West Coast

[303294345]

I am flying into Melaleuca late February to walk to Strahan. I have got a couple of questions.

1. How much of it is a fuel-stove only area
2. Do Par Avion sell the big cans of butane/propane or just the little ones at Melaleuca
3. Which rivers should I use the packraft on (I can't swim well)
4. Should my backpack/s be tied to the packraft or to me or to neither
5. Do I need to take a rope
6. Are there any rivers that I need to worry about tide/any other special precautions (like sinking sand at New River Lagoon or was it low tide at southcape rivulet)
7. How do you predict how much toilet paper for a month and what would I use if I run out
8. Any special Hazards/Dangers/advice. (one bloke told me to take gloves for getting through the cutting grass/scrub)
9. I understand the bit between High Rocky Point and Low Rocky Point is physically hard... but is it dangerous
10. which bit should I be MOST scared of


Any advice is appreciated.

[doogs]

To be honest, it doesn't sound like you are ready for this type of trip if you are asking these questions. Do you have a shorter 'practise' trip organised so you can prepare and answer some of these questions yourself?

[Scottyk]

I agree with doogs on this one. That's a huge undertaking and the questions you ask indicate that you may not have worked up to this kind of thing.
Chapman's south west book indicates 28-35 days to complete this route.

[north-north-west]

Have to agree with the others. If you don't even know that scrub gloves are a necessity (and please excuse the cliched quote) you know nothing, Jon Snow.

[Tortoise]

I agree with all of the above. Lack of serious scrub experience and pack rafting experience combined with not being a good swimmer - a recipe for disaster methinks. Higher chance of expensive rescue / potentially putting others at risk.

Is there a good reason you couldn't work up to this trip by doing a number of shorter but challenging trips? I'm all for enthusiasm! it does need a large dose of realism as well though. In particular I think it'd be best to get some pack rafting experience with others. You wouldn't want to be encountering challenging rafting issues for the first time on such a demanding trip.

Maybe you could also use the meantime to improve your swimming skills. That would be a bonus for the rest of your life.

Good on you for seeking advice. Hope this helps.

[greyim]

Is this a stooge query?

[Tortoise]

Ah. That makes more sense.

[corvus]

G'day 303294345,
With questions like that I suspect you are either 1 extracting the urine or 2 totally unprepared to undertake a 30 day walk any where let alone the unforgiving West Coast of Tassie, you wonder how much toilet paper you will need yet have not requested how much tucker you will need to carry ?? and if you don't know how to wipe your bum in the bush without toilet paper you are behind the 8 ball b4 you start

[walkabout]

Good one, Corvus!

[303294345]

sigh. Have any of you actually done it? Not a single question answered.

Why should I explain my experience just for some advice?

I have read the south west book by Chapman.. not much info. Not like his other one about the south coast track. That said to be careful around New River Lagoon because of the shifting sands or something like that. A specific hazard. Or like being careful to make sure that you cross the two rivers at low tide... another example of specific hazards. I sure was glad for that information when I flew into Melaleuca a couple of years ago and walked out to Cockle Creek. But as I said the West Coast book by Chapman does not have that much information.

naysayers saying no before they even know anything about the situation.

My dad told me it would be mad to cross Hells Gates on a packraft. He knows his crap being a commercial fisherman and all, back in the day. He told me about the tides and the winds and the shallow bit that makes that particular stretch of water dangerous to cross. He rang me up the night before and scared the *&%$#! out of me, but i had to go and see for myself. My wonderful loving dad didn't deter me.. he just scared me. It took me 27 minutes to row over and 13 minutes to row back. I touched the lighthouse at Cape Sorell. I wonder how many people have done that.


Of course I am glad that I spent some time practicing rowing on Lake meadowbank, lake repulse and cluny dam. And that time I took it into Frenchmans cap because the blow up lilo didnt work at Irenabyss. I have been to Frenchmans Cap three times (and down to Irenabyss twice) but not once have I camped/stayed at Lake Vera. Yes, I have done that 27 kay walk 6 times now (not including the trips to irenabyss).

I like long walks. I did a mount Ossa day trip in 13 hours along the arm river track. I have climbed Mount Ossa 6 times in a couple of years. I have camped up there one night and it was so much fun I camped up there another time for two nights. That was just as nice as when I camped up on Wylds Craig on one of the times I went up there.

I have done most of the peaks on the overland track yet I have not done the Overland track. I have not done Barn Bluff. And I have failed twice at climbing the Acropolis once due to too much snow and the second time the snow had turned to ice (both times in winter). I love Pine Valley.

I went up onto the Western Arthurs once.. but the weather told me to go away. I swear I have never felt so unwelcome. Another time I will do the Western Arthurs.

My map has 32 thumbtacks representing somewhere I have set up tent in the last 2 and a half years.

I have been planning this trip for over a year. By planning I mean organising the full month of March off work. I have paid for my ticket and am ready to fly out. Due to work I can't ring them during hours which is why I asked here the question about the fuel cannisters. I would prefer a big one. but I don't know yet because of the "fuel stove only area" question I asked about.

Now would anyone like some more of my bushwalking experience? Would you like pics? Do I have your permission now?

I have the gear and food sorted. The tp question was a joke really, as it depends on what you eat. But still, perhaps there was a plant that was softer and nicer or perhaps one is poisonous and should be avoided.

[Scottyk]

Enjoy your trip.

[walkabout]

No, I haven't done it, and probably never will. Best of luck to you.

[corvus]

G'day again 303294345,
Why did you not tell us you were so experienced ?? and have done so much !!
You had the toilet paper question answered ,you had the glove question answered ,due to work why not use your mobile to contact Par Avion ? doubt one big cannister would be enough and if you are so experienced you would know this is a total fuel stove area without asking !! mate where you have been walking is no where near what you can expect on your proposed walk however you have "my permission"to do what ever you want good luck .

[Tortoise]

8. Any special Hazards/Dangers/advice. (one bloke told me to take gloves for getting through the cutting grass/scrub)

Ok, 303294345, sorry we got off to a bad start. Please don't judge us too harshly - we can only go on what you give us. Even in my limited offtrack Tassie walking, one of the first things that became obvious was the need for scrub gloves. That, along with what appeared to be fairly basic questions about using a pack raft, and the comment about not being a good swimmer - and the toilet paper - all started to look more sus than real.

Why should I explain my experience just for some advice?

If a total stranger asks questions on a forum like this that suggest a lack of suitable experience, I think we would be foolish if not negligent to assume they have it.
Edit: Many of us have met/seen people woefully underprepared for Tassie walks that are far less demanding.

Last edited by Tortoise on Wed 14 Jan, 2015 5:16 am, edited 2 times in total.

[corvus]

Don't forget the PLB .

[stepbystep]

Don't forget the PLB .

Agreed.

Both of your posts are ridiculous and your 'experience' if true, is still laughable. I've done a *&^%$#@! more difficult walks than any of that stuff and would never need to ask such questions on an open forum, it's called experience...(I can't see one trip in your resume that is actually difficult). Your proposed walk is in another league to anything you have stated as having done. Oh and IF you reach hells gates your journey is done, one of the locals will give you a lift across to Strahan.

Pack your PLB and learn how to use it(and 2 bog rolls and 2 pairs of scrub gloves ).

[303294345]

I am dying. I found out in September of 2012. As it was my first multiday hike, I was a bit nervous but I was as perpared as I could be (for a newbie). I walked into the Walls of Jerusalem and set up tent at Wild dog creek. I walked around and took photos and it was beautiful. Snow from a few days ago had mostly melted and it was a pleasant atmosphere. I went to sleep and woke to what I thought was rain, but it was snow. It snowed for 36 hours. I had won some money on Keno at the pub and I had a bag of weed and I became very conscious of my own death. I wasn't thinking I would die then and there but I became aware. All the money and pot in the world could not have helped me where I was. but I was safe. I had a tent, I had food and means to cook it and I had warm clothes and was warm. I was free from that moment on.

I walked out after others had walked in and I saw through the mist what turned out to be Mount Pelion East. I vowed I would one day stand on top of that nipple. It took me six months but I got on top of that mountain. I looked in the direction of the Walls but I couldn't see anything as it was covered in fog and I could hardly see my feet... but I was there.... I made it. The day before I was on top of Mount Ossa on one of the clearest most beautiful days and it was at that point I had the bug. Now I want to see as much as I can before I die. Because rest asssured I guarantee it... I am dying.

I asked one person what their best walk was and they said the Western Arthurs. I read all about it and realised I wasn't ready for that. Even a year later when I got up there I still wasn't ready so I came back down to fight another day. I must do the Western Arthurs. For me that means I have to do this West Coast walk first. Only then will I be experienced enough in my own mind. I understand they are completely different environments but that has nothing to do with the way my brain works.

My brain says John Chapman did it. The American dude I met had done it. And this beautiful woman I have met three times while out walking has done it. SO my brain apparently thinks that is enough evidence to say that I can do it too.

One scenario is if I get to low rocky point and I think it is too hard, then I can just turn around and go back to Melaleuca and fly back out. No big deal. Still a fortnight away in a remote part of the world that almost hardly anyone ever gets to see.

If I get to High rocky point there is no turning back. If I die then it doesn't matter. If I get too stuck I can get a chopper back out. we live in a rich country and I pay my taxes and it is a service provided. I quit smoking and after a decade of alcohol abuse I stopped that too, potentially saving society heaps of money. I am fit and strong and healthy and it is all down hill from here. It is now or never.
Oh and about the chopper rescue and the potential for putting people at risk trying to save me. Well, they can always get another job. No one forces them to do it. I bet most of them love doing it. I bet heaps of other people would love to do their job. They put themselves at risk by doing society a favour and they get paid for that priveledge. End of story.

One time I was running on an old hydro road which was normally covered in big rocks/bluemetal. This time it was covered in snow. I was in shorts and a tshirt and I was miles from anywhere. If I had have fallen over I was dead. Simple as that. No helicopter rescue, no search party... I would have been dead from hypothermia in less than an hour if I stopped running.

Life is to be lived. Risks are risks but awareness of risks puts you at an advantage.

I talked to my boss about this time last year and I wanted either september or March off and we decided on March. (I wanted longer daylight hours but not too hot or too cold... rain in spring or wind in autumn)
So I have been waiting for over a year and it is only finally starting to happen. I have nearly everything I need.

One map I have shows the national park going up to Elliot Bay before Low Rocky Poihnt and after that no National Park. That is why I was wondering about the "fuel stove only area" bit. Not alot of information out there about this little walk.

[Mechanic-AL]

Alexander Supertramp lives on..........
Thats pretty good stuff you smoking there Alexander!!!

( tell me you weren't seriously considering doing this in September?? ).

AL

[Out_Walking]

Umm...err...Well, hands down this is the most insane thread I've read in here and that's saying something. In a previously ambitious mention of this walk, John Chapman himself left some sage advice.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8536&p=152809&hilit=WEST+COAST#p152809

Do I get sin binned in this forum if I assert 303294345, that you sound positively bonkers?

[north-north-west]

Umm...err...Well, hands down this is the most insane thread I've read in here and that's saying something. ,,,

Do I get sin binned in this forum if I assert 303294345, that you sound positively bonkers?

You wouldn't be alone.

[Scottyk]

Umm...err...Well, hands down this is the most insane thread I've read in here and that's saying something. ,,,

Do I get sin binned in this forum if I assert 303294345, that you sound positively bonkers?

You wouldn't be alone.

Troll?

[frenchy_84]

Your using this to get experience for the Arthur's? That doesn't make sense. A month of untracked walking, with difficult scrub and river crossings compared to a week to 10 days of challenging yet well trodden track across the Arthur's. Good luck...

[north-north-west]

Umm...err...Well, hands down this is the most insane thread I've read in here and that's saying something. ,,,

Do I get sin binned in this forum if I assert 303294345, that you sound positively bonkers?

You wouldn't be alone.

Troll?

No, I'm closer to being a dwarf.

[Scottyk]

[/quote]
Troll?[/quote]No, I'm closer to being a dwarf.[/quote]
fair enough!
Think he might be be pulling our legs though

[303294345]

sigh. Yet still no answers to the questions about hazards in this particular area. Can I assume most of the responders have not done it? Oh well.

Seriously, it cant be that hard. Why is everyone so scared. Like I said if it is too hard then turn back... no big deal. If I have enough food for 30 days and after 10 days it is too hard then I have 20 days to get back, either to Melaleuca or keep going to cockle creek. Either way I have the month off and I will be somewhere remote. At least I am going to try.

Alexander Supertramp lol.. my friend that got me into hiking sent me that film from Germany. He shoulda had a packtraft....

Thanks Out_Walking.. I had already read that thread. Did you read the last post by paul... lol. He musta been positively bonkers?
Like I previously said not much info about this walk.

Oh well.I am going for between 26 and 30 days. I would like to be at Birthday Bay by the 23rd. Psycologically I am ready. I am prepared mentally. This is not a fun wander. This is going to be the hardest and most insane thing I have ever done. I am going to be hungry for most of the time (but I will have all the nutrients I need). I am going to be cold and exhausted. I am going to be tired and sore for most of the trip. I get that. There are a few things that can go wrong but they are the same things that can go wrong at say, Pelion Gap in the middle of winter in the snow, and I'm sure noone thinks too badly of that. This is a challenge. Lets face it a life or death challenge. But I have the right attitude.

If I do not get any answers I will still go, I do not really care that much. This thread is more of bragging rights when I get back.

Physically I am ready. Except for a lower back pain in the last few days which I caused by pushing a car. That is temporary I hope. The only thing that will possibly stop me is this sore back, or some other unforseen injury.

[north-north-west]

Seriously, it cant be that hard.

The point we are trying to make is that it really is that hard.
I've done the Western Arthurs & a pile of off track Tassie stuff solo and still wouldn't even think about doing what you're attempting. Experience in off-track conditions has to be gained the hard way - slowly and gradually. You don't do something like this as your introduction to it. Until you have done some serious scrub-bashing in the South West you have no idea how much hard work is involved.

I just hope you turn around early enough to get out alive.

[MickyB]

I am dying.

I am fit and strong and healthy

?????????

[stry]

I don't think OP is bonkers, or a troll.

A bit of stress or rapid rearrangement of your circumstances can often trigger "fart in bottle syndrome" of which urgency and a ricocheting thought process are often symptoms.

Best suggestion I can make is relax, take a deep breath, and slow down a little on your planning (and thinking And please forget about rivers and packrafting if you are not good in the water. I also see logistic problems with the proposed length, time wise, of the trip. EG: Unless I have missed something (always possible) you are proposing to carry 30 days food - around 22/24 kgs of food. Plus gear, plus pack raft ?? Ask an infantryman what carrying those weights is like, let alone in the SW.

Even if life may be short for you, self created problems inevitably end up dragging others into those problems.

A bit less frenetic approach and a bit of rejigging, maybe pick out one short section of your proposed route and do it as a sample, and I reckon you could have a blinder of a trip. If it all works on the sample, take another bite.

[north-north-west]

I am dying.

I am fit and strong and healthy

?????????

He's young and a bit of dope has given him his first intimations of mortality. Combine that with a natural tendency to self-dramatisation and . . . voila!

[Lizzy]

Can't get past the toilet paper question.......