Choose a diary entry31/03/2004 - Retrenched! 02/04/2004 - Farewell Lunch 03/04/2004 - Preparation 1 04/04/2004 - Preparation 2 05/04/2004 - Packing 06/04/2004 - Sydney to Hobart to Mt. Field NP 07/04/2004 - Tarn Shelf, then into the Southwest 08/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 1 - Up Alpha Moraine 09/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 2 - Lake Cygnus 10/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 3 - Lake Oberon & Square Lake 11/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 4 - Lake Oberon to Lake Cygnus 12/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 5 - Lake Cygnus to Junction Creek 13/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 6 - out to Mt Field NP 14/04/2004 - Back to Hobart for resupply and on to Southport 15/04/2004 - Southport, Hastings springs, Cockle Creek 16/04/2004 - South Coast Track - Day 1 - Cockle Creek to South Cape Rivulet 17/04/2004 - South Coast Track - Day 2 - South Cape Rivulet 18/04/2004 - South Coast Track - Day 3 - back to Cockle Creek, then Hobart 19/04/2004 - Hobart to Lake St. Clair 20/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 1 - to Vera Hut 21/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 2 - Tahune Hut and the Summit 22/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 3 - Tahune Hut to Vera Hut 23/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 4 - out to Derwent Bridge 24/04/2004 - Derwent Bridge / Lake St. Clair to Hobart 25/04/2004 - R&R in Hobart 26/04/2004 - Hobart, buying a new Camera 27/04/2004 - Hobart to Port Arthur 28/04/2004 - Port Arthur Historic site, then to Fortescue Bay 29/04/2004 - Tasman Trail Hike - Fortescue Bay to Eaglehawk Neck 30/04/2004 - Eaglehawk Neck to Hobart, Targa 01/05/2004 - Hobart R&R, Salamanca Markets 02/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 1 - to Wombat Flat 03/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 2 - to Mt. Ramsay 04/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 3 - Mt. Ramsay to Huskisson River 05/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 4 - Camped at Huskisson River 06/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 5 - Across the Huskisson 07/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 6 - Out, then to Strahan 08/05/2004 - R&R in Strahan 09/05/2004 - Dissapointing Gordon River Cruise 10/05/2004 - Strahan, R&R, Preparation for Overland Track 11/05/2004 - Strahan to Lake St. Clair 12/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 1 - Lake St. Clair to Pine Valley Hut 13/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 2 - the Labyrinth and Acropolis 14/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 3 - Pine Valley Hut to Kia-Ora Hut 15/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 4 - Kia-Ora Hut to Mt. Ossa to Pelion Hut 16/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 5 - Pelion Hut to Windermere Hut 17/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 6 - Windamere Hut to Cradle Mountain Village 18/05/2004 - Sick!, Cradle Mountain to Launceston 19/05/2004 - Recovery 1 20/05/2004 - Recovery 2 - Doctor, and Cataract Gorge 21/05/2004 - Recovery 3 22/05/2004 - Recovery 4 23/05/2004 - Recovery 5 24/05/2004 - Launceston to Bicheno 25/05/2004 - Freycinet Hike - Day 1 - the Hazards to Cooks Beach 26/05/2004 - Freycinet Hike - Day 2 - back to Bicheno 27/05/2004 - Exploring Bicheno 28/05/2004 - Bicheno to Launceston 29/05/2004 - Exploring Further in Launcestion 30/05/2004 - Cataract Gorge 2 31/05/2004 - Launceston to Liffey Falls to Deloraine 01/06/2004 - Trowunna, Devils Gullet, Walls of Jerusalem National Park 02/06/2004 - Walls of Jerusalem Hike - Day 1 03/06/2004 - Walls of Jerusalem - Day 2 - Out, then to Hobart 04/06/2004 - Mt. Field NP, Styx Valley & on to Triabunna 05/06/2004 - Maria Island - Day 1 06/06/2004 - Maria Island - Day 2 07/06/2004 - R&R in Launceston 08/06/2004 - Flying Back Home

Tasmania Diary

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Saturday, May 15, 2004

Overland Track - Day 4 - Kia-Ora Hut to Mt. Ossa to Pelion Hut

After packing my gear, I left the hut at 8am.
Everything had frost and ice on it – every leaf, every blade of grass, the track, everything. Mud holes on the track were frozen solid.
The track went down slightly into forest, then started climbing. I popped out of the trees into a wide plain, sloping down a little, then up, to Pelion Gap, with great views all around of massive mountains, like Mt Pelion East, and Mt Ossa.

Climbing up to Pelion Gap, several sections of split wood duckboard were covered in a veneer of ice, making them amazingly slippery. I got to Pelion Gap, where there are tracks to Mt Ossa and Mt Pelion East, and packed some stuff into my small bag, and started up toward Mt Ossa.
The track went up Mt Doris for some way, with several more icy step sections, then skirted around Mt Doris to the south, where there were several small snow drifts. Descending slightly into a saddle, the track then climbed very steeply up Mt Ossa itself.
Swinging around the south side of one of the buttresses, there was suddenly a lot of snow on the track. It was now mostly hard packed snow with occasional rocks. The track traversed across a steep snow slope, which was a little dodgy with no ice axe or trekking pole, then clambored up a rocky and snowy chute to a ridgeline.
From here, the track descended slightly, before ascending steeply again, but only briefly before reaching the flat plateau top, and the summit.

For a little while, I was the highest person in Tasmania. There were great views all around, including out to Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff. I couldn't see Frenchmans Cap, as it was hazy in the distance, especially in the west, where there were dark clouds moving in. It had only taken 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach the top. Descending was not as bad as I'd feared it might be, and took about an hour.
Back at Pelion Gap, I had lunch and decided to try to climb Pelion East as well, despite feeling a few drops of rain.
The track up Pelion East was much less formed, and there were many deep muddy sections. I got about 15 minutes up before it started raining properly, and looking around, I realised that I wouldn't see anything from the summit, so turned around. By the time I got back to Pelion Gap, Mt Ossa had completely disappeared in cloud, and the summit of Mt Pelion East was also shrouded.

I put my pack back on and walked onward in the rain. From Pelion Gap, the trail descended through Myrtle and Eucalypt forests. The Eucalypts looked stunning in the rain, as their bark was intense shades of red, yellow, orange and green.
After what seemed like ages, I came to Pelion Hut. It could hardly be cauld a "Hut" as it sleeps 60 people. It has a gorgeous view, across Pelion Plain to Barn Bluff, and other surrounding mountains. Everyone sat on the veranda and admired the view, until rainclouds came in and progressively covered the mountains.

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