Overland Trail Tas

Worried enough to buy them an EPIRB and PLB ? wouldn't be surprised if they see a brass monkey looking for a brazing rod that time of year mate.

but very inexperienced? Don't do it....

If she doesn't have multiday walk experience in winter conditions she should not attempt this walk. It can be a very dangerous environment in winter, even properly prepared and experienced, Rhys.

Royce,

We used to take groups of year 12 students through in late june early july. They had weeks of preparation and instruction beforehand and with very competent leaders who had walked it many times. (I think I did it 5 times) Nevertheless it was never the same from one trip to another and conditions can be great one day and autrocious the next and I mean full blown blizzards. Its a very beautiful but dangerous environment for the inexperienced.

Tell your daughter to do the trip but not in winter and with a small group of experienced walkers preferably with one or two who have walked the track previously.

The other point to make is that at this time of the year many of the highlights are unatainable eg climbing Mt Osser and Barns Bluff etc.. better and more responsible to do it when the weather is a little more predictable.

Regards,
.
Mike (Vic)

Gidday Royce

I‘m a bit disturbed about this. If it’s the walk I’m thinking of, it’s not to be taken lightly, particularly in winter. In fact I’m surprised the walking track is even open at that time of the year.

I’ve done a lot of trekking through that country particularly the Western Arthurs, and I can tell you it’s not a place you want to be without any experience in winter.

If I remember rightly there are a number of huts built along the Overland Track, but that wouldn’t reduce the difficulty in getting to them.

Unless your daughter is very fit and experienced in that sort of country I’d suggest she does it in the summer months first.

PS I have no augments with carrying an EBIRB, but it could be a number of days before a helicopter or a ground crew arrives in that country due to the winter conditions.

Regards

Kim

Just to add a point or two.
One of the issues in a winter Overland is to decide how much gear to take: if you prepare for bad weather, you'll end up carrying a fair load, but if you don't, then you can become a Hypothermia candidate very quickly. Sadly, you can actually increase the risk of hypothermia by trying to carry enough gear to survive a blizzard, and slowing yourself down. Yes, I am speaking from personal experience.
The notion of doing the overland solo in winter isn't courageous, it is insane.
I recall one of our mob, who was well over 6ft, deciding to walk between the botton grass clumps instead of jumping from clump to clump, and he suddenly fell into a hole that left him immersed in freezing water up to his armpits. Mind you, jumping from clump to clump with a heavy pack on isn't much fun either! It is in these conditions that company is vital.
There's a heap written about these issues, especially the insidious way hypothermia creeps up on the victim, without enough conscious warning.
Not a good idea!

Royce
Official website (link) says "Bookings are required for each walking season (1 November to 30 April)." Not real clear, but I wonder if that means you're not allowed to do the walk outside of that period. Best wishes

H Royce,
It is a beautiful trek in the summer months.
We walked this in January a few years ago, with guides, and it was a clearly marked track then but in winter with deep snow on the ground there would be little chance of knowing where you were. You would have to carry so much gear to keep warm at night, (as well as the food of course) it would be nearly impossible I reckon to do it.
I clearly remember the first hut we got to for lunch had 2 levels and a door on each as at any time of the year there can be snow and the only way out of the hut is through the top level door!!!
In winter, it would be madness for anyone who isnt extremely familiar with the area and track to attempt it. Others have died in the vicinity. I know we think we are invincible when we are young, but I think it is irresponsible of them.
Just my opinion of course.

Cheers,
Heather

I come from Tassie. That track catches out many very experienced hickers. The only way she should do it is with a group that has experienced guides, regardless of the time of year. Winter, on your own, is asking for trouble.

Why would you bother? You most likely will not see anything of the scenery - friend of mine did the trip in autumn then asked me if he could see my pictures as it was foggy for the whole trip and all he could see was the track and his feet.

As part of a guided walk I have done it in early January. One of our guides walked it in July when he was 16 years old with some mates.

The track I found incredibly well marked (compared to other walks) with many kms of board walks where been bogs or the track was corduroy (spelling?). If you stuck to the track I couldn't see how you could fall into mud holes or bogs now. Off the main track different story.
The huts I found were well appointed and provided you had dry clothes you could survive almost anything, but then I'm not used to bleak cold southern weather

What would concern me is that your daughter is effectively alone ( min. 3 persons, two must be experienced) and the fact that much of the track will be frozen/ covered in ice. The slip factor on the icy ground through the tree rooted/ rocky sections and even boarded steps carrying a 15-22kg pack should be a worry. You can't see the surface is covered in ice, hence slippery.
Surely there are shorter walks she could do which would give the same experience, but offer easier rescue?

This reminds me of all the discussion prior to Jessica Watson's departure, about which I was a soothsayer of doom!

Just give her as much advice & encouragement as you can, maybe even buy her a Spot Messenger.

I’m all for people pursuing their dreams, especially when it comes to adventure travel. But there is usually risk associated with adventure travel.

They key is to identify the risks, understand them, negate them as much as possible, and have a plan as to what course of action you will take if things do not go to plan, or if you have some sort of emergency.

The question your daughter needs to ask herself (honestly) is do I have the experience necessary to actually identify the risks associated with taking this particular trip? If she believes she hasn’t then don’t go. If she believes she has then she needs to work through all those risks and assess whether they are acceptable taking into account her experience level and having done that, then make a decision as to whether to go or not.

A wing and a prayer won’t cut it on the sort of trip your daughter is planning, especially given unpredictable winter conditions.

Cecil Madigan, on commenting about his trek across the Simpson Desert, said something along the lines that well planned trips don’t usually fail....

I subscribe to that theory, but implicit in that statement is you need to be in a position to be able to know and understand what the risks to failure are.

Good luck either way it goes......

Cheers, The Landy

I have walked the Overland Track several times, in summer months. It can be treacherous enough then. As others have said, to attempt it in winter, as a walk, is irresponsible and insane. She could be blizzarded into a hut for a long time - can she carry sufficient supplies for this? To rely on being rescued when it goes pear shaped, puts others at risk, too. I do not know the policy in Tas re this, but she may be charged much money for a rescue caused by her irresponsibility.
If she wants a challenge to help heal after a relationship rift, there are plenty of challenges in northern Aust. Suggest the Larapinta Trail to her......or the one from Katherine Gorge to Edith Falls......

G'day Royce
You are thinking of asking to tag along! What experience do you have in those conditions? How fit are you? You'd probably just slow them down and make matters worse. So I'd scrap that plan.
Sounds to me like she'll be smart enough that she'll soon work out whether she's up to it after the first day (or less) and if she's not she'll turn back. Let her have a go. If she has all the right gear and the right mental attitude she'll most likely be fine.

Royce

While I don't disagree with many of the earlier comments regarding the challenges your daughter may face hopefully I can allay your fears a little. I would describe the Overland Track as relatively friendly to WELL PREPARED inexperienced walkers - certainly not wilderness walking a la the SW of Tassie. And quite a lot of solo walkers do this trek, albeit not so much in winter.

Would certainly recommend your daughter walk with a companion (more enjoyable anyway) but if she prepares well and is sensible, (eg is prepared to pitch her tent and wait out a blizzard if it came, keep her pack handy at all times), the risks are manageable in my opinion. However she should not underestimate the likelihood of many days of bad weather in winter. At least the snakes (all poisonous) will be hibernating!

I walked the track in spring with a mate as an inexperienced teen many years ago when facilities were very basic (no board walks, old barely-weatherproof huts, very few walkers) and looking back we could have been better prepared, particularly wrt cold weather gear. But we were ready to sit out any bad weather if necessary and carried adequate food. Equipment, safety gear (no GPS' or EPIRBs then), food etc are all FAR better now than they were then. Maps of the area were very good then, likely to be excellent now I would think.

We also walked the YoYo track and South West walk a few years later (in Feb/March) - a significantly more challenging walk (no huts, few shelters, approx double the time), but another which SOLO walkers sometimes did. We followed with interest the log book comments of an 18yo solo walker who was one day ahead of us for the first 4 days of our trip. Unfortunately he left us stranded at Port Davey when he couldn't be bothered doing the 3 rows required to leave a boat on either side! As luck would have it 2 days later we were 'rescued' by a yacht which wined and dined us, and fetched both the rowboats so that we only had to do one crossing of the narrows.

Cheers
Jon
PS Your daughter might find this useful - mobile coverage in 'wilderness' Tassie: http://tasmania.bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=415

Yo, Royce ....
bit of a real dilemma for you ....... Iffen you haven't yet done it - get her to sit down at the PC and read this thread !!!

All three of my daughters finished Uni and then went and did their things ......
my eldest once did a Bunjy jump when she was about fifteen ...........
All three travelled the OS circuit - I am sure they did risky things themselves and never told me ??

Me, I would also go with the flow and say 'let her go' BUT ....
it is your job to worry, mate!
If she does it successfully she will be the better person for it .......

"If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams
and endeavours to live the life they imagined -
they will meet with a success undreamt of, in common hours !!! "

Deep, possibly trite but very very powerful stuff.

Hope it all works out well for you both.

Well I must say that I'm pretty pleased with the response I had to this post.

I have been feeling very sad about how the forum was becoming boring and depersonalized. I find that it has much less sharing and caring happening.

Thanks everyone for your great input. I might stick around a little longer.

Cheers Royce :-]]