Ronny Creek
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… If at first you don’t succeed…
Barely days after our first attempt at Overland Track with all Classic Side Trips, Kylie announced another
thumping great high was heading our way following a good dumping of snow. Reluctant to succumb to the ice I invested in
some Kahtoola micro spikes while Kylie chose to continue with the Black Diamond
‘nanos’. What could possibly go wrong?
Cradle and Barn beckon
DAY ONE
Mount Roland and Western Bluff from
Cradle
The snow dump didn’t disappoint and, right on cue, it was
followed by a crisp, clear, high-pressure (barometrically) morning for our
recommencement. More snow on the plateau
meant less patches of exposed ice but plenty of caution ensured an uneventful
crossing. Sunrise accompanied our
arrival at the Cradle skyline and cloudless skies ensured 360º views from the
top.
Cradle casts a long shadow towards Barn Bluff and Fury Gorge
In what seemed like no time we scampered down and scooted along the Cirques to head up Barney. Upon leaving the Overland Track for the second time we now had footprints to follow. The footprint owners had spent the night at Waterfall Valley and, one by one, we passed them until we had the joy, once again, of creating the first footprints in the snow along the skyline. Just before the summit amazing ice formations provided inspiration, wonderment and, of course, camera fodder.
Snow and Ice on Barn Bluff summit
ridge
The almost impossible ice slopes leading to Waterfall Valley
hut were descended without incident and our overnight drop-bags were deposited
beside the track for a third time as we headed out to Lake Will and its
snow-hemmed beach.
Lake Will
To stretch all three days of this mission out to marathon
distance, day one needed to be pushed all the way through to New Pelion
Hut. Arriving at Lake Windermere well
after 3pm meant pushing well into the dark to tick that box. Kylie was willing to let that opportunity
slide and we thoroughly enjoyed an early night.
Lake Windermere and the Pelions
DAY TWO
Being on track before 5am meant Pine Forest Moor and its enchanted forest slipped by in the dark. The first glimpses of dawn’s purple glow appeared through the trees soon after Pelion Creek and just enough light at Frog Flats showed Mounts Thetis, Achilies and Pelion West brooding silently above us on another still and cloudless morning.
Mount Pelion West from Pelion Plains
The sun hit Pelion Plains on our way back from the Old Pelion Hut side trip but was not yet high enough to light up the new boardwalk which marked the commencement of the Mount Oakleigh side trip. It must have been bitterly cold as I really struggled to warm up after collecting water from the stream draining Lake Ayr.
Heading up Ossa
At 2pm the now-familiar routine of dropping overnight gear at Pelion Gap preceded the climb towards Mount Doris. As we trudged through knee deep snow on the Doris ledge Kylie’s frozen feet decided the side-trips mission for her would have to wait for another day. She turned around, descended to Kia Ora and then doggedly trudged to Du Cane Hut and back to make up her marathon distance so at least Day Two would count towards her birthday project.
Highest rocks in Tassie
Meanwhile I continued onwards and upwards. I love Mount Ossa! After visiting the summit it was sheer delight to be barrelling down through thigh-deep powdery snow in shorts and t-shirt, my bounds easily generating sufficient heat to keep my core temperature where it needed to be. While heading back to the Gap I was treated to a cinematic display with the shadows of Ossa, Doris and Pelion East projected onto the cliffs of Cathedral Mountain and the Du Cane Range.
Pelion East, Doris and Ossa projected
onto Cathedral and the Du Canes
With sun having set behind Ossa, I found an extra spring in my step at the start of the Pelion East climb as I chased the sunset uphill. Much to my personal amusement I managed to catch a few more brief moments of direct sunshine just above Toad Rock and enjoy my second sunset of the evening.
Pelion East shadow climbs Twin Spires
Tiredness was starting to set in so it was quite nice to be following a couple of sets of footprints through the snow drifts until they ran out at the base of Pelion East’s distinctive summit tower. Just enough natural light allowed me to gain the top before digging my headlamp out for the descent. Once again it was fun having tracks to follow so I could mindlessly barrel my way back to Pelion Gap without any issue with route finding in the shin-deep snow.
Mount Pelion East
At Kia Ora Hut I arrived to a lovely round of applause as Kylie had graciously told our fellow inhabitants about my accomplishments. Of course, she had modestly neglected to tell them about her incredible 50-week mountain marathon project. Over dinner we met the owners of my Pelion East footprints who happened to be super gnarly race-winning trail runners from Queensland. They also modestly listened to our stories before we were eventually able to glean just how impressive their trail running accomplishments had been.
Top rock on Pelion East
DAY THREE
D’Alton Falls
Fergusson Falls
Hartnett Falls
At Pine Valley the sunny, snowy, icy view made it worth the
extra few metres to visit the helipad before turning around, collecting
overnight gear for the last time and heading for Lake St Clair. Sunshine, blue sky and calm conditions
persisted as, first Olympus and then, Mt Ida kept me company down the long haul
of the lower Narcissus Valley and Lake St Clair.
Mount Gould, The Minotaur and icy
surrounds at the Pine Valley helipad
At exactly 4pm I crossed the Hugel and Cuvier Rivers at
Watersmeet and, over the final few hundred metres, savoured the satisfaction of
completing 125km of Overland Track and all classic side trips with their total
of 5,700m of ascents in the 58 hours since setting out from Ronny Creek. It was a great feeling, made even more great
when welcomed at Cynthia Bay by my wonderful support, co-conspirator and wife,
Kylie!
Du Cane Range from Lake St Clair
Mount Ida
Echo Point
