SOLO WESTERN ARTHURS TOMMOROW

[james cav]

Well tommorows the big day of my most epic walk yet. Ill be A to K'n it over the next nine days. I have to admit im a bit nervouse and hope not to find myself a topic of "controversy corner" by the end of it. (yes I always overlaugh for real) Ive packed, checked, repacked, more times than i can remember. I have also tried very hard using photos from this wonderfull forum and my tasmap to get an idea of what im in for. The photos with people are especialy helpfull. Thanks. I expect I may see a couple other walkers from here on the track given some brief communications ive had. Im sure they will be a welcome sight somehow.
If anyone has any last minute advice on the hard parts of this trail I welcome them completely. Im also going to try to post from somewhere high for the novelty factor. see how it goes. Ill keep an eye on this thread for a while. You wouldnt believe it but a spider bit my heel at 5am this morning. but i am happy to say it feels okay now. Bye for now all.

[Darren]

G'Day
I have no advice but 'Good on ya mate, go for it'.
Have a great time
Darren

[james cav]

CHEERS! Maybe thats all the advice I need. Cant wait to get there. Fly out of adelaide at 9am. Will be camped at junction creek by 5pm. Woohooo.

[flyfisher]

Go for it James and good luck. Don't forget the pics and story.
FF

[ben.h]

Yes. Photos please!
Good luck and have a great adventure

[Nuts]

Heya James,

.Wev'e started having the first of the cold (poss.heavy snow weather)
.Take care with route finding up there

What electronics/comms do you have?

not knowing you personally, if you have the skills,equipment, planning and are prepared for a certain element of uncontrolable risk- Go 4 It


(Otherwise -Dont)

[Steve]

Have a good trip james!

[Earthling]

Goodo James.
Hope the trip is going well.
It must be about time for that post yeah...?
Any chance of posting a pic as well.....

[NickD]

Hey man, hope all goes well!!!
sounds epic.
Myself and a mate are going in late May, A to Lake Roseanne, should be epic. Expecting to get smashed by the westerly winds, taking plenty of spare tent poles and back up bivy bags!! haha!! CANT WAIT

[under10kg]

Myself and my walking mate helped james get over the 2 hard days on the arthurs. I am sure he will have some interesting comments about his experince.

[james cav]

Cheers under 10kg.
I Have to say without hesitation that the western arthurs has lived up to its rep as the hardest walk in oz. At least in my experiance, and IM very greatfull to Both Under 10kg and Bremmer for their support in helping me complete this challenging traverse that I must admit took me by suprise at its level of difficulty.
My feelings about the WA's are some what double edged as I sit here with two very sore knees, (apparently more physical prep would have been a good idea). the first three days up to Oberon could not have been better and I think thats where you get sucked in to the false sence that the rest "cant be that hard". The views are amazing even if the constant cloud only allows the odd peek at whats around. This part of the walk I could not enjoy more and I finally got to see the real tasmanian wilderness.
However the following two days were, for me at least, a constant challenge to my sences and physical ability (or lack there of). It wasnt so much a bushwalk, as i might have thought, but a contant scramble/ climb/ slide on my *&%$#! journy on some vague description of a track that at times really did seem to want to put you at harm. Dont get me wrong I had a great trip, and when I work out how, ill post some snaps. I was just a little suprised at how many times I found myself clinging to a tree root or rock thinking "dont slip here or thats it". As far as pleasure walks go my own level of fitness did not allow me to enjoy these two days. But hey Thats my problem. All in all a great walk with a fantastic end, camping at seven mile creek. Once again a big Thanks to Bremmer and Under 10kg as without their guidance Im not sure success (although not solo) would have been mine. Damn my knees hurt Ill leave it there for now.

[flyfisher]

Good on you James for getting out there and having a go.
I'll bet in time to come you won't remember too much about your sore knees, but all the views and good parts of your adventure will stay with you forever.
Good on under 10kg and Bremmer for lending a hand,nice work.
Cheers Flyfisher

[lexharris]

James, congrats, going solo is a different head space with more challenges than just the terrain. And more rewards too. I'm sitting here still nursing sore knees after 16 days solo around the SW Cape, I can feel your pain But it will pass and the photos and memories will live on, and soon you'll be planning the next epic

[Nuts]

Heya James,
if you have the skills,equipment, planning and are prepared for a certain element of uncontrolable risk- Go 4 It


(Otherwise -Dont)

[Nuts]

Hate to be the wet blanket mate but really! the Western Arthurs is nothing like 'one of the hardest walks in Oz'
Sounds like you were well outa yer depth! especially solo!
It is just not worth it mate
Yet so many pats on the back (once again )?

[ben.h]

Heya James,
if you have the skills,equipment, planning and are prepared for a certain element of uncontrolable risk- Go 4 It


(Otherwise -Dont)

Hate to be the wet blanket mate but really! the Western Arthurs is nothing like 'one of the hardest walks in Oz'
Sounds like you were well outa yer depth! especially solo!
It is just not worth it mate
Yet so many pats on the back (once again )?

Your point being?

[lexharris]

Hate to be the wet blanket mate but really! the Western Arthurs is nothing like 'one of the hardest walks in Oz'
Sounds like you were well outa yer depth! especially solo!
It is just not worth it mate
Yet so many pats on the back (once again )?

Harsh words Nuts. Having walked it twice I'd say it's up there as one of the harder grades as far as established tracks go. Of course there are much harder walks, you could go off track and bash scrub for a month, that would be harder, but let's not belittle what is quite a decent achievement for most walkers, especially so alone.

So what do you rate as the hardest walks in Oz then?

[corvus]

It is obvious that he really needeeded help on this walk !! so the point is lucky beggar .
thank you under 10kg and Bremmer for helping to prevent a statistic
c

[lexharris]

It is obvious that he really needeeded help on this walk !! so the point is lucky beggar .
thank you under 10kg and Bremmer for helping to prevent a statistic
c

Well I'm coming in late here and I haven't seen the previous discussions re under 10kg and bremmer, but why is it obvious that he needed help? Because he had sore knees? Because he was thinking "don't slip or that's it"? I've been walking for over 30 years, and I get sore knees too and I still think "don't slip or that's it", so do I really need help on my walks too? Are you saying that no-one should EVER take ANY risk?

[corvus]

Well I'm coming in late here and I haven't seen the previous discussions re under 10kg and bremmer, but why is it obvious that he needed help? Because he had sore knees? Because he was thinking "don't slip or that's it"? I've been walking for over 30 years, and I get sore knees too and I still think "don't slip or that's it", so do I really need help on my walks too? Are you saying that no-one should EVER take ANY risk?

No mate because as he indicated (if you read the thread he neededed assistance ) bugger all to do with sore knees and as an old Fart who having taken many risks I say to all of you youngsters go for it however if you dont have the experience please dont try to take on what you are not trained for or have the ability to achieve on your own.
c

[eggs]

I recently did a walk into the WA with 3 young men and deliberately planned to go only as far as Capricorn before coming back.
As it turned out, due to time, we turned back at Pegasus, but that walk was hard enough - though we did push some long days for our fitness levels.

When I read this thread about going solo through the WA, I thought I hope he knows what he is doing! I am glad you are OK.

I suspect that a lot of people think this walk is not too hard. This was emphasised when returning we met a group of about 10 people not far from the car park heading into the Western Arthurs. It was a mix of older people with some quite young teenagers. We were staggered to see them with an esky and a folding chair amongst other items. When queried about what they were doing they said - "Oh we did the Overland track last year." My response was - "this isn't like the Overland Track!!"
Giving the weather had already come in on the range, I can only assume that they turned back not far into the range if they got there at all
Perhaps it would be good to continue to emphasise that it is not a place for large groups and it is extremely difficult and dangerous as it just does seem that people have too light a view of the walk.

Brian

[lexharris]

No mate because as he indicated (if you read the thread he neededed assistance ) bugger all to do with sore knees and as an old Fart who having taken many risks I say to all of you youngsters go for it however if you dont have the experience please dont try to take on what you are not trained for or have the ability to achieve on your own.

And as one old fart to another, exactly how did you get YOUR experience corvus? Did you ever take on something you were not "trained" for? Did you ever take on something that you didn't think you could achieve? Did you ever fall or break a leg or make a mistake? Or did you stay home all day reading safety manuals and never get out there? Of course, you took risks man, you got out there, you used your judgement, you made mistakes and you learned. I don't know you or james or nuts or under 10kg or bemmer from a bar of soap, but I do know that we as a society have slowly but surely created a cotton-wool world where everyone is hell -bent on a totally safe and zero-risk journey from cradle to grave. I see so many posts in this forum about safety this and safety that and 10kg maximum packs and how it's irresponsible to travel alone or leave your home without a mobile phone and a GPS and a PLB and god knows what else. Were Olegas Truchanas and Peter Dombrovskis irresponsible? Were Reinholdt Messner, Tim McCartney-Snape, David Lewis, Jon Sanders all irresponsible? They and many many others achieved great things alone. All of them had to start somewhere, all took risks and ventured into the unknown. Was Messner trained to summit Everest solo and unsupported before he did so? I don't think so. What I see today is a loss of balance. Risk-taking is a healthy and essential part of life. It is vital for the gaining of confidence and self-esteem. I despair for the youth of today - we are teaching young people to be fearful of everything and never to take any risk. What we should be teaching them is how to take on risk in a responsible manner. And when they do rise to a challenge, we should applaud their efforts not belittle them and grind them back into the ground. I don't know James or the background to this story, but what I see from reading this topic is someone who had the courage to get out there and push his boundaries, just like you and I did in our past. I read that he has packed, checked, repacked, rechecked more times than he can remember. I read that he has done his research and sought guidance from members of this forum. None of this sounds irresponsible to me. To admit in a public forum that you found the trip difficult is courageous in itself. I've found many a trip difficult, I'm sure you have too corvus. It does not automatically follow that going on this trip was an irresponsible act. I'm sure james has learned something from this about his abilities and he will put this experience to good use on his next trip. If he'd stayed at home and not taken any risk as some seem to be suggesting, he would have learned nothing except to be fearful of the unknown.

[Nuts]

Wow there folks....!
I don't know James either, and there is not enough here to decide wether he was in real trouble or just had a hard time.
What also wasn't here is much in the way of advice!?

Before I first did the traverse I went for a look, i understood it to be a 'hard' walk and that was the level of respect i thought it deserved. I certainly wouldn't recommend the walk to anyone who had the slightest doubt about their abilities and recognise that a lack of anything but a 'go for it' can be the difference between someone doing these or changing their plans.

These are Serious undertakings and yes, they are not worth it if they put your or perhaps (especially) other folks lives at risk! So i guess the point wasn't really about James, just the way these topics receive a response. You don't know who your talking to, or how they take it. So long as the next person reading through here before completing the walk as a higher level of awareness about what they are about to do the point is made.

[Darren]

G'Day Lexharris
Very well said. I not only agree with but support what you have said.
James
Chin up mate, now your back, review your trip and what you enjoyed and what you didn’t. Ask yourself ‘when I was faced with fear, anxiety, etc were the decisions i was making still sound. ‘
You will know the answers
Darren

[james cav]

I just finished a huge diatribe on my streanghths and weaknesses that took the better part of an hour to write only to get logged off and work lost. To keep it simple thanks all you that encourage me and at the end of the day this experiance tought me alot. Nobody had to carry me or my equipment, I finished my proposed route (though not entirely solo), and if acknowledging someone publicly opens one to some of the comments posted here then so be it. I assure you that in some ways (equipment etc) I could not be more prepared. My only real let down was the level of exposure to the possibility or harm and the role tHat played in my mind. Oh yeah and my kness, my poor aching knees .

[ben.h]

I just finished a huge diatribe on my streanghths and weaknesses that took the better part of an hour to write only to get logged off and work lost. To keep it simple thanks all you that encourage me and at the end of the day this experiance tought me alot. Nobody had to carry me or my equipment, I finished my proposed route (though not entirely solo), and if acknowledging someone publicly opens one to some of the comments posted here then so be it. I assure you that in some ways (equipment etc) I could not be more prepared. My only real let down was the level of exposure to the possibility or harm and the role tHat played in my mind. Oh yeah and my kness, my poor aching knees .

"Another statistic" and "putting other folks lives at risk" indeed. Next time I need a lynch mob to jump to conclusions and unleash their vile and venomous vitriol I'll give Nuts and Corvus a call. Pats on the back for both of you.

[Nuts]

Vile and venomous vitriole that's just a tad dramatic!
I notice its the same cast of characters lining up who gave no more advice than to wish James luck.
Why not shelve the ego, might help to see the point!
The guy came on looking for advice, who gave it?
It seemed obvious (as eggs said) that he appeared a little unprepared in the expectations department, things coulda turned out worse. It's got nothing to do with challenging yourself or other such risk taking crud, it's got to do with keeping things in perspective and yer feet on the ground!

Perhaps Corvus is right, perhaps the types to end up 'statistics'...the WA range is a good achievement and the memories will outlast any (short term) injuries but it wont stop me trying to add my 2 cents in an attempt to keep people outa harms way. James nothing personal but it has recently come up that a similar trip was given the same response and went one step further down the chain of disaster. I realised that overall you probably had a successful trip.BTW, If you look back i also encouraged you

Anyhow, i'm finding this tedious if not getting a bit silly, I guess those who havent got or dont get the point perhaps never will.

[james cav]

Exactly what qualifies as "Experiance"? and how does one gain it if they dont "give it a go"? I put this down to a steep learning curve but not a disaster. Disasters can happen even to the most experianced of us. Now that I have this under my belt I feel far more prepared for this type of undertaking. Knees aside that is to answer an ealier question I just had a hard time of it. To ignore the possibility of danger would be foolish I think, or just ignorant.

[Nuts]

Great!
Perhaps you could give us a rundown and some snaps (when the finger recovers )

Looking back on your first post, all other info aside, what advice would have helped?
(So the next person can have a good time while also gaining experience)

[under10kg]

I suggest to anyone that wants to do the western Arthurs solo needs to be fully fit and have good experience in scrambling or even some basic rock climbing skills and not get too freaked out from the exposure on some of the scrambles.

I feel this forum should not encourage anyone to do this walk solo without this experience.

I personally trained for 3 months to get fit for this walk and this really paid off.

I was talking to a friend and one year in summer they got 1 meter of snow.

Just doing the overland track is not good enough as the conditions are so different.

Fortunately the weather was good with only some light rain for a few hours on the 2 difficult days.

I must say that James was very well equipped, even more so than me with his electronic aids.
Of course his pack weight was double compared to mine but I have specialised light weight gear.

I had a great time with a light pack and runners and pretty good weather most days. One day was totally fine and clear and you could see federation drawing you in the distance. One day!