In Tasmania Day 21
In Tasmania Day 21 Pine Valley Hut to Labyrinth then Narcissus Hut 14 km Slept in a bit as I’d planned to spend two nights here. The others got off early even though it was very cold and still overcast. Packed a day pack and ventured up the mountain about 8:30. More mossy rainforest then […]
In Tasmania Day 20
In Tasmania Day 20 Bert Nichols Hut to Pine Valley Hut 11 km Snow! Woke to a snow globe view (for all you northern hemisphere folks, it is the middle of summer here). Rain poured all night, shifting to freezing rain and snow mix in morning. Just planned to walk three hours today to […]
In Tasmania Day 19
In Tasmania Day 19 New Pelion Hut to Bert Nichols Hut 18.2 km One person I spoke with last week claimed that it rains on the Overland Track 300 days per year. My experience thus far has been pretty much that proportion. Today demanded flexibility, as the weather report was varied (for the next […]
In Tasmania Day 18
In Tasmania Day 18 Windemere to New Pelion Hut. 17 km The rain roared on the roof all night, regularly waking me, so when 6 rolled around I was ready. A problem with hut hiking is you have to be in other people’s diurnal rhythms. Some folks started rustling around so I decided it […]
In Tasmania Day 17
In Tasmania Day 17 (Jan 31) Launceston to Cradle Mountain park Ronny Creek to Windemere Hut 18.5 Km The group from the Arthouse Hostel nearly filled the Overland Transport van that took us first to a little town called Sterling for breakfast, then on to the visitor center for the incredibly popular park. We were […]
In Tasmania Day 16 Launceston
In Tasmania Day 16 Launceston Yesterday I boated the gorge, today I walked it. Up over the zig-zag trail, past a beautiful recreational park with a huge pool, across a 100+ year old swinging bridge and back down the other side of the gorge. Not a difficult walk, but full of surprises. The basin […]
In Tasmania Day 15 Launceston
In Tasmania Day 15 Launceston A day to organize and wander a bit. Woke up early but, while my German roommates slumbered on, I stayed in bed gorging on YouTube accounts of US politics (something I’ve been trying to avoid and happily so). Main tasks today were to take care of some emails, then […]
Learning to Walk Again
Learning to Walk Again A few years ago some French trekking friends asked me to write an essay for their blog. I gave them this: Why I Walk. There, my opening point was that the reason I do long-distance trekking is because I can. That is, I am acutely aware of the privilege reasonable health […]
In Tasmania Day 14 Hobart to Launceston
In Tasmania Day 14 Hobart to Launceston I really didn’t want to leave Hobart— I’d grown attached so I visited my favorite places (including a long time at the Retro Cafe) before catching the bus to Launceston, a town that might be more difficult to like. I’m staying in the Arthouse Hostel— a magnificent […]
In Tasmania Day 13 Hobart
In Tasmania Day 13 Hobart A day to organize— booked hostel in Launceston, bus travel there and transport to trail head on the 31st, my Overland Track start date. Then took a boat up the Derwent to the Museum of New Art (MONA), a magical, bizarre and disorienting experience. On the ride up I saw […]