Bushwalk Australia

Hi

Back from a walk and managed a stuff up in navigation. I through training and interest generally try to figure out what went wrong. Most common reason is navigator error but often things lead up to this.

Trundling along with my replacement Garmin Fenix watch. Lets see if it can using OSM to do a search for a mountain to bag and point it at it. Bingo, it worked. Pillinger appeared but that is when I struck Garmin's never ending ability to stuff up the user interface. The Fenix has a tiny black and white display of limited pixel count. So when you zoom out tracks become rather vague as they appear almost straight. Ok, it is never meant to be a mapping GPS but when you zoom in you can follow a track with great precision, assuming it is marked right. So what does Garmin do when you set a goto point? For reasons only known to the sadists at Garmin it on it own decides to zoom out to the 2km level!!!! Does not do this normally but track a point of interest and it suddenly changes behavior.

The biggest mistake a pilot can make is not trusting their instruments. But weird behavior caused by stupid programming sets the wheels in motion.

Ok, on we go and as time is short we pull the pin about 100 metres vertically from the summit. Shame as it was a cracker of a day. A section of our party decided not to do the climb and to head back to the car at a more relaxed pace.

So us would be peak baggers hit express speed and charged on. Some group of people had done gorilla track marking so rather than the usual watchful eye we headed on at great speed. A sure fire way to stuff up. And sure enough we did.

The usual debate happened. We are not on the track. Yes we are it is marked with endless tape. Yes we are on a track but not the right one. The Fenix was called into action but the tiny display meant it only added to the confusion. Out came the Rino and bingo the valley had split and we were heading down the wrong one.

None of the tracks appeared on the map. Turns out we can blame Chapman for yet again publishing informal pads as tracks. Because they are vague some group had taped the area with great abandon and we had got sucked in.

Ok, quick back track and sure enough we found the intersection we had stuffed up at. Err? If we had stuffed up what about the other section of our party? Just then my iPhone found a tower and message after message came in. Then we heard a whistle. Thanks to One Planet's foresight the chest strap buckle has a whistle so no need to pack dive for the emergency one in the first aid kit. Out went the message the old way as I dug out the iPhone and hunted for a signal to read the voice mail. Looked up and saw the other section heading back up the wrong track.

Yeap, headlamps were put on and the Garmin point of interest cancelled and zoomed into track following mode and we headed off as light began to fade. About half an hour after sunset we arrived back at the car.

It appears that some group had been up in the Pillinger area and taped everything standing. Great for them but confused the hell out of us. Sure, as we were taking an unofficial track in and out we needed to be more awake but the biggest confusion you can experience is standing on a clearly marked track that does not appear on a map but is close to another one that does.

As mentioned the wrong track was a Chapman pad, not an official track so well trodden by his hoards but still indistinct enough for some group to have taped anything that was standing.

O'well lesson relearned. Never trust track markings without keeping an eye out for the lay of the land. Also never trust a Garmin without playing with it before hand to find out what idiotic programming trick could be in store for you. Sure a Garmin GPS if figured out works a treat. Just you can assume nothing until you have tested everything.

Cheers

Ps was it not a great weekend for weather. Just have to love a crisp clear Tassie winter days but o'boy the days are short.

Deleted

I find far fewer programming errors with an old fashioned topo map!

On a serious note, I ******* hate these idiots who run around the bush taping every pad they can find. If you're incapable of bushwalking without tape markers, you probably shouldn't be out there. Don't bring nature down to your own level!

Agreed FC and its usually the good easy to follow tracks like this one they do it too. Or did you approach from a direction other than the traditional route Ent?

Bummer- I'd say that those taped tracks on the Lk Leonis side join up with Pillinger? (and would send you in the wrong direction but ...probably.. end in the same place)

So if I understand you correctly then you were heading on the pad that leads back to the Arm River Track rather than the one to Maggs Road, which you wanted to be on? This would then be the normal route that people take up Pillinger, so it would be your mistake for missing the turn off not the frenzied tape folk you speak of. They were probably taping like mad to stop people wandering off down Maggs Road pad and getting lost!!

Good to know that even highly experienced walkers make mistakes and will depend on inadequately learnt HWs, and get in the mood to blame others.

doogs wrote:So if I understand you correctly then you were heading on the pad that leads back to the Arm River Track rather than the one to Maggs Road, which you wanted to be on? This would then be the normal route that people take up Pillinger, so it would be your mistake for missing the turn off not the frenzied tape folk you speak of. They were probably taping like mad to stop people wandering off down Maggs Road pad and getting lost!!

Both tracks were taped like mad. When home I will upload a picture of one set of taping. Honestly, if people have to tape tracks like this I do wonder when the line from a guide to littering is crossed. We headed no more than five hundred metres before I dropped to the fact that valley did not look right and went back to a full size GPS that I was familiar with to confirm my suspicion. I was learning the Fenix so half expecting issues hence the other GPS being carried. More a chance to see if a Fenix is a good enough tool rather than relying on it. The other section was more trusting and less familiar so carried on until they hit the Arm River Track then well and truly knew that they were on the wrong track. Apart from lost time and few more kilometres covered no problem. I am with Paddy Pallin, if you have not been navigationally challenged at times then you have not bushwalked. Do find the easier the area the more I assume. As said in the OP my fault for making such assumptions.

Could not believe the number of side tracks marked and like Nuts suspect most will join up. Last time four years ago I was there it was clear of tape.

Main concern is commercial books pushing unofficial Parks tracks that result in people marking any pad or track like mad with the reasoning to stop people like themselves getting lost.

A lot of the old fishing tracks are skillful in their ability to take the best way and gently marked that required careful observation. Sadly taping madly everything based on some unique colour scheme just misleads.

Cheers

As mentioned here is an example of taping gone mad. Have a spare plastic ring from your energy drink, why not use that!

Ent interested to read your comment about the well known side track of the Arm to Pillinger as a "Chapman Pad" which was well known and used long before I introduced you to the Maggs alternative, also the confusion as to which way out
Just follow the pad from the Pillinger pad out on to the distinct ( in miniature obelisk like track marker and nice flat rock area ) which is almost on the junction of both (remember the man with the Umbrella ?) now you could get confused do I go left or right (depends on where you parked) however if you came in the Maggs track I would hope that you would remember that one skirts nice deep pools (not far from there) to the right as per my added couple of cairns to assist (naughty me) so how did it go wrong especially in an area that you could turn around and look to see where you came from
corvus

Hi Corvus

I think someone flatten the obelisk and turned it into what looks like a blocking cairn in an attempt to turn it into an arrow but then I might have missed it. I was looking for it both on the in and out leg but could not see it, but as mentioned the rock on the ground looked like it.

The two valleys looked similar to begin with but as said became increasingly suspicious so hence the stop and check.

Actually was not aware of the other track and where it went until we realised that it joined the Arm River Track by what looks like following the valley that ends near the Park's sign. Had wondered where the Arm River track jags right what was the pad but had thought it was many feet missing the sharp turn hence the blocking cairn.

What I did notice was a surprising amount of taped pads. The amount of taping was way over the top with what looks like an attempt by some group to colour code pads. Great for them but proved confusing for us.

The fact was apart from a bit of extra distance and time no great issue. Just more annoyed by the amount of tape around and that I got sucked in by it. But then again I was absorbed in checking walking times to distanced covered so focused on the gadgets figuring the pad was very clear, which it was apart from this one junction. Just need to be more aware of the physical signs.

Quite useful working out different people's walking speed to plan future walks. Understanding this meant we could estimate the time per leg on the OLT to ensure daylight for the walkers not familiar with it. Also proved that one new walker would make mince meat of the OLT. They managed a good pace and not even the climb up Pillinger slowed them so I was pushed keeping up with them on that section. Oh, to have young knees.

Not the first time I have made a wrong turn, nor likely the last. Actually some of the best fun has been had missing a junction and just wandering.

Very tempted to check out the plateau up around Lake McCoy. Looks like from Bing nice open walking. So might take that pad in future heading up the Arm River Track. Amazing how hard that haul once seemed. Now it seems rather easier. Oh the joys of getting fit.

Cheers

GPSGuided wrote:Good to know that even highly experienced walkers make mistakes

These guys are always off somewhere... oh wait there.. no points, no game, no smart *&%$#! comments= no experience?

Easily done ENT, that is the Arm Rv track, the original one. I think the idea was to reveg. it (so it shouldn't really be flagged).

Hi Nuts

I can see why the Arm River track was re-routed as it follows harder surface. I noticed on my short experience of the other one it would soon be turned into a bog. Though with minus six the ground was frozen solid when we were there.

This is the usual problem. Many ways could sustain the local traffic but nowadays the pressure of increased traffic means areas are being damaged forcing Parks into a game of catchup.

Not helping is over marking and commercial books flogging the merits. No real answer to these concerns but even Chapman bemoans what is happening in the Western Arthurs but offers no ideas apart from encouraging even more people to do the walk.

You did mention in a PM that the area was been taped to extinction before we went and on my four year gap I can see the extent of this taping. Soon no tree will be left untaped.

ILUVSWTAS wrote:

Please don't be shocked nor truncate my sentence. I was referring largely to the mistake of dependence on inadequately familiarised HWs.

Ent wrote:Very tempted to check out the plateau up around Lake McCoy. Looks like from Bing nice open walking. So might take that pad in future heading up the Arm River Track. Amazing how hard that haul once seemed. Now it seems rather easier. Oh the joys of getting fit.

Cheers

Not hard to find the track through there (it's flagged..)
I'd happily show you the start but then you'd just put it on OSM.. not sure what's worse

Yeah, some of the flagging is pretty bad, perhaps some sort of code.. maybe a group of passing monks?

http://www.prospectors.com.au/p-8411-pr ... -tape.aspx

ILUVSWTAS wrote:

GPSGuided wrote:Good to know that even highly experienced walkers make mistakes

Such an Expert in all your years of walking
corvus

Sad to hear about all the tape. I find this qite a bit over the past year.
The wife and I had a very enjoyable and private Xmas dinner up Pillinger and as recent as then there was hardly any tape but it was an easy walk in and out from Maggs with the most difficult piece across all the boulders, that was about the only spot where you really had to be careful, didn't wish to spoil a good lunch.
Anyway, thanks for the heads up Ent as sometimes when there is tape all over the place it is quite easy to make a mistake, especially if relaxed and not quite paying as much attention as one should.
Cheers.

As easily as tape is affixed, so can it be removed.