2 Nights at Haven Lake (Western Arthurs)

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hello Forum goers.
Stubowling, Ollster and myself spent the long weekend in the Western Arthurs base camped at Haven Lake. We went in with a HWC club (me being a member, Stu +Oll being guests) trip guided by the ultimate peakbagger in Paul Geeves.

It was a very successful trip, with Mt Shaula the main objective (and Alderbaran for me) other peaks visited were Scorpio and Scorpio South, Taurus and of course Shaula.
3 hard days including 11 hrs on day one with the long slog across the plains, then the painful slog up Morraine K. Day 2 was 8.5 hrs out to Shaula across the Beggary bumps, through the pleasantly surprisingly light scrub out to Shaula, then back to Haven lake over the Beggarys for the second time. A quick swim in Haven Lake and I was off to Mt Alderbaran this time solo as the others were all buggered.. Errr that is they had already been there.. Yes thats what I meant to say guys

Day 3 it decided to rain on us a little as we left the range then it wee'd on us across the range and in around 8-9 hrs we were back at the cars!

An amazingly successful trip in the always gorgeous Western Arthurs.
I even had my fingered licked by one of the resident local rats (the native type not the plague carrying type) living under the tent platforms at Haven Lake.

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Shaula from the plains

Alderbaran

Shaula from the Range

[ILUVSWTAS]

Of course it wouldnt be a trip to the Arthurs without some STUNNING scenery shots

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The east end of the Western Arthurs

View from Scorpio

[ILUVSWTAS]

More stunningness

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The cool unnamed peak near Haven lake

The Eastern Arthurs from Alderbaran

The view from Alderbaran

[ILUVSWTAS]

Of course there has to be some people in SOME of my photos... Summit breaks and tactic talks.....

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Chilling on Mt Scorpio

Discussing the shortcut option

The range from Mt Alderbaran

[ILUVSWTAS]

Finally just a couple of random shots.

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So it DOES rain in the southwest after all.... here's proof

[ollster]

T'was a good little trip... I'm kinda gagging to go back and do the full traverse again!

[Taurë-rana]

I don't know why I look at your beautiful photos, all they do is make me jealous! One of these day I'll get there. Sounds like a great trip, well done, and really, thanks for the photos, they are inspiring.

[ILUVSWTAS]

It's a pleasure Rachel! Thankyou for your kind words! I post them here because I like to try to inspire people to get out and do some great walking in some beautiful places! To try to show everyone the beauty of Tassie's wilderness
Glad it is working!! If I didnt think anyone was interested I wouldnt bother!!

[stu]

A few of my panos from the same trip...enjoy

Dusk from above Haven Lake.

Morning from Mt Taurus.

Mt Columba, the Beggary Bumps & Lake Ganymede.

[stu]

...a few more.

The Arthur Plains from the summit of Mt Shaula.

Dorado Peak & Lake Saturn from the summit of Mt Shaula.

Mt Columba, the Beggary Bumps & Lake Ganymede on the return leg.

[stepbystep]

Stunning stuff guys, next year A-K for me for sure. Weather didn't turn out nearly as bad as predicted through this period, well done.

[ollster]

You guys have got nuthin' compared to MY photo!!!

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a_mouse.jpg (41.58 KiB) Viewed 23861 times

[stu]

ratus-havenlakus...those doe eyes just beg forgiveness!

[eggs]

And I thought you posted your photos so we can guess where you are in "the Game"

[ollster]

ratus-havenlakus...those doe eyes just beg forgiveness!

"Why golly gee! I was just having me a fine little midnight snack and got trapped in yer pots and all. Please don't eat me, mister!"

He said that, he really did. When I asked him about whether I'd get 3 wishes or some lucky charms he told me to *&%$#! off, bit me, and ran away with my Toblerone.

[Funky_Bunch]

"Why golly gee! I was just having me a fine little midnight snack and got trapped in yer pots and all. Please don't eat me, mister!"

He said that, he really did. When I asked him about whether I'd get 3 wishes or some lucky charms he told me to *&%$#! off, bit me, and ran away with my Toblerone.




Classic

[Azza]

He reminds me of the sh*t eating Mice from Pelion Hut toilets..

He may look cute with those doe eyes, but you don't know where he has been...

Probably swimming in the overflowing pod toilet..

[ILUVSWTAS]

Pod toilets had thankfully been emptied recently Azza! And I *&%$#! hope not as he was chewing on my fingers hours before raiding Oll's pots and pans....

[whynotwalk]

Methinks the little rodent was a long-tailed mouse (Pseudomys higginsi). The give-away is the two-tone tail. It's a native, and found only in Tasmania. You were very privileged to have it share your dinner

They're common in the wetter parts of the state, but usually in wet forests. This one must be a peak-bagger! There's more info. on the Parks website http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4911#ltm

cheers

Peter

[ollster]

Methinks the little rodent was a long-tailed mouse (Pseudomys higginsi). The give-away is the two-tone tail. It's a native, and found only in Tasmania. You were very privileged to have it share your dinner

Thanks Peter, very interesting. I did note the tail was a bit different. As my walking buds will know, I'm always keen to get better acquainted with the wildlife.

[ILUVSWTAS]

AZZ where's the picture from Dry's Bluff........

[north-north-west]

That is just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO unfair! Why didn't we have weather like that up here? You greedy *&%$#! down there have been hogging all the good stuff.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hehe yeh I know! Rest assured after 60 straight dry days we finally got some wet weather over the last 2-3 days!!

[norts]

Just finished the A-K Traverse. Arrived home last night after walking out from Haven. Spent all day Tuesday looking at the inside of my tent at Haven.
Those mice are not in my good books. I have a nice hole in the side of my tent from a friendly one at Cygnus.
Roger

[ollster]

Just finished the A-K Traverse. Arrived home last night after walking out from Haven. Spent all day Tuesday looking at the inside of my tent at Haven.
Those mice are not in my good books. I have a nice hole in the side of my tent from a friendly one at Cygnus.
Roger

Bugger! Hey, did you see the Tas Expeditions tour group of mainlanders? Were they suffering?

They were all carrying softie boy walking poles - probably broken by that stage.

[north-north-west]

Hehe yeh I know! Rest assured after 60 straight dry days we finally got some wet weather over the last 2-3 days!!

It doesn't count if it didn't stuff up your weekend.

[norts]

Only time we saw any one was walking in on Thursday between Junction and Scotts Peak and yesterday 4 on the Huon Plains and 6 between Junction and Scotts Peak. Alot were carrying poles.
I actually carried out the bottom half of a walking pole that I found near Lovers Leap. If anyone has lost it I will keep it for a week.

As far as we were concerned we had the Range to ourselves.
This was my 3rd trip through and the erosion is worse every time.

Roger

[ollster]

This was my 3rd trip through and the erosion is worse every time.

Did notice a bit on the descent to Sirona, and it looks like that is a re-routed track! Other than that it wasn't too bad around Haven or down K, I thought. Would be a terrible shame if the range became impassable.

[ILUVSWTAS]

They'll never shut it down or let it become impassable. They'll just re-route new ways. Especially now they are making some $$$ out of tour groups going thru

[Taurë-rana]

They'll never shut it down or let it become impassable. They'll just re-route new ways. Especially now they are making some $$$ out of tour groups going thru

Who's running those? I would like to make sure they weren't going through at the same time as I go. I've had bad experiences with tour guides in other isolated parts of Australia thinking they own the place and no-one else has a right to be there.