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Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 2:37 pm
With the prospects of heading off to New Zealand later this summer with a bunch of new and un-used gear, my partner and I decided quite late on Sunday night to try and squeeze in an overnighter (during the 3rd and 4th of Dec) before we both commit to work rosters. A quick search around on Bushwalk Australia suggested Lake Rohna was a pretty special place and was doable as an overnight walk with a total of 28km return. It is probably worth noting that both of us are only nineteen and neither of us have done an overnighter in Tassie. In fact my partner just walked her first overnighter last weekend up in the Snowy Mountains, so yeah we both have a lot to learn. In hindsight I probably would have picked another walk, but I do not regret the decision to do Rhona either. I am pretty sure my partner does not as well! 
So back to Sunday afternoon; a quick glance at my weather widget showed the forecast for Hobart did not look too bad, low twenties with patchy showers. I decided not to bother to check BoM to get a more specific forecast as I was looking for reasons to do the walk, not reasons not to. I suspect that if I had, we might not have gone. Who knows? Either way I do not plan to do it again. The other issue that seemed quite immediate was not having a map of the area. Luckily two very helpful forum members were able to help me out with a digital copy of the relevant section(s). So after a quick visit to the supermarket and a hit-and-run of my gear store we were packed, ready to throw our packs in the car and hit the road the next morning to get out there. Lying in bed I was running through things, trying to ensure nothing was forgotten. I quickly remembered that I had not yet printed off a copy of the map, nor the directions of how to get there. By this stage after midnight so when my printer would not play nice I settled for a terribly scaled, black and white print A4 out of the map. I knew it was far from ideal but it was the best we had. I went back to bed, remembering to set the alarm for 7 AM.
After a slow start and roughly two hours of driving we made it to the car park just after 10 AM. There was a little drizzle on the way in but nothing to turn your nose up at. With packs and boots on we headed down towards the Gordon River. Everything we had read indicated a wade across the Gordon, but upon arriving it was pretty clear which route we would take to cross it.
So after a short sting of following the pink markers along the river flat and up out of the tress onto the Vale of Rasselas we were greeted with both drizzle and a spectacular view of Mount Wright. As I said neither of us have walked in Tassie and as a budding geologist I found the view pretty amazing. It was just great to finally be out in the wilderness I had seen so many photos of since moving here nearly a year ago!
Following the track along through the button grass was pretty simple. I instantly regretted not wearing long pants (we do not yet own gaiters) as my shins were both scratched and sopping wet almost instantly. Naturally it did not take long for my boots to fill up with water, despite me doing my best to avoid puddles and mud. Thankfully the weather kept clearing back to sunshine and blue sky every 10-20 minutes which gave us a chance to appreciate the view.
We hit a notably boggy section just before getting to Gordonvale where we stopped for a nibble of scroggin. I am not sure why but I did not snap any photos of Gordanvale but it is an odd place. You could tell you were walking into a place where people had been. The bush just looks different. A quick search around here suggests there is quite a lot of info on the place so I have a bit to read. Anyway it started to drizzle so we continued up the track.
There was an extremely boggy section a few kilometres after Gordonvale which slowed us down a bit. Being sooks we were trying to skip around the worst of the mud, with very limited success. It was still raining at this stage so I did not take any photos other than the bellow looking down over it all. Admittedly it does all look quite similar on the rasselas so I could be totally mistaken.
(continued in post 2)
So back to Sunday afternoon; a quick glance at my weather widget showed the forecast for Hobart did not look too bad, low twenties with patchy showers. I decided not to bother to check BoM to get a more specific forecast as I was looking for reasons to do the walk, not reasons not to. I suspect that if I had, we might not have gone. Who knows? Either way I do not plan to do it again. The other issue that seemed quite immediate was not having a map of the area. Luckily two very helpful forum members were able to help me out with a digital copy of the relevant section(s). So after a quick visit to the supermarket and a hit-and-run of my gear store we were packed, ready to throw our packs in the car and hit the road the next morning to get out there. Lying in bed I was running through things, trying to ensure nothing was forgotten. I quickly remembered that I had not yet printed off a copy of the map, nor the directions of how to get there. By this stage after midnight so when my printer would not play nice I settled for a terribly scaled, black and white print A4 out of the map. I knew it was far from ideal but it was the best we had. I went back to bed, remembering to set the alarm for 7 AM.
After a slow start and roughly two hours of driving we made it to the car park just after 10 AM. There was a little drizzle on the way in but nothing to turn your nose up at. With packs and boots on we headed down towards the Gordon River. Everything we had read indicated a wade across the Gordon, but upon arriving it was pretty clear which route we would take to cross it.
- Tree across Gordon
So after a short sting of following the pink markers along the river flat and up out of the tress onto the Vale of Rasselas we were greeted with both drizzle and a spectacular view of Mount Wright. As I said neither of us have walked in Tassie and as a budding geologist I found the view pretty amazing. It was just great to finally be out in the wilderness I had seen so many photos of since moving here nearly a year ago!
- First view of Mt Wright
Following the track along through the button grass was pretty simple. I instantly regretted not wearing long pants (we do not yet own gaiters) as my shins were both scratched and sopping wet almost instantly. Naturally it did not take long for my boots to fill up with water, despite me doing my best to avoid puddles and mud. Thankfully the weather kept clearing back to sunshine and blue sky every 10-20 minutes which gave us a chance to appreciate the view.
- Sunny view of Mt Wright
- Towards Gordonvale
We hit a notably boggy section just before getting to Gordonvale where we stopped for a nibble of scroggin. I am not sure why but I did not snap any photos of Gordanvale but it is an odd place. You could tell you were walking into a place where people had been. The bush just looks different. A quick search around here suggests there is quite a lot of info on the place so I have a bit to read. Anyway it started to drizzle so we continued up the track.
There was an extremely boggy section a few kilometres after Gordonvale which slowed us down a bit. Being sooks we were trying to skip around the worst of the mud, with very limited success. It was still raining at this stage so I did not take any photos other than the bellow looking down over it all. Admittedly it does all look quite similar on the rasselas so I could be totally mistaken.
- The very boggy section
(continued in post 2)
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 2:44 pm
We ended up stopping for lunch at the first 'campsite' after Gordanvale next to a river. There was a tiny break in the weather so we got to enjoy a much welcomed hot drink and some warm food. Excitingly, I got to try out my new stove (Kovea Supalite) and some new titanium cookware which all performed well. I instantly regretted not fashioning a windshield to take for the trip as the wind was defiantly reeking havoc on the flame (which did not go out once thankfully).
By this stage we had a view towards the Denison Range and a taste of what was to come, obviously in-between the weather. Everything that we had read as well as the topography suggested we were getting closer to Rhona, or at least the foothills. Knowing this motivated us through the rain further north, reaching the foothills of the Denison Range not long after 5 PM.
As you might expect the wind up on the range was pretty strong. We were both getting cold and just wanted to get there so we could set up camp and take off our wet clothes. With that said the views on both sides were spectacular, as was looking back down the rasselas.
It must have taken us just over an hour to get up to Rhona, and man was it a welcome sight, not to mention a beautiful one!
We quickly set up our new tent (Nallo 2) and jumped inside leaving our wet clothes in the vestibule. We were both cold and worn out and actually ended up having a nap for a good fifteen to thirty minutes. Waking up warm and dry was obviously a welcome feeling. It had stopped raining outside so we made the most of it and went exploring around the edges of the lake. Looking up at Reeds Peak and the Great Dome was spectacular to say the least. I took some photos but the as I was only using my phone and the light was bad they did not really come out. The wind picked up so we retreated back to the shelter of the campsite and decided to cook dinner. We had heard reports of diarrhoea after a visit to Rhona so we were extra careful with our water up there, boiling it for quite some time before adding the pasta that formed the base of our pesto dish. We even managed to top it off with fresh cheese from the farmers market. Yum!
With full bellies we set our alarm for 6 AM as we had to be back in Hobart around 5 PM to meet a friend. That night we got to test out both our new tent, sleeping bag (Feathered Friends Spoonbill) and the deluxe platform that was my NeoAir Xtherm tied next to my partners NeoAir All Season with fishing line. The combination worked well but has room for improvement as at one stage out mats drifted apart in the night. My biggest concern that our mats would leave us with a cold dead-space at the edges was completely unfounded which was a great relief. Our new sleeping bag is meant to be pretty *&%$#! warm (with 650g of 900+ loft down, over half the weight of the entire bag!) so I wanted to give it a good test. I opened all the vents on the tent (summer mode), left the zip undone, hood off and only wore a thermal top. We fell asleep to the sound of wind up in the trees and rain on the fly. It was such a good feeling to know we were somewhere wild and out of the city.
I will be honest and say I woke up slightly disappointed with the Spoonbill's performance, being no-where near as warm as I was expecting. I was also left trying to work out what I thought must have been the sound of sand blowing onto the tent as it was too quiet for rain. Obviously I have never camped in snow before as when I opened up the vestibule I was shocked to see snow blanketing everything and still falling. Here I was thinking the tent had just sagged as the silnylon had stretched.
The snow/rain had also turned the campsite into one big puddle with a good 3cm of water sitting in our vestibule. It was at that time that I realised our tent floor was floating on a body of near freezing water. No wonder I was not as warm as I had hoped! My partner slept with a few more clothes on than me and she said she was warm all night. Lets just say I am super impressed with the Spoonbill now and eager to try it out more.
It was pretty punishing putting back on my wet clothes and having to leave the shelter of the tent to actually pull it down. Packing up in the rain is always wetter than one would like. Having freezing cold hands was probably not helping. Safe to say I have a pair of waterproof overmits on the way to me now from Mount Laurel Designs which I look forward to using. We retreated pretty quickly off the range back to the relative shelter of the rasselas. It snowed nearly all the way down to the bottom. I am not sure if we can blame the snow but we managed to loose the track for maybe five minutes before realising we were walking down the wrong spur. Luckily we were able to skirt back around to where the track was and continue down without too much trouble. The 'track' that we followed was certainly there so I suspect this must happen to a lot of walkers.
(continued post 3)
By this stage we had a view towards the Denison Range and a taste of what was to come, obviously in-between the weather. Everything that we had read as well as the topography suggested we were getting closer to Rhona, or at least the foothills. Knowing this motivated us through the rain further north, reaching the foothills of the Denison Range not long after 5 PM.
As you might expect the wind up on the range was pretty strong. We were both getting cold and just wanted to get there so we could set up camp and take off our wet clothes. With that said the views on both sides were spectacular, as was looking back down the rasselas.
- View up to Rhona
It must have taken us just over an hour to get up to Rhona, and man was it a welcome sight, not to mention a beautiful one!
- Walking into Lake Rhona
We quickly set up our new tent (Nallo 2) and jumped inside leaving our wet clothes in the vestibule. We were both cold and worn out and actually ended up having a nap for a good fifteen to thirty minutes. Waking up warm and dry was obviously a welcome feeling. It had stopped raining outside so we made the most of it and went exploring around the edges of the lake. Looking up at Reeds Peak and the Great Dome was spectacular to say the least. I took some photos but the as I was only using my phone and the light was bad they did not really come out. The wind picked up so we retreated back to the shelter of the campsite and decided to cook dinner. We had heard reports of diarrhoea after a visit to Rhona so we were extra careful with our water up there, boiling it for quite some time before adding the pasta that formed the base of our pesto dish. We even managed to top it off with fresh cheese from the farmers market. Yum!
With full bellies we set our alarm for 6 AM as we had to be back in Hobart around 5 PM to meet a friend. That night we got to test out both our new tent, sleeping bag (Feathered Friends Spoonbill) and the deluxe platform that was my NeoAir Xtherm tied next to my partners NeoAir All Season with fishing line. The combination worked well but has room for improvement as at one stage out mats drifted apart in the night. My biggest concern that our mats would leave us with a cold dead-space at the edges was completely unfounded which was a great relief. Our new sleeping bag is meant to be pretty *&%$#! warm (with 650g of 900+ loft down, over half the weight of the entire bag!) so I wanted to give it a good test. I opened all the vents on the tent (summer mode), left the zip undone, hood off and only wore a thermal top. We fell asleep to the sound of wind up in the trees and rain on the fly. It was such a good feeling to know we were somewhere wild and out of the city.
I will be honest and say I woke up slightly disappointed with the Spoonbill's performance, being no-where near as warm as I was expecting. I was also left trying to work out what I thought must have been the sound of sand blowing onto the tent as it was too quiet for rain. Obviously I have never camped in snow before as when I opened up the vestibule I was shocked to see snow blanketing everything and still falling. Here I was thinking the tent had just sagged as the silnylon had stretched.
- Snow out the vestibule
The snow/rain had also turned the campsite into one big puddle with a good 3cm of water sitting in our vestibule. It was at that time that I realised our tent floor was floating on a body of near freezing water. No wonder I was not as warm as I had hoped! My partner slept with a few more clothes on than me and she said she was warm all night. Lets just say I am super impressed with the Spoonbill now and eager to try it out more.
It was pretty punishing putting back on my wet clothes and having to leave the shelter of the tent to actually pull it down. Packing up in the rain is always wetter than one would like. Having freezing cold hands was probably not helping. Safe to say I have a pair of waterproof overmits on the way to me now from Mount Laurel Designs which I look forward to using. We retreated pretty quickly off the range back to the relative shelter of the rasselas. It snowed nearly all the way down to the bottom. I am not sure if we can blame the snow but we managed to loose the track for maybe five minutes before realising we were walking down the wrong spur. Luckily we were able to skirt back around to where the track was and continue down without too much trouble. The 'track' that we followed was certainly there so I suspect this must happen to a lot of walkers.
- Snow on part of Reeds Peak
- Snow and cloud on Mount Wright
(continued post 3)
Last edited by Mountain Rocket on Wed 05 Dec, 2012 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 2:45 pm
After making it back down to the rasselas we made the most of the short break in the weather and had some muesli. I had nearly forgotten how sub-par powdered milk really is, but was quickly reminded. 
We were both cold and eager to keep moving so we pushed on. The glimpses of sun in-between the showers as we walked were a much welcomed treat.
The upside to the rain was our boots and socks were now undoubtedly soaked so we had no qualms about walking through the mud along the track which now mostly resembled a puddle. All of the heath and various vegetation had also become laden with water so even if it was not raining you were still getting wet. I certainly need to do something (overpants or perhaps a rain skirt) to keep me warmer in the wet as I was struggling to keep warm. I think a beanie (which I stupidly forgot to pack) would also go a long way.
(silly forum software made it landscape, sorry)
The cold and the rain kept us moving right up until the point where the track leaves the rasselas back down to the Gordon river where we huddled in the trees and had some chocolate and scroggin. By that stage I was freezing so having some food in my belly was awesome. When we finally got to the Gordon I was glad to see the river had not come up enough to stop us from crossing. That had been a worry in the back of my mind as we were really hoping on being able to get to the car, turn the heater on and dry out. Having to set up all of our wet gear and wait for the river would not have been fun at all.
For the walk up the hill back to the car I took my partners pack as her legs were quite weary. There were lots of flowers out and the sun was poking through the trees so it was a nice walk back to the car, arriving just after 2 PM. After posing for a obligatory self timer photo we were both shocked as snow began falling. I checked the temperature in the car and it said it was 2 degrees outside. No wonder I was cold! Brr. We quickly stripped off, putting our remaining dry clothes on (for me it was thermal pants and my down jacket) and threw all our wet gear in the back. Next time I will certainly bring a warm change of clothes to have in the car waiting for me, as well as some more snacks. With the heater cranked we started the drive home. Annoyingly we got 2km from Gordon River Rd (the main road that runs through Maydena) only to find they had closed the road as they were replacing a bridge. There was no number to call or any sign saying how to proceed. Because we did not have any maps and with the prospect of getting lost down some stupid forestry road we called the Maydena police who luckily gave us directions north out to near Tarraleah, where we followed the Lyell highway back to Hobart.
All in all we had a great trip! It is also worth nothing I was super impressed with how my partner coped with it all. She never once complained and was totally willing to give things a go. Considering she had never really been walking before I think that is pretty outstanding. Sure the weather could have been a lot better and we could have had an extra few items of gear that would have done a lot to make the trip more comfortable. But we coped and we had fun. As I said at the start we are both young and have a lot to learn so I see nothing inherently wrong with learning from mistakes. I just want to get back out in the wilderness for round two!
PS: The one casualty of the trip was my Samsung Galaxy SII (which took the photos). It still works but the camera just shows a black screen and I can see water inside the lens of the front camera. Whoops!
It is sitting in rice now so hopefully it comes good or at least does not get worse. Does anyone have any recommendations for a waterproof camera?
We were both cold and eager to keep moving so we pushed on. The glimpses of sun in-between the showers as we walked were a much welcomed treat.- Looking back at a snowy Denison Range
The upside to the rain was our boots and socks were now undoubtedly soaked so we had no qualms about walking through the mud along the track which now mostly resembled a puddle. All of the heath and various vegetation had also become laden with water so even if it was not raining you were still getting wet. I certainly need to do something (overpants or perhaps a rain skirt) to keep me warmer in the wet as I was struggling to keep warm. I think a beanie (which I stupidly forgot to pack) would also go a long way.
- Mud!
The cold and the rain kept us moving right up until the point where the track leaves the rasselas back down to the Gordon river where we huddled in the trees and had some chocolate and scroggin. By that stage I was freezing so having some food in my belly was awesome. When we finally got to the Gordon I was glad to see the river had not come up enough to stop us from crossing. That had been a worry in the back of my mind as we were really hoping on being able to get to the car, turn the heater on and dry out. Having to set up all of our wet gear and wait for the river would not have been fun at all.
For the walk up the hill back to the car I took my partners pack as her legs were quite weary. There were lots of flowers out and the sun was poking through the trees so it was a nice walk back to the car, arriving just after 2 PM. After posing for a obligatory self timer photo we were both shocked as snow began falling. I checked the temperature in the car and it said it was 2 degrees outside. No wonder I was cold! Brr. We quickly stripped off, putting our remaining dry clothes on (for me it was thermal pants and my down jacket) and threw all our wet gear in the back. Next time I will certainly bring a warm change of clothes to have in the car waiting for me, as well as some more snacks. With the heater cranked we started the drive home. Annoyingly we got 2km from Gordon River Rd (the main road that runs through Maydena) only to find they had closed the road as they were replacing a bridge. There was no number to call or any sign saying how to proceed. Because we did not have any maps and with the prospect of getting lost down some stupid forestry road we called the Maydena police who luckily gave us directions north out to near Tarraleah, where we followed the Lyell highway back to Hobart.
All in all we had a great trip! It is also worth nothing I was super impressed with how my partner coped with it all. She never once complained and was totally willing to give things a go. Considering she had never really been walking before I think that is pretty outstanding. Sure the weather could have been a lot better and we could have had an extra few items of gear that would have done a lot to make the trip more comfortable. But we coped and we had fun. As I said at the start we are both young and have a lot to learn so I see nothing inherently wrong with learning from mistakes. I just want to get back out in the wilderness for round two!
PS: The one casualty of the trip was my Samsung Galaxy SII (which took the photos). It still works but the camera just shows a black screen and I can see water inside the lens of the front camera. Whoops!
It is sitting in rice now so hopefully it comes good or at least does not get worse. Does anyone have any recommendations for a waterproof camera?
Last edited by Mountain Rocket on Wed 05 Dec, 2012 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 4:43 pm
Great trip report. I cant wait for the next installment. I envy you two, I would love to be there, sounds like a great hike.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 4:56 pm
Sounds like a great first time overnighter Robert. I enjoyed the read and the pictures. Thanks.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 5:35 pm
Thanks guys! The rest of the trip report is up there now.
Last edited by Mountain Rocket on Wed 05 Dec, 2012 6:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 5:42 pm
That muds only ankle deep! Wait til you get into some of the really good parts of the state.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 5:50 pm
Yeah I have heard reports from the South Coast track, waist deep and boot eating! The deepest of this stuff was only up to my knees.
Was still the first time I have had to walk through mud. Baby steps right?
Was still the first time I have had to walk through mud. Baby steps right?
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 5:51 pm
The GoPro Hero2 or 3 is a great camera.
What a contrast in temps we have, today it was a scorching hot 36 celcius where i live.
What a contrast in temps we have, today it was a scorching hot 36 celcius where i live.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 5:54 pm
Absolutely! And you'll never stop learning. Ever. But if I may.... Gaiters are a must!! Overpants are almost a must!! Beannie is a must!!!!
Sth coast track probably isnt as bad as a couple of others, but yeh it's muddy too!!
Philipart that sounds awful. 34 here a couple of days ago, WAY too hot. 30 here on Saturday, still too hot.
Sth coast track probably isnt as bad as a couple of others, but yeh it's muddy too!!
Philipart that sounds awful. 34 here a couple of days ago, WAY too hot. 30 here on Saturday, still too hot.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Wed 05 Dec, 2012 6:00 pm
Great write up Robert
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Thu 06 Dec, 2012 7:37 am
Great and honest report. Reminded us of our trip in May this year. Tent bound for 20+ hours in howling gales, snow, hail, rain. The days either side were fantastic though. Typical Tassie weather that we had been well prepared for. We even placed a food drop at the river because of all the forecast weather, the log did go underwater for a day but it only affected another group from Melbourne not us. Would love to get back and explore more of the range.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Sun 09 Dec, 2012 11:41 am
Haha sounds like you had an awesome time! If I had read your previous post earlier (and not been in Nepal 
) I would have lent you the map, but oh well, next time! My partner and I did what turned out to be the same walk recently, though we had originally planned to spend 3 nights on the range; the first at Rhona, second at Diamond or Surprise lake and the third on top of Mt Wright. Unfortunately, wet and windy conditions meant we came home after spending our first night at Rhona, as we were unsure of the quality of campsites on the top of the range, especially given how strong the wind was! Still 100% worth it just to get to Rhona, it's a pretty amazing place!
Our weather was nowhere near as extreme as yours, but it was still wet, cold and WINDY!
048 by bigggbird, on Flickr
046 by bigggbird, on Flickr
Thankfully, we had a much nicer day for the walk in, with only a few brief showers. Rained most of the night though, and when we got back to the tree crossing (at 2030, with darkness falling...) the tree was so wet and slippery that we had to bumslide across! Fine on the far bank where we were coming from, as that's the narrrow end of the tree, but the groin got a good stretch the closer we got to the opposite bank!
And for the record, my partner and I's first walk together was a similar story; wet, cold and underprepared Only thing was we did it for 3 nights on the South Coast Track. But hey, gotta work out if you can deal with those conditions early on, as there's plenty of it to be had in Tas! Glad to see you're still keen for more Enjoy your time in NZ!
) I would have lent you the map, but oh well, next time! My partner and I did what turned out to be the same walk recently, though we had originally planned to spend 3 nights on the range; the first at Rhona, second at Diamond or Surprise lake and the third on top of Mt Wright. Unfortunately, wet and windy conditions meant we came home after spending our first night at Rhona, as we were unsure of the quality of campsites on the top of the range, especially given how strong the wind was! Still 100% worth it just to get to Rhona, it's a pretty amazing place! Our weather was nowhere near as extreme as yours, but it was still wet, cold and WINDY!
048 by bigggbird, on Flickr
046 by bigggbird, on Flickr
Thankfully, we had a much nicer day for the walk in, with only a few brief showers. Rained most of the night though, and when we got back to the tree crossing (at 2030, with darkness falling...) the tree was so wet and slippery that we had to bumslide across! Fine on the far bank where we were coming from, as that's the narrrow end of the tree, but the groin got a good stretch the closer we got to the opposite bank!
And for the record, my partner and I's first walk together was a similar story; wet, cold and underprepared
Only thing was we did it for 3 nights on the South Coast Track. But hey, gotta work out if you can deal with those conditions early on, as there's plenty of it to be had in Tas! Glad to see you're still keen for more Enjoy your time in NZ!
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 2:29 pm
How long is the walk in/out to Lake Rhona? Considering an overnighter up there in a few weeks time.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 2:35 pm
Strider wrote:How long is the walk in/out to Lake Rhona? Considering an overnighter up there in a few weeks time.
5-8hrs depending on your condition and the conditions. It took me 6.5 in searing heat the first time and I can't remember the times last time. Best spending 2 nights to allow time to poke about on the range.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 11:45 pm
stepbystep wrote:Strider wrote:How long is the walk in/out to Lake Rhona? Considering an overnighter up there in a few weeks time.
5-8hrs depending on your condition and the conditions. It took me 6.5 in searing heat the first time and I can't remember the times last time. Best spending 2 nights to allow time to poke about on the range.
Thanks. I'm not at my fittest, but still maintain a respectable pace. As long as it's easily doable within a couple of days I'll be fine. No chance of getting two nights leave from the Boss!
Last edited by Strider on Thu 24 Jan, 2013 11:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Thu 24 Jan, 2013 11:45 pm
Double post!
Re: Learning Curve: A wet overnighter to Lake Rhona
Fri 25 Jan, 2013 12:18 pm
A great and honest trip report. It is these trips that build life experiences so what a great start for you both. Seems like you learnt a lot about where not to pitch the tent! Well done and great photos
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