Purchasing food on the Cradle Mountain walk

[Ginny+1]

I love walking but hate carrying a lot (weak back). We will be camping in a hut or a tent. Is there any way we could buy for example, freeze dried food, (or any other food) from one of the catered accommodation places on or near the track so that I don't have to carry as much on the walk?

[weetbix456]

when you walkin? if you pay me, i will carry all your food. problem solved..

[Chris]

An Aarn pack may provide an alternative solution to you problem:
http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1038

[Drifting]

I'm 90% sure the park visitor's center sells dehydrated food.

[tasadam]

Not possible to purchase any food on the actual walk though.

[Son of a Beach]

At first I thought you were joking. Everyone knows the huts have no facilities, and certainly no food. Then I realised that you were talking about the private tour group's huts (ie, Cradle Mountain Huts). Well, I'm pretty confident they would not sell food to other walkers. In fact if you knocked on their door while there were there with their guests, I think they'd politely tell you to go away, and point you in the direction of the nearest public hut.

[tasadam]

when you walkin? if you pay me, i will carry all your food. problem solved..

This is a valid option. If you know your dates, you could, for example, arrange to meet someone at Pelion Hut for a food drop... And lose your rubbish - get them to carry it out.
There are people willing to pack haul, going in on the Arm River track to meet you at a designated time and day. Provided the price is right, of course.

I'm not one of those people, by the way.

Good luck.

[pazzar]

when you walkin? if you pay me, i will carry all your food. problem solved..

This is a valid option. If you know your dates, you could, for example, arrange to meet someone at Pelion Hut for a food drop... And lose your rubbish - get them to carry it out.
There are people willing to pack haul, going in on the Arm River track to meet you at a designated time and day. Provided the price is right, of course.

I'm not one of those people, by the way.

Good luck.

Feel free to contact the University Bushwalking Club to find porters. As Adam said, for the right amount, we can advertise to the club to find people who would be willing to porter or arrange a food drop. We already have a few trips arranged this summer, I'm sure we could squeeze in a few more. I would be happy to do a drop at Pelion if the timing was right, I'd make a trip out of it! PM me if you would like their contact details.

[Nuts]

Ah.. life Was so simple..

It's not really viable unfortunately (as well as being 'illegal'... as in similar to not having a parks pass..)

If everything is done properly, transport, permits, passes, food, fuel, proper equipment (inc plb, maps etc), ferry(?), pre/post accommodation(?) so on.. starts to approach the cost and balance the benefits of a guided walk (as well as a lighter pack than could ever be done, even with food drops... someone to cook and clean, get you out of any trouble, (hopefully) tell you what you are looking at, provide company (or not)..) If those with excess energy really want to do this in their spare time then there are (already) ways..

The aarn pack or dehy (from parks or local stores in TAS) are probably good alternatives. Read through some of the ways of reducing weight?
I also doubt the private huts would sell food. A shorter track?

[DaveM]

Ginny the walk really requires full self sufficiency - it is a wilderness track.

The only way to carry a much lighter pack is to actually go on the paid walk which for many of us is too expensive.

Otherwise all the comments by the other contributors say it all.

[Macca81]

At first I thought you were joking. Everyone knows the huts have no facilities, and certainly no food.

I met an American couple at lake st clair, that was going to do an overnight to Narcissus. They asked me if I knew if there was a menu they could read online and if they took eftpos... I kindly suggested that they purchase some food from the shop...

Apparently it is not that uncommon outside of Australia...

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[stepbystep]

Apparently it is not that uncommon outside of Australia...

I stayed at a 'hut' in the Swiss Alps with not so much a menu as a full scale smorgasbord, permanent hut wardens and a full scale bar!
They made a whiskey/coffee mixture carried in purpose built backpacks and wandered around just topping up!

True story

[JamesMc]

From an outsider's perspective, it`s not a silly question. On the last walk l did, in the Spanish Pyrenees, the standard of catering in the huts was one of the highlights of the trip.

JamesMc

[Joel]

You can't go freelancing in NP's for profit. It is illegal tasadam. Commercial operators require Commercial Visitor licenses from Parks and Wildlife.

[Overlandman]

I was based at Waterfall Valley a few years back, a woman from overseas arrived, with no food, thinking that she could buy it along the way. I advised her to return to Cradle Valley, but she kept going , back in the days when you could walk South to North at Christmas, I had a group (heading North) that met up with her at Windy Ridge. She made it through, by other walkers giving her a share of their food each night.
Overlandman

[tasadam]

You can't go freelancing in NP's for profit. It is illegal tasadam. Commercial operators require Commercial Visitor licenses from Parks and Wildlife.

A valid point.