Hello, bushwalkers! We at Trek & Travel have read through the discussion on the Info Night we recently held for the Overland Track and have taken note of the concerns raised. Obviously, it is very important when going out on any bushwalk, trip or expedition to have a thorough understanding of where you’re going and what you’re doing, and we know that an Info Night at Trek & Travel would only be a small component of the wise adventurer’s planning. Nevertheless, it is of course vital that anything we share or relate be accurate and up to the highest standards! As such, we’d like to address the issues raised and elaborate on the information we shared that night.
We discussed the info night with our staff (who were the presenters), and feel that there were a couple of points which may have been misunderstood or need clarification.
Communication is a tricky thing, and can be even trickier on a forum without the benefit of friendly voices and smiling faces! So we would like to make clear that our clarifications are in no way an angry rebuttal to the points raised. After all, if the way we communicated our information (however accurate) lead people to understand something other than what was intended, then we need to examine our presentation and make doubly sure that everything is up to scratch! We are always eager to improve our experiences and information – and in turn, those of our customers who come to us for advice and outfitting – and as such, we rely on feedback like this to help us ensure that we are doing the best job possible.
So with that in mind, we’d like to take the opportunity (very kindly extended by the mods of this forum) of going over some of the points from the evening. While the presentation was of course a verbal one, we were able to refer to the PowerPoint presentation that was used to double check the information which we shared that evening.
1.
“The need for waterproof boots at all times.” Perhaps the phrase “waterproof boots at all times” is a bit misleading. When we spoke with our staff who presented the evening, they agreed that what they intended to convey was not that one
continually needs waterproof boots, but that at
any point on your trip there is the
possibility that you will need them.
As many of the most gripping true-life adventure stories show, you can do almost anything, wearing practically anything, if you need to; and human ingenuity has very often triumphed over apocalyptic weather and bad luck! However, our position (one which we share with many hikers) is that being slightly over-prepared is far better than being underprepared – or in this case, undershod.
As hikers (beginners or pros), we would be very ill-equipped for a trip if we packed based on the best possible weather. Given that the weather on the Overland can be very changeable, and even a couple afternoons of rain can drastically change the look and feel of a trail, we recommend waterproof hiking boots simply as the best option to cover all contingencies. Even if the trails are not hugely affected, anybody who has hiked with wet shoes and socks even once (especially if they can’t be dried out) would agree that it’s an experience they never want to repeat again!
There are, of course, many other advantages that proper hiking boots have over runners or sandals – such as grip on slippery trails, ankle support, and general sturdiness. This, of course, doesn’t relate to whether they are waterproof or not (many excellent hiking boots are not fully waterproof) but are another indication why, at the very least, we recommend proper hiking boots rather than anything less. Having gone that far and recommended that you gear up in a “proper” pair, we simply take it a step further (given how we feel about cold, wet feet) and recommend that you invest in a pair that is waterproof.
2.
“Cost of the ferry at the end is not included in the $200 pass”. Our main presenter remembers saying that she thought the cost of the ferry may have been included in the $200 park fee, but that it would be best to check the Tasmania Parks website to find the most up to date information. An audience member then kindly corrected this by saying that the fee was not included, and the presenters concurred and once again said it would be best to check the Parks website.
3.
“Heaters in the hut are set to obtain a maximum of 10• and no more” alternatively,
“Heaters will heat the rooms up to 10•” or
“Heaters cut off at 10•” . This morning, we spoke with an Interpretation and Education Officer from Parks & Wildlife Service in Hobart, who explained the heater conundrum thoroughly. The heaters in the various huts (either coal or gas) are not regulated or pre-set. There is a thermometer beside them, with instructions for operating the heater, and a request that, if the temperature is 10° or above, the heater not be turned on. As everything for the maintenance of the trail is helicoptered in (including gas and coal), the request is an environmental one and an encouragement to walkers to come adequately prepared. However, ultimately the onus is on the hiker to respect the request; it is not enforced or incapable of being overridden.
4.
“Majority of the track being timber planked” When we chatted with our staff and presenters, they remember saying not that the majority of the track is timber planked, but that the majority of it is prepared trail; for many areas this includes timber plank boardwalk-style path, but also includes groomed trail, gravel, and so forth. The Overland Track, while it does have some rough and sketchy areas (as we see in some of the photos posted on this blog!) does have a significant amount of prepared trail and one of the things which sets it apart as an excellent hike for beginners or less experienced hikers is that one doesn’t have to forge trails, clamber over huge rough boulders, or basically be doing anything highly technical. It’s not asphalt, of course, but relative to many significant walks it is much less demanding in this respect. Again, of course, we can’t argue with what our audience may have heard us say, so all we can do is restate this as what our intended message was and hope that it came across!
5.
“Someone at the start checking gear and banning you if you don’t have the right gear” This was another issue we addressed with the Parks & Wildlife service officer when we called to clarify and question. She explained that yes, when one arrives at the visitor’s centre, if the rangers are not busy they may well talk to you about your gear or give it the once over. However, that is dependent on the crowds (or lack thereof) and the other responsibilities they’ve had. They also do not have the authority to turn someone around, but they may “strongly suggest” someone not go if they see someone who is particularly ill-prepared. The fact is, several of our staff who have hiked the Overland have witnessed people
appearing to be turned away, but we trust Tas Parks on this and can therefore only surmise that the persons in question were given a “strong suggestion” which spoke to them very clearly! Perhaps conversation with the Rangers was enough to make them aware of their being under-equipped for the journey. Perhaps the most important thing to remember here is simply that the Rangers aren’t there to be a ‘safety net’ which lets us pack haphazardly or carelessly and then know that they’ll make sure we don’t go if we aren’t prepared. They are hugely experienced and know what they’re about, but their responsibilities can’t extend to making up for our deficiencies in preparation.
6.
“Hut you can stay in for free at the start of the OT” We feel this must have been misunderstood, as our presenters are adamant that there are no free huts that they know of! The misunderstanding may have arisen because of a statement that the emergency huts are free to stay in, on the trail itself, but are (of course) only for emergencies. Our staff don’t know of any free huts at the start of the OT.
7.
The idea that the speakers may have tried to ‘compensate’ – in other words, recommending excessive or unnecessarily technical gear (like waterproof boots) just to stop someone going in their trackies and runners To an extent, this may actually be true – but, we feel, not for the reasons that may easily be assumed. Of course, as a retail store, we can never wholly rid ourselves of the tinge of guilt associated with “wanting to sell things”! But we feel very confident in asserting that anybody who has ever visited our store would be able to say with complete confidence that that is not what we’re really about. We firmly don’t believe in high-pressure sales tactics and our philosophy, as a store, is not about selling as much as we possibly can – it’s about getting people out into the nature that we love. Our staff are passionate and committed about our world – hiking it, travelling it, floating its rivers – whatever the adventure happens to be! And being that they are all experienced trekkers and travellers, they appreciate not just quality gear but enough of it, the right style, the right type, and so on. So it is possible that in our talks we may end up recommending more gear than you would find on your own list, but it’s simply part of our efforts to be prepared and not let anyone end up out there without that essential something that they needed. Conversely, you’ll often hear staff talking about minimalist hiking, cutting down on weight, and maximum pack size – none of us want to carry more than we absolutely have to! In other words, we’re proclaiming here that we would never try and convince you to buy something costly or superfluous that you don’t need “just because”.
We’ve probably gone far over the allotted (or expected) length of any reasonable post, and we hope we haven’t put anybody to sleep from boredom. But as we said, these sorts of interactions are what make us (and let us be our best), so we wanted to do our best to address anything of value which came up. All the best to all the adventurers on this great forum, and good luck in whatever walk is coming up next!
Warm wishes,
Trek & Travel
www.trekandtravel.com.au
- this is a part of your marketing strategy, not the goodness of your hearts. The cost of the night is neither here nor there.
Our point here was not that we have nothing to gain from the Info Nights, but from reading some of the preceding comments it sounded like some forum users might be under the misapprehension that we organize and guide trips, as well as selling gear. As there is an off-the-beaten-path travel agency in our building, and since several of our staff do guide, it's a common enough mistake. 