Riding a High

Today was, in my mind, going to be the either the toughest or second toughest day of hiking (yesterday was pretty hard). Isabel and I got up and out pretty early, which is much easier to do when there's no nonsense of dealing with a igloo masquerading as a tent. Isabel did have breakfast, but her wont is to do so while I am still in bed. Then it was walking time. We were the first ones to leave the hut, though Mark and Craig and Iris were all up, as was James. He checked with his traveling companions and they told him to wake them in three hours.

You can't just up and a hug a tree, you need to get to know it first, shake its hand, etc

The morning was misty, but much warmer than yesterday, and so we found ourselves shedding layers rapidly. Usually we start by wearing just about all the clothing that we brought, and gradually getting down to tshirt and shorts (and yes shoes smart ass, we keep those on as well). Again we made awesome, arriving at Pelion Gap (where the side track to Mt. Ossa is and the halfway point to the next hut) in under 2 hours. 

There was a funny sign about currawongs getting into peoples packs, that we laughed about. We took a bit of a break and left our bags by the sign pictured above. Then we started climbing the tallest peak in Tasmania (I thought this was pretty impressive, but I did some research and realized that this peak is barely in the top 50 highest mountains in Australia, sigh). It's 5305, about 40 ft higher than Katahdin and thus the tallest mountain I've ever gone up. 

We didn't no what to expect because it was impossible to compare it Cradle Mountain before started the climb. You see, our guide rated Cradle as Moderate to Difficult. Osaa was rated Medium to Hard. They use different scales within the same book. Sigh. The answer, for those who are curious, is that it was easier. It was higher and more distance. It also took more time, but there was a lot less rock scrambling. There was much more snow, too but only one part was particularly sketchy, and less so that the sketchy Cradle part.

I did manage to get my first war wound of the Track. As we were the first ones up the mountain for the day and because there are no people around now that we're past Cradle, the snow was mostly untouched. There were some very faint tracks from where someone had been a few days ago, but for the most part I was breaking trail. This meant using my feet as shovels, really kicking my toe in to make good holds. At one point I got just a little too close to a rock and my foot fell through the snow and shin got a little scraped on the rock. Luckily I didn't need to find an icepack for it. It was just a scratch so we continued. It was fun breaking trail and made me feel like a badass. Also that first bit was on the sketchy snow with a drop. There was a very long snow bit, but it felt much safer and easier to manage.

Lots of Snow (this probably two thirds up the long snowy bit(

Some of this longer bit was actually pretty steep, so I got annoyed and just ran up it to get it over with. Isabel took her time and thus didn't look like an idiot flailing his way up to the rocks. Finally we hit the top...and there was no marker. We climbed on all the largest rocks and looked everywhere for a sign that said we made it. Nothing. Well, we did, and we made it to the end of the trail trail and not because we got lost.

View of/from the Top of Tasmania

After some searching and lazing we headed back down

We Thought This was Mark and Craig...it wasn't, two day hikers, but it's still a nice photo of them on the easy long snow

To my left is the sketchy snow. Right in the center is Mark and Craig

We made it back down without incident, passing all our companions and two strangers on their way up. Everyone thanked us for breaking trail and thus making it much easier for them to climb than us. Basically I'm saying Isabel and I had it the toughest and are the toughest. The two strangers said they didn't want to go down the sketchy part so they were going to make their own trail down the front of the mountain. Because that's totally safer than following an already made path...
We got down to the bottom and found that the currawongs had raided our bags. They got most of my peanuts and banana chips (luckily they didn't get the chocolate chips I was going to add). They also threw a pair of my boxers on the ground just to add insult to injury. I may have spent the rest of the day swearing at every currawong we saw.
After lunch we started the trek the rest of the way to Kia Ora Hut (our stop for the night) and that part was pretty, but uneventful. There are no pictures because as of last night the camera has started misbehaving as well as having low battery. We made it to the final sprint to the hut (for the bathroom) when we see an echidna! I think Tasmanian echidnas are my favorite Australian animal, they're just so cute (other than their puggles) with their funny nose and shambling gait. I tried to take a picture but the camera just laughed at me.
We managed to get to the hut just before 3pm, and Mark had told us about a stream maybe 100 meters past the hut to wash off in. It was nice and warm out, so I went to wash off my cut and Isabel wanted to clean off too. Here's the problem, The stream was glacier melt. I put a foot in and nearly lost it, Isabel put a foot in and let out the most girlish shriek I've ever heard her make. It was cleansing in an ice bath sort of way, but we only ever put our feet in and then cupped water onto the rest of ourselves.
A little while later the boys got in and we told them about the stream. We warned them about the temperature as well, but they were unfazed. We heard their screams from the hut. Meanwhile when Mark and Craig got in they went swimming with no yells of anguish, as one would expect from the stoic bushmen they are. It turns out this is Mark's fourth time doing the OLT, but the first time he'd made it up Mount Ossa. The previous times there had been weather issues stopping him. He called his wife from the top and her response was, "finally, now you've made it up there you can stop doing the bloody Track."
We spent the rest of the day hanging out with everyone and having the boys educate us on Australian politics. Apparently Abbot is an example of what to expect if Trump became president. He appointed actually himself the Women's Minister. Sigh. But they booted him out hooray!
Another note, apparently my trail blazing is now obsolete. Isabel butt slid down some of it rather than kind of jogging down it as I did, and apparently everyone else did the same, pretty much obliterating any evidence that it ever existed. Good luck to whoever is next.
All in all it was a really fun day and much less difficult than anticipated. It was especially nice that so much of the active day was spent without a pack on. We've had outrageously gorgeous weather so far, and I hope it continues for the next two days. Then it can rain all it wants.

Picture Porn

"Good thing you have your camera for the worst sunset yet."-The ever supportive Isabel Low

And so our trek has begun. There was no post yesterday as we drove all day. The only two things worth mentioning are that we stopped at a wildlife park on the way and got to snuggle a seven month old wombat. There are no pictures as I don't want to incite too much jealously. Also, I didn't have the camera for that part. The other thing of note is that we got to our lodge for the night, packed our bags for the hike and then walked to the reception/dining area. Closed. Have you seen our pattern yet? We ended up driving 50 km on windy road to Devonport in order to get crappy Chinese food, perfect pre hike supplies.

That brings us to today. To quote the Low family "we're off like a herd of turtles." You see, we got up nice and early to drive to the Cradle Mountain Visitor Center to pick up our passes be on our way. We also wanted to get some gas as the unexpected extra 100 km last night left us quite low. So we got there, all bright eyes and bushy tailed, just before 7:30,. The center didn't open until 8...We wait until 8 and get everything sorted. We even purchased gloves because it was about 25 F that morning. I asked the ranger helping us about getting gas and he explained that the gas is run by the cafe, which doesn't open until 9. So we wait until nine, get gas, get a muffin, and get our asses on the shuttle to the start of the Track.

So, a bit before 10, a full two and a half hours after we got to the visit center, we are ready to begin our track. We registered and put down our itinerary and took the necessary photo at the beginning.

Yes, that is a stencil of a wombat

Then we started walking. I kid you not, within 3 minutes we saw a wombat. We didn't see it's leash, but I'm pretty sure the rangers put it there to keep everyone happy, like that moose we saw at Katahdin. Our other theory is that it was to convince anyone who just wanted to see a wombat that they didn't need to do the entire Track, they could just turn around and go home. I would consider this both an excellent and auspicious start to our journey.

We then walked through button grass moorland for a bit, which was pretty, in a brown sort of way. 

My Bag is Huge

The moorland was mostly flat, but then we started a gentle climb. Within a few minutes of the elevation change we were in a rainforest. There was no warning or sign or anything like that. One moment we were walking through these plains, and then we went around a bend and were in a rain forest. The rain forest only lasted a few minutes before it abruptly transformed into a deciduous forest. At this point our gentle climb has become a little more taxing, but we're still pretty fresh and soon after that we were rewarded by getting to the iconic Cradle Lake

This is Cradle Lake

We took a nice little break there because afterwards we would start the steepest part of the Overland Track (OLT). It wasn't going to be our steepest part because we are planning to a few sides trips up mountains, including Cradle Mountain.

Then we climbed the steepest part. Hooray. I know there was a lot of suspense there on whether we'd make it or not. The entire way was gorgeous, and I have to restrain myself with the pictures. Anyway, about halfway through the Track for the day, we dropped our packs and left them in a little hut along side the backpacks of other two OLT hikers who had started before us and were also taking some time to climb Cradle Mountain . We then played the "are they the other hikers or just day hikers?" game. We lost. 

The reason we needed to climb Cradle was that we're in the Cradle Mountain National Park. How can we go there, walk right by the Mountain, and not climb it? We can't. Cradle Mountain gets it name from the fact that to a drunk Australian with poor eye sight who's lost in the bush, it vaguely looks like a cradle.

Probably wouldn't be a very comfortable cradle

This climb was fun for the most part. Isabel and I both love scrambling over rocks, plus it was such a relief to get a break from my pack. Atlas may have the world on his shoulders, but I'm lugging around a tent. Anyway the climb was great until we went over the first mini peak and found some of the less exposed area. This area had snow. We had walked over a little on the way to the mountain, but we had poo-pooed it. As New Englanders we know what real snow is, not this adorable Aussie dusting. Then we saw this and realized that we had been just a teensy bit arrogant. Still, we're brave and never even considered (out loud) turning back. We traversed the snow successfully and even safely.

That's Me, and I know it looks pretty steep if I fall, well that's only because it absolutely is. Here's what it looked like if I had gone left (which would have made no sense as the peak was to the right...)

Just a little drop off over there. And yes, this is Australia, not Europe. Gorgeous though, isn't it?

We made it all the way to the top, and were able to see everything surrounding. It was awesome.

That's me thinking deep thoughts, pondering existence and such

We climbed back down, which is probably even more impressive. We just made sure not to look down during the little snow traverse part. Then it was lunch time. (Yep, we did all of this before lunch time. Saw a wombat, hiked a bit, then climbed a mountain, no big deal). Lunch was pb&j on tortilla, a wonderful little wrap chock full of calories to help power us along. We hiked another few hours and made it to the Waterfall Valley Hut (it had a wombat drawing on the door). It was quite nice, with enough room to sleep maybe 20 cramped people and there were only two other hikers in the area, Mark and Craig. They were a pair of friends from Queensland and were friendly and welcoming. They decided to sleep in the Old Waterfall Valley Hut, a dot further down the track because it was cozier and I think they wanted to make sure that they didn't disturb us and vice versa. I decided that tonight we'd use the tent despite have plenty of room inside. My reasoning is: if I carried the damn thing all the way here, we were going to use it. There was a nice grassy area that we were able to set it up. Then we had dinner, a camp stove meal. We decided to make a game of it deciding what to eat for dinner by sticking a hand into my pack, which has all our meals at the bottom, and seeing what we grab. Tonight was a backpackers chana. I forgot silverware in America, so Isabel had grabbed me a plastic fork to use. After a day of traveling in my bag it looked like this:

The biggest laugh of the night, if not the entire trip came from Isabel watching me try to eat with this former fork. Every time I got a chickpea, it would roll off as I lifted the piece of plastic to my mouth. After her appetite for my humiliation was sated, she relented and shared her spork with me. We ate around sunset and I had my camera at the ready...And the sunset was non existent, leading to Isabel's quote at the top. Once we got back in our tent, we realized that all the grassland nearby was in fact Chook (native hen, think grumpy wild chicken) territory. So they were stalking around clucking and screaming at everything, including our tent. All I can say is I hope their not nocturnal. 

I'll end this with a picture of the wombat we saw once we got to the hut. We also saw other animals that I have pictures of, but I guess this is probably enough pictures for now