Wednesday, 16 December 2009

The Overland Track: lessons learnt, tips for new players

Glad I brought: Ear plugs (for blocking out snoring in the huts), my super-small and light sea to summit day pack, the empty goon bag for carrying water, and my walking poles.

Wish I had: Some wine. A decent wine in one of those soft 1 L plastic bottles would have been great to stretch out over the whole walk. Also wished I had bought a dehydrator and brought more gourmet meals with a variety of veggies. A pack cover or a small screw-gate 'biner to keep the birds out of my pack would also have been handy.

Would leave at home: The Steripen water steriliser and just carry tablets for emergencies. The huts have massive rainwater tanks with beautiful water that doesn't need treating.

Boots vs. trail-runners: My Vasque goretex trail-runners kept my feet dry for the entire walk, were nice and light, and didn't give me blisters. I was worried about the lack of ankle support with a heavy pack, but combined with walking poles I was fine. Highly recommend!

Got (Telstra) mobile reception at: Top of Mt. Ossa and at the Pine Valley hut helipad.

2 comments:

Frank and Sue said...

Great lessons learnt tip list! Also really enjoyed your trip report.
I was wondering if I could put your list up at "Our Hiking Blog" and, of course, refer people back to your site with a link or two!

This is us: http://www.ourhikingblog.com.au/

Kind regards, Frank

G said...

Hey Frank and Sue, go ahead. I took a look at your blog, and added it to my news feed. Looks great.