A Day Here Or There

[Mechanic-AL]

When a recent whirlwind visit to Hobart coincided with some pretty seedy late November weather forecasts my plans for a multi day slog in the bush had to be scuttled. Plans were hastily changed in favour of a few day walks here and there with possibly an overnighter somewhere as well.
My first attempt at picking up a few leeches began with a walk up Timbs Track, chosen mostly because I have driven past it so many times but never set foot in that part of the Florentine Valley. Barely 50 meters in from the start of the track and I was already gazing skywards to the top of another regal example of Southwest Flora. The ‘Twisted Sister’’ is a contorted big Stringy Bark that resembles a giant tea towel being wrung out on laundry day! This was followed by a quick little loop through the ‘Lungs of the Forest’ that set the tone for the early stages of this walk through some pretty Mrytle forest. Surprisingly the sun started to punch through the clouds as the darkness of the rainforest gave way to the wide open expanse of the Florentine Valley. Tiger lookout was the perfect place to stop and get orientated with panoramic views of The Thumbs, Tiger Range, Tim Shea, Mt Mueller and more.
The walk up the valley was pancake flat and I reached the Florentine River sooner than expected. The rusting remains of the flying fox lay derelict on the river bank but the river looked quite wade or swim-able at medium water levels and I vowed to come back this way and explore further as soon as an opportunity shows itself. Heading onward to Churchills Hut there was much evidence of being on the old Adamsfield Track. Despite being somewhere that felt very much like wilderness I was very conscious of the countless number of people who had trodden this track before me. I arrived at Churchills Hut still without encountering anything remotely resembling a hill! The story goes that one of the last remaining Tasmanian Tigers was briefly held captive at Churchills Hut before being transported to Hobart. If this yarn is true I would be interested to know just how they managed to get a LIVE Tassie Tiger out of there? Now that would have been an interesting walk!! There were some old newspapers in the hut dating back to the early 50’s and I was surprised to see how many jobs were being advertised in the Mercury back then. Far more than nowadays. Lots of jobs for miners and labourers in Roseberry paying the princely sum of 14 pound per week.
The return journey along Cooks Track back to Gordon River Rd proved to be a bit of a disappointment with long sections through forestry regrowth and scrubby bush that threatened to gobble up the track entirely in places. The walk out to the highway from the hut was much shorter than the walk in and I was back at the car much quicker than expected. All of my recent walks have been long hauls with a 15-20kg pack so it was enjoyable to be gliding along on a flat track with only a day pack.

The weather had been much kinder to me in the Florentine Valley than the weather man had predicted so I decided to test my luck against another sinister forecast on the Mt Anne track. The plan was to go for a day walk but have to have the essentials for an overnighter to cover both options. With gloomy drizzle shrouding Mt Wellington as I drove out of Hobart I began to think that this time the weather man had got it right. But by the time I pulled into the Condominium Creek carpark the clouds had started to lift and there were even a few patches of blue poking through. Carrying an overnight pack up the Mt Anne track couldn’t have been a bigger contrast to skipping along Timbs Track with a day pack! Just above the second knoll on the way up I nearly trod on a Burrowing Mt Crayfish. I had only seen one of these amazing little creatures before ( on top of the Ironbounds) but judging by the number of sightings of ‘”shrimp’ recorded in the High Camp logbook they must be quite common in this area. The views across to Deception Ridge and back to Lake Pedder were awesome……….for a while. Descending clouds were the precursor to an icy westerly wind that sprung up out of nowhere. A steady drizzle completed the change from pleasant to no fun at all in a matter of minutes! The High Camp Hut emerged out of the murk like a mirage. I had passed two groups descending and figured I probably had that side of Mt Anne to myself but as I sat having a nibble in the hut I was joined by two guys from France. They had arrived in Hobart the day before and had plans to do the circuit. Like me they didn’t have the convenience of being able to wait for a good forecast and now only a couple of hours in were starting to wonder what their next move should be. I didn’t even contemplate camping any higher with the conditions as they were so I left my pack at the hut and continued up hoping that the weather might lift just enough to get a bit of a peek around from Mt Eliza before returning to the hut. By the time I scrambled up to the Eliza Plateau it had turned from dismal to total S#@T. I planned to sit around for 30 minutes to see what happened but I doubt I got much past the 15 minute mark before I was on my feet and heading down again! I got back to the hut to find it deserted. I guess the French walkers had decided things just weren’t in their favour.
The next morning things were much the same and the Loo definitely had no view! I returned the carpark without even sighting Mt Anne but the little bit I did see was enough to make me want to get back there.

As enjoyable as my two little forays into the bush had been I was still determined to get a night in the tent before returning to the drudgery of work. With the essentials for an overnighter once again packed I headed off to Lake St Clair. With nothing but snot showing on the synoptic chart it was once again a case of just getting out there and hoping for the best while expecting the worst. The visitor centre was strangely devoid of any other walkers ( or pretty much anyone for that matter ) as I signed the logbook and headed off in the Mt Rufus direction. I had once heard someone say that the view from the Mt Rufus summit is the best view in Tasmania. With so many stunning outlooks in such small state that was a pretty big statement to make so rather than just walk up for the day I had plans to camp somewhere near the top in the hope of getting some sort of a sunrise/sunset view. The day began surprisingly still and mild. I guessed that being a weather forecaster around 42 degrees south must be one of life’s biggest challenges! As I sat resting where the shadow lake circuit joins the Mt Rufus track I was surprised to see several walkers pass by without any water bottles, wet weather gear or even warmer clothing. Amazing. With plenty of time on my side I decided to head across the Shadow Lake track on a bit of a zig zag course to the top. The walk along the lake circuit track was a beautiful little walk through some really pretty eucalypt forest before coming out onto the plain just above Shadow Lake. With the weather hanging in it was nice to be able to stop frequently and enjoy my surroundings without having to be too concerned about having to get to a set destination by any time. As the track began to ascend to the saddle between Rufus and Mt Huegill I was tempted to find a campsite and continue up without a pack. A member of this forum had suggested to me that there maybe a suitable campsite amongst the sandstone lumps higher up so I was keen to continue on and see what the chances of making camp there were for myself. When I reached the final pandani grove before the open summit approach I was once again tempted to stop. This was such a picturesque setting and I had climbed high enough to be getting glimpses of Mt Olympus and some of the other peaks nearby. But as I scanned the area for a possible tentsite it all looked so pristine and undisturbed that I was sure spending the night there would leave some sort of unnecessary “footprint” so I continued on. With sloppy weather imminent I eyed off possible campsites among the sandstone knobs higher up with some concern. With still not much wind I figured I could set up camp and get packed up after dinner so that if I had to get out during the night I would be ready to go. As I set up my tent the day walkers I had met early passed by on their way back to Lake St Clair. As I reached the cairn on the summit of Mt Rufus I was pleased to see I had the top all to myself and most pleasingly the weather was remaining calm and clear. As I scanned the uninterrupted 360 degree view I began to mentally tick off all the distinctive profiles of the peaks I recognized. After naming all the obvious ones it was time to pull out the map and name the many I was unsure of. But one stood out head and shoulders above all else. The view of Frenchmans Cap off in the distance took my breath away! As I scanned the ocean of peaks between me and the Cap I silently took my hat off to all who have made the journey to the top of this magnificent peak but particularly the earliest pioneers who did it the hard way. I spent the next couple of hours gazing at the wild scenery before a long grey wall of clouds began to creep ominously over the western horizon. It appeared the party would soon be over so I headed down to my tent and set about getting some dinner down the hatch. I contemplated heading lower into the forest as the wind began to gain strength. Instead I climbed apprehensively into my sleeping bag with everything in place for a fast get away. I felt I had been rewarded the next morning when despite a gale strength wind everything was still intact and most surprisingly still dry. As I rolled up my tent I felt the first juicy cold blob of rain on my face. The descent to the lakes was done in heavy rain but as soon as I dropped lower the winds eased considerably. I was determined not to forget about Forgotten Lake and it looked stunning even in the rain. Any day trippers who by-pass this little jewel are really missing out. I continued back to the visitor centre without seeing a soul. After picking off a few much sort after leeches it was off to the Hungry Wombat for a scoff.

Although my time in the bush had been brief I had managed to see a few areas that have only existed in my imagination up until now and also managed to clear enough clutter from my brain to see me through until next time. Hope I don’t have to wait too long.

AL

[Mechanic-AL]

Obviously this is a trip(s) report and not a topic so I have landed it in the wrong spot.......sorry!!

[greyim]

Good effort M-Al you managed to pack a fair bit in there