On December 21st, I flew down to Florida to hike the first thirty miles of the Florida Trail and engage in some touristing. Aside from my working holiday in Australia, I've taken no winter holidays since childhood, but this year the stars aligned with a work vacation and my antipathy towards facing another commercial Christmas …
Continue reading Florida Trail (2019-2020) 1: Escape to Florida
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187104378@N07/49682581693/in/dateposted-public/ Monday, March 14, 2016 Overland Track complete! I would recommend it to anyone in this part of the world, especially if you have a decent chunk of time to take advantage of side trip opportunities. The area is lovely and the trail less crowded than I thought it would be, probably because of a …
Tuesday, March 08, 2016 I woke up, dried most of the condensation off my tent, ate the dodgy couscous for breakfast, mulled over the possibility that the dodgy couscous had already been cooked, and set off towards Narcissus Hut. I had decided pre-hike to take the ferry to Cynthia Bay instead of walking around the …
Continue reading Overland Track Day 8: How Much Would You Pay for a Boat Ride?
Monday, March 07, 2016 It poured during the night and my tent floor soaked through below my air mattress. The sky still looked ominous in the morning, so rather than hanging up anything to dry, I propped up my mattress inside my tent and hoped that everything would dry while I was gone (my tent …
Sunday, March 06, 2016 I left the Overland Track at the Pine Valley junction and walked to Pine Valley Hut, where I'll spend two nights with a day trip to the Labyrinth. The walk was mostly flat, crossing suspension bridges through meadows and a mossy forest as silent as a crypt. https://www.flickr.com/photos/187104378@N07/49683399842/in/dateposted-public/ The trail was …
Saturday, March 05, 2016 After breakfast I said goodbye to the Belgians, Ontario Guy and the French(Belgians?), who were planning to walk further than me today. The French(Belgians?) pointed out that they were leaving earlier than I was. You win, get-up-early-kings. My quads felt like they had been skewered from descending Mt. Ossa. I thought …
Friday, March 04, 2016 Coincidentally the French(Belgians?) and I both got up at 6:00 AM, making us the best of roommates - almost. One of them snored and had a comically loud air mattress. I once received a complaint about my Thermarest Neoair, but his mattress sounded like a thunderstorm. I have no idea what …
Thursday, March 03, 2016 At dusk yesterday I walked with the Belgians to Lake Windermere to look for platypuses, but none revealed themselves in the dim light. The night was chilly and my new sleeping bag overestimated, so I kept getting cold, waking up and adding layers. The Belgians got cold as well and moved …
Continue reading Overland Track Day 3: Rocks, Rocks, Rocky Rocks
Wednesday, March 02, 2016 Everyone in the hut went to bed soon after sunset yesterday, but one man started talking to his hiking partner in the dark about Europe and train fares. I laughed silently. Eventually a woman asked him to stop and he said 'what? We're going to sleep already?'. No, we were lying …
Tuesday, March 01, 2016 I'm not dead yet, therefore today was a net success! Sadly the weather was not my friend or even a casual Facebook contact. It was a continuation of the day before, windy and cold and damp. I took the first shuttle at 8:15 AM (free) to the Ronny Creek car park, …
Monday, February 29, 2016 I took the McDermott shuttle from Lanceston to Cradle Mountain today. Unexpectedly the shuttle was part of a day tour, so the driver was providing information in a stream-of-consciousness type of way, including points like 'there are some people over there, I'm not sure what they're doing' and 'there's a student …
Sunday, February 28, 2016 Launceston has a good selection of hiking/camping stores, parks and signs directing you to public washrooms, so it's basically heaven. I purchased a fuel canister and enough food to remind me of the downside of eight days in the wilderness, deciding after feeling the weight of my pack to not return …
Saturday, February 27, 2016 I flew from Sydney to Launceston today. The security employees were suspicious of my water filter and Steripen and rummaged through everything in my carry-on, which was a plastic bag filled with random items. A man also swabbed my boots and pockets and asked 'are you under or over 16?' ... …
The theme of this hike was definitely 'Not What I Was Expecting'. I had thought that the terrain and weather conditions would be more like what I experienced on the AZT, since this PCT section is also desert terrain in a neighbouring state (don't @ me, Americans!!!) but it was totally different (I know that …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019): Concluding Thoughts
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 - 13 miles Unsurprisingly, my shoulder was still hurting when I woke up this morning. I haven't taken a zero for awhile, so hopefully it just needs some rest. https://flic.kr/p/2iwU4Sc Temperatures were sweltering today and the trail was exposed as I walked towards the KOA. The North Fork Ranger Station had …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019) 76: Back to the KOA
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 17.60 miles I slept a solid eight hours and when I woke up, the temperature was warm(ish, 5:00 AM warmish) and my left shoulder/upper back was killing me. I’ve been getting a nagging ache there for awhile, but was able to ignore it before, whereas now it’s hurting every time …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019) 75: Well-Behaved Deer
Monday, May 27, 2019 - 11.30 miles I woke up at 4:30 AM. My tent was drooping beneath snow, so I braved the cold to brush it off before it could melt and wet my tent. Or that's what I tried to do, but immediately discovered that oops - that's not snow, that's ice! Or …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019) 74: Love You Zpacks and My Tent
Sunday, May 26, 2019 - 12.90 miles Waking up early with the wind, I began the 2500 ft climb up to cloud-coated Burkhart Saddle. The trail was mostly in great condition, but just below the saddle I encountered a stretch of loose and narrow footing. I met a group of weekend backpackers conveniently placed to …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019) 73: Better Stakes Than Poles
Saturday, May 25, 2019 - 15.90 I was sluggish in the morning and didn't start walking until 7:30 AM. Little Jimmy Spring was closer than I had thought - the data points in eTrails are funny here - and flowing strong below the trail. https://www.flickr.com/photos/187104378@N07/49576041836/in/dateposted-public/ Little Jimmy Spring 15-20 tents were still pitched in the …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019) 72: Looks Like a Nightmare
Friday, May 24, 2019 - 9.20 miles Happy Mt. Baden-Powell Day! Unfortunately rain was forecast for the afternoon, since there's no perfect weather window in the Year of March in May, but I hoped to be up and over the summit by then. Quickly reaching the Vincent Gap trailhead, I began the ascent. For ~2.2 …
Continue reading Pacific Crest Trail (2019) 71: Like Someone Who Anticipates Being Eaten by Rats
BANE OF THE TRAIL 