First time on the OLT

[merlin]

Recently I undertook the daunting challenge of walking the Overland Track. I say daunting because being a larger guy, I was fearful of whether I would even be able to make it through the first day. Leaving from Ronny Point and heading to Crater Lake I began to wonder if I had bitten of more than I could chew, since the rest of my party were well ahead of me. The climb to Marion Lookout was to say the least, a lesson in will power but a fantastic view and well worth the effort. By the time I made it to Kitchen Hut, I was ready to turn around and head back to Ronny Point and give it a big miss.
I persevered and managed, with a lot of stop starting, to make it to Waterfall Valley Hut for a much needed rest. The question is, how do you get any rest when you have a freight train sleeping next to you?
Day 2 started with a relaxed breakfast and a later start to Lake Windermere which finishwed in a refreshing, and much needed swim in the river.
Day 3 was an early start to what can only be described as and *&%$#! hard days work for the completely unfit to Pellion Hut, which was followed by a rest day on day 4,but in hindsight, it would have been better to have continued on.
Day 5 from Pellion to Kia Ora and another challenging day of mostly climbing with a rest stop nestled between Mt Ossa and Pellion East both trying to sneek out from behind some low hanging cloud cover.
Day 6 started with the intention of walking from Kia Ora to Narcissus, which the rest of the group managed but being slower, I stopped and set up camp beside a quiet river. The solitude was, I must say, a slightly guilty pleasure of being the only person around and having part of the OLT all to myself.
Day 7 also had a slightly guilty feeling to it about being the sole walker on the track and eventually I made it to Narcissus. The rest of the group had walked out from Narcissus to finish the extra walk to Lake St Clair, whilst I caught the fairy back.
Whilst I feel disappointed that I didn't manage to walk out from Narcissus and complete the full walk, I am certainly proud of the fact that I managed to complete what I did. I can honestly say, I enjoyed every minute of it, once I finished but at times it was a struggle to keep pushing myself to take another step. However, if an overweight guy like me can complete it, then I believe anyone who puts their mind to it can. I will certainly be challenging myself again and completing it sometime in the future, all the way to the end.

[tibboh]

Well done. The OLT is a truely great walk not only because of the breathtaking scenery but because it is accessible to most people. PWS have done a good job to ensure the track is a fairly safe tramp. Everyone gets something different out of it....it's not just about standing on mountain tops...some of my favourite bits have been on the main track itself!
Keep challenging yourself and you experiences will only get better.

[corvus]

Nice account of your trip and thank you for sharing
corvus

[Nick S]

Good one Merlin.
Glad you pushed on and could enjoy it. Solo walking is good for the soul.

I must say I smiled at your ? mistype.
Imagining a sparkling fairy with large wings taking you across the lake..

[merlin]

Thanks Nick, I was typing this at about 1.00am when I could'nt sleep and only noticed the typo today. The FERRY, was an interesting trip too as the lake was really rough so was a very bouncy trip and we had to move to shallower waters when the boat almost became airborne.

[DanShell]

Thanks for sharing.

Was the rest of the group concerned when you didn't arrive at Narcissus? Or did you tell them you may not make it? Hand held UHF's perhaps? Sorry for my ignorance, I am only very new to hiking

Also when you consider yourself to be a larger guy, how large if you dont mind me asking? I know its a personal question but I am 6' and weight around 85-90kgs, so while I am not terribly over weight I could do with loosing a few kilos so I like to gauge myself to what you have experienced doing the OLT.

[Taurë-rana]

Well done merlin on your perseverance. I'm not overweight, and fairly fit, but the OT was still hard work. I met another (unless it was you) rather large bloke walking it and doing it really hard a couple of weeks ago, and was inspired by his effort too, it's great to see people having a go and not making excuses for not doing it. Mindset is a big thing with walking, and it seems to me if you can walk the OT while doing it so hard and still enjoy it, you should be able to do anything!

Last edited by Taurë-rana on Tue 26 Mar, 2013 2:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[merlin]

Hi DanShell,
When I say larger guy, I'm 6 feet tall but about 115kg, so considerably larger. I wasn't originally planning to do the track till I had lost another 15 - 20kg but things didn't quite go to plan.
Also meant to say, not sure the rest of the party were concerned when I didn't arrive at Narcissus or not. The fact that they walked out the next morning, I'd have to suggest there wasn't any great concern. I think the main concern was more worrying that one of them might have to come back the next day to pick me.

Last edited by merlin on Tue 26 Mar, 2013 9:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[merlin]

Well done Danshell on your perseverance. I'm not overweight, and fairly fit, but the OT was still hard work. I met another (unless it was you) rather large bloke walking it and doing it really hard a couple of weeks ago, and was inspired by his effort too, it's great to see people having a go and not making excuses for not doing it. Mindset is a big thing with walking, and it seems to me if you can walk the OT while doing it so hard and still enjoy it, you should be able to do anything!

Taure-rana, I did the track from 7-13 March, so it could very well have been me

[Taurë-rana]

Sounds like it was you merlin (I've edited my original post to get the name right), I passed you that day when you were coming up from the waterfalls and was rather concerned about you trying to get to Narcissus that night! I'm glad you had the sense to stop and camp when you'd had enough. I wouldn't feel too disappointed about not walking along the lake, you did a fantastic job and the lake side walk isn't going anywhere. Personally I've always thought that the OT ends at Narcissus anyway or at least Echo Point, but I know few people agree with me...

[peter-robinson]

Congrats to both of you, it's inspiring to hear of your success.
I'm starting the OT on the 7th of April and getting a little more apprehensive as each day passes - it will be my first multi-day hike and I'm sure when it's done it will have been great.

[merlin]

Sounds like it was you merlin (I've edited my original post to get the name right), I passed you that day when you were coming up from the waterfalls and was rather concerned about you trying to get to Narcissus that night! I'm glad you had the sense to stop and camp when you'd had enough. I wouldn't feel too disappointed about not walking along the lake, you did a fantastic job and the lake side walk isn't going anywhere. Personally I've always thought that the OT ends at Narcissus anyway or at least Echo Point, but I know few people agree with me...

Thanks Taurë-rana, I was a little concerned myself that day about whether i would make it out alive, lol. I am planning another trip some time in the future to complete the lake side walk, as you said, it's not going anywhere.

[Tortoise]

Congrats to both of you, it's inspiring to hear of your success.
I'm starting the OT on the 7th of April and getting a little more apprehensive as each day passes - it will be my first multi-day hike and I'm sure when it's done it will have been great.

G'day P-R! Thought i'd toss in my tuppence worth (I'm that old )

Sounds like you haven't done anything longer than a day walk - am I understanding right? Have you car camped with the gear you'll be using? - ie have you carried a big pack, used your tent, stove etc at all?

The OT was my first multiday walk, some decades ago. Decided on 9 days for side trips and walking to Cynthia Bay. Made zillions of mistakes, partly because i guess i didn't really understand how cold and wet it could be.

The gear I borrowed, i didn't know well enough. I picked up a billy of boiling water by the handle the wrong way, and it all tipped out onto my (bare) foot. The nearest cold water was about 200m away at Lake Windemere...

The gear I had wasn't up to the conditions (an OLD A frame japara tent without a floor, a jacket that turned out to only be shower proof...).
I took stuff i didn't need, and didn't take stuff i did need. Had too much weight for my size / fitness.

SO, my advice is:

- Believe the Parks advice re warm stuff and waterproof stuff and adequate tent - especially since you're in Qld

- Use your gear first if you haven't already (know how to put up your tent quickly, because you might have to do it in bad weather).

- Practise walking at least some distance most days between now and when you start to see what issues you might have with boots, pack etc.

- Ask questions - there aren't stupid ones.

- Challenging situations make the best stories.

-Plan for the easier options, and add extra ones if you're doing well.

- Start early on the Windemere to Pelion Day

- Start getting excited!!!!! Despite all the things that went wrong, thanks to numbers of very helpful other walkers (if you ever read this, Kate and ?Richard, who gave me the burn cream, stronger pain killers etc, THANKS!), it was WONDERFUL, and I got totally hooked on mountains, Tassie, bushwalking, etc etc.

Have an excellent walk.

[merlin]

Congrats to both of you, it's inspiring to hear of your success.
I'm starting the OT on the 7th of April and getting a little more apprehensive as each day passes - it will be my first multi-day hike and I'm sure when it's done it will have been great.

Peter, the apprehension will add to the excitment of actually doing it. Even up until our lift left on the Wednesday afternoon, I was still considering jumping back in the van and heading back. My only previous multi-day was a 3 day walk up Mt Anne last year during snow in March, so this was a major challenge. Good luck and let me know how you go with it.

[merlin]

I can totally agree with Tortoise as this was part of my downfall. I had all the right equipment and clothing and had worn in the boots properly etc etc. However, I did practice with the weight I would be carrying and go walking ever day to prepare the body (despite having someone constantly telling me I needed to). So the first day, which is also one of the hardest days, was a bit of a shocker getting use to balancing the weight distribution. Take the advise and test all your equipment before you leave and even walking 1/2 - 1 hour a day with the pack (even with bricks to give a good idea) will prepare you a lot better.

[Tortoise]

So the first day, which is also one of the hardest days, was a bit of a shocker getting use to balancing the weight distribution. Take the advise and test all your equipment before you leave and even walking 1/2 - 1 hour a day with the pack (even with bricks to give a good idea) will prepare you a lot better.

Anything will help, but I suggest maybe not bricks. They'll mean a very different weight distribution from the stuff you'll be carrying - very bottom-heavy, so you won't get a good idea re how the pack will feel.

[peter-robinson]

Hi Merlin &Tortoise, thanks for the tips, I will review everything I can.
It's my first multi-day walk and I'm in Brisbane so decided to with a tour group for the assistance/safety aspect and so I don't have to buy quite so much cold/wet weather gear I might not need again. They supply a pack and various bits of gear so I can't practice with the exact pack.
I have been walking up over Mt Coot-tha and back, varying between 5 and 10 km nearly every day for the last couple of months. Last week I loaded up my old pack so it's a bit over 15kg and most days have been doing about an 8k loop, up and over the mountain twice. I've really been enjoying all the walking and will keep it going after the trip but wasn't sure exactly how much training I should be doing. You've made me feel a little less concerned about surviving the trip, thanks.
Fingers crossed I have enough gear without getting too heavy - the weather is so unlike what I am used to.

[Tortoise]

Hey P-R. sorry i assumed you were doing it all yourself. Not everyone is as silly as i was!
I went rafting down the Franklin with a guided group eons ago, and it was brilliant.

They supply a pack and various bits of gear so I can't practice with the exact pack..

No worries - with a lighter pack, it's not really an issue. (Or are you camping rather than Cradle Mt huts?)

Even so, the guide should be able to help fit the pack to you as well as possible, and show you how to pack it with the weight distributed well. That makes all the difference in the world.

I don't have to buy quite so much cold/wet weather gear I might not need again.

Once you get a taste of Tassie, you probably will, though.

I have been walking up over Mt Coot-tha and back, varying between 5 and 10 km nearly every day for the last couple of months. Last week I loaded up my old pack so it's a bit over 15kg and most days have been doing about an 8k loop, up and over the mountain twice. I've really been enjoying all the walking and will keep it going after the trip but wasn't sure exactly how much training I should be doing.

Sounds like you'll be much better prepared than most people! I don't know Mt Coot-tha - what sort of altitude gain is it?

You've made me feel a little less concerned about surviving the trip, thanks.

Excellent

Fingers crossed I have enough gear without getting too heavy - the weather is so unlike what I am used to

It's all about layers. Need to be flexible. I imagine they give you a good idea re what to bring.

Relax, and have a most wonderful trip. Any more questions, just ask.

Cheers

[north-north-west]

Personally I've always thought that the OT ends at Narcissus anyway or at least Echo Point, but I know few people agree with me...

Historically, the route ends at Cynthia Bay, but 99% of people these days don't know that and don't care. The Narcissus ending might even be part of the modern promotion, to ensure ongoing business for the ferry operators.

[peter-robinson]

Hey P-R. sorry i assumed you were doing it all yourself.

Oh, no apologies necessary, pretty much all input is brilliant for a first-timer, it's useful for me and a good reference for future readers of the thread

Sounds like you'll be much better prepared than most people! I don't know Mt Coot-tha - what sort of altitude gain is it?

Not much. The track I take goes up about 150m in altitude, flat across the top, down 150 on the other side, then back up, over, down. It's called a mountain but not really very big.

It's all about layers. Need to be flexible. I imagine they give you a good idea re what to bring.

Yes, they gave a good gear list but not really any recommendations for brands, models, etc, which is understandable but the choices are so varied it's paralysing

[corvus]

Hi Merlin &Tortoise, thanks for the tips, I will review everything I can.
It's my first multi-day walk and I'm in Brisbane so decided to with a tour group for the assistance/safety aspect and so I don't have to buy quite so much cold/wet weather gear I might not need again. They supply a pack and various bits of gear so I can't practice with the exact pack.
I have been walking up over Mt Coot-tha and back, varying between 5 and 10 km nearly every day for the last couple of months. Last week I loaded up my old pack so it's a bit over 15kg and most days have been doing about an 8k loop, up and over the mountain twice. I've really been enjoying all the walking and will keep it going after the trip but wasn't sure exactly how much training I should be doing. You've made me feel a little less concerned about surviving the trip, thanks.
Fingers crossed I have enough gear without getting too heavy - the weather is so unlike what I am used to.

Peter,
Doing this with guided group you will have the best time, small pack size and depending on the group possibly hot showers every night it will be a wonderful experience for you.
corvus

[cixelsyd]

Hi Merlin &Tortoise, thanks for the tips, I will review everything I can.
It's my first multi-day walk and I'm in Brisbane so decided to with a tour group for the assistance/safety aspect and so I don't have to buy quite so much cold/wet weather gear I might not need again. They supply a pack and various bits of gear so I can't practice with the exact pack.
I have been walking up over Mt Coot-tha and back, varying between 5 and 10 km nearly every day for the last couple of months. Last week I loaded up my old pack so it's a bit over 15kg and most days have been doing about an 8k loop, up and over the mountain twice. I've really been enjoying all the walking and will keep it going after the trip but wasn't sure exactly how much training I should be doing. You've made me feel a little less concerned about surviving the trip, thanks.
Fingers crossed I have enough gear without getting too heavy - the weather is so unlike what I am used to.

Hey PR,
I live in enoggera and if you are training on mt cootha with 15kg almost everyday, you will breeze the OT. Your hardest day will probably be day 1, but once your up on the plateau you've pretty much done the climb. I train in a similar way. I usually go out to samford state park on the weekends with my 18kg pack and 2 kg ankle weights. I only train 3 days a week but I'm 50 so whatever. I might even pass you on the OT as I'm starting at the Walls of Jerusalem and hiking with my brother in law to Cradle Mountain. We'll probably meet somewhere between Pelion and Kia Ora Huts. You will know me because I will have high intensity colour sealskin hat and matching gloves. Been keen to try these. Anyway sounds like you are more than ready. The first time I did the OT was in September 2009 and there was 1.5 meters of snow on the plateau at cradle mountain. I was also by myself.
Hope to see ya. Good luck.

[Bluegum Mic]

Peter Mt Coot tha is a great training ground. Be sure to incorporate the honeysuckle and kokoda trails as much as possible in your walks as they are fantastic for getting the blood pumping . One thing you'll enjoy is getting away from the brissy humidity and walking in tassie...its bliss!
You can also elongate your walk and link over towards the enoggera reserve/reservoir. The basic mt cootha trail map that you pick up from various places on mt c will show most of the trails on it. Otherwise plenty of lovely walks up mt glorious way...also muddy sometimes if you want some practice there (you can pick up the topo map from the parks centre at the gap on waterworks rd).
Enjoy n best of luck. You'll just love your trip

[Taurë-rana]

Personally I've always thought that the OT ends at Narcissus anyway or at least Echo Point, but I know few people agree with me...

Historically, the route ends at Cynthia Bay, but 99% of people these days don't know that and don't care. The Narcissus ending might even be part of the modern promotion, to ensure ongoing business for the ferry operators.

For some reason I've thought that for 30 years...

[Greenie]

Your hardest day will probably be day 1

To make the first day a bit easier, you could take the Horse track. This takes the more historical route. It's not as scenic, but you do get a good view over Crater lake.

[norts]

My first 4 times on the OLT we went up the Horsetrack. Dad liked to go that way. Never again.
Not as scenic as Marions and just a slog. Much more to see on the standard route, Crater Lake , Crater Falls and then Marions Lookout. Still love that view as you leave Marions and come up over the ridge and Cradle starts to come into view above the ridge.

Roger

[stepbystep]

Good effort merlin!

I started walking 7 years ago, was 5'9" and nearly 100kg. My goal was also to complete the OLT.

7 years later I've lost the best part of 20kg and have completed well over 200 walks of all difficulties, although I still haven't done the OLT

So I say never say never!!

[Greenie]

It is interesting you say that. I only going by what I read and the contours on the map. I went via the horse track this time, so I can't compare.

As it was over 20 years since I went the other way. There wasn't a chain there then. Does that help?

There was a similar view, where Cradle came into view.

I'll have to go back. Because yes, I did miss that great view from Marions

[Taurë-rana]

We went straight up Marions from Dove Lake, hard but quick, no point in walking extra distance if you don't have to!

[whynotwalk]

I started walking 7 years ago, was 5'9" and nearly 100kg.

So how tall are you now Dan?

cheers

Peter

PS - actually that is an inspirational part of your story that I didn't know about. Well done you!