Navigable file for AAWT

[Samma3l]

Hi Guys,

I'm planning on walking the BNT South-North around February 2014 but I'm pretty excited about seeing more of the High Country when I begin. As such, I'm entertaining the idea of starting the walk with the AAWT and "finding" the BNT when I hit Canberra.

NNW has said earlier that there are few places to get lost, even in the Wilderness Zone, even if I loaded a my GPS with the KML, and worked off the guidebook for mapping, should I carry the full maps as well? Is the AAWT fairly well navigable? I don't plan on breaking trail.

Also, which would have the better High Country experience: BNT or AAWT?

Thanks

[bernieq]

NNW has said earlier that there are few places to get lost,

Well, there are quite a few places where good navigation skills are quite necessary on the AAWT - particularly if visibility is poor (ie heavy rain or fog - both possible at any time of year).

For example, coming off the Viking (heading North), quite a few people follow what looks like a track (actually a wash-away) down into Riley Ck and spend a day or more recovering (with frequent reference to their maps). Actually, coming off the Viking heading South would be a problem too if visibility was poor - finding the descent chute without prior knowledge would be a challenge.

Just walking over Mt Despair and past the Razor can be challenging if the track is obliterated by snow (even a light cover).

As a minimum, I would recommend carrying relevant sections of Chapman's book in addition to a GPS plot (assuming you are competent in compass and GPS navigation - if not, walk with someone who is !)

[Samma3l]

Thanks Bernieq,

I was planning on carrying Chapman's guidebook, a compass and a GPS with the KML files. I wasn't sure if more than that would be a requirement.

[bernieq]

I was planning on carrying Chapman's guidebook, a compass and a GPS with the KML files. I wasn't sure if more than that would be a requirement.

Then, I think the only thing you would be missing is an overview of the wider area (potentially useful for escape routes) - the need depends how close are major roads and how well you know the area.

This is not something I usually carry but I do make myself aware of the 'lay of the land' in the planning stage.