Day 1: Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley
It was beautiful and sunny for most of the day making for great walking conditions. Having never hiked in Tassie before I was blown away by just how wild the country is.
Day 2: Waterfall Valley to Lake Rodway
Waking we were greeted by what I guess is pretty typical Tassie weather. I had never hiked in heavy rain before but our gear held up pretty good. As we turned off towards Scott-Kilvert Hut the rain turned to sleet and then snow. The walk to Lake Rodway was very wet, there was lots of water moving down the track and numerous deep sections to move through leaving us with wet cold feet. We had a vague idea to push on to Dove Lake but opted for a warm afternoon by the fire in the hut.
Day 3: Lake Rodway to Dove Lake
The weather set in overnight and we woke to deep fresh snow. Living in the Snowy Mountains we are pretty used to getting around in snow but it still made for challenging conditions. The rock scramble down Hansons Peak was interesting! The mrs was not impressed. We made it back to the courtesy bus in pretty good time and enjoyed an epic, if overpriced, burger at the visitor centre.
I made a short video of our trip
If your really keen, I wrote up a full trip report on my blog
http://www.olasmontanas.com/2012/10/around-cradle-mountain-tasmania-part-1.html
http://www.olasmontanas.com/2012/10/around-cradle-mountain-tasmania-part-2.html
http://www.olasmontanas.com/2012/11/around-cradle-mountain-tasmania-part-3.html
As a post note, on the day we returned the weather we encountered was shocking; cold, snowy and windy. We got back at about 2:00pm. I was amazed how many people were still heading out on the Overland Track this late in the day, most looked very underprepared. I would be amazed if they could have made it all the way to Waterfall Valley with the conditions being as they were. As it was the first day of the booking season I suppose they had to leave on that day or miss out? Surely a dangerous situation, although I am sure this would be a familiar sight for those of you who regularly hike in Tas.
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