Overland Track- A Six Part Series

[Explorer_Sam]

G'day,

I am excited to announce that I am starting an adventure blog, as I always enjoy writing a trip report, and I am keen to share my experiences. I am currently working on a six part series recounting my experience on the Overland Track. I just made my first post, detailing our alternative start via the Face Track, our attempt on the Little Horn and our Cradle Mountain ascent.

https://sambochristie.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/olt1/

EDIT: Day 2! On this day we climbed Barn Bluff in low visibility conditions.

https://sambochristie.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/olt2/

Please read, and feel free to share. All feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers,
Sam.

[bumpingbill]

Nice work. Looking forward to the updates. Love to see the GoPro footage too!

[Explorer_Sam]

Thanks Bumpingbill!

Aaron put together a nice two minute clip of our time in Tassie. I don't know if you'll be able to see this video on Facebook, but the link is https://www.facebook.com/AaronJ.Cunning ... nref=story

The time on the video counts down, and the footage from the Little Horn is intermingled with footage of Cradle, between 1:10 and 0:56, I believe. I think he plans on uploading it to YouTube soon.

[bumpingbill]

Don't have access unfortunately!

[Tortoise]

Hey Sam,

Great report. I look forward to reading / seeing the rest. I'm just sad that you didn't have the info that could have got you up Little Horn the easy way.

It'll just have to wait till your next time. There are heaps of other options for interesting loops in the Cradle area, whether or not you're doing the whole OLT again.

[Explorer_Sam]

Don't have access unfortunately!

I'll send you the link when it is uploaded to YouTube!

Hey Sam,

Great report. I look forward to reading / seeing the rest. I'm just sad that you didn't have the info that could have got you up Little Horn the easy way.

It'll just have to wait till your next time. There are heaps of other options for interesting loops in the Cradle area, whether or not you're doing the whole OLT again.

Thanks Tortoise! Is there an easy way up the Little Horn? I am very interested in learning about this. Very keen to get up it next time I visit the area.

I am sure I'll do the OLT as a whole many times in future, I am hooked. Interested in these other loops though for sure. Very interested in Mount Emmett, and also Benson Peak and a skyline traverse of Cradle. A lot of routes to research before I am next in Tassie!

[north-north-west]

Thanks Tortoise! Is there an easy way up the Little Horn? I am very interested in learning about this. Very keen to get up it next time I visit the area.

There is actually a track. Not shown on the tourist maps, but quite obvious when you walk through if you know what to look for. It's a short easy climb up from the main track. Good fun and brilliant views.

[Tortoise]

Thanks Tortoise! Is there an easy way up the Little Horn? I am very interested in learning about this. Very keen to get up it next time I visit the area.

There is actually a track. Not shown on the tourist maps, but quite obvious when you walk through if you know what to look for. It's a short easy climb up from the main track. Good fun and brilliant views.

+1
See this thread:
http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=9581&hilit=+Horn
After you get up onto the actual Face Track, I think it's only about 50 or 100m or so along. Not far, anyway. I'll check next time I'm up there. There is an arrow on a rock on the ground if you're looking for it. A key is to locate the very distinctive rock formation shown on the above thread, and it'll help you find the track. I reckon you went too far west - that's where I didn't get to the top - twice!

[Explorer_Sam]

Thanks Tortoise! Is there an easy way up the Little Horn? I am very interested in learning about this. Very keen to get up it next time I visit the area.

There is actually a track. Not shown on the tourist maps, but quite obvious when you walk through if you know what to look for. It's a short easy climb up from the main track. Good fun and brilliant views.

+1
See this thread:
http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=9581&hilit=+Horn
After you get up onto the actual Face Track, I think it's only about 50 or 100m or so along. Not far, anyway. I'll check next time I'm up there. There is an arrow on a rock on the ground if you're looking for it. A key is to locate the very distinctive rock formation shown on the above thread, and it'll help you find the track. I reckon you went too far west - that's where I didn't get to the top - twice!

Thanks for the responses! That thread is very helpful. Seems strange that we missed it completely. I guess you need to know what you are looking for. If it's only 50 or 100m along, we most certainly went too far west.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

A good read... Can't wait for day 2.

[canthardlywait]

Nice first post! A suprisingly large amount of snow on Cradle!
We did the walk in July and had a stellar day when we climbed Cradle. Lots more snow in the 'cradle' which actually made it feel a bit safer.
Here's a photo of us heading back down and across from the top.

[Explorer_Sam]

A good read... Can't wait for day 2.

Thanks South_Aussie_Hiker! Day 2 will be up tonight, can't wait to post the link here!

Nice first post! A suprisingly large amount of snow on Cradle!
We did the walk in July and had a stellar day when we climbed Cradle. Lots more snow in the 'cradle' which actually made it feel a bit safer.
Here's a photo of us heading back down and across from the top.

Thanks canthardlywait! Great photo. I assume the snow was fairly firm and compact? Our snow was slushy and soft, we would go straight through most patches as soon as they were stepped on.

[Explorer_Sam]

Day 2 is here!

https://sambochristie.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/olt2/

If you have a few spare minutes, give it a read. As always, feedback is appreciated.

Cheers,
Sam.

[Tyreless]

I read it. A "few spare minutes" extremely well spent. Thanks Sam - recommended reading.

[Tortoise]

An excellent read, Sam, and great photos to boot. Well done.

[DanShell]

Thanks for taking the time to blog your trip, I am really enjoying it.
I really enjoy the section from lake wills turn off to lake Windermere. The scenery to the right really works for me

[Lophophaps]

Nice words and pictures. Thanks.

[Explorer_Sam]

I read it. A "few spare minutes" extremely well spent. Thanks Sam - recommended reading.

An excellent read, Sam, and great photos to boot. Well done.

Nice words and pictures. Thanks.

Thanks so much, Tyreless, Tortoise and Lophophaps. I really appreciate the kind words!

Thanks for taking the time to blog your trip, I am really enjoying it.
I really enjoy the section from lake wills turn off to lake Windermere. The scenery to the right really works for me

Thanks Dan! Yes, I love that section too, beautiful country.

[north-north-west]

The big thing at Windermere is signing the log book on the island. I've never been game.

[Explorer_Sam]

The big thing at Windermere is signing the log book on the island. I've never been game.

I only learned about that when I got home, unfortunately. It's a goal for next time!

[Explorer_Sam]

Part 3 is up on my blog now!

On this day, Aaron and I were separated on Pelion West. A very scary day for me, and an unsuccessful attempt on a mountain I was very keen to summit. I hope you enjoy the read!

https://sambochristie.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/olt3/

It seems I can't edit the first post anymore, so hopefully forum members continue scrolling to this post.

[Tortoise]

Hey Sambo,

Wow, the great read continues! I admire your willingness to share the tough stuff as well as the cruisy bits. Summit fever can kill people here as surely as it can on Everest, so being able to turn back is an excellent skill to develop early. There are lots of peaks in Tassie that lots of us don't attempt in the wet/whiteout conditions, so being able to do that for other reasons will stand you in very good stead. (I got up Anne on the 4th attempt, having decided to never again start out without a hopeful forecast. There are plenty of choices in Tassie if you can be flexible - like having plans B and C).

You decided not to wear gaiters??? Reckon you won't make that mistake again.
I made that mistake on my first trip to Tassie, and ended up with torn legs covered in blood. I don't wear shorts anymore either...

While I know you're not wanting to criticise your mate (and good on you for that), I really hope he also learnt that it's a bad idea to separate in that sort of country. Things can go pear-shaped pretty quickly, and it does highlight the possibility of being stuck with no 1st aid kit, PLB or means of communication.

Sounds like the track is more overgrown than when I did it - though many 'tracks' in Tassie take a fair bit of finding in various places (tree fall, swamps, myriads of animal tracks, open forest, boulder fields etc etc etc).

I look forward to the next intriguing episode.

[Explorer_Sam]

Hey Sambo,

Wow, the great read continues! I admire your willingness to share the tough stuff as well as the cruisy bits. Summit fever can kill people here as surely as it can on Everest, so being able to turn back is an excellent skill to develop early. There are lots of peaks in Tassie that lots of us don't attempt in the wet/whiteout conditions, so being able to do that for other reasons will stand you in very good stead. (I got up Anne on the 4th attempt, having decided to never again start out without a hopeful forecast. There are plenty of choices in Tassie if you can be flexible - like having plans B and C).

You decided not to wear gaiters??? Reckon you won't make that mistake again.
I made that mistake on my first trip to Tassie, and ended up with torn legs covered in blood. I don't wear shorts anymore either...

While I know you're not wanting to criticise your mate (and good on you for that), I really hope he also learnt that it's a bad idea to separate in that sort of country. Things can go pear-shaped pretty quickly, and it does highlight the possibility of being stuck with no 1st aid kit, PLB or means of communication.

Sounds like the track is more overgrown than when I did it - though many 'tracks' in Tassie take a fair bit of finding in various places (tree fall, swamps, myriads of animal tracks, open forest, boulder fields etc etc etc).

I look forward to the next intriguing episode.

Thanks so much for your response, Tortoise!

In hindsight, failure on Pelion West wasn't so hard to deal with. It taught me that turning back is okay, a vital asset to a peakbagger's mentality I suppose! I don't know much about Mount Anne, looks like a beautiful area though, well done on the 4th attempt!

I'll definitely be using gaiters next time!

I also hope that he learned, for the sake of our next adventure. Exactly, had he been lost or injured, he would have had zero means of communication.

It was tricky to find in a few places, but for most of the way it wasn't too hard to follow

Once again Tortoise, thanks for reading.

[north-north-west]

I got up Anne on the 4th attempt, having decided to never again start out without a hopeful forecast.

Meh. All my failed attempts were with good forecasts. Great forecasts, actually except for one teensy little issue - they were wrong.

[bigkev]

Hey Sam,
I've been following your continued adventures on your blog. I think you are wise beyond your years, first of all knowing when to turn back and then being able to write honestly, well they are both admirable qualities that I'm not sure my ego would have allowed me way back when I was your age.

I hope to be reading of your trips for many years to come.

Cheers Kevin

[kitty]

Thanks for sharing - looking foward to the rest of your report.

[Explorer_Sam]

Hey Sam,
I've been following your continued adventures on your blog. I think you are wise beyond your years, first of all knowing when to turn back and then being able to write honestly, well they are both admirable qualities that I'm not sure my ego would have allowed me way back when I was your age.

I hope to be reading of your trips for many years to come.

Cheers Kevin

Thanks so much bigkev! I really appreciate your kind words.

Thanks for sharing - looking foward to the rest of your report.

Thank you for reading, kitty!

[Explorer_Sam]

Part 4 is here now! I was meaning to post it on Tuesday night but I have been very busy.

On this day, Aaron and I climbed Ossa, and got a surprise on top!

https://sambochristie.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/olt4/

[Lophophaps]

Sam, a nice example of how the weather can change - blue skies to snow. Waterfalls do not interest me for splashing unless the air temperature is high.

[Hermione]

Nice photos and very evocative writing. I agree with Lophophaps about splashing in waterfalls though, it's almost always too cold for me.