to a lookout point and also the second lake where I went for a swim. Was afraid to go any further for fear of getting lost although I was curious, but too many paths going this way and that and it was time to head back and get some din din.

One of the older guys gave me a pack of noodles and a lady I met last night and shared the top of the Acropolis with gave me her leftovers from her dinner – it was not the tastiest and had sardines, but beggars can’t be choosers. The extras food folks have given makes me feel like a possum but I won’t be hungry tomorrow; I would have been otherwise. Chi tells me there is a pub in Cynthia Bay. Have I ever had more motivation to hike 16 miles?

Lots of thoughts occupied my mind today. Panic attack about nanoseconds again at top of Acropolis. Thought about how many birthdays I can remember. 22 out of 39. Thought about how many of those mom arranged, and made me think about all the other things she has organized: 5th grade Halloween party, spaghetti dinner, highlight video, she went to every game. I owe her more gratitude. Dad will be 73 in a month. I need to spend more time with him. I want to know more about his family, his grandfather – he died so young. Was he in poor health before his heart attack?

I played a game where I thought about what I would do if I had one second, one minute one hour, etc. to live. Up to three years it was all about family and friends and seeing more of my nieces and nephews’ events. Made me question what is important to me and why I wouldn’t consider a move back to the Northeast.

Day 7 – Feb 10 – Pine Valley to Fergys Paddock

26.2 km
Start 9:40
Finish 6:20
Time hiking 6:55

I almost stepped on a tiger snake today. I came around a bit of a corner and before I even knew what was happening my body was reacting and told me not to put that right foot down. I couldn’t get my balance and there he and I were face to face just inches apart. He and I both were trying to get away from each other but neither of us were doing a good job of it. I fell back to the left into a bush and he made a futile attempt to scurry up to the right side of the trail. He could probably have bitten me if he had wanted to. He was not full grown. I finally was able to successfully scamper back up the trail and he successfully slid up off the trail and into the woods, both parties unharmed. Just last night I was having a conversation with a 40 year old Aussie woman about the black tiger snake and what would happen if you stepped on one. They are poisonous and their bite could very well kill you. “Just don’t step on one,” she said. ” You know your body will react in that split second after you see a snake to avoid stepping on it.” Well that is exactly what happened today. I reacted before I even knew what was happening. The encounter stunned me, especially after my little game I played yesterday about what I would do if I only had an hour or a day to live. Would help have arrived in time to save my life?

After lunch at Narcissus Hut I started the long long walk along Lake St. Clair and stopped to adjust my clothing and I looked up and there was a huge tiger snake in the trail just ahead of me. Had stopping saved me from stepping on him? I couldn’t believe it. I had only seen one tiger snake all week, and now I had seen two within a couple of kilometers of each other. It slid up into the woods and then crossed the trail 15 meters beyond. I was cautious the rest of the day and used my hiking poles to check ferns along the trail before I rustled through them. It became cloudy and less likely for a snake to wander out on a sunless trail. But after I set up my tent at Fergys Paddock this evening and headed for the Visitor Center along the shore, I saw yet another one, this one also too close for comfort. I jumped to my right to get a more comfortable distance away. At the entrance of the beach to the visitor center I saw a sign warning of snakes on the beach. “Great, now you tell me!” The couple sitting on the bottom of the steps there told me that the tiger snake is the second deadliest snake in Australia. Kieran thought that you might have between an hour and a day to live without anti venom. I saw no walkers between Narcissus and the end of the Overland Track – 11.5 miles, just some people at Echo Point Hut and folks here around the visitor center. I would have been screwed.

I’ll probably have nightmares about snakes tonight. I checked under my tent, and have watched my steps carefully. I saw a wombat from a distance tonight, maybe as close fifty feet, but by the time he had clamored into the woods I didn’t have a clear view. Other passersby said he got so close he would let them let pet him. They are a lot bigger than I thought. When I first saw him from a distance I thought he was a medium sized dog because he was so close to the humans around him.

Got a nice meal at the visitor center cafe and we had three rounds of beers – two young men from Germany, a young woman from Germany, a young woman from Taiwan, and Kieran who is from Wollongong, Australia.

I am happy that the trail is over and that I won’t have to look out all day tomorrow avoiding stepping on poisonous snakes.