Splash

Setting out, today was going to be another longer day. Again we were combining two theoretically separate days of hiking. The first portion would take us to the Burt Nichols/Windy Ridge Hut, and the second would get us to the Lake St. Clair Hut. Again we were the first ones out the door, what can I say, we're just very efficient in the morning. And of course it was another beautiful day for us to travel through.

It did end up being a long day, with about 20km (12 miles) total of walking. Our first stop was the historic Du Cane Hut, and more importantly it's toilet, which was a hole carved into a stump along with two carved pieces of wood to hold onto (and also cover the hole when not in use). Mark told us about it (of course). Definitely worth a look.

Du Cane Hut Toilet (camera sucks right now)

Then we walked and walked some more through forests and scrub land until we reached a turn to go see a waterfall. It was nice little side trip which led to nothing. Seriously it wasn't even worth wrestling with the camera over. Apparently in days of yore (last year) you could get much closer, but nowadays they're concerned about safety and that nonsense. So we continued and reached one of the stranger formations you'll find. It was called "The Bowling Green," because lawn bowling is a thing in Australia. Don't ask me why, I think it's just as weird as you do.

Bowling Green

The reason it's called that is because the grass is short as though it's maintained for a bowling green. There is no intervention by man to create this environment or keep it as it is. The guide book had a fancy explanation for it that Isabel read to me and I cannot longer find it. I now suspect she made up the explanation. She's a crafty one. Soon after we reached Du Cane Gap, which isn't significant except it marked the end of our uphill for the entire rest of the hike.

Hooray, it's all down hill from here

By the way, whoever told us that Du Cane Gap meant no more uphill was a liar and an asshole. There was plenty of uphill after that.
We saw a ranger and he checked to make sure we actually belonged on the trail (we did), and then made it to the Burt Nichols Hut for lunch. Rather than having a fun animal on the door it had Burt Nichols who has a hunter/ranger of old.
After lunch we continued on our merry way through the forest and back into moorland. On the way we managed to have our first fight of the trip.  Honestly, that's pretty impressive considering that we traveled halfway across the world and within a few days embarked on a rather stressful and strenuous hike. As to what it was a bout, that's not so important. It was mostly just poor communication on both our parts. We talked it out, and where far enough ahead of everyone else that we had some privacy to do it. We kept going until we made it to the only suspension bridge on the Track, about a kilometer from the hut.

"Now smile and pretend you're not mad at me."

Then there was the typical mad dash to the hut in order to get to the bathroom. After that I decided to check out the jetty. 4/5 people end their hike here and take a ferry across Lake St. Clair. We're not wimps so we were planning to walk it tomorrow. So I walked over to the jetty and Isabel joined me a little later. We're chatting, doing nothing in particular, and I happen to be facing the water when I see a small brown thing swimming in the water. "Platypus!" I cry. Isabel turns, we see it, it disappears. So funny story, at the beginning of the trip I specifically Isabel we would not see a platypus in Australia, it just doesn't happen. Thanks for proving me wrong nature, you jerk. 

I decided to jump in the water in part because the sunscreen we'd been using is disgusting, just horrible, and I wanted to wash it off. I hit the water and had two options. Die or get out. I opted for the second with Isabel nearly falling in from laughing so hard. All previous arguments were forgiven, we saw a platypus.

We headed back to the hut (which had a platypus on the door), hopping over a snake on the way (it had disappeared, but we sprinted over where it had been). The rest of the crew filed in and everyone else went on a successful pilgrimage to see the platypus. Iris got an amazing photo that I will forever be jealous of. Sigh. Everyone also said they got to see it much better than we did, so I grabbed the camera and went back, Isabel humoring me. Nothing. We were looking and looking and couldn't find anything. Then I sneezed and we heard this splash from a cove 20 feet behind us. We look and see a platypus swimming. Then it dove. But we saw its bubbles and could follow it! We watched it swim around for a little and then it got a little too far away, so we called it a night. The pictures were awful and have been deleted.

Tomorrow's the last day of hiking, and it may rain, but we've set up the rent and hope it's going to be a little warmer (it has been every morning other than the first night).

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.