The Overland Track: day 2

It rained overnight. Fortunately for us the rain cleared by the time we got up and tucked into a scrumptious breakfast. The guides cook bread each evening so that there is toast for breakfast and bread for lunches.

Our hut was nestled in the forest ... as seen from the back landing

Setting out it was very wet underfoot and remained that way throughout the day.

Yes, this is track

Cloud clung to the higher peaks making it difficult to get a clear shot of Barn Bluff. Eventually the cloud cleared and there were great views across to Barn Bluff and Cradle Mountain at times during the day.

Barn Bluff with passing cloud

Much of the walk on day 2 was through moorland which brought back memories of Coast to Coast and the many moors that we crossed - often wet and muddy! The profusion of plants in flower certainly made it a very pleasant walk. The landscape was dotted with tarns, lakes and pools.

Not your normal hiking footwear ... running repairs were needed for Tim's boots

Much of the track was on duckboard although there were areas of loose rock, which made for hard walking, and the sections across Pine Forest Moor required some rock hopping while the Enchanted Forest was definitely rock hopping territory.

In the morning we dropped our packs on a platform at the junction of the Overland Track and the track to Lake Will. There were some great views on the way down to and back from the lake. Along the track were a number of colourful fungi (I did not get any photos of these).

The platform on which we dropped our packs before heading down to Lake Will

Lake Will with Barn Bluff in the background

Morning tea break on a beach at Lake Will

A colouful pool near Lake Will

One of the hardy members of our group ventured in for a swim at Lake Windermere - brave considering it was a cool day and the water temperature was cool too.

Looking towards Lake Windermere

Glacial action was evident across the landscape. The structure on the top of Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff had stood proud above the glaciers while the ice flows scoured deep valleys. As the glaciers retreated they dropped their deposits or left depressions in the landscape that now gather water and form the many pools and lakes evident today.

Once again conifers were in evidence. Today thee were pencil pines which actually look like tall cones rather than pencils.

View from Pine Forest Moor (with Barn Bluff on the left and Cradle Mountain on the right)

Shortly before leaving Pine Forest Moor we diverted to a lookout with a fantastic view along the Lemontyme Valley. This area was subject to protests when it was decided to turn the forest in the valleys and hillsides into woodchips. The Lemontyme foest protest eventually resulted in the World Heritage status of this wonderful wilderness area.

In the evening some pademelonswere sighted close to our hut.

Today we walked 12 kms.

The Overland Track (Tasmania)

Tasmania has a number of iconic walks and some wonderful places to explore. A significant part of the state is World Heritage listed. Last January Trevor and I spent a week walking in Tasmania and I was keen to return to tackle The Overland Track.

The Overland Track is 60km long, without the many possible side trips, through the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

I elected to do the walk with Cradle Mountain Huts. This meant that there would be a warm shower at days end, a comfortable (bunk) bed and good food provided along the way along with 2 guides. Very civilised.

Day 1 commenced with a pickup at 6:45am from the Sebel in Launceston. Supposedly we should have had breakfast before being picked up however getting breakfast in Launceston before that time on a weekend was much easier said than done.

From Launceston we headed out to Quamby, the base for the Cradle Huts Walk. Most of the group picked up packs while we were all issued with a waterproof/warm coat, sleeping bag sheet, pillow case, pack liner, lunch in a plastic container, a fork and our overland pass. During the season there are tight controls on the number of people allowed to walk the track with a mere 60 permits being issued each day.

Back on the bus we headed out to Cradle Mountain with a toilet and coffee stop along the way. The coffee stop was well organised with our orders phoned ahead. Our drinks came in a robust lidded mug that we were to carry over the coming days for hot drinks at lunchtime and also a souvenir of the trip.

There were a couple of briefings before we were let loose on the track. The first was at Quamby and the second was in the carpark at Waldheim, our starting point in Cradle Valley.

Our guides were John and Kat. As well as walking with us for the duration of the trip they will be providing all the food. It was great to get a hot drink with lunch. This was a nice touch - one we had really appreciated when walking with World Expeditions.

The hut at Crater Lake where we all went for a swim or paddle

Much of the walk until about an hour after our lunch break was along tracks that I had walked last January. From Waldheim through to the point at which the track heads out beyond the climb up to the summit of Cradle Mountain was walked last year (see January 2014 entries in this blog for more information).

Looking down on Dove Lake from Marions Lookout

The ever present Cradle Mountain

Once on the "new" track we circuited Cradle Mountain. The views were amazing. The flora, while not quite as prolific as the later part of January of 2014, was still wonderful.

There were a number of conifer species in evidence. Some were prostrate, others upright but short and later some huge specimens.

Some of the low growing conifers near the track

Detail of one of the many conifers ... complete with a cone

Once beyond the Cradle Mountain summit track the walkers thinned out although it was surprising just how many non Overland Track walkers there were.

Barn Bluff was the other peak that dominated the days walk. Our hut was tucked in just below this peak

None of the climbs were overly taxing although some of the track required care with step variations, rocks and mud. All to be expected.

The weather was fine and quite warm, almost hot.

I did run out of water. I had put 1 litre in my water bladder and filled by 500ml bottle but ran out before arriving at the hut.

After turning off the Overland Track to get to the hut along a boardwalk I and the couple I was with encountered two snakes. Fortunately our snakes got off the boards and disappeared. Not so for our guide John who had a close encounter with an upset snake that struck at him even though he had followed standard snake protocols when he encountered it.

We were greeted at the hut by John who showed us all the important places: toilets, boot (wet) room, showers and the community area. Room claiming came later.

Tea, coffee, water and juice greeted us in the communal room along with cheese, crakers and a fruit and nut mix. All very pleasant.

While the group was showering and otherwise relaxing following the days walk it started to rain and the temperature began to fall. This was of little concern to us as we were inside the hut snug and dry.

The first of our snug huts

The distance walked was about 12km.

2014 in review ... what a year

In January Trevor and I spent just over a week in Tasmania. While in Hobart, before our Tasmanian Wilderness walk, we went up to the summit of Mt Wellington and I walked back into Hobart from the top. Walking down was fine. I don't think the same would have been said for walking up.

The Wilderness Walk was a great week and we saw a variety of country and quite a few waterfalls. The end of the week was spent in the Cradle Mountain area and I'm looking forward to returning to this area this January.

Cradle Mountain viewed across Dove Lake

I managed to do a number of long walks. I particularly like walking along the shores of Lake Burley Griffin and then home.

In February I was caught in a deluge on the way home from Woden. Definitely different.

The river that ran through Chifley

March saw me tackle a marathon - walking of course. I was pleased with how I went and fronted up the next day to do a further 20kms.

Walkers getting ready to head out on the marathon walk

During April I did quite a number of sections of the Canberra Centenary Trail. This proved to be a frustrating undertaking as the sections were not walker friendly and were obviously set up with drivers and car shuffles in mind.

There was also quite a bit of rain. Astrid enjoyed jumping in muddy puddles but walking on wet tracks was another thing altogether.

One of the Mt Taylor tracks. This track might be fine on a bike but not so great on foot

I tackled more sections of the Canberra Centenary Trail in May and also encountered some wonderful sunsets.

June saw me complete the section of teh East Gippsland Rail Trail from Bruthen to Bairnsdale. I thoroughly enjoyed this longish walk and one day I'll do the section from Bruthen to Nowa Nowa.

In the centre of Bruthen before heading off to Bairnsdale along the East Gippsland Rail Trail

July saw me attempting more sections of the Canberra Centenary Trail. With some gloriously sunny, if cool, days it was great to be out in the fresh air.

Looking down towards Parliament House from Red Hill on the last section of the Canberra Centenary Trail

In mid August we set off to the north east of the US and eastern Canada. We managed to do quite a bit of walking across the five weeks we were away.

Much of my walking at the end of the year was on local trails although I did manage to do the odd new one. The climb of Mt Tennent was a pleasant undertaking.

The towers at the top of Mt Tennent

At the start of 2014 I had set myself a number of challenges. I wanted to average 11km per day, climb 200m on average and do 20,000 step. As well as that I had put in some climb aims. Each week I need to climb a peak, at least something that had a trig point. Within any given month a climb could only count once so no matter how many times I climbed Mt Taylor in the month it could only be counted once.

How did I go?

There were times when I thought that I had set myself an impossible task but I did it. Here are the statistics:

Distance walked: 4,097km at an average of 11.22km per day
Metres climbed: 75,439m at an average of 207m per day
Steps: 8,316,074 at an average of 22,784 per day

Some months were light on in one area or another but overall I did achieve all the challenges I had set.

What are my challenges for 2015? Not sure yet ... will think about it as I walk through some spectacular scenery in Tasmania over the coming week.

December ... year end

It was difficult to believe that December had arrived. It seemed like only yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas but here we were with Christmas just a few weeks away. Astrid was "extremely excited" (her words) about Christmas this year. She is now aware of all the presents she can expect to materialise as well as lots of lovely food. It also means that she can help cooking quite a few of the offerings - a task that she thoroughly enjoys.

I didn't go to the gym on the 3rd as I had a pathology test at Woden at 9:15am which was right in the middle of my normal PT session so Wednesday ended up as a non walking day and Thursday was not much better.

Trevor and I were delighted to Have Michael, one of our walking companions from last years Coast to Coast, visit us from the 8th to 10th of the month. Because Michael was going to be with us for such a short visit we had Astrid on Monday rather than her normal Tuesday and she went out to the airport with Trevor to greet Michael and welcome him to Canberra.

After Astrid ate her dinner we took her home and Michael to Duffy to meet Chimu and Inti, the resident alpacas.

Trevor dropped Michael and I off on Darwinia Terrace, in Chapman, at the bottom of the zigzag path that leads up to Cooleman Ridge. The views from the Ridge across the city and from the other side across to the ranges is excellent and worth the walk. As the track winds around the Ridge the views are ever changing. We climbed up to the Cooleman Ridge trig point which has expansive views across both the urban areas and the farmland, river and ranges to the south west. As we wound our way back and forth across the ridge we encountered a range of geological features as well as butterflies and birds.

On reaching Mt Arawang I took Michael up to its trig point. This has great views over the Woden Valley, at least the bit not obscured by Mt Taylor, towards the city, down the Tuggeranong Valley and across to the ranges. We arrived at the summit a little before sunset and, unfortunately, could not stay as we were going out to dinner. I took Michael across the Mt Arawang saddle and down the stepped track to the bridge leading across the drain and then through the horse paddock. I had arranged to meet Trevor at the bus stop on Kambah Pool Road and he was waiting for us when we arrived.

From our table at Indian Affair, where we had dinner, we could see the gloriously coloured sky as the sun set and then threw up its best.

On the Tuesday (9th) we headed down the Tuggeranong Valley towards Tharwa. We stopped in at Lanyon Homestead and walked around its yards looking at the buildings that have been preserved.

From Lanyon we went to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. I was surprised at the lack of kangaroos but, then, they may have been anticipating a hot day and had retired to the shade. Smart animals. We did finally see a few roos just before we left the park. There are quite a few good walks in the Reserve however time did not permit us to undertake any of them.

Our next stop was the Tidbinbilla Tracking Station.

Astronaut Michael

We grabbed lunch in the Tracking Station cafe before heading into the heart of Canberra and the National Botanical Gardens at the foot of Black Mountain. There are guided walking tours at 11 and 2 o'clock each day and each one is different as it is up to the volunteer guide where they take the party. We got to the gardens just ahead of 2 o'clock and joined one other person on the afternoon tour. Here are some photos of what we saw.

Michael (centre left) and Trevor to the right looking at a specimen in the National Botanical Gardens

Another lizard

More lizards or were they water dragons?

From the Gardens we headed for Parliament House. It was nice and quiet as both Houses had risen for the year before the weekend. It gave us easy passage through the public areas and into the chambers.

Aspen Island and the Carillon was our next stop. We arrived to the sound of bells playing and watched a gathering crowd of  young people, obviously off to their formals after the obligatory photos, parade in their finery.

The view across the lake from Aspen Island with the High Court on the left and the National Library on the right

Michael in front of the Carillon

Michael on Aspen Island. Don't you like the wriggly seat?

We drove up Anzac Parade towards the War Memorial however, as it was after 5pm, it was shut so we continued on and went up to the summit of Mt Ainslie. This provides views over the city centre, towards the airport and Queanbeyan and Gungahlin. A bit of a different perspective.

It was time for a short break and a drink. Manuka seemed an ideal destination and we sat at a pavement table and watched the world go by.

Tonights hike was on Mt Taylor. Trevor dropped Michael and I at the Colquhoun Street entrance to the reserve. We were greeted by a group of kangaroos who were grazing just outside the reserve gate. I had promised Michael that he would see kangaroos and the Mt Taylor roos did not disappoint. They kept on popping up as we did our walk.

I had hoped that there would be a nice sunset but a band of cloud had come in to the west resulting in almost no colour at all. A pity. Still, it was a nice evening and there was plenty to see both on the way up and down the mountain. It was quite dark by the time we were descending and the lights of Tuggeranong put on a great display. There were also a number of houses decked out with their Christmas lights which really stood out.

Trevor had dinner ready for us just after we reached home.

Michael was flying out just after midday on Wednesday 10th so Trevor took Michael to Red Hill Lookout and then the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain to finish off his Canberra tour before taking him to the airport. 

We really enjoyed showing off our lovely city and the surrounding environs.

A group of kangaroos on Mt Taylor ... completely unconcerned about my passage

I was out at the AIS on the weekend of 13 & 14 December I managed to do a bit of the remaining part of the Canberra Centenary Trail on the Saturday walking from the AIS towards Black Mountain. Once I reached a part of the trail I had already done I returned to the AIS via a different route. I Still have the section(s) from Gold Creek to the AIS to do to complete the whole of the CCT. I can then write it up an details the issues I see with the trail as it currently is set up.

Michael, just to prove that we have some wonderful sunsets ... this was taken on 14 December

The grass in some of the reserves is so long that it is difficult to see the kangaroos lounging and feeding in it

 Here is a series of sunset shots that I took from the top of Mt Taylor on the evening of 18 December.

Mt Taylor is well used by walkers and runners. Many bring their dos up the mountain although I sometimes think that it is the dog bringing the human up. One of the regular climbers brings up a supply of water for the dogs each day and there is a dish attached to the seat at the summit for the dogs.

A pair of girls with a dog on top of Mt Taylor. The water dish can be near the seat.

Coming down Mt Taylor on the eastern side I walked towards the north and was surprised to see a large roo making his way out of the reserve through one of the entrance points. He seemed unperturbed by my appearance and continued on his way at a very leisurely pace.

There is a formal car park on the northern side of  the Mt Taylor reserve however very few people use it. It is out of the way and inconvenient as it is not near any of the popular tracks leading up the mountain. On the other hand, there is an informal parking area on Sulwood Drive at the top of Mannheim Street. There are times when I have seen 30 or more cars parked on this strip of dirt.

Cars parked in the informal Mt Taylor car park

When I got around to THE car park ...

Not a car in sight

I walk to and past Kambah Village quite a lot. It is our local small shopping centre. Out the front, facing the intersection of Drakeford Drive and Boddington/Marconi Crescents, is a sign announcing the centre and some sheep. There used to be six sheep but one disappeared one night so now there are only five.

The sheep get decorated each Christmas and, more recently, at Easter too. Here is what was left of the 2014 Christmas effort after high winds and rain.

... and here is Astrid admiring one of the sheep

On Sunday 21st the Barnett Christmas Gathering was held at my sister Sue's place. I'll do a separate post on this event. After cleaning up and putting everything back where it came from Trevor and I headed out for a walk. We headed up Phillips Lane away from the highway. At the top of Phillips Lane I turned on to Olivers and continued until I reached the highway, which I crossed and then followed Doyles Lane until I reached the sealed section, otherwise known as civilisation, at which point I turned around and retraced my steps. Both Phillips and Doyles Lanes were quiet but the same cannot be said for Olivers which had a constant stream of traffic both ways. All up it was a pleasant 6km walk.

Trees shading Phillips Lane

On the Saturday after Christmas my son Michael and I climbed Mt Tennent. This peak rises just behind the Namadgi National Park visitors centre. From the carpark to the summit is an elevation difference of 770m and tht does not take into account the dips along the way which resulted in an additional 99m of climb.

Much of the route to the top is tree lined obscuring the view of the surrounding countryside. There are spots along the way that afford views. Cypress Pine Lookout was one such spot.

The recent rain is evident from the greenness of the valley seen from Cypress Pine Lookout

One of the spots where rocks just flowed down the mountainside

Near the top there were areas of grasslands with stands of spindly trees

Firespotting tower on the summit of Mt Tennent

The other tower on top of Mt Tennent

There were some great views from the summit

Michael heading down the mountain

Mt Tennent is easily viewed from Mt Taylor as it rises in a direct line behind the Tuggeranong Town Centre.

Lately I have encountered quite a few people, generally in pairs, up the top of Mt Arawang. It is generally a peaceful spot and it does have great views.

A couple perched on a rock on top of Mt Arawang with the setting sun turning the dry grass a lovely golden shade

The sunsets can be stunning, too. On top of that it is a much easier climb than Mt Taylor.

And a sunset from the 30th from the foot of Mt Taylor:

I have only see a few kangaroos hopping over the fences around Mt Taylor. I was lucky to have my camera out and readying to take a shot when a large roo decided to go over the nearby fence.

After four months of missing at least one of my walking/hiking targets I had decided to do my very best to finish the year off with all targets met in December. this was not easy with a poor start to the month in part due to falling off a Swiss ball and landing on a coffee table and hurting bits of the body. I was please to make all the targets by the close of the month.

During the month I reached 8 million steps for the year. Gosh, that seems so many that it is hard to imagine.

December statistics

Distance: 342km (daily average: 11.04km)
Elevation gain: 6362m (daily average: 205m)
Steps: 809007 (Daily average: 26097)

I will do a separate post with the full 2014 statistics and some reflections on the year.