57 signs you might be obsessed with hiking, backpacking or bushwalking.

Get teased by friends and family that you are obsessed with hiking?

Can't resist an outdoor goods sale just in case you find a new bit of gear?

Spend time at your day job dreaming of your next trip?

Don't understand why anyone would stay in a five star hotel when they could be sleeping in a tent or tarp?

Frank recently joined the forums at Trailspace.com and he stumbled across a thread titled:

You know when you are a backpacker when:

and it got him thinking that maybe HE is obsessed with the idea of the next hike or bushwalk. On continued examination he decided that being obsessed with such thoughts is a healthy pursuit and he was particularly reassured there are many others (particularly in this U.S. forum) who think the same way!

So in this post we summarise some of the great comments on the Trailspace.com forum and invite you to add your own answer to this question in the comments section below:

You know when you are a backpacker, multi-day hiker, bushwalker, tramper or treker (phew, one word to mean the same thing would be great) when:

1. During the winter, most of your internet browsing history contains new places to backpack, new gear, etc.

2. Your wife tells you to buy the bigger tent because if you don't stop ordering new gear we are going to have to live in it.

3. You pack your stuff in boxes to move, and there are more boxes labelled "gear" than there are labelled "kitchen"

4. You insist on taking the stairs at work and when you get to the top, you stop for a snack break

5. Your truck payment is late because there was a sale at REI/ Mountain Designs/ Paddy Pallin.

6. You close your eyes at night and still see a white blaze/ yellow triangle/ track sign.

7. You're always saying..."I just wanted to see if that way was quicker".

8. You have calluses on your shoulders.

Picture by mbiskoping / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

9. You tell the clerk at Goodwill / the Op Shop they should have a synthetic and wool section.

10. You cook spaghetti noodles and then dehydrate them. Same with beans.

11. When not out backpacking you waste time on internet forums talking about it.

12. You realize that you think the people who don't backpack are just a little....weird....

13. You randomly organise a carpool for the 6 hour drive to MEC / a track and back just because

14. There's an MSR pot gripper on top of your stove at home

15. There's a car under 5 feet of snow in the driveway because you unscrewed the licence plate to make a brake on your winter sled

16. All your socks are expedition weight merino wool

17. You use your 90L pack to carry the groceries

18. You sleep on a thermarest

19. Your keychain is a Swiss army knife/fox40/flint combo on a biner/ climbing loop

20. Your homepage is Trailspace.com/ Bushwalk Tasmania

21. You name your sleeping bags (yes you can come with me this time, Hayden McWeatherfordshiredam IV)

22. You wonder if the meal you are eating can be dehydrated effectively...

23. You are given the weird look when you try to explain to your co-workers how you ended up burning your hand when your homemade Pepsi stove exploded..

Photo by thedayhascome/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

24. You see a hailstorm as a unique opportunity to test your tent.

25. You know you are a climber or backcountry skier, when it's -40, your friends say let's camp out, and you don't hesitate to grab your gear and head for the door.

26. When you visit relatives for the holidays, you camp in the backyard

27. You sleep in your sleeping bag because you just can't get comfy under bed covers

28. You never stay in motels when travelling, but stay in the woods/bush nearby

29. You cook on your camp stove at home, because that’s the only cook set you have

30. When you go hiking for the weekend, you don't want to go back to work on Monday

31. You learn edible plants to save weight in your pack.

32. You test your new sleeping bag in your room with the windows open, during winter...And maybe the fan blowing on you...

33. You never stow your gear, it always stays mostly packed, accessible & ready to go at a moments notice.

34. When you partake in a spirited debate about boots. ....and tents in hurricanes.

35. You ask questions no one can answer like: How do you get snail slime off a tent.

36. You hike all day just to cook over a beer can cause that is the real test of your stove making skills.

37. You check on your two packs at least once a week. You don't want them gaining weight when your not around...

38. You enjoy eating whatever the hell you want guilt free with a beautiful view and nobody to disturb you.

39. When your friends call or e-mail for recommendations for equipment (and you give them 5 equipment options for every question).

40. When you can outfit at least two of your friends completely so they can go on a trip with you.
Photo by canadianveggie - he loves his backpack / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

41. When you have to sneak new equipment past your spouse into the house.

42. When you've memorized, to the 1/10th of an ounce, the weight of all your equipment.

43. When you can recite the URLs of your favourite cottage gear manufacturers when you are asked for recommendations on the trail, as well as prices and a general summary of the user reviews from backpackgeartest.

44. When you can bring two extra stoves, two shelters, two extra pads and random rain ponchos to the trailhead/ start of the trip , because you know someone will forget something.

45. When your bear canister has more miles on it than your car.

46. You evaluate prospective spouses based on their gear holdings. Mine had an original North Face Oval Intention, dubbed "the Bim-Bam Room" (yes, we name our tents). Love at first sight...

47. You keep energy bars and bottled water in your car...just in case

48. You wear a rain jacket on a sunny day JUST IN CASE

49. You pass my the cooking section in Wal/K-Mart and double take cuz you could have SWORN you saw an MSR pot

50. You get excited when you have no dinner plans so you can use your cook set

51. You're the only one in 10 miles that's happy when the power goes out in winter

52. You ignore your boss's emails to click on *30% off sale at REI.com/ Mountain Designs*

53. You think about your next hike during you current one

54. Your dream job is testing gear.

55. Most of your recipes will work on or off the trail/track, and the approval process of new recipes includes trying it out on trail

56. When your back at home and you say to yourself....."I think there's half a snickers bar in my pack."

57. You can accurately guess the weight of "trimmable" stuff from a pack

Have we missed anything? Drop us a comment and add your ideas to the list, we would love to read them!

Trailspace.com is a great community for backpackers, hikers and anyone who loves the outdoors. Drop by, look around and join like Frank did. There are many like minded people there!

Related Posts
Larry, our resident gear junkie's list from The South Coast Track
5 features we don't want in a new backpack
Best one person tent? You decide
The Spirituality of Bushwalking - great post by Grant
Our Hiking Blog goes car camping - definitely NOT lightweight!

Continue Reading ....

Camp Hosting? Cockle Creek - Tasmania - Volunteer Opportunities for summer 2009/10

Looking for two weeks camp hosting in Southern Tasmania?

Happy to volunteer as a campsite host at Cockle Creek?

Like the idea of free accommodation in return for working with the Parks and Wildlife Service?

The Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania are seeking Campground Hosts for two week stints at Cockle Creek in Southern Tasmania.


View Larger Map


Cockle Creek is well known by bushwalkers who are completing (or starting) the South Coast Track. This tiny "village" is 2 hours drive from Hobart and is the furthest point you can drive south in Australia.

This is a great way to have a free "holiday" and to experience some of Tasmania's beautiful wilderness areas. For example, it is a relatively easy walk into the start of the South Coast Track to visit spots such as Coal Bluff or even further on to South Cape Rivulet. It would also be a bit of fun being there to meet hikers who had finished the South Coast Track and check out their condition after this 6- 10 day walk!

Larry Hamilton, in his excellent series on the South Coast Track, shared a couple of pictures with us.

The beach at Cockle Creek

The Cockle Creek bridge

As you can see, it is a very pretty place and quite isolated. Looks like a great spot for a couple of weeks in Tasmania!

This is the link to the full information provided by Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania (including contact details of where to apply)

Related Posts
The South Coast Track - Solo Winter Trip report by Larry Hamilton - Part One
South Coast Track - Part Two by Larry Hamilton - Ironbound Ranges and Leeches
South Coast Track - Part Three by Larry Hamilton - Surprise Bay to Cockle Creek
Larry's Port Davey Trip Report- great reading
Gear List for Wilderness Bushwalking Trip - Larry Hamilton's excellent gear list
Stuck between Louisa and Faraway Creeks - Our adventure on the South Coast Track
Hiking the South Coast Track - our first (and last time)

Continue Reading ....

Best hiking gear for a multi day trip in Tasmania? A retrospective review

What is the best hiking gear for a wilderness adventure?

What gear do I need for a multi-day hike?

What is the best equipment (stove, coat, poncho, overpants, sleeping mat) for several days hiking?

In this guest post , Larry Hamilton (self confessed gear junkie) analyses his gear selection for a recent 10 day hike on Tasmania's South Coast Track. It is a follow up of a previous report about his gear for the Port Davey Track and is Part one of a two part "gear fest"

Introduction (and apology)
These gear notes have been included against the advice of my wife who believes it just indicates a tendency towards nerdishness about equipment, extremely embarrassing materialism and makes me look like an overgrown boy scout.

So if you aren't into gear choices stop reading now and if you are, don't let your partner read it.

Their chortles and guffaws are likely to be quite off putting!

I admit to being a bit of a gear freak and I enjoy the preparation for walks because it means a planning phase which holds its own pleasures and which provides an opportunity to think anew about what I like and what I need. This year for the South Coast Track I planned to take food for fourteen days and at just under a kilo of food per day that meant a fair proportion of my pack weight would be of food. As a result I planned to pare the rest of my gear down as much as I could.

Jacket
From my experiences on the Port Davey Track last year in some appalling weather I ditched my goretex jacket and pants and a pair of goretex overmits. I replaced the jacket with a Montane Featherlite H2O jacket with substantially less bulk and weight.


I used this jacket and liked it but the DRW properties were quickly eroded in areas where my pack rubbed on the jacket such as over my shoulders where the straps rubbed and across my shoulders and across the small of my back. Because I predominantly had the jacket as a windproof barrier I wasn't too worried but I'll experiment in proofing the jacket again with a slightly different DRW treatment.

I believe that you inevitably end up getting pretty wet anyway from the bush, from wading through creeks and from wicking up sleeves, and down through neck openings so I expect to get wet on walks and am not concerned primarily about the level of waterproofness. So the only goretex items I took on this trip were my gaiters.

Overpants
I replaced my goretex overpants with some Golite Whim pants again with a substantial reduction in both weight and bulk.

I didn't end up using the overpants which I took mainly as a windproof barrier for my legs rather than for their waterproofness but if the weather had been like it was last year they would have had substantial use.

I live in regional Western Australia and don't have an opportunity to see and try out exotic gear so I ordered a large pair over the phone and they were enormous on me so my sartorial elegance was really suspect with them on but with the advantage that I could get them on over my boots. I will probably purchase a smaller pair before my next walk. Despite the fact that they stayed in my pack for the trip I'd take them with me again.

Overmits
I gave up on overmits and simply carried two sets of gloves; a fairly light pair of windstopper gloves to walk with and an pair of fleece gloves to use with a fleece beanie and my set of dry gear in camp.

It turned out not to be sufficiently cold enough to wear either pair and so these remained unused but I was pleased to carry them.

In Addition:
I took a pair of thermals for everyday use and used them only in camp. My recorded temperatures inside the tent on waking (at around 5.30am most mornings) varied from a brisk 4 degrees Celsius to a balmy 13 degrees Celsius.

Poncho
On a whim I took also a tarp/poncho as I'd read positive reports about the use of these. I actually tried to use this as a poncho on the beach trek to New River and it took me half an hour of dancing around in drizzle along the beach trying to put it on. Stupidly I'd only tried this out at home with my wife to help me get it on.

I defy anyone on their own to successfully and quickly get into a poncho with a full pack in a reasonable breeze.

I must have looked a sight trying various ways to get it over my full (and fairly high) pack in a balanced way. I tried to put it over my head and then manouver it over my pack, fighting the wind's efforts to blow it back. I used one of my walking poles to try to get it in place and only managed to look stupid. I put it over my pack and then tried to get under everything, and put my pack on with the poncho already in place but only succeeded in getting tangled up. I eventually got it mostly sorted out albeit getting pretty wet in the process and it worked for the next couple of kilometres until I got to the boat crossing where I needed to take it off anyway.

I think that ponchos are only useful when walking with another person who can assist in arranging the poncho across the pack so that it drapes as intended.

On the one day that I holed up from some heavy rain I used the poncho as an additional tarp which gave me some added scope for movement outside of my tent in the rain but I wouldn't take it again. If I wanted additional tarp space (a luxury), I'd take a spinnaker tarp instead. So the poncho will be consigned to the growing pile of gear that I've tried and discarded.

Sleeping Mat
I ditched my self inflating mat (three quarter length) for a Thermarest Z Lite closed cell foam mat for a substantial savings in weight but an increase in bulk. My experimentation with this before starting the walk had revealed that my hips (I'm a side sleeper) compressed the foam enough to mean the insulation was insufficient and I got cold.

I always previously carried a small piece of closed cell foam as a seat in camp and as a foot pad for my three quarter length self inflating mat and I found that this was usefully employed under the Z lite in my hip region to provide the necessary insulation.

I disliked the added bulk of the Z lite inside my pack and found the lack of comfort when sleeping a frustration.

Sleeping mats are always a compromise but I've resolved to shell out for an Exped Downmat for winter trips in the future. I'll endure the additional weight in return for greater insulation and comfort.

Stove
I opted to change my stove system from my Triad titanium burner used last year and go for more convenience but extra weight by purchasing a Clickstand and using a standard Trangia burner.


I went for the heavier Trangia burner for two reasons. Firstly it enabled me to carry unused fuel in the burner as the cap has an o-ring. The second reason is because it has a simmer ring. I'm not sure why I think that this is an advantage because I never simmer and didn't on this trip but it came with me and was used only as a snuffer for the burner.

I like the Clickstand but was careful about packing it because I didn't want to bend the frame and render it useless. So I had to take a bit more care with packing than I'm used to. I normally get pretty violent in ramming gear into small spaces in my pack, particularly at the beginning of a trip when space is at a premium.

Pots
My MSR titanium pot came again with its home made pot cosy. I also took my favourite double-wall titanium mug rather than a lighter single wall one I sometimes use. Some luxury is worth it.

Fuel
I took 1600ml of metho for my stove in a 1 litre MSR fuel bottle and a 600ml coke bottle. I always get too nervous about fuel use and ended up using just on a litre for the eleven days.

Additional Gear
This year I took a small pair of binoculars which I thought would be useful and provide me with another dimension of interest along the coast. I ended up using these very little and mostly only because they were there and because I didn't want to take them back unused. I wouldn't bother with the weight again on a walk.

Leeches
I have a thing about leeches and some interesting experiences with them. During the year I engaged in some research and wanted to experiment on this trip with Pyrethrin (or Permethrin its synthetic equivalent) as it was reported to be very effective against leeches.

I'd considered DEET but had rejected that as being noxious to me and not as effective as Pyrethrin.

As I normally do I took salt but this time before starting I rinsed my walking pants, socks and gaiters in Permethrin shampoo intended for pets. I also took some Pyrethrin horse insecticide in a small spray bottle. I doubt that the shampoo wash made much of a difference as the constant soaking of my clothes would probably have rendered the wash useless after a short time.

This trip I didn't have much of a problem with leeches but the few I had a chance of having a go at shrivelled up with a touch of the Pyrethrin spray and unlike DEET, Pyrethrin doesn't affect fabric or plastics. So I'd take that again and leave the salt behind. Salt is always a problem because of its need for waterproof storage.

Many thanks to Larry for his excellent write up and review of his gear. We will post part two in the next few days where the rest of this self confessed "gear junkies" equipment for the trip is reviewed.

Related Posts
The South Coast Track - Solo Winter Trip report by Larry Hamilton - Part One
South Coast Track - Part Two by Larry Hamilton - Ironbound Ranges and Leeches
South Coast Track - Part Three by Larry Hamilton - Surprise Bay to Cockle Creek
Larry's Port Davey Trip Report- great reading
Gear List for Wilderness Bushwalking Trip - Larry Hamilton's excellent gear list
Stuck between Louisa and Faraway Creeks - Our adventure on the South Coast Track
Hiking the South Coast Track - our first (and last time)

Continue Reading ....

The Overland Track - Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair - a nice slow trip

Spring hiking in Tasmania? Will there be snow or just rain?

Hiking the Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair?

A leisurely bushwalk on a World Heritage "Top 10 Hikes in the World"

We have just returned from a seven day, six night trip on the Overland Track in Tasmania. There were four of us in the party with the plan to take our time and enjoy any good spring weather we might get along the way. With typical Tasmanian weather variability we were blessed with some great sunny days and also snow, sleet and rain in various forms. All this was expected and we were well prepared for any conditions.

Why hike the Overland Track again you may ask? Because we LOVE it!

In this post we will just make a few comments and observations about the trip, as there are many other posts on Our Hiking Blog about hiking the Overland Track. Check out the links to them at the bottom of the page.

Heading up the Horse Track as an alternative to the big grunt up Marions. Perfect for someone with barthmophobia. It is still a bit of a "climb" but over a longer distance. Every time we do it it seems to get harder....

We were hoping for snow, in fact a lot of snow! It had snowed heavily a couple of weeks before and while there was some on the Cradle Plateau it was very slushy and soft. Above is Sue heading across the Horse "Track" towards the intersection with the Overland Track proper (where it intersects just before Kitchen Hut)


We had planned to take snow shoes (Yowies) but Frank ended up the only person carrying them as the snow was patchy and not forecast for the duration of the trip. They were OK in this section but because the snow was so soft and slushy they broke through to ground several times and it was quite difficult to get them out of the snow.

Heading across to Kitchen Hut (with Cradle Mountain in the background). The snow was particularly soft here as there was a lot of water running across the ground (under the snow)


The Overland Track was easy to find in the snow. We had fantastic weather on day one.

We left the Ronney Creek car park (the official start of the Overland Track) at 1pm. Slow as ever, and hindered by the snow, we reached Waterfall valley Hut at 7pm. Sunset (above from just before the Barn Bluff turnoff) was at 6:07 so we had quite a bit of walking with headlights in the dark.

Cooking dinner at Windemere Hut we were surprised to be the only party in the hut that night. We were lucky enough to get ABC radio reception here and were able to listen to the AFL football and hear our team win the game and make the Grand Final. We also had Pelion and Kia Ora huts to ourselves which was surprising (but nice for a change, we have been at Pelion Hut when it was at it's capacity of 60 people)

Of seven days hiking, we had two totally fine days. The rest was a variety of "weather". Pictured above is John heading down the track. Tasmania has had a significant amount of winter and spring rain and the track was quite wet in places.

At Pelion Gap and the Mt Ossa turnoff. That evening we discovered we had red faces from sunburn! Colin had left Pelion Hut early hoping to climb Mt Ossa. When he arrived it was covered in cloud and after waiting an hour decided to head on to Kia Ora. As he says, no use climbing a mountain if you can't see the view. We arrive in sunshine and a cloud free Ossa!

Sue heading down Pelion Gap towards Kia Ora Hut. Nice bit of snow here but not enough for snow shoes.

It was a "bit chilly" on a couple of days. Pictured above is Frank feeling the cold.

We had never been into Ferguson Falls (which are between Kia Ora and Bert Nichols Hut) and were lucky to have chosen a great time of the year as it was PUMPING! We could not believe the roar of the water nor the sheer volume coming over the waterfall. It was a great side trip.

Above is a great view of the Acropolis from Bert Nichols Hut. The new hut is an interesting addition to the Overland Track. There is a very long, funny and interesting post on Bushwalk Tasmania about the Hut development. (some people love it, others hate it- we can see both sides)

We completed the walk at Echo Point Hut as the jetty at Narcissus was under a metre of water due to the high level of Lake St Clair.

In conclusion, a few reflections on this walk may be useful for anyone planning a spring bushwalk on the Overland Track.
- the snow was wet and really soft. Travel time was slow and snow shoes unhelpful
- temperatures were never below freezing so the tracks were slushy and wet rather than icy as we had in our Winter Overland Track
- We took it easy and just went from hut to hut. It made for a very relaxing trip, leaving late (between 9 and 10 am) each day and arriving into the Hut most days between 2 and 4 pm. It was a great way to "do" the track.
- We saw 22 people in total for the whole seven days (and saw no one for 3 of the days). If you are experienced, well prepared and not too ambitious it may be a good time of the year to hike the Overland Track without the seasonal "crowds"
- we allowed 7 nights and 8 days in case the weather held us up (or if we wanted a side trip). Snow is very common in September and there had been a large dump two weeks before our trip.
- we ended coming out "early" and had a night at the Derwent Bridge Hotel. It was great and we really enjoyed the food and hospitality.

Related Posts
How to hike the Overland Track - our eBook on getting the trip done - 2009/10 update
Backpacking the Overland Track - a view from the States
Planning food for a multiday hike
Various Overland Track posts

Continue Reading ....

Bibbulman Track - Southern Section - Trip Report - Part Two

The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world's great long distance walk trails, stretching nearly 1000kms (620 miles) from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to Albany on the south coast of Western Australia. It goes through the heart of the scenic South West and traverses some of the most beautiful bush, forests and beaches that Australia can offer.


In this second guest post, Dave Tomlinson shares with us Part Two of his experience of walking the Bibbulmun Track, end to end, in 2007. In doing this he became one of around 500 people who have achieved this feat.

This track is one of the epic bushwalks in Australia (and most likely) the world.

Karri Tree - beautiful and straight

As I progressed south the scenery began to change more dramatically, especially as I got into the karri forests. The karri are the very tall trees and one of the icons of southwest Australia. They actually shed their lower limbs as they grow so a mature tree will have a huge single trunk supporting branches high above the forest floor. Walking beneath these majestic trees was a great experience. I also loved the tingle trees which were also very tall but seemed to have more character with knobs on their trunks and twisted branches. Many of them had the bases of their trunks hollowed by fire but continue to grow.

Before reaching the coast, the track comes south through an area called the Pingerup Plains. It was a section that I particularly enjoyed and not just because the terrain was as flat as a chessboard. The plains are characterised by large flat areas of low bush and pockets of forest. Red bottle-brush flowers added a nice touch of colour along the way.
Red Bottle Brush on Pingerup Plains

Old Tingle Tree - burnt out many years ago

This is the area that can be very wet and swampy in the spring. While I was walking though the reeds and scrub I could see the dry cracked mud where water had once been. Two shelters in this section are located beside granite domes that offered panoramic views in all directions including my first glimpse of the Southern Ocean.

Mandalay Beach - first view of the Ocean

Finally, after 730km of hiking through forests, bush, mountains and valleys I arrived at the coast. It was an amazing feeling to see the ocean and it certainly added another dimension to my hiking experience.

Mandalay Beach is the first beach I arrived at and was named after a shipwreck early last century. Tides and shifting sands mean the wreck is sometimes uncovered but I didn't see anything. The coastal views were great but I really had to earn them, especially in the softer sand dunes.
Salmon netting - an interesting diversion on Mazeotti Beach - great fish!

Sand dunes can be hard work and sometimes it feels like taking two steps forward and one back. In my first day along the coast, I also had a stiff head wind, the track was overgrown in sections and I was doing 29km which ended in a steady climb up a mountain. So, although I was very tired when I arrived I could reflect on one of my best days. The scenery went from the rugged plains to coastal heathland, to the beach, sand dunes, lovely forest and finally the mountain...all in a day!

During my journey east towards Albany I had to walk a number of beaches and cross a number of inlets. Fortunately at this time of year there are seasonal sandbars at the mouth of the inlets so I had no problems. At other times of the year hikers have to wade across or in one case follow the track around to a canoe shed and paddle across to the other side. That would have been fun but on a day where the distance was 23km over sand I was quite happy to save walking a couple of kilometres!

I think the longest 20km I've walked in my life was one day between Walpole and Denmark. It was a hot and started with 11km over some big sand dunes. Nice views but hard work. My reward for all that was a walk along Mazolleti Beach that went for 7km. A long drag but fortunately most of the sand was reasonably firm around the high water line. My final reward for all that was a 2km slog straight uphill to the campsite! I saved that till after I'd enjoyed a swim in the translucent waters of the Southern Ocean.
William Bay campsite - great facilites

The entire track is marked by yellow triangles with a black mythical waugal snake printed on it. (According to the original south-west Aboriginal people, the waugal or rainbow serpent is an all-powerful creator who created and maintained the natural and cultural law. It is believed to inhabit special areas and remains sacred to them.) On average, there are about four of these markers per kilometre generally nailed to trees but also on posts, logs, signs and rocks. Altogether there would be about 5000 of them.

So I didn't think navigation would be a problem but it's actually very easy to lose the track. I think virtually everyone does it at some point. The reason is that the Bibbulmun Track merges and intersects with various other tracks, paths and roads. So, if you have a moment of inattention at a vital time you'll walk past a marker indicating a left or right turn and continue on what you think is the correct route. Suddenly it'll occur to you that you haven't seen a marker for a while and it becomes a choice between continuing in the hope you'll find one or return to where you saw the last one. After having to backtrack a couple of times I quickly became a lot more alert for markers!
Picture of the last Waugal Snake marker at the end of the Bibbulman Track - Albany

Fortunately I didn't have the same problems as some people. I read about a few who got lost for up to three hours coming down one of the mountains. They claimed the cairns were poorly aligned but I didn't have any problems. Then there was this quote in one of the hut log books: "Got lost in the swamp but didn't realise it. Saw waugal and headed back down the real track. Realised I was going the wrong way, turned around and got lost again!" Amusing…but only in hindsight!

Although I only met a handful of people along the route I never felt lonely out in the bush. Through the northern half of the track I had every shelter (21 consecutive nights) to myself. It was an odd feeling when another hiker arrived and I had to share one. The main reason I never felt lonely was because of the log books at every shelter. There were always two - one to record basic details and another to write your thoughts, comments, philosophy, complaints and memories. As I progressed along the track, I started to recognise various names and got to know them through their comments in these books.
Even though you may be walking alone, there is alwats nature to keep you company - Black Cockatoos ready to fly.

So, I would hike alone through the first part of the day and then 'catch up' with people later in the afternoon. The date of their entries didn't seem to matter because apart from small diversions and realignments, we all basically followed the same route. So I enjoyed reading what they thought about the day and often found their comments very amusing, especially if there were hills, sand dunes, swamp mud or adverse weather involved. I was also interested in reading comments from hikers going in the opposite direction because they offered valuable information on track conditions, accommodation and where to buy supplies.

One of the hikers who did the track in summer wasn't quite so content with her own company. One of her entries read: "After three and a half weeks, one finds oneself to be quite the bore." There were some genuinely funny things written and I copied them into the back of my journal. This is an entry from one of the first shelters: "First night on the track and a wet day made my backpack 20kg heavier. Sleeping on a bed of nails would be luxury compared to the hard wood floor. Oh, the peace and tranquility! Only 16 in the shelter tonight, including 6 ten year old boys. I'll be back - this is addictive stuff!"

Aside from all the amusing quotes, thoughts and poems there were also some inspirational comments. The one that really stood out to me was this: "If there were no difficulties in the track it would let in a poorer class of walker and reduce the status of the end-to-enders." That really inspired me if the track was overgrown, the weather was bad, my pack felt unusually heavy, I was tired or if the terrain was challenging. I simply repeated that quote to myself, reminded myself what I was doing and that it wasn't meant to be easy.

Overall though, I did it much easier than many others. Amazingly, I completed the whole distance without even a blister. Apart from some general soreness when I first started, I didn't have any problems at all. There wasn't a single day when I didn't wake up and feel excited by what I was doing. Even on the most physically demanding days I embraced the challenge and never felt any doubt about reaching Albany in good health. The weather was generally very good and my Goretex jacket was often nothing more than my pillow at night. I only had rain on four days in the entire seven weeks.
The Windfarm at Albany - spectacular coastal views

The huge distance of the track was sometimes more of a challenge mentally, especially through the first week or two. After slogging through the heat and hills of the first couple of days I remember thinking that I'd only completed about 4% of the journey! So I tried to focus only on what I'd completed, not what I still had to do. When I passed the halfway mark I was happy to think about both. In my mind I treated leaving a town the beginning of a new hike and it often felt that way. I had fresh supplies, clean clothing and in one place I even washed my backpack and I started again feeling great.

A great aspect of this hike was that it offered seven weeks in a beautifully peaceful environment to contemplate, reflect and dream. Life becomes wonderfully simple because the path is laid out for you and all you need to do is follow it. The Bibbulmun Track is like a well cut jewel that shines whichever way it is approached. A special thanks to all the park rangers and especially track volunteers who keep it this way. It's been a privilege to walk its entire length and I'd recommend the experience to anyone.
Dave Tomlinson reaches the end (and planning his next trip no doubt!)


Dave

The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
And I must follow it if I can

'Hobbitt' - J R Tolkein


Information:
The Bibbulmun Track Foundation has the best website we have ever come across that supports a multi day hiking adventure.

There is a massive amount of information regarding:

• Planning
• Gear and equipment
• Friends of the Bibbulmun Track
• Track Information, conditions and closures
• News
• Maps and resources
• And so much more we don't have room.

Please check out their site - The Bibbulman Track

Related Posts:
The Bibbulman Track - a very long hike - Part one
Great South West Walk - Dave at it again with a 200km (125 miles) walk over 2 weeks
Hiking Food for a multi-day walk
Hiking Gear - What are the basics to get started?
Best clothing for a multi day hike

Continue Reading ....

Outdoor Photography - 6 great links to help make your pictures brilliant!

Having trouble taking fantastic outdoors photographs?

Need some advice on how to take great photos when hiking, bushwalking or backpacking?

Don't understand how your digital camera works or how to get the best out of it?

Always wanted to know how to take a perfect photo of a waterfall, rainbow, sunrise, sunset or beautiful scene?


One of the great things about getting out into the outdoors is the spectacular scenery, or that magic moment you just have to record for ever. We have taken hundreds (probably thousands) of digital photographs on our various hiking trips. Occasionally they have been really fantastic, other times very disappointing.

We needed to learn how to take a great digital photograph.


Walking in a row along the Long Sea by eirsi

We stumbled across a fantastic site that has heaps of ideas, tips and tricks and advice about taking digital photographs. The site Digital Photography School is a terrific resource for anyone from beginner to expert who wants to improve their digital photos.

We love it, it has a great community (over 200,000 email subscribers , including us), offers excellent advice (with a very active forum) and allows you to view photo's posted by members that make us green with envy.

We recommend you check out the following topics at Digital Photography School. There is heaps to learn and this is a great place to get excellent information.

12 tips for photographing stunning sunsets or sunrises


Sunset at Blackhead Beach by Setev


Waterfall digital photography


Lumsdale Waterfall by Tone


11 surefire landscape photography tips


No turning back by mischiru


How to photograph mushrooms, toad stools and fungi


Color Among the Forest Floor by Brian Hathcock


How to shoot in direct sunlight


Pacific Sun by mischiru


How to photograph a rainbow


Fire Rainbow by Colin Campbell

Further Information / Links
Bushwalk Tasmania has a great monthly photographic competition - it is well worth visiting (and joining) as some wonderful wilderness photographers lurk there.


Tasadam has some excellent Tasmanian wilderness photographs on his site, beautiful images - and available to purchase

All the beautiful photographs on this post are from Flickr using a Creative Commons licence. You can get lost there for hours.


Related Posts
Happy snaps on the Overland Track
Overland Track images by Rick McCharles from Besthike.com


Have you got any favourite photographic sites with either great pictures or tips and tricks about digital photography? If so, leave a comment and we can check them out.

Continue Reading ....

The Bibbulmun Track - a long distance hike

The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world's great long distance walk trails, stretching nearly 1000kms (620 miles) from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to Albany on the south coast of Western Australia. It goes through the heart of the scenic South West and traverses some of the most beautiful bush, forests and beaches that Australia can offer.

In this guest post, Dave Tomlinson shares with us his experience of walking the Bibbulmun Track, end to end, in 2007. In doing this he became one of around 500 people who have achieved this feat.

This track is one of the epic bushwalks in Australia (and most likely) the world.

Map - The Bibbulmun TRACK Foundation

Dave commences Part One of his story with some reflections and background on the walk:

It's difficult to know where to start in describing such an epic hike but at the beginning seems the most logical place. The Bibbulmun Track was an idea originally conceived in the 1970's and finally became a reality in 1998. Since then, approximately 500 people have completed the entire distance and been inducted into the 'End 2 End' club. There's no doubt it's a long way to walk. Although it only covers a small corner of Australia, if it was in Europe it would stretch from Paris to Rome! So, it was with that rather daunting knowledge that I tentatively set out on a hot day in early February, 2007.
Waugal Track marker - Dave thinks there are 5000 of them

When I reflect on the entire time I spent hiking the track, I think the first few days were the toughest of all. There is nothing quite like the challenge of carrying a heavy pack over difficult terrain in 40 degree heat. Although the track goes through eight towns, the first one is ten days from Perth. So, my pack was very heavy with supplies and I was stiff and sore during those initial stages. But as I progressed, my muscles began to get attuned to what was expected, my pack gradually lightened and things became easier.

The facilities along the way are truly world class. I spent seven weeks walking and averaged about 20km per day. I wasn't carrying a tent so had to rely on the track campsites. These are basically three-sided structures that offered hardboard platforms for sleeping and a couple of picnic tables for eating etc. Most of them are in beautiful locations that have been pleasantly landscaped with a bush toilet and flat areas for pitching tents if required. They all have a large rainwater tank so, although I was hiking in a relatively dry period, I always had plenty of water available.
Waalegh campsite from a distance

Waalegh shelter

During the first four days the campsites were only about 10km apart so I 'double-hutted' through that section. After that, they were anywhere from 13km to 24km apart. I did a few more double hut days later in the hike where I totaled about 30km for the day. The shelters in the northern half of the track all had fireplaces but I couldn't use them because of a total fire ban. Sadly, I did come through a couple of areas that were affected by bushfires but in all honesty the damage wasn't as bad as I expected. I'd describe it as 'superficial' with blackened tree trunks and burnt leaves but still a lot of green foliage.

Initially, the scenery didn't change greatly from day to day. It was characterised by forests of jarrah and marri trees, granite outcrops and various native bushes. February is a hot, dry month in Western Australia and most days were spent under blue skies and sun. The trees offered some protection from the sun as I walked and I always appreciated any shade I could get.


A lot of the first half hiking was like this country

After a couple of weeks I started to follow a river for the first time. Unfortunately at this time of year the water levels were very low and barely flowing in most places. This was the same for other rivers along the track but it was pleasant hiking though the valleys anyway. There were variations in the flora around this area as one day I enjoyed the sight of paperbark trees, gum trees and swamp vegetation. A couple of days later the track climbed across private farm land and offered great pastoral views.

The scenery in this whole northern area would have been greatly enhanced if the Western Australian wildflowers were in bloom. Unfortunately, spring is the season for these displays so I missed this aspect of the hike. However, doing the track at this time means plodding (and wading at times) though water and swamp mud. It also means sharing the track with many more people and not experiencing the same tranquility I enjoyed. So, with all are pros and cons, I certainly have no regrets about my timing.

Aside from the diverse scenery, I also enjoyed seeing a range of Australian wildlife. I saw or heard kangaroos most days, with some large ones in the south. At various times I also saw emus, feral cats, pigs, quokkas, a bobtail lizard, skinks, bandicoots and of course snakes. While I was disappointed only seeing one snake in the northern half, my count quickly increased along the southern coast. There were a number of the relatively harmless dugites but also the larger and more dangerous tiger snakes. I spent a lot of my time watching for them on the track in front of me, especially if it was sunny. A venomous snake bite out in the wilderness would mean a lot of trouble so I decided that prevention was by far the best cure!

Bandicoot

There were also many different types of birds to admire along the way. I didn't have a book to identify many of them but I did get to see the mighty wedge-tailed eagle and the protected red-tailed black cockatoos. Some of the smaller birds such as the blue and fairy wrens were very friendly around the campsites. They would often come within a few feet of where I was sitting, especially if it happened to be lunch time. I didn't actually see one but I often heard kookaburras calling out from the trees somewhere.

Then there was the wildlife that I didn't enjoy or appreciate. March flies must surely be at the top of this particular list. These are large flies with a nasty bite that will even go through clothing. Fortunately though they are relatively docile and you can kill them with a reasonable success rate. The best thing after you've hit them is to watch the ants attacking it. It's a fearsome struggle that can go either way but generally the ants overpower the stricken fly. I felt no compassion because they often made me feel like the only whale in a Japanese fishing contest.

Dookanelly Campsite - One of Dave's favourites - set up like a lounge room

A close second to the flies were the mosquitoes. They seemed to be worst along the southern coast and I had one particularly bad night where they were constantly buzzing around my head. One shelter seemed to have a problem with ticks but I quickly removed them before they could do anything. And finally...leeches. After swimming in one of the lakes I found a couple on my feet and pulled them off just in time. Nasty!

The half way mark? "You are exactly half way between here and there"

This is the end of the first part of Dave's trip report. The second half where he continues his wonderful tale and reaches the end of this epic journey will be available on Our Hiking Blog soon.

Dave was also kind enough to write up a planning and gear sheet that will be added soon.

Don't forget, if you want to receive updates of any new topics (and Dave's next instalment)subscribe and

get an email when we update Our Hiking Blog

Further Information:
The Bibbulmun Track Foundation has the best website we have ever come across that supports a multi day hiking adventure.

There is a massive amount of information regarding:

• Planning
• Gear and equipment
• Friends of the Bibbulmun Track
• Track Information, conditions and closures
• News
• Maps and resources
• And so much more we don't have room.

Please check out their site - The Bibbulman Track

Related Posts:
Great South West Walk - Dave at it again with a 200km (125 miles) walk over 2 weeks
Hiking Food for a multi-day walk
Hiking Gear - What are the basics to get started?
Best clothing for a multi day hike

Continue Reading ....

Trail mix, Gorp or Scroggin - hiking snack food by any other name!

What is the best snack food when hiking?
Yummy nibbles to keep up your energy?
Easy food to eat while hiking, bushwalking, mountain climbing or treking?

No matter where you live or what you call trail mix you probably have a favourite "snack" food you take hiking.

Wikipedia describes trail mix as the ideal snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit and/or granola, and sustained energy from the mono- and polyunsaturated fats in nuts

We have been modifying our scroggin over several years and in this post describe how we put it all together and prepare our scroggin for each hiking trip.

The "rules":
- cut up your treats into small pieces for different taste sensations
- avoid anything that melts or goes too soggy
- avoid anything too sticky (makes big chunks) or soft (breaks up into small pieces that are hard to grab)
- there are no real rules - just add what you like to eat

The recipe:
This is just a sample of the type of snacks we use in our scroggin, mix and match it to your taste.
- Liquorice all sorts cut into quarters
- Liquorice twists or straps cut into 2-3 cm (1") lengths
- jelly beans
- snakes - cut up
- jelly babies
- dried fruit such as apricot, pear, sultanas, raisins, currents etc
- chocos
- Liquorice chocolate coated bullets
- yogurt balls
- M&M's
- smarties
- Nuts - peanuts (we use unsalted or EVERYTHING gets salty), cashews, almonds etc BUT nothing with shells

Our scroggin, mixed and ready to bag

The amount:
- We take 100grams (about 3.5 ounces) or a small ziploc bag per person per day (this has gradually been reduced from about 200g as we now tend to eat less).
- We count the first and last day in the trail as one bag
- On a 5 night hike we take 5 bags (half for first and last day)

How we buy it all:
- We work out how many nights we are hiking - for example, 4 nights, 400gms each, two of us, total required 800gms! Our last trip we needed 1.6kg or 3.5 pounds!
- off to the supermarket and head to the confectionary / health food/ nut / dried fruit sections
- graze around for 30 min or so deciding what looks good (best to eat BEFORE you go there)
- start adding bags of goodies to our basket, writing down the net weight of each bag
- once we reach the required amount / weight we usually throw in an extra bag or two to get some more variety
- head off to the checkout and nearly faint at the cost..... junk food is expensive.

The packaging process:
- get a large bowl or container
- open packets, cut up large pieces and add to bowl
- beat off the children and hungry animals
- mix together by hand taking care not to eat too much
- depending on the amount you have decided for each day, weigh or fill bag with required amount
- share the leftovers with the kids

Seven days of scroggin for three people - bagged and ready to go

Advantages:
- we love the convenience of a pre-measured amount each day
- you don't eat all your scroggin in the first few days
- your get a real energy boost nibbling on high sugar food each hour or so

Disadvantages:
- You can add some serious weight to your pack if you are hiking for a few days, for example, seven nights, 700grams (1.5 pounds) of trail mix.
- you can get sick of the same tastes each day - think about putting a mix of different items in for different days if you are out for more than a couple of days e.g. nuts and jellybeans or bullets, snakes and yogurt balls in one bag. Experiment.

We would love to hear what you take as trail mix or scroggin or gorp. Leave us a comment so others can read them and use your ideas on their next trip.

Other ideas:
The Food Network - Trail Mix
Skipper's Scroggin recipe

Related Posts
Food planning for a 9 day hike
Food preparation for the Overland Track and other multi day hikes
Meal ideas for the Overland Track or other long hikes

Continue Reading ....

Hiking gear - learning from your mistakes and fixing them

Have you ever returned from a hiking trip and thought?

- never again, it is all too hard, too heavy and too difficult
- my pack was loaded badly
- my tent was too heavy
- my food was awful

Matthias, a fellow blogger and mate at Matt Worldwide posted a fantastic , detailed analysis recently on the lessons he has learnt from his first two Australian bushwalks.

A very thoughtful and thorough blogger, Matthias has put together a long post about his preparations to undertake the South Coast Track in Tasmania over Easter. We highly recommend you read his full post Preparing for a 10 day hike in South West Tasmania

Here are a few of the key points he has identified and tried to fix. We will look forward to his post trip report to determine if he has been successful!!

Mark at Louisa Bay - strapping on his gear - he carried around 30kg and regretted it!

- My backpack was badly set up and caused me pain in back and shoulders.

- My backpack was too heavy, I carried too much stuff

- I carried too much food, and what I carried was too heavy (e.g. cans or fruit cake).

- I didn’t carry mosquito repellent.

- Cotton clothing, not really suitable for hiking.

- I had blisters on my feet all the time.

- With only a 1 litre bottle I ran out of water sometimes.

- No real rain protection (it was summer so a light poncho-like jacket did the trick).

- Food planning and the positioning of stuff in my backpack in general was too complicated. On most days I didn’t have lunch because I didn’t want to unpack everything. I didn’t carry real lunch food anyway, only snacks, so I simply walked on to the next camp and had early dinner. It didn’t bother me much, once I start walking I can walk the whole day without eating much, but I think it would be beneficial to have a lunch break.

- My tent was too heavy and took up lots of space.

Read Matthias's full post Preparing for a 10 day hike in South West Tasmania, it is great information.


Does all or some of this sound familiar? It does to us, so we will be keen to read how Matthias' improvements to his hiking gear set up works after he completes the South Coast Track.

We would love your comments about how you have modified your gear over time and what you would change if you could.

Related Posts
Best hiking clothes for a multi day trip
Hiking gear - what are the basics?
John Chapman's advice for beginners

Continue Reading ....