Follow Strider's Rambles

November 10,2024

I got a great night’s sleep, entirely warm and cozy. A general stirring started ~5:45 am and, already awake, I set about my morning routine.  At the toilet, I saw a pademelon with a joey in her pouch!! We ate a quick breakfast and got on trail not long after 7 am. It was overcast, yet blue sky was visible in one direction. We leapfrogged with other hikers as the trail followed a plateau, gently rising and dipping, mostly on boardwalk.

After hiking through patches of thick mud and shallow water, my feet got wet. Our group made a stop at Forth Valley Lookout, the edge of a cliff that descended into a green sea of trees. The sun came out; we basked and chatted. I noticed a movement near my foot and saw a skink head between two rocks. It withdrew when I moved for a better look. Patience on my part gave it the confidence to fully emerge and I got a good look at its shiny body and long toes. Eventually the overcast returned and drove us back to the trail.

In a forest filled with pencil pines and moss, we de-layered on a platform beside a creek. Blue sky and sun dominated overhead. An hour later, we stopped at Frog Flats for lunch, sitting in a rocky exposed area. All four of us removed our shoes to dry our feet. A small group of guided hikers briefly joined us and the guide gave us leftover artisan bread, much to the pleasure of my companions. After the group left, we were joined by Alison, Simon, and several other hikers.

As we neared the hut, I spotted a snake’s tail headed away from the track. There were also numerous Metallic Skinks sunning themselves on the edges of the boardwalk.

After 10.4 miles, we reached Pelion Hut, on the edge of a buttongrass moorland. I claimed a top bunk with Hobble-it below me and Sonic in another bottom bunk across from us. We set up our beds then, along with High Route, went to the heli-pad and did barefoot yoga, laying out socks & shoes to dry. The sunshine felt glorious! Earlier I filled my water bottle directly from a stream and, having thus committed, stopped filtering the hut water. After all, most of the Australians were drinking it straight.

We took a late afternoon excursion to Old Pelion Hut, backtracking 1 km to the trail junction, then proceeding another 1 km. Along the way, I spotted an echidna. We never saw its head, it dug furiously into a dry clump of vegetation. The old hut was an emergency shelter and had a replicated log book from 1943-1960! We found an old copper mine tunnel and explored a very short distance. Then we washed our feet and faces in an excellent creek swimming hole.

The four of us ate dinner on the heli-pad, chatting with other hikers. Afterwards, Sonic, High Route, and I followed a path to the nearby creek. We crossed a one-plank wide suspension bridge and looked for fossils on a small, rocky beach. High Route and I each found several and I gave him my best one, keeping none. From the hut’s porch, I saw a wallaby, several pademelon, and one wombat! One tiny joey hopped about beside its mom.

November 11, 2024

The day dawned to blue sky and sunshine. High Route, who slept on the porch, told us how he fended off a possum with a trekking pole. Once again we got an early start, climbing gradually through needle pine and moss filled forests. The climb culminated at Pelion Gap, which had two large wooden platforms and trails to either Mt. Pelion East or Mt. Ossa. I carried my pack while my friends left theirs. To foil currawongs, birds who have learned how to open zippers, everyone tightened straps and removed snacks from side pockets.

We headed towards Mt. Ossa, Tasmania’s highest peak. The ascent began with a long series of stairs, made out of what appeared to be a plastic composite material. Then came the Japanese Garden, so called because of the stone path and bushes that looked manicured yet were naturally rounded. High Route went to the garden, but did not attempt the peak due to vertigo issues.

After dropping to a saddle, the Mt. Ossa trail continued steeply upwards. It made its way between two large crags and we encountered an exposed section of rocks mixed with snow. Hobble-it freaked out, however with me leading and Sonic following, we encouraged her slowly onward. Some class four climbing brought us to a false summit. We took a snack break and evaluated the path ahead, which had a large snowfield that appeared sketchy. Initially thinking about calling it, we watched another group work their way around the snow and regain the trail. We continued onward and followed their route.

The summit of Mt. Ossa was worth the effort. It had fantastic views in every direction. There were also gorgeous skinks and lichen in mixed green hues. We lounged on boulders in the sun and ate more snacks. A peak bagger named Tom ascended to the very highest point. I at first dismissed it, as it looked perilous, but ended up ascending the rocky pillar much less gracefully than he did.

Our descent of Mt. Ossa went quickly. At the Pelion Gap platforms, we found High Route, who had explored towards Mt. Pelion East and guarded our packs. The last 2.5 miles to Kia Ora Hut went quickly, being mainly a descent across buttongrass plains. It was another architecturally beautiful building. We ate dinner sitting in the sun on the deck. Hobble-it and I taught O-Hell to two young hikers, Charlie & James, and the six of us played eight hands before heading to bed.

November 12, 2024

Overnight, it got warm enough to kick off my down booties and fleece leggings. I woke from a great night’s sleep and saw sparkling frost on the deck rails. Still, the day warmed quickly and was another sunny one. The trail took us through mossy forest where we leapt around and across muddy puddles. At one point, we heard a loud cawing and fellow hikers Helaine & Simon pointed out two yellow-tailed black cockatoos. Then the four of us started a game of 20 questions, taking turns posing questions that were answered by all.

After 1.6 miles we came upon Du Cane Hut, now an emergency hut, yet originally built for trapping and prospecting. One mile later, we reached a junction to two waterfalls. First, I led us to Fergusson Falls. It was a single, thundering cascade and the trail terminated at a rocky ledge near its midpoint. At the second falls, I missed and Hobble-it spotted a hairpin turn that led to sun-drenched rocks. Across a chasm, D Alton Falls was a series of cascades. We sat and marveled at the beauty.

There was a third waterfall, Hartnett Falls, less than a mile after the other two. The trail took us to its top, where a wide, gentle creek funneled into a narrow fall between rocky cliff walls. We opted not to descend the steep path to the fall’s base and instead returned to the trail junction, where we ate lunch along with a half dozen other hikers from our hut.

The trail climbed to Du Cane Gap then descended to Windy Ridge Hut. In the sunny area out back, I went looking for snakes and spotted a small grey one. I think it was a white-lipped snake. Most people from our prior hut were headed to Windy Ridge for the night. Due to the fantastic weather and it only being 2 pm, we decided to continue on. The track trended downhill, through eucalyptus forest then across buttongrass plains. A suspension bridge took us over the Narcissus River.

Our 12 mile day, not counting side excursions, culminated at Narcissus Hut. It was fortuitous that we continued onward because when High Route called to confirm our morning ferry, it was an hour earlier than expected. We chatted with ranger Dawson then ate dinner at a picnic table with Helaine & Simon. High Route, Sonic, and I went to the heli-pad to stretch and High Route reenacted his prize-winning disco moves (from a story told during 20 questions). The day ended with the four of us sleeping side-by-side in a very wide bottom bunk.

November 13, 2024

The morning dawned rainy and overcast. Again we were happy that we completed the trail yesterday. To pass the time until our ferry departed, we played O-Hell. Simon joined us and picked the game up quickly, winning the ten rounds. We put all our rain layers before walking the short distance to the jetty. Good thing as the dock had an awning that provided only flimsy protection from the consistent downpour.

Around 14 of us boarded the ferry for a quick 20 minute ride across Lake St. Clair. Sonic noticed me shivering and demanded that I put on his woolen gloves. It’s amazing how much gloves can warm your entire body! At the visitor center, Sonic and I took pictures with the Overland Trail sign. Hobble-it and I had both run out of food at breakfast and I was hungry. Luckily, the center had a café. I ordered a Spanish potato pie that came with GF toast, spinach, and a tomato relish. Only after Sonic and I split an additional double order of sweet potato fries did I feel truly satisfied.