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| Camping by Lake Myrtle |
The first two days after I arrived I hiked up Black Bluff and then did a Mount Roland loop. Black Bluff was a long uphill hike from the Leven River, coming out above the tree line at Paddy’s Lake, and then more uphill to a rocky peak. I had intermittent views on the way up with the clouds swirling. It was amazingly windy and on top I almost got blown over. I found a sheltered spot to sit for a while but I was in a cloud so I couldn’t see much. It had been raining and the track was muddy, and I wore my rain pants the whole way. I saw one echidna and one kangaroo.
The following day I set out from Gowrie Park on an 18 km loop hike with Mt Roland as the focus. Mt Roland and its associated plateau is always a surprise the first time you see it from the road near Sheffield, as the plateau rises so abruptly from the farmlands. Snow was forecast although there was blue sky when I set out and I could see the top of the plateau clearly.
I set out on the very steep Junction Track which took me initially to Mt Van Dyke, with some boulder scrambling and quite an overgrown trail. It was still really windy and the blue sky kept disappearing to leave me in cloud. As I reached one rather tricky bit of trail I realised it was snowing lightly. I went up the side trail to Mt Van Dyke but I couldn’t quite see a safe way to get to the top of the boulders and thus the summit. Then I came to the junction with the main Mt Roland track and continued across the boulder strewn moorland to the summit trail. There isn’t a summit trail for long, leaving me to scramble up big boulders randomly until I got to the summit trig. It was snowing like a blizzard up on top so I saw nothing and quickly got cold. When I turned to come down I searched for markers but there weren’t any so I just scrambled down until I could see the path again. By the time I got back to the descent to the car park the sky was blue again. I was very lucky because the track was going to be closed for repair work from the next day onward.
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| Mt Roland the next day |
My next hike was a 3 day loop in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Ever since I did a day hike here in December 2018 I wanted to come back and do the full loop which takes you to some special places beyond the main enclosed plateau that constitutes the walled area. It was very hot and sunny when I previously did the hike so I was worried that the weather could never match up to my earlier experience, but it did.
I parked in the main parking lot and got the 8 km walk along Mersey Forest Rd out of the way. Actually not a single vehicle passed me and there were some lovely waterfalls by the roadside. Then I had the steep climb to Lake Bill, not only steep but overgrown and lots of logs to climb over. Near the lake was a large burnt area, trees that have been leafless since 1976, Tyrone says. I heard some rustling and saw an echidna; then I heard more rustling and saw a black snake scuttling off the path. Not 5 minutes later I saw a very angry black snake right in the middle of the path. It’s odd to me that for years after we came to Australia we had never seen an echidna but now I see them on every hike, and snakes too.
I had some trouble with a creek crossing where there was a log for you to walk on except that the log was submerged; I resorted to virtually sitting on the log in the water and manoeuvreing myself across. Not long after at Lake Meston I had a big problem finding the trail; I knew I had to have the lake on my right but I could only see trails heading up the other side and it looked as if the path I needed might have been absorbed into the lake. All along the path had been quite minor and didn’t seem much used. I walked back and forth and then by pure fluke I found the correct way. Soon I was crossing the yellow tinged moorland around the lake, which was amazingly picturesque, with the cliffs of Mt Rogoona close by.
A lot of the track was flooded as I crossed moorland and rocky bits on the way to Lake Myrtle. This was a much bigger lake. When I got to the Lake Myrtle hut, where I was intending to camp, it was disappointingly away from the lake. I found a little path that led to a lakeside camping spot but it was flooded, so I had a coffee there and returned to the hut site to camp. When I got back there was a group of 9 walkers setting up camp! It was a small space and I didn't want to stay. They had come from the other direction so I asked if they had seen any camping possibilities further on, because I knew that initially the trail was in dense bush. They said I could camp near a beach 2 km further on.
And there I found the most perfect place to camp - a big open area next to the lake, sheltered by low bushes, and nobody else there. It was a lovely evening.
The next day I left this lake and walked to Lake Adelaide, which is bigger again. The trail followed mainly high above the lake and it was hard going with a lot of downed trees and overhanging branches, and rocky PUDs. Tyrone, in a rare moment of criticism, calls it ‘almost monotonous’, but I wouldn’t say that. I got scratched all over. I stopped for coffee at the head of the lake and was sitting on a log when a group of 6 hikers came by, walking the other way. They asked me lots of questions and then a man said You’ve been very helpful, it was good of them to put you here!
The rest of the walk to Dixon’s Kingdom and the entry to the Walls was easier going, passing Lake Ball (this was confusing when I met other walkers who asked where I had come from and I said Lake Bill) and with nice views of Mt Jerusalem, except that in the last kilometre over boggy grass it was hard to follow the trail as it was hard to distinguish between the trail and the many creeklets. The camping area was busy but there was lots of space. I sat around the campsite and then late afternoon I decided to do the 4 km return walk up Mt Jerusalem. This was a nice gentle climb passing several small lakes, and from the summit I could see everything - down onto the walled plateau and far beyond; it's always fun to make out Barn Bluff and Cradle Mtn.
In the night I had some interaction with the local possum fraternity. I was woken by a rustling noise and I worked out that an animal was trying to get a muesli bar out of my backpack which I had left in the vestibule. So I removed the muesli bars that were in my pack and lay down again. Next thing I knew the animal was trying to pull my pack out from under the fly, so I grabbed hold of it and a tug of war ensued. Finally I yanked the pack into the tent and the animal went away.
The third day I only had 10 km to walk, across the plateau and then down to the car park. It was a beautiful sunny day once the early morning fog cleared. The plateau still seemed a special place with the circle of rugged peaks although it was less of a surprise to me than it had been on my first visit. And this time no snakes. I stopped for a coffee by the final water source before I reentered the forest, then had a long hike downhill. This hike was about 48 km.
On Saturday I did the Tassie Trail Fest 52.5 km ultra in Launceston. It was a hot day. The run was mostly on single track in dry bush and 3 loops. The highlights were the sections along the S. Esk River, crossing the river on a long suspension bridge by the former Duck Reach power station, and Cataract Gorge. The lowlight was the aid stations which had only water and minimal food. There was more than 500 m of climbing on each loop and the bulk of this was the climb up from the river to the aptly named Eagles Eyrie on blocky rock steps.
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| Duck Reach |
On the first loop I took my time, enjoying the scenery and not quite knowing what to expect. The big climb was hard but I knew this was my strength and it came only 4 km from the end of the loop. I started the second loop just before the 17 km racers were starting their race so they all passed me during this loop. It later became quite social as many of them slowed down further into the loop and I chatted a bit. On the third loop I knew what to expect and also that the end was approaching, but it was really hot by then and I didn’t drink enough. I took the big climb too fast and when I got to the aid station just past the top I couldn’t get my breath and respond to the marshal's questions. They were asking me how I felt and in all honesty this is not the best question to ask an obviously tired runner at this point in a race. Plus I was nearly bowled over by mountain bikers bombing down the hill. Towards the end I started getting foot cramps which is something I have not had for about a decade but used to get frequently during marathons. When I finished I was surprised to hear that I was second female. A lot of runners had missed the cutoff after loop 2 but for once I had not given the cutoffs much thought.
The next day I drove to Cynthia Bay and intended to camp there but I ended up starting my Mt Rufus hike that afternoon. I walked 8 km to Shadow Lake and camped there, where I could hear lots of other people but I never saw them until the morning. In the morning I hiked up Mt Rufus. Once I emerged from the forest it was cold and windy, and a long rocky climb up a ridge. The views were good but on top I had to put on fleece and beanie. As I came down it seemed funny to pass people going up in shorts and T shirts but the transition from forest to open tops was really sudden. I saw an echidna on the way down and it was so brave it did not try to hide at all. The 2 day hike was 25 km.
Two days later I embarked on my 3 day Frenchman’s Cap hike. The car park looked busy to me (at least 25 cars) but a ranger there said it was the quietest he’d seen it all summer. The first 16 km were easy going with a lot of duckboard and smooth trail. The top of Frenchman’s was in a cloud when I passed the first viewpoint. Every time the trail went uphill I got excited and thought Yay I’m starting to climb but every climb was matched by a descent and I later worked out that the climbing proper doesn’t start until the last 2.5 km before the summit. After 16 km I came to the first hut by Lake Vera but I didn’t stop. Shortly after I saw my only snake of the hike.
From here the trail was harder. Much harder. The section was only 6 km and all in forest but it had steep climbs, steep descents, rocks to clamber over, log ladders and huge tree roots. It was really slow going until all of a sudden after 3 km I emerged onto a saddle with the most stupendous view. Frenchman’s sheer East face loomed straight ahead and tantalisingly high, and there were a string of lakes below me, then mountains in every direction. 
Unfortunately the March flies were so buzzy that it was hard to linger. The second part of this section was mainly downhill which seemed counter intuitive to someone heading up a mountain, but it featured long sweeping downhills all the same.
I got to the next hut, by Lake Tahune, in late afternoon and didn’t have the inclination to do the last 3 km to the summit and back (that’s how far I thought it was but it was actually almost twice that). This was a big brand new hut but I wanted to camp. There were a few camping platforms, all taken, and one suitable dirt patch for camping, taken. So I squeezed in between two bushes near the lake and camped there; the space was so tight that I had to seriously bush bash to get into the tent. I could crane my neck and see the peak right above me.
(This wasn’t actually the peak, only the top of the East face, but I didn’t know that.)
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| Frenchman’s Cap |
In the morning I tried not to get up too early as I suspected that the peak would still be in cloud, but I was surprised to see a clear outline so I set off, without my pack, at 8.30. Initially I had good views as the trail climbed above the lake but by the time I was above the tree line and into the rougher rocky parts I was getting into cloud.
Some of the climbing was off trail and involved scrambling but the way was well cairned. It took me just over an hour to get to the top. It was a rounded, grassy summit and completely in cloud. I hung around for a while but felt the cloud would be lingering so I headed down. I wasn’t far down when blue sky appeared so I had better views on the way down. It was hot by the time I got back to the hut, packed up the tent and ventured onto the difficult trail once more.
The return was no easier than yesterday’s hike as the climbing and descending were about equal. Tyrone, this is the bit you could have called monotonous, except that the whole trail is different from the one you described. It has been remade since 1980. The highlight was again the saddle under Nicols Needle and the flies were still there. I was also surrounded by clouds of mozzies every time I stopped. It was hot and humid.
I paused briefly at Vera Hut then continued on the better path across the Loddon Plains. The sky had some very dark patches and I knew rain had been forecast. I was pretty tired and had decided to camp by the footbridge across the Loddon River, 6 kms from the car park. I camped by the river, for some reason squeezed between two trees. In the night I heard a lot of odd bird sounds that could have been bats and animal noises and tried to see what was going on with my torch but I didn’t want to get out of the tent because there was a tree in my way. I couldn’t see anything. The noises went on until I heard a muffled shriek and the sound of animals rushing away. The sky cleared and it didn’t rain.
The final push didn’t take long although it felt like a long time. I kept anticipating the Franklin River around the next bend. The whole hike was about 47 km.
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