Well...
I have walked over 73km in six days.
I have walked over 73km in six days with a pack that started out weighing 13kg.
I have walked over 73km in six days with a pack that started out weighing 13kg and it was the most fun I've had for ages!!!
This is the group of people I went on my 73km walk with. In the front you have one of my best friends - Jacqui. She is leaning on her mum. Her dad is next, then, of course, you have me and my dad. The guy up the back is bernard. He's Jacqui's 15-year-old brother.
This is a shot of what the wheather was like when the six of us where climbing Marions Lookout on Cradle Mountain. For those of you who might be familiar with the walking tracks up there; we went via Crater Lake - the second steepest way. it was so windy up on Marions that Jacqui would have blown completely away (even with her 10kg pack on) if her dad hadn't been holding on to her!!!
The first day was very hard walking - but it wasn't as hard for us as it was for the other nine people Jacqui's family know that were walking the track. They had heavier packs than us; they had worse gear than us; but at least they were all tough guys. Where as we had two girls and one weak guy.
This is a map of the walk. Its not completely acurate - but pretty close. On the first day we walked into Waterfall Valley Hut. It was fairly late by the time we got there after battling through the blizard on the way. But it was a nice enough hut. Very basic; but it was warm and dry and we spent that evening talking to the guys from the party of nine. Most of them I hadn't seen since primary school and one of them I'd never met! It is probably of adsolutly no interest to you, but the guys are Tom Bligh (he was on my Tournament of Minds team in grade six and was in Canberra with me for the finals), Ed Cranwell (He was in my class in grade six too), Hugh Foster (I know him from extension groups), Harry Kent (I never met him cause he left howrah primary at the start of grade five) and Tom's big brother Dan. They all were walking just with their Dads; so we and Jacqui and Cathy (Jacquis Mum) were the only girls there.
Now that I have just completely confused you I'll continue with my story.
On day 2 we stayed for most of the day at waterfall valley while the boys continued on to Windemere. We left for Windemere in the early sfternoon cause it is only 2 hours away and the wheather then was a slight improvement on the wheather earlier that morning. When we arived at Windemere we joined Tome, Ed, Hugh and Harry playing cheat. It was lots of fun cause with the four of them plus the three of us we had seven players and everyone was cheeting all the time!!!
This is a photo of us in a forest in one of the many valleys between the many moors. The wheather was still miserable on that third day as you can see by the fact we are all in waterproofs. It was so foggy that walking across the moors where there should have been brilliant views we could only see 100m all directions. That might sound like a lot but when you are trying to see the fantastic mountains you are supposedly surrounded by it isn't much at all.
That thrid day was the hardest for me. it was a long 16km, the wheather was miserable and that last hill out of frog flats was torture. My legs were already on fire after 10m and the hill just kept going ang going; up and up.
It was worth it though. Pilion hut is AWSOME. it is sooooooo big! There is a large kitchen-dining area, with 8 sleeping rooms coming off it. And each room only slept a total of six. So if Dad hadn't been sleeping in his tent we would have had a room al to ourselves. We played more cheet that evening/night. I taught Tom how to play 500 (which is a realy complicate and super fun card game). We then had a game just us kids. Me and Tom vs Bernard and Jacqui. Bernard and Jacqui won by one trick. I won't go into the details as not enough of you know the game for it to be worth my while.
On Day 4 the wheather began improving. By midday the fog had all but disapeared laeving us with glorious blue sky and bright shining sun. But by the time that happened me and Dad and Bernard were already half way down from Mt Ossa. Thats right folks; MT OSSA!!! as in for half an hour I was one of the three highest people in Tassie. There were only three of us up there cause Jacqui chickened out and decided to climb the smaller and much less impressive Pillion East with her parents.
Thats Pilion East. And this is the view from the top of Ossa when we were there.
Yep, we were sitting in a cloud. But at least it wasn't raining of windy. Here's a shot of me and Dad in the cloud on top of Tasmania.
We had a snowbal fight on the way down - using all the little patches of snow that remained unmelted from that blizard on the first day. And as we came down out of the cloud the fog was begining to clear and we could look at the specy views we should have been looking at since day one. But it was nice. There were a lot of mountains. We could see over to Cradle mountain, out to the walls of Jerusalem, and over to the acropolis and the Jerions. You probably have no Idea where half of those places are, but oh well, you'll cope.
We got down of Ossa, had a 3 o'clock lunch and continued to Kia Ora, the next hut. I probavly didn't explain the trip up Ossa very well, but its a side trip. Which means you walk out of the track the have to return to the track before continuing on your way. So by the time we arrived at Kia Ora the hut was full. But to our dismay it was full of people we didn't know! the boys and their Dads had continued to the windy ridge hut. It must have been a long day, even with the fact they did no side trips. It was too late and we were to exhuasted to follow their lead and keep walking so we pitched our tents at Kia Ora.
This is mine and Jacqui's tent in the morning. Look at all that frost!!! It was a freezing night. We had a water cycle hapening in our tent! The warm air we breathed out rose, then it condenced on the cold roof of our tent and rained down onto our sleeping bags! It must have been so cold outside. Infact it was cold enough to freeze my wet sock.
It wasn't just frozen. It was frozen solid! Like frozen solid, as in hard enough to hit people with! Thats pretty cold, don't you think?
On day 5 we walked through to Windy Ridge, which isn't on a ridge and isn't windy, so it definately is a misnomer. On ou r way we did two sidetrips to see 3 waterfalls. They were amazing!!! And cause of all the rain they were even better than they would normally be. The wheather was perfect too. I was walking in shorts and Tshirt. It was the best day by far. We waded across the mersy river to get a better shot of the most impressive of the three falls. But unfortunately we took those photos on Jacqui's camera so You'll have to settle with this shot of me and Jacqui with one of these three impressive wonders.
So there you have it. Thats about it. We walked through to Windy Ridge that saturday then on Sunday we wlked for only 3 hours to reach Naccisus on Lake St Claire. We jad an hour wait for the ferry (to save us the 15km walk round the lake) so we went swimming. Well, most of us anyway. I decided that it was a nice enough day to swim so I went to change into my bikini (yes, I took it walking with me. I mean, its apare underwhere if you get desperate!). Then by the time I got in Rick and Cathy (Jacqui's mum and dad) had jumped in in their underwhere. I got back and jumped in of the jetty. The water actually wasn't that cold. It was about a five on the scale from one to ten. Dad jumped in with me holding his hand, but Bernard and Jacqui were too chicken, which is sad. I don't know how you can be scared of cold water, but their whole family is!
And there you have me jumping into the water of the jetty at Naccisus on Lake St Clair. I have one last picture to put here; a group shot of us at the end of our walk, just after our swim. I hope I havn't bored you too much, if I have please tell me. And PLEASE comment!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED your thoughts!!!!!
