Just listening to the radio now, it is also raining and cold. The local population is in tents or under tarps. Not by choice like we all love, but through necessity.

On the day of the earthquake Jay Reilly, our son in law and author of Remember to Breath – How to trek to Everest Base Camp  contacted us and suggested we do something to support the Nepalese people.

In Jay’s words:

My first inkling of the devastating news came when my phone rang at 0730. The number was from the UK and accompanied by a message asking if I was ok. “Weird”, I thought, as I know nobody in the UK these days…
Then the Triple J news announcer read the story. A devastating earthquake had struck Nepal.

I was shocked and stunned-didn’t know what to think and what to do. My immediate thought was to jump on a plane and be there to help the country and people that housed me, fed me and provided me with a storybook life for 7-ish years. Of course with airports closed and natural disaster zones being way outside my skillset, I simply had to wait anxiously for word from my “family” in Kathmandu.

I later today learned that they are fine, which is a huge relief, but it’s not just about those few people. It’s about thousands of others who have lost loved ones, lost their meagre possessions and -even worse- have lost historically important temples, stupas and buildings. In short, these people have lost their culture.

The Nepalese are strong, resilient, beautiful, proud and brave. They will rebuild and recover with grace. They won’t ask the world to “fix it”. They look after their own and even in this time of utter chaos, I can GUARANTEE the restaurants of Thamel will be open and the needs and wants of Westerners will be being met. They are that giving.

I want to give something to them. Nepal, whether they admit it or not, needs money. Money to rebuild lives and money into the future, which can only come from tourism.

So why this article?
We know travelling to Nepal or Everest Base Camp is out of the question in the medium term.

We do know that you, our fantastic readers, are adventurers. We do know that one day you might visit Nepal and trek to Everest Base Camp.

We do know that Jay’s eBook is a fantastic resource, not only about the trek but also travelling to Nepal and Kathmandu.  Even though you may not need it in the short term, it is still a great read and gives you wonderful first hand insight into Nepal and its people.

We hope you purchase the guide for $9.99 as a form of  donation to help the Nepalese people.

What are we doing?

We have decided to donate $A500 ($US400)  from previous sales and then the proceeds of ALL sales of the guide until September 30th 2015.

In addition, if you purchase Remember to Breathe via THIS button,

we are including a FREE copy of Pick your Gear , our introductory photography guide  as a sweetener to encourage you . Written by  Stephanie Cotteret, a freelance travel writer and photographer from France, it is a terrific introductory guide to choosing the best photography gear for the outdoors.

Normally $8.50 , this is included for free if you purchase Remember to Breathe.

NB: You can use a Credit Card OR Paypal. Just click on Paypal and the Credit Card option is there.

Who are we giving the money to?

Frank has followed All Hands Volunteers for several years. They are NOT a main stream charity, rather one that is very hands on  that work closely with local communities affected by natural disasters.

From their website:

All Hands Volunteers is not your ordinary disaster response organization. Our volunteers aren’t ordinary, our projects aren’t ordinary, the needs we meet aren’t ordinary. We move into communities and call them home. This means we can listen to what the real needs of the community are, and every set of volunteers has unique strengths which come into play in finding creative ways to serve these differing needs. Nothing’s too outside of the box, because to us, there is no box to begin with.

All Hands currently have a team on the ground in Nepal and will commence work in the  next day or so.

Finally

On behalf of us all here in Australia, and especially from Jay who loves the Nepalese people, please grab a copy of the book.

We promise to donate proceeds of the sales from now to 30th September to All Hands Volunteers. We will keep you in the loop with how much we raise.  We also have some embryonic plans to join them in Nepal next year. It will take that long to get things back to normal.

Please use the button below to purchase Remember to Breathe and get your free copy of Pick your Gear. Enjoy and many thanks!

Frank and Sue Wall

Jay and Clare Reilly

Portarlington, Australia.

Our Receipt – note, it is in $US

We are heading towards our late 50’s and want to keep seeking adventure in the outdoors as long as we can. Carrying a lot of weight does not help the cause. The last couple of trips we have had sore feet, damaged toenails and blisters. Include a sore back into the equation. It was becoming hard work.

Checking out the Aarn website we were intrigued by the following statement:

Aarn Bodypacks are the most efficient, comfortable, stable, practical and healthy way to carry load on the human body. They challenge traditional thinking on pack design.

Backpacks significantly disturb the posture, balance and movement of the body. Backpacks create leverages on the torso that act to distort the natural curve of the spine. Backpacks are a stressful and energy wasting way to carry a load.

It was time to seek an alternative.

We headed off to Backpacking Lite in Melbourne to check them out. In our opinion, if you are purchasing something like a pack you, really need to try it on, get it fitted and understand it before you purchase it. Buying it online is not a great option.

After a thorough play around with the pack we were convinced they might be for us and purchased one each.

Sue and Hannah with their Aarn packs

A couple of weeks later,  without any pre-trip experimenting with the packs,  we loaded them up and headed off for 7 days on the Overland Track in Tasmania. Yes, the first time we wore them loaded was heading off. Crazy? Yes!

After a wonderful trip, the new Aarn packs proved to be winners.

Positives:

• light, around 1.5kg (3.3 lbs), about 1.5kg lighter than our One Planets.
• fit like a glove, very comfortable, easy to walk, little stress on our backs or feet.
• you can walk upright in a comfortable position.
• we were balanced and stable while we walked.
• it is waterproof so you don’t need to pack gear inside your pack in dry bags.

Negatives:

• you look weird compared to other walkers you meet
• you spend time explaining how the pack works
• there are many straps, fittings and adjustments. This can be very confusing at the beginning.
• we found it a fiddle to get the back length right

Things to look out for:

• try and get it fitted by a professional when you purchase it. Especially the height adjustment. Getting your head around adjusting the pack, when you have no idea how to do it, and it is fully loaded,  is a challenge.
• be careful packing sharp items as each compartment is lined with a dry bag. Once perforated you need to replace it or accept the pack is not waterproof.
• The Aarn website has a STACK of information and video’s on how to adjust and fit a variety of their packs. The site can be confusing as there seems to be a several videos for each pack and the different adjustments for the pack

This video is a basic comparison between our old One Planet Strezlecki packs and our new Aarn Featherlite packs.

Hope it helps explain the differences and gives you some good information if you are in the market for a new pack.

Have you tried an Aarn backpack?
Do you love or hate your existing pack?
Do you have any recommendations for our readers?

Shoot us a comment below, we would love your feedback and ideas.

Over to Georgie:

Hello again
We knew we needed some specific kit to tackle the Old Telegraph Line (OTL) to the Cape, and the desert, just as you need specific gear to walk Tassie’s Overland Track.

After spending hours checking blogs and online catalogues, we headed down to The Brisbane Caravan Show with our shopping list. It was great to touch things and watch demonstrations on gadgets and ‘must haves’ – and it helped us cross a lot off our shopping list as just that, gadgets. We were keen on one type of tent, but after flapping it around a bit we changed our minds, and found a much more suitable tent, at a quarter the price. We bought some ‘Show Specials’, but a lot of gear was much cheaper on line.

Two weeks before Departure date we felt we had it all – and we did, we had stuff for almost every contingency we might happen upon. The photo shows most of our collection – ready to be stuffed neatly into the canopy of our new beaut ute.

Some of the gear used as backup for the trip

The ute.

Back of the  four wheel drive with sleeping gear and 12v Fridge

Our old Triton ute was not up to the job and we found a 2010 Ford Ranger less than 10kms from home, fully kitted up to do the OTL and Birdsville Track in 2011.

Talk about lucky! The owner had added a 2 inch lift kit – which makes it VERY high to get in and out – full brush bars, roof rack, side awning, fridge slide, 3 batteries, all sorts of tricky electric plug things, and an inverter. We only needed 2 new Coopers tyres on the spares to get the car trip ready, and it has not missed a beat in the 6500 kms travelled so far.

The tents.

The Ute and Oztrail Tourer 9 Plus

We didn’t intend to, but we ended up buying mainly Oztrail camping gear, including 2 tents – a canvas Oztrail Tourer 9 Plus for sleeping in, and a light tent that clips to the car awning, to eat in to escape mossies and sandflies. The Tourer  is great, as it has just one central pole, so is quick to put up, but is heavy to pack up. We mainly used the lighter awning tent for the first four weeks, as it goes up quickly and is light. Then we inherited our daughter’s 30 second Wanderer tent – a light tent with external frame that literally goes up and down in 30 seconds.

Our two tents are now just coming along for the ride – so I reckon a good quality pop up tent is the way to go. We considered an Oztrail RV 30 second tent, but the frame was too long to go inside our canopy, so it would have had to be tied up on the roof rack – not something we felt we could happily do every day for two months.

Our beds.

More gear for the trip

We thought stretchers would be the go, so bought two – but they have not come out of their bags yet, and I doubt they will. This is because we also bought two Oztrail self-inflating ‘leisure’ mats – which are the most comfortable non-mattress beds we have ever slept on, so we haven’t needed the stretchers.

We got the mats at a small camping shop for $80 each – a $40 saving off retail. There are four plugs at the end to miraculously let air in to uncurl the mats, but we only undo two, so we only have to do up two. We got two singles, which are easier to roll up each day than one double. I pile up the beds with four sleeping bags, but they tend to slide around and off in the night, so next trip I will just take a queen size doona.

I’m off to put the billy on for a hot cuppa, so talk to you again soon.

Regards

Georgie

Planning to hike the  Overland Track  from overseas can be challenging. We found it quite hard to organise from a different Australian State several years ago. Sourcing the best information takes a lot of time and effort as there was no one easy, trusted place to get good advice.

That is the main reason we created our guide, How to Hike the Overland Track in Tasmania. We researched everything we could and created a downloadable eBook  drawing on our experience of over 20 trips between us. It is now up to the fifth edition.

Heading towards the end of the Overland Track

From Bruce:

Just signed up to receive your blog by email. I’m in the USA, traveling to Australia/Tasmania in March/April.

Thinking about doing the Overland Track.- why isn’t March a “popular” month? (National Parks website said the most popular months are Dec., Jan., Feb., and April.)

We are not sure why March is not considered a “popular” month.  December to February is summer in Australia and many people have holiday time so the walk is popular during that time.

Easter often falls in April where there are school holidays and many people walk the Track to enjoy the spectacular Fagus or Deciduous Beech (Nothofagus gunnii) Click here to check out  some great photographs of Fagus by local photographer Dennis Harding 

So what’s wrong with March? Nothing!

If you go solo (not guided), do you have to keep to the 6-day itinerary?

There is NO itinerary. If you are walking on your own you can do it at any pace. Stay somewhere 2 nights or skip a hut and walk on to the next one. It’s totally up to you.

These articles might be of interest to you from a trip we did a couple of years back with another  fellow from the States. The first one is a guest post by Alan on Backpacking the Overland Track, a view from the States the second one is our review of the trip tacken over 4 days –  The Overland Track – What scenery?

Its seems “too easy” – is the terrain that tough that a 7 – 1o km day is adequate?

The terrain is not that tough. It is just the spacing of the Huts and camping areas that dictate how far people walk. Of course there are side trips to waterfalls and mountains that are not included in the times.

Many people do all the side trips each day.  A  mate of ours Jim shared his recommended itinerary with us recently.  It may be useful for your planning. We think it is a great plan for anyone who wants to take in all the area has to offer.

Day 1

Ronny Creek – Waterfall Valley – 3-5 hours

Make sure you take the route over Marions Lookout – very speccy.

Sidetrip – Climb Cradle Mountain – 2 – 3 hours. Quite steep towards the top. Brilliant views in good weather.

Day 2:

Waterfall Valley – Windermere (my favourite hut) – approx. 2 hours.

Sidetrips:

1: Leave packs at Waterfall Valley  Hut, take day packs and backtrack to climb Barn Bluff. 3 – 4 hours. Steep climb, lots of rock scrambling, great views. Then back to hut, pick up packs & onto Windermere. This makes a good full day.

2: Head off to Windermere, drop packs at turn off to Lake Will & head in – about an hour return, nice little beach, good place for lunch. If you head South along the lake shore (can be a bit muddy), there are some excellent falls at the end, worth the trip.

If the weather is good, I’d do option 1 – however, depending on the makeup of the group, you may split and some do one and the remainder the other.

If the weather is lousy, not good for either, I’d hang around the hut until late morning, head for Windermere & have a lazy afternoon there.

Don’t be tempted to keep going to New Pelion – it’s about another 5-6 hours further on and makes for a very long day – I did it once, that was enough!!

Day 3:

Windermere – New Pelion – 5-6 hours.

No side trips apart from a 5 min stroll to look down over the Mersey Valley – worth a look

You should visit the Old Pelion hut and there is an excellent swimming hole there if the weather is warm enough. Best to head to New Pelion, drop packs, settle in & then backtrack – it’s only about 15 mins away.

Day 4:

New Pelion – Kia ora – 3 hours

Side Trip: Mt Ossa – 3-4 hrs return. If weather good, a must do, highest mountain in Tassie. Not hard – easier than Cradle & Barn Bluff.

If, not all want to climb & weather is good, then those that don’t MUST at least climb up part of the track to the side of Mt Doris (you sidle around Doris to climb Ossa). It’s a beautiful spot, like a laid out Japanese garden almost.

Excellent views across the valley and both North & South from that spot.

Day 5:

Kia Ora to Windy Ridge / Bert Nicholls Hut – 3-4 hours.

Hardest part is over Du Cane gap which seems to go on forever.

Side Trips:

3 excellent falls to visit on the way. Dalton, Ferguson & Hartnett.

Dalton & Ferguson grouped together. Drop pack, take camera & check them out.

Hartnett – largest & most speccy – great spot for lunch, especially if weather good. There’s even a swimming hole at the top of the falls – if you are game. Drop packs & take cameras & food.

Next hut is the Bert Nicholls hut the newest and worst hut on the track. Designed by an architect .. need I say more??

Day 6:

Windy Ridge – Narcissus – 3 hours

Ferry and out!!

I suggest you stop at The Hungry Wombat for lunch – at Derwent Bridge. Their hamburgers are magnificent!! We ALWAYS stop there!

Optional Days:

If you have an extra day or two – here’s some options:

1: Mt Oakleigh – 4-5 hrs return.

Stay 2 nights at New Pelion & do Oakleigh from here. An easy climb with good views

2: Pine Valley

Head there from Windy Ridge, about 3 hrs. You could head off at, say, 9:00, hit the Pine Valley  Hut about midday, quick lunch then a foray up into the Labyrinth.

Beautiful area and deserves more than a quick visit. An easy 2-3 day walk coming up from Hobart.

However, if you are there & have time it might be worth nicking in.

 Are there any camping sites other than at the Hut sites?

The rules in the Park are that camping is not permitted inside the Cradle Mountain day walk area. It is legal to camp in various other spots – well away from huts and tracks  but this is discouraged. The major reason is environmental. Hut sites are hardened and have water and toilets provided so that damage from trampling and camping is contained and minimised.

The other reason is social (and also environmental), and would applies much more to the Overland Track than other Tasmanian walks. With over 8 000 walkers, there’s a strong “herd mentality” among the walkers. Once a few people are seen to camp off-track or walk off-track near the OT, the potential for unwanted routes and increased damage is greater.

This area is pristine and in our view, should be protected as much as possible to keep it that way. Hard line? Yes!

If you are forced into camping away from the designated areas due to injury or really bad weather it is very important you follow all the Leave No Trace principals to protect the Park’s environment.

Any reason to not use Cradle Mountain Coaches for transport? [You do not mention them.]

No reason at all. They are not mentioned because we did not know about them. Thanks for pointing this out, they will be in the next edition of the book!

Can you explain the option of walking around Lake St. Clair more? [You assume that everyone will want to take the ferry. Is the walking option unattractive?]

We don’t go into a lot of detail about the walk “along” Lake St Clair. It  basically takes you through some absolutely magnificent rainforest for about 17.5km. There are minimal  views of the lake, the track can be very muddy and many people find it a drudge.

Some of the magnificent forest along the Lake St Clair track

Image: TassieEye via Flickr

If you have the time, walking along the lake track to the Visitors Centre can be a good option. It also saves you the ferry fee! Echo Point Hut is about 7.5 km from Narcissus Hut  and some hikers spend the night in (or around) the hut. There are only bunk spots for eight people and it is  very small inside. There are a couple of campsites and a toilet nearby.

Realistically, what is the likely low temperature on the Overland Track in March? (can I use a 0-degree (Celsius) sleeping bag?)

John Chapman has some great weather charts of expected daily temperatures across the Overland Track. It is important to note that the northern end of the Track up around Cradle Mountain can be colder than in the south.

According to his chart on average in March you can expect daily maximums of 15 degrees C with overnights of about 5 degrees C in the north and 8 – 16C in the south. Maximum and minimum temperatures can vary a lot depending on the season. For more detailed information check out John’s Overland Track weather page.

So, a zero degree sleeping bag in March? Not a problem unless there is a blizzard. Just add some clothes and you will be fine.

Have you got any other questions about hiking the Overland Track? If so, shoot us an email at enquiry@ourhikingblog.com.au and we will try and help you out.

What food to take and how to store it can be a difficult to work out for a long hike.

With any trip, planning what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a long hike can be difficult.  You want it to be  lightweight, tasty, nutritious and store well.

Image: Elvin W via Flickr

We came across Andrew Skurka’s one week food plan for a trip he planned into The Wind River Range in the  Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming, USA.

It is a terrific menu for a 7 day hiking trip.

Andrew covers:

• breakfast
• daytime snacks
• dinners
• storage
• weights
• nutritional value

It is well worth checking out and using for new ideas on your next multi day hiking trip.

Remember, we also have Food to Go,  our ebook that is all about planning bushwalking menus for the outdoors.

There is a large section with menu plans created by outdoor people from across the world. It is a very popular part of the guide with some terrific menu plans that are simple and practical.

Many of you will be in the same position, families grown up, most of your debts paid off and thinking about adding a bit of adventure to your lives.

We can’t go bushwalking all the time and there are many places in Australia (and around the world) that beckon. Here in Australia that usually means a road trip, yes, a very long road trip!

A great mate and terrific contributor to Our Hiking Blog is Georgie Bull. She has written many excellent pieces around the site on topics ranging from How to choose the right hiking boots to Getting fit for a multiday hiking trip.

Georgie contacted us recently and offered to share her latest adventure in a series of articles about her trip to Cape York and central  Australia. Not exactly hiking but still an adventure by any measure.

Here is the first piece, enjoy!

Heading to Cape York, Far North Queensland

Image: Charlie Brewer via Flickr

The Big Trip.

Well, my trusty hiking boots are out of summer storage – not to walk Tassie’s cool misty mountain tracks, but for tracks and walks in the other direction – Cape York and Uluru, via Birdsville.

We are all kitted up with a new 4WD with snorkel – handy for the many over-the-bonnet creek crossings en route to The Tip – and a new set of chunky tyres that promise not to get us bogged in mud or sand.

Our plan is to leave the Love Shack in Palmwoods and 3 days later arrive for a dip and wood fired oven pizza at Innot Hot Springs, on the western side of the Divide in from Innisfail, after refueling at Emeral and Charters Towers.

From Innot Hot Springs we will head to the Crater Lakes NP for a swim in the pristine waters of Lake Barrine and tea and scones at the teahouse. Then it is up through Mareeba and Atherton to the Cape York peninsular and Thursday Island.

On the way back south we will venture into the Undara Lava Tubes, then head to Winton’s dinosaur stampede, before the hitting the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks to Uluru and Kata Tjuta. From those big rocks we will make for the Alice, Devil’s Marbles, and coppery Mt Isa, and be back at the Love Shack early October.

I’ll keep you posted over our 8 weeks in the Outback – the roads, the scenery, the awe and wonder – from the perspective of we two gung-ho 64 year olds.

This is a trip you shouldn’t do on your own, but you should do it, and I hope my posts will encourage you to get on the road.

As usual, your comments and helpful suggestions will be most welcome.

Regards to all.

Georgie

This sign will become an iconic image for the thousands that hike the track each year. Well done Parks and Wildlife Tasmania.

Hannah,  our mid 20’s daughter, was until then the only member of the  family who had not hiked the Overland. This trip was her chance to experience our favourite place and join one of the many who have experienced this fantastic World Heritage area.

New Overland Track signage – a magic photo opportunity

There are many articles around Our Hiking Blog about planning and hiking the Overland Track so this article will focus on some lessons others many find useful.  If you want comprehensive information about planning the trip, arranging transport, selecting gear, planning meals and stacks of other information, check out our eBook – How to Hike the Overland Track.

1. Clothing

We walked in the first flush of winter. It had snowed for a couple of days and on the day we left there was a bushwalking alert. Not unexpected,  so we were well prepared.

Breakfast at Pelion Hut – down jackets are in!

Tips?

• Layers of clothing are winners. You get hot even hiking in snow and cold weather, so being able to remove (or add) a layer or two can make you much more comfortable.
• Down jackets are magic.  They pack up small, are relatively light and oh so warm once you stop for the day and cool down. We all took them and had them on within 5 minutes of reaching the huts at night.
• Don’t over pack. Think carefully about what clothing you really need. Even though it is winter, if you have good waterproofs your inners should stay (relatively) dry.
• On this trip Frank did not wear:
  • two pairs of thermal longs
  • one light weight thermal top
  • one merino mid weight long sleeved top
  • one mid weight polypropylene top
  • one pair of hut socks (Explorers)
  • waterproof pants
  • two pairs of gloves —- in total, that is a LOT of weight!

2. Prepare quick snacks for lunch

Each morning, before you pack up and start hiking ,  pop your head out of the hut and check out the weather. Is it raining or snowing? Is the wind strong and are there black clouds on the horizon? Is it freezing cold?

If any of the above exist, and you plan to stop for lunch along the track that day,  think about how you will access and prepare your lunch.

Tips?

• Prepare wraps or dry biscuits and toppings like cheese and salami in a zip loc bag ready to grab at a stop. They need to be  easily accessible and not in the bottom of your pack!
• There are protected areas from the wind and rain, and a cup of soup or coffee might be great. Have your cooker, cup and a pot right at the top of your pack ready to pull out and fire up some boiling water.
• Have your scroggin or snack bars in the pocket of your coat and remember to eat them regularly. Just a few jelly beans or nuts will give you almost instant energy when you are struggling against a bank of sleet. You can almost feel the energy flow through your body!

3. Don’t rush, its ok to relax and enjoy the walk

Oh the frustration and sadness of seeing a pair of hikers up and leaving a hut pre-dawn to get on the track. Alternatively, while we were having breakfast in Bert Nichols Hut at 10 am, greeting a couple of hikers who had walked the first hour in the dark to get there from Kia Ora hut, made us question what was the purpose of their walk. A time trial or one of relaxation and enjoyment?

You don’t see these little jewels in the dark.

Why rush? Why hike in the dark?

Ok, many people love the physical challenge of a long distance hike. They want to burn the miles and achieve their goal of “doing” the Track. Fair enough but what are they missing out on?

We had allowed 6 nights for this trip. The standard is usually 5 but we allowed an extra night in case of bad weather or heavy snow. Even though the weather was ok we still stuck to walking from hut to hut each day. Some days were only 3-4 hours walking so we often left at lunch time and arrived in the next hut well before dark.

It made for a very relaxing trip.

 4. Expect the huts to be full or busy at any time of the year.

So, you decide to sneak off to Tasmania in winter and hike in glorious isolation? No one else will be around, it’s cold and wet and winter……

Think again, it was VERY busy during our trip.  It was school holidays in a couple of Australian States but there were also people who thought it would be quiet.

Steamy sleeping quarters at Windemere Hut in Winter

Our experience:

• Around 20 the first night at Waterfall Valley in the new hut. There were also a few in the old hut.
• The least we had were 9 lovely people at Kia Ora Hut.
• There were about 15 at  Narcissus and Bert Nichols
• 20 damp souls spent the night at Windemere Hut
• 30 plus enjoyed the cold cavernous  Pelion Hut

We will be publishing a “hut etiquette” article in the future. A few people should have read it before they shared the huts!

5. Wet Feet

After long consultation with other walkers on the track we decided  “waterproof” boots are a myth perpetuated by hiking shoe manufacturers.

Nearly everyone had wet feet for most of the Overland Track.  It is possible to avoid some of the deeper mud and water but not ethically right. You can ‘rock hop” or go wide on tracks but it only leads to track degradation and ultimately you will slip and get wet feet.

Some tried plastic bags others just accepted it! Wet feet are a certainty.

Some people tried to dry their sock and boots each night, not sure how successful they were. Frank just put on wet socks, wacked his feet  into wet boots and took the icy cold hit. Sue and Hannah spent some time drying their socks but usually ended up wet after a couple of hours.

Our new friend Dave (above) tried plastic bags that failed 5 minutes after the photo was taken……..

6. Food to take

Winter is a great time to take food that would usually spoil in summer. The air is cold and conditions perfect to carry some fresh supplies.  As usual, we ate pretty well on the track. Fillet steak and pepper sauce was a highlight on the first night after a very hard slog through ice and snow.

We took some dehydrated meals that worked out really well other than one small disaster caused by Frank rushing the packaging and adding dahl to a mincy type meal. Strange tastes but filled our bellies……

Cabbage lentil chow dahl with damaged and uneaten cucumbers ready for the composting toilet.

With little opportunity to sit outside and enjoy the views,  or bask  in sunshine,  having tasty meals and snacks can keep your morale high. We took a couple of serves of pancakes, packets of honey and jam  AND a slab of butter. Delicious!

Cooking pancakes at 10am in Bert Nichols Hut

7. Take a great headlight

It gets dark early in winter and the light was still weak until about 7:45 am.

Most of the huts don’t have huge windows as they are designed to keep in the heat, not let it leach out through glass. That means you often need to use your headlight in a hut.

Windemere Hut and a group playing cards under headlight.

You do need a good reliable headlight. It is probably something worth not compromising on.

Points to consider when purchasing a headlight

• You need a quality one that has variable intensity
  • it should dim down to save battery life
  • by dimming, the light won’t blind everyone you accidentally shine it at
• Consider one that has a good strong spotlight beam in case you need to hike in the dark to get to a hut.
• Many people also used red lights to protect their night vision. A handy option.
• Check how much power the headlight uses and take the appropriate number of good quality batteries. Frank didn’t and had to swap a treasured Cherry Ripe for some spare AAA’s……

8. Heating in the huts

Yes it was winter, yes the Overland Track Huts have heaters and yes it was cold.

But do they work? Not all of them do.

Do they warm up the huts? No not at all.

Do they dry your clothes and boots? Some of them, maybe.

Heater at Bert Nichols Hut. Special.

On this trip we discovered the fires in Kia Ora and Bert Nichols huts have been replaced with gas heaters. Excellent. The small problem was that neither worked. There was gas in the tanks but neither heater would ignite.

Is it a disaster? Should we write a letter of complaint to Parks and Wildlife Tasmania? Is it their responsibility to heat the Huts?

Our view is that we decided to bushwalk the Overland Track in Winter. It is our responsibility to ensure we have the correct gear and warm clothing. It is up to us to ensure we stay warm and comfortable. It is not Park’s responsibility (at great cost to the Tasmanian people) to provide heaters to keep us warm.

A bonus if the heaters work? Yes!

A right? No.

9. Yippee it’s free in winter! Let’s “do” the Overland and save some money.

We decided to hike the Track in Winter because Sue is a teacher and we are stuck taking our breaks in school holidays. We also love the challenge of walking in variable weather and always have our fingers crossed for “blue bird” days. The dream of stillness, blue skies and a white,  winter,  wonderland is always in the back of our minds.

There were three of us so it did save us $600 on track fees. A substantial amount.

We did inject a significant amount of cash into the Tasmanian economy. The credit card statement that arrived three days after our arrival home tells the story:

• Flights – into Launceston out of Hobart – around $600
• Transfers – up to Cradle Mountain with Howard of Cradle Coast Tours (ph: 0407 335 925) and from Lake St Clair to Hobart with Ian from Mountain Bike Tasmania – $500
• Accommodation at Cradle Mountain Lodge for a night, dinner at the restaurant and assorted coffee’s , wines and snacks – $700+ (extravagant we know,  but we were on holidays)
• Ferry from Narcissus Hut down Lake St Clair – $120
• Accommodation at Shippies in Hobart (including a couple of wines in the bar) – $180
• Incidentals including meals in Hobart, airport transfers etc – $200

The total? You work it out, it’s too scary for us!

10. Lighten the load

We have never been obsessed with lightweight or ultralight bushwalking. Sure, we have been careful in our gear selection and made sure it was as light as possible and especially versatile. We never double up gear with others in our party and try to share the load where possible.

This trip we both bought new Aarn backpacks. There is a lot of interest in these and a full review article will follow.

Sue with her Aarn pack heading through some mud

The Aarn packs were around 1.5kg lighter than our One Planet Strezlecki’s. This combined with new, lighter,  One Planet sleeping bags (review to follow) saved over 2kg each.

That is a significant weight loss and made the trip so much easier.

In short Frank found his new pack excellent. Very comfortable and managable. The reduction in weight was fantastic and there were no sore feet or blisters on this trip, a first!

Finally:

“Doing” the Overland Track in winter is not something for inexperienced bushwalkers. Tasmanian weather can be brutal any time of the year but winter can throw up particular challenges. This is a very isolated area where you are generally on your own, there is no mobile phone service for most of the Track. We carried a PLB but would have only used it in an extreme emergency. We were well prepared (as were most of other walkers we met)

That being said, winter is a fantastic time to enjoy the Tasmanian wilderness and we had a brilliant time.

We have also posted a few more pictures over at our Facebook page you might enjoy.

After moving into our new home about 12 months ago the dust is finally settling. This weekend the garden went in and NEXT weekend we finally head off for a long awaited winter trip on the Overland Track in Tasmania. Heading from north to south, allowing six nights we are taking our middle daughter Hannah on her first Tassie hike. She  had a bit of experience hiking a few years back with Wollongarra, completing a section of the Australian Alps Walking Track. She is the last of our three children to walk the Overland.

It has been almost 3 years since we set out on a trip in Tasmania in Winter. That is far too long. This video and article will remind you of our trip into the Western Arthur’s in Tasmania’s south west. Great trip, in retrospect…..

This video also tells the story:

 Gear for the Overland Track

We have updated a fair bit of gear for this trip. We are trying to reduce our pack weight. While age is being kind to us so far, carrying 20+ kg is not fun.

In addition to a new hat for Frank we have each updated to an Aarn pack , saving around 1.5kg each. We also updated to light weight Sea to Summit sleeping bags. (saving 300g-500g each)

Two kg saving to our baseweight equates to not carrying a 2 litre milk container for the whole 85km, winning! (gear reports to follow)

Getting geared up with a new hat

We were also blessed with our first grandchild, Elliot Thomas  three months ago. What a fantastic addition to our family and he has already been on his first camping trip. Clare and Jay are both outdoors people and Clare has a terrific site called, well, The Life of Clare! Here is the article about camping with the Reilly’s.

Connecting with people 

We recently updated the look and feel of Our Hiking Blog. It is now mobile, tablet as well as web enhanced. We hope it is a much easier reading experience for the thousands of people who read our information on their phone or iPad.  It may interest you that 40% of people who visit our site do so on a portable device. Who said a phone is just a phone!

Over at Facebook there has been a lot of action on the Our Hiking Blog  page – please join us there and like the page. We share interesting stuff from across the hiking world, post fun things we find around the globe and have great chats with our readers. It is also a place where you can share your trips or ask questions of our 600 plus followers.

Google+ is another great way to connect. We find it a very visual medium and follow some fantastic outdoor people from across the world. The quality of many of the photographs are stunning. Check us out on Google + here.

Finally, for you Tweeps, we love Twitter and hang around there sharing great stuff from the outdoor world. With over 2000 followers there is always something happening. Check out Our Hiking Blog on Twitter, it’s amazing what you can learn in 160 characters!

Returning a few years later, Sue got some bad blisters after a couple of days. Deciding they were only going to get worse we left our party to continue on, camped at Louisa Bay for a few days,  and then returned to Melaleuca and flew back to Hobart.

Both trips were fantastic. This area of Tasmania is highly recommended for someone who wants to get off the beaten track and explore some isolated places. It is no where like the Overland Track, much more isolated, the tracks are very muddy and you need to be experienced and well prepared. You need to allow about 5-7 days. That’s a lot of food to carry!

A screen shot from the video, a section of mud on the South Coast Track

What is the South Coast Track?

Located in the Southwest National Park, Tasmania, Australia the 82 km track roughly follows the coast between Cockle Creek and Melaleuca. Most people fly into Melaleuca and walk out to Cockle Creek. This is usually to avoid being trapped at Melaleuca in bad weather without food. There are only three ways to get to Melaleuca, by boat, walk in or fly. There is no road access.

If the weather is poor, the planes don’t fly and you may be waiting for a few days to be picked up. Well worth noting in your planning!

In 2010 David Murphy created a  video of his adventures on the South Coast Track.

As he notes on You Tube:

December 2010 trek from Melaleuca to Cockle Creek in Tasmania’s South Coast National Park. Irish Dave and Bundy attempt their first ever multi day hike in bad weather conditions.

The video is quite long but well worth a look. All the good bits (mud, leeches, blood, rivers and rain) are in the second half…..

Have you hiked the South Coast Track?

Have you struggled through mud like David and his friend did?

We would love to hear about your experiences. Shoot us a comment below.

The menu can be used for any outdoors trip where you need food that will last a few days without refrigeration, is lightweight, easy to pack and won’t spoil.

What we love about it is that it is really simple. Basically one pot meals that don’t  take an age to prepare or cook.

The last thing you want after a hard day bushwalking is to spend an hour cooking a meal. You want food, and you want it now!

Image: Allan Chatto via Flickr

Ok, over to Meredith:

My husband and I, with one of our sons and his wife, completed the Overland Track recently. Our evening meals seemed to be the envy of all in the huts!

We don’t own a dehydrator and I was happy to adapt meals we often eat to suit hiking packs. Apart from a few fresh vegetables and fruit and two salami knobs which we shared between us, almost everything was moisture free and contributed no more weight than would normally be expected from six days’ rations.

I found powdered egg a wonderful bonus – as a result I was able to pre-mix pikelet mix for our afternoon tea each day, each stored in zip-lock bags so there was nothing to measure apart from water.

I have attached the evening meal ingredient list in case you think anyone would be interested. I haven’t included instructions for preparation but I think most will be self-explanatory for anyone who cooks!

My one tip would be regarding the sun-dried tomatoes. They are incredibly light and so useful but the ones we had seemed to be rather salty. We always made tea or coffee once we reached the hut, so boiled extra water on the nights we intended to use the dry tomatoes, and started hydrating them as soon as the water boiled. Next time I would discard the hydrating water because it was so salty and use fresh water for the meal preparation.

My only reservation was that I sprained my ankle badly just before Frog Flat and had to battle on injured for the rest of the hike. (Our fellow hikers, not just our family were amazingly helpful, but that’s another story!)

A tip your readers might be interested in, Sam and Krista bought a new saucepan, one of the ones with the heat efficient base (I don’t know what it is called but it looks a bit like the cooling surfaces of a car radiator) and the difference in cooking times using that compared with our regular saucepan was really noticeable. They are expensive but in terms of using and therefore carrying less fuel, a significant advantage.

Many thanks to Meredith for sharing her fantastic dinner ideas. They look really healthy and tasty!

Have you got any similar dinner recipes for backpacking on long or thru hikes?

Please share them by commenting below, our readers love to try different meals on the track!

Early on in our adventures we both struggled at times.

It may have been the weight of our packs, the mud, the roots, the long days or the  extreme weather. Early on,  the Overland Track and Tasmania’s wilderness always tested us, sometimes to the edge of our ability to cope. It can be an extreme experience.

Over time we have grown comfortable with the challenges. We have definitely not become blase nor do we set off under prepared. We just know what to expect and prepare mentally.  We always have the correct gear, clothing and food for the trip.

Recently we came across Ally’s trip report of her Overland Track adventure. Reading it bought back a lot of memories and highlighted to us how challenging, stressful and exhausting the trip can be to a first timer.

We will just share a few of Allys quotes from her very entertaining article.  You need to read her full trip report over here: The Overland Track – Ally International.  Don’t forget to check out here full  photo gallery over here.

Ally at Pelion Hut ready to head off for the day

The climb to Marion’s lookout:

All was good until I had to climb a rockface, with my pack on, and nothing to hold besides a chain held into the rock by metal poles. From there, things got nasty. It started snowing badly, and on a plateau like the one I was on, the high winds don’t make for easy going, and the fact that no trees were around didn’t help either.

Walking:

By that point I had forgotten what dry boots felt like. My right knee had begun to feel like it had been run over by a car. It’s still recovering as I write this. I had fallen a few times since day one, and my knees were littered with bruises.

More walking:

Walking with other people takes your mind off of the monotony of walking. But, it’s kind of hard to hear people when you have 2 layers of hoods on because the sky won’t stop pouring on your head. I fell twice that day, once in high, fast-flowing water on a rock and the other time on a very sleet-covered rock.

Clothing:

Putting on all attire that morning was miserable. Everything was still soaked and also freezing cold. I couldn’t feel any extremity for 30 minutes of walking. I didn’t use my trekking poles that day and managed to not fall, another success.

Thoughts on the trip?

I am alive. I made it. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I loved it and I hated it at the same time.

Well done Ally! A great trip report on the Overland Track.  We hope it has not left you too damaged and your are ready for another adventure!

Some of you will know we have an eBook designed for first time hikers planning the Overland Track in Tasmania. Hiking the Overland Track was last updated in 2014 and it is a great guide on planning your trip.

Have you hiked the Overland Track?  We are off there in June and cannot wait!

Please share your experiences below.

We would love to hear about your trip.