Tentative plans are being made for the OLT in mid-December.
Bookings open on 1 July, and there may well be a rush of bookings on that day. Can anyone please give me an idea about how quickly mid-December bookings fill?
The only certain transport is the Tassielink bus that arrives at the Cradle Transit Centre at 11.20 am, which means departing Ronny Creek at about noon, not much time to reach Waterfall Valley via Cradle and Barn Bluff. One option might be to bag Cradle and camp on the track, perhaps at the BB turnoff or nearby. The next day go up BB, and hence to Pelion West campsite, climb that the day after. Another option might be to camp near the start of the OLT, and leave early the next day. This does not appeal much as I'd rather be walking. I'm not sure which option is best. Suggestions would be valued.
Depending on pace and weather, I may want to camp away from the huts. I've been unable to locate any PWS policy about this. Is camping away from the huts permitted? If the weather looks reasonable, I'm considering camping on Ossa. I have no recollection of what the summit area is like. I can recall a steepish section before the summit that was okay with day packs but may mean that a bigger pack would need to be hauled. How hard is it to get to Ossa with a big pack, and are there viable campsites, with water?
The rest is straightforward.
Many thanks.