thought id put up my experience at a first attempt at overnighting at lake belcher.......well it didnt pan out the way i intended but that was solely because i spat the *&^%$#@!! the walk in was pleasent i left at 7am and it took a bit over 2hrs to arrive at lake the view of the surrounding peaks from near the summit of mt mawson was as expected AWESOME! the 400metre drop into the humbolt valley was a good walk and it wasnt until hitting the valley floor the reality of what was coming set in. As soon as i crossed the humbolt river i was greeted to the boggy belcher and this only worsened the further i pushed, finally the emergency hut came into view and i knew it was only another 500 metres to the lake...unfortunately even though we are in the middle of summer this area doesn't adhere to the idea of drying out AT ALL! the bog just got boggier and the track isnt the easiest to follow... all i needed was the lake shore and i was sure id be in a happier mood, the lake had no solid bottom and only a foot deep so a swim to refresh and reset was squished....i crossed the river again near the start of the lake and from that point it was nothing but swampy marshs and peat moss i endured half way round the right side of the lake before making the decision the opposite shore may well provide dry ground so i backtracked and didn't get far that way as the tea tree was almost impenatrable, the decision was made i either had to sit in the hut all day or get the hell out before it got too hot....it didnt take too long to make the call as the march flies and mozzies were only going worsen....they were already bad! i only seen one tiger snake and a couple of disappearing tails which was good but im sure in the conditions there wouldve been quite a few i didnt see.....off i went with tail between legs....and 16kg on the back still lol
anyway id thought id share something for you all....and the couple of german tourists walking in were warned that it isnt just a 5hr return walk as the track conditions arent that well defined on the signage and considering i was knee deep in sections and was continually looking for the actual track i thought id better let them know what they were in for....epecially with no gaitors...
there isnt much info on belcher that i could find and i couldnt even see where the lake belton section started. maybe parks and wildlife should shed a little more light on the actual conditions of the track so people know what to expect
will post some pics as soon as i figure out how
.....figured the pic problem
......more pics to follow....unless my amateur pics aren't desired? but im keen to share my journey as a beginner to hiking
