Hello!
Oh my giddy aunt, what a wild day up on the mountain!
Jeff and I drove off early so he could get a good start on the Overland Track this morning.
Our visitors Ruth and David who originally planned to come and do the first day with us decided quite sensibly to do something else that didn’t entail getting drowned up at Cradle and waved goodbye from their room at the top of the stairs and went back to warm beds!
I have hardly any photos because taking the camera out in todays weather would have been akin to throwing it in the lake!
The difference from a couple of weeks back with the water running everywhere was pretty amazing.
After packing and repacking his bag, I hope Jeff has everything he needs over the next week.
I accompanied him up as far as Kitchen Hut today… carrying a fair few kilos myself. Somebody wanted a thermos of hot coffee.
(Good wife!)
I had a lot of useless weight in my pack.
2 litres of water – of which I drank none as it all soaked in from the outside so I was very well hydrated.
Camera – ok… got a few snaps and wish it had of been convenient to get it out to take more photos but…
Food that I didn’t really eat
Thermos of coffee
And the cleverest thing of all… my puffy jacket NOT in a waterproof bag so I was basically carrying around 5 kg of a water soaked jacket… think ‘sponge’
(Eye-roll… sometimes I really am a bit daft)(a lot daft)
Anyway… we went up the Horse Track today to avoid the steeper incline of Marions Lookout.
We went along pretty well – I didn’t hold up Jeff at all. Felt like I had a bit more oomph today.
The steps were simply waterfalls. The pathways mostly under water.
We had to wade through streams that had risen a lot higher than we have normally seen and the wind was phenomenal! We were literally blown off the track a few times!!!
The rain I thought was hail at first because it was coming in sideways & stinging our faces. It was fabulous and I loved it!
Jeff said he was thinking it was mad and maybe he should be turning back then looks at me with a grin plastered across my face lapping it all up (literally and figuratively) and thought I was insane. (Probably just the hypothermia speaking haha)
After a particular strong burst of wind and rain, he says (shouts) to me ‘Its not so much the heat that gets to you as the humidity’ š
We were the first people up to Kitchen Hut that morning. I really didn’t feel super super cold, but my hands weren’t working effectively.
I won’t go into details about how hard it was going to the loo and trying to get my sodden pants back up.
The coffee was pretty darn good!
It was at this point I discovered my jacket error.
After our cuppa and a quite bite to eat (I had 5 biscuits (crackers)) we parted ways. A couple of cold soggy kisses and Jeff disappeared into the mists.
I really hope the weather clears up for him so he is not just a big damp Canadian for 7 days.
I can’t check up on him at all so just have to hope he does alright and is there when I go down to collect him next Sunday!
I headed off back via Marions.
I started to meet the other travellers as I went back. Some looked happy and embraced it all… others looked a bit shell-shocked.
The wind on the exposed top quartre of Marions was diabolical! At times I just planted my feet and braced into it. I had to take a lot of sections carefully and thoughtfully as it was easy to be thrown off balance.
Back at the car, at least I had put in a bag with clean clothes, so I was able to get mostly dry-ish and into dry stuff for the drive home.
I treated myself to lighting the fire tonight.
Hope everybody’s week has started fantastically!
Cheers
Sounds like you had quite an adventure. There is no telling how much extra weight you were carrying with wet pants and the sponge jacket. I guess this can be considered extra calories burned. The problem I think I would have is wet heavy boots/shoes. Were your feet dry? I am not much of a hiker.I have to admit I am intrigued by the adventure of it all. I think of trying to hike at least a small portion of the Appalachian Trail here because it would be so beautiful and adventurous.
Have you read (or seen) A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson? I quite fancied hiking (some of)the Appalachian Trail after that but I think I might start with something a little less adventurous in this country (UK) first!
No… I am scribbling this down to look at it. Thank-you.
The Appalachian Trail would be quite amazing! We also have our eyes on Iceland! š All future plans and dreams!
My son visited Iceland last year with some Explorer Scouts and he loved it. The photos were amazing but it is eye-wateringly expensive when you’re there. A colleague of my husband went for a few days and wanted to buy fish and chips. For four people it would have been over 180 AUD! I think most of their food is imported, hence the cost.
I read ’18 AUD’ and thought that seemed pretty cheap.. haha… Wow!! (Note to self… do separate food budget when travelling to iceland!)
What a trip though! The little I have seen looks stunning!
I have that movie and have watched it twice. Thanks for mentioning that there is a book, I will definately read it.
My feet were wet. Like I had been swimming in my clothes wet!
I will get some waterproofing on them done in the next little while. Jeff has these amazing merino wool socks that are actually waterproof! Not that much helps when wading through streams etc
We have been looking at the Appalachian Trail as a future thing on the wish list. How amazing would that be?
I am like you… love the adventure of it!
Good luck Jeff! Hope the sun comes out a bit for him
Thank-you!! Although the forecast looks a bit grim… maybe one day in there not raining!! Hope he embraces it all whatever Mother Nature throws at him!