Returning from the Overland Track, Tasmania

The last week has been quite an experience…

I’ve trudged 65km through temperate rainforests, misty swamps, soft-focus button grass plains, and dolomite mountains. I’ve camped alone in a bog with blood-sucking leeches (yikes!), saw night skies so bright i could view the milky way and satellites flying up high, I slept in a hut with a mouse running around me in the dark and possums clattering about in the tin roof. I saw a deadly snake (luckily it was quick to get away from me), came face to face with an enormous wallaby in the forest, and almost tripped over a wombat (much to the surprise of both of us!).

This was the Tasmanian Overland Track, a trek i’ve wanted to do since I saw it listed by National Geographic as one of the top 10 hikes in the world.

Unfortunately, it poured on the first day and then continued to rain or mist for the rest of the trek. Oh, the wet weather was miserable! It created ankle deep, boggy mud in the forests and transformed the mountain paths into waterfalls. It was treacherous and scary at times. But I did get about an hour of sun on the last day, and spent it sunbathing on a helipad (aka collapsed in a grimey, exhausted heap on a helipad), whilst attempting to get some solar powered juice into my dead phone.

My phone died after just a couple of days, but worse, I discovered my head torch was broken on the very first night so I had no light after dark. Every night was spent lying in a sleeping bag from 7pm – 7am and dreading the toilet urge, which inevitably came around midnight. Then I’d have to fumble my way out into the pitch black darkness trying to find somewhere to pee, then find my way back to my bed again. Oh good grief! What a palaver!

I am SO glad to be staying in a lodge tonight with a bath, laundry services and a nice soft bed! I’ve had soaking wet feet for almost a week now and suspect I’m developing some kind of foot rot – my feet are all swollen and have turned a shade of purple. Yuck!

On reflection, I feel a bit like the Goldilocks of multi day treks. The Himalayas were too cold (and oxygen starved!), this trek was too wet… so now i need to find one that’s just right. I’ll wait for a while until i attempt the next one though. I’m all walked out for now!