Bushwalk Australia

Hello OT experts,

I'm planning an OT walk for late Jan 2014 and have a quick reality question that I can't find an answer to yet: Is it realistic to get up early and walk the 9km (3-4 hours) from Windy Ridge to Narcissus to arrive in time for the pre-booked 9:30am ferry to Cynthia Bay?

I need to be on that ferry to get the Tuesday 11:45am TassieLink bus out to Hobart. It seems like it would just need to be an early start (9:30am ferry with 3-4 hrs walking means at latest a 5:30-6:30am walk start), but I can't find any mention of other hikers who have done this hike/ferry schedule on their final day (perhaps it's so common that nobody mentions it!). As a first time OT walker, my plan is to stick to a standard 6 day itinerary (including little side trips where time permits): Ronny -> WFV -> Lk Windy -> Pelion -> KO -> Windy Ridge -> Narcissus.

Please note: I am aware of, and unbothered by, the argument regarding whether the OT really 'finishes' at Narcissus or Cynthia Bay - for me, this hike will end at Narcissus.

Many thanks for your feedback,
LFRF

How fast are you at walking?

I just checked my GPS logs, and it took me about an hour to make the 4km trip from the Pine Valley turn off to Narcissus. It took about 1.5 hours to walk the 5.5km from Windy Ridge to Pine Valley turn off.

So I did it in three. For what it's worth, I'm quite quick when I need to be.

Yeah, easy and common enough, as bb says, 3hrs or so. You might want to book the ferry before the track though.. (if you haven't already)

Brilliant - thank you BB and Nuts. I just needed someone to say it wasn't ridiculous before I booked everything in.

I don't know my walking speed with a multi-day pack and gear (and girlfriend…), but I'll get a rough measure on similar OT terrain and use that as a guide for the final day's dash !

Looking forward to it.

Three hours should be enough, but you'll get some idea of your speed on the other days. However, that section is reasonably flat and a good track so you will probably go faster than anywhere else on the OT.

Sunrise will be about 6:00am so should be light enough to start walking without a torch soon after 5:00am, I think.

Consider sleeping in a tent, or otherwise doing all your cooking, eating and packing up outside in the morning, otherwise you'll seriously annoy some of the other people in the hut. I'm an early riser most of the time, but if you're going to be up at 5:00am, there's bound to be people there who will be annoyed at any noise at that time of the morning.

Just for what it's worth, LeftFootRightFoot- the section of track from Windy ridge to Narcissus is one of the "faster" sections of the Overland track. Contours, gradient and surface are all favourable for clocking up some miles. As an aside- there are excellent campsites by the track between Windy Ridge and Narcissus, walk on for an extra hour generally downhill, past Windy Ridge and keep a look out to your right… this will save you one more hour in the morning, as well as provide you with a quiet night:
-No friendly animals
-No lively humans
Cheers, best for the walk.
WildLight

I agree with the above, one of the easier sections of the Overland. Keep an eye on how you're feeling a few days before hand. If you find you're starting to fatigue and as a result are slowing down, you may want to adjust your departure time from Windy Ridge to allow for a slower pace.