Overland Track

Due to snowfall and potentially extreme conditions at the summits, we were unable to undertake side trips, except for an easy one to Pine Valley Hut. This also meant we were skipping huts rather than walking in the usual one hut per day pace. Windermere Hut was skipped as it was too close to Waterfall Valley Hut, and Kia Ora was skipped as doing side trips to Mt Ossa wasn't possible, and it would be too close to the previous hut to call it a day. During summer, side trips are the main focus for hikers doing the Overland Track, and allowing 6 days makes more sense in that case (also booking system doesn't allow skipping huts), as the track can be theoretically completed within 3-4 days. 

Preparation

Alpine weather changes rapidly and that means bringing more warm layers in addition to what's normally needed for a camping trip. Rain jackets with Gore-Tex (or equivalent) fabrics, down puffer jacket, thermals and sleeping bag rated -10 degrees comfort are the most important ones. With lots of rain and snow, keeping our bodies warm and dry is the number one priority. Wool clothing is essential to keep warm, and that includes beanies, gloves, neck gaiters, and top and bottom thermals. Refer to here for a clothing and layering guide.

In addition to keeping warm, pack weight is also a priority as it's something that we'll carry for the next 6 days. We kept it to about 13-15kg with ultralight gear and freeze-dried food. Other than that, it's all standard multi-day camping setup. A warm sleeping bag of -5 degrees comfort or lower is highly recommended for cold sleepers. 

Freeze-dried food is premade pouches weighing roughly 200g, and can be rehydrated by adding water to create a full meal. A gas stove is used to boil water. Other than that, we've got power banks for our phones, and I've got a Kindle for entertainment and a vlogging camera to take videos. 

What's the most useful thing in your pack for the 6 days? I'd say gloves, waterproof jackets and gaiters. Gloves are so important that it's good to bring 2 pairs. Waterproof jackets are an absolute essential for walking in rain, snow and wind. Gaiters keep snow and mud out of the shoes, as it can get cold with snow inside your boots.

What have I missed that I'd bring if I were to do the walk again? Probably a MagSafe charging cable, as iPhones don't charge when the charging port is wet. Never have only one charging cable- have at least 2. A clothes line to hang things up in the hut. Camp boots do make life a lot easier, but they're also a fairly specific type of gear that just isn't very useful when you're not staying in huts, and sit at home most of the time. My puffer jacket wasn't warm enough, and not having leg thermals was a bit frustrating when trying to keep warm. 

In alpine environments, anything that got wet will never dry. This means keeping essential gear dry, eg. puffer jacket, sleeping bag, change of layers, thermals, and expecting some of your gear to be wet for the entire trip, eg. socks and shoes. Use dry bags to keep things dry- some people use pack liners, but dry bags are probably more versatile, keeping only what needs to be dry dry like a canyoning trip. 

Track overview

The track itself is 65km, and for us, with side trips included, it was about 90km. The track itself is easy, well-paved with broadwalks and stairs. Tall trail markers mark the way even in light snow. There's no issue walking the track even in the snow. Having microspikes can help in light snow but they're not essential. In heavier snow, snowshoes are often used, but there usually isn't a need for that in shoulder seasons. Snow was relatively powdery, and nothing was steep enough to justify snow gear such as ice axe and crampons (unsure about the side trip summits). 

For navigation, the Tasmap Topo map is great, and purchasing a physical version even gives you a digital download through a .tif file. This file can be loaded onto navigational apps (eg. Avenza Maps), and it'll work as a digital map. John Chapman's guidebooks are useful in pre-trip planning, but probably not the best to bring on a trail. I scanned the pages I need and loaded them onto my Kindle in case I need them. 

Huts are available each night and provide accommodation with bunk beds and camping platforms. While it's possible to stay all 6 nights without a tent, a tent should still be carried as an emergency shelter and in case the bunks are full. Huts have heaters of varying quality, but self-sufficiency is key. Expect everything to be wet and soaked, and layer appropriately to keep warm. After all, there's no way for a tiny heater to dry all your socks and clothes. 

Apparently, during summer, the walk tends to be fully booked, and shoulder season is probably a good alternative to fighting for a slot, like getting a concert ticket. While it's on an easier edge of multi-day walks, the amount of preparation and its remoteness mean it's far from beginner-friendly, and shouldn't be done as someone's first-ever camping trip.

Day 0: Launceston

The Jetstar flight took off early in the morning and landed in Launceston (Launnie) roughly an hour later, still in breakfast time. We had a walk around the city, first stop Paddy Pallin (hiking store) for some advice on track conditions. One lady at the store did the Overland Track a few weeks ago, and it was covered in similar snow conditions. She thought microspikes weren't as essential, but gaiters would help with the overgrown section at the very end of the track where it wraps around Lake St Clair. After lunch, we tucked into a cafe for some last-minute assignment/study session, before finally checking into our hotel rooms. 

In the warm afternoon, we've had a nice warm-up before our long walk, summiting a children's playground. It's a big playground with many installations- quite a fun park to hang around. I've got Tasmania's best apple juice (Spreyton's apple juice) with a quick run to Woollies and had fun mixing it with gin. Instead of gin and tonic, I had gin and apple juice. Rest of the night was spent repacking our bags and weighing our stuff before hitting the trail. 

The weather turned increasingly foggy and signs of snow were apparent as we arrived at Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, being greeted by two snowmen. We got our shuttle bus ticket to Ronny Creek after a round of scrutiny from park rangers. Have you watched the hypothermia video? Yes.... (actually no). Do you have microspikes? Yes... (no we don't). We asked about the conditions of the summits, and the ranger advised against doing them. A short shuttle bus ride up and we've reached Ronny Creek, start of the Overland Track and where a lot of wombats live.

A few wombats were in sight- not quite close enough for good pictures. They were peacefully grazing just as we continued down the broadwalk towards the start of the stairs.

The track dives into a rainforest where a few waterfalls run through. In fact this was my first time doing this section of the track in the day- 3 years ago we did this entire section in the dark. 

And we've reached Crater Lake. The snow alongside the trail has served as a useful source of water.

Along the trail were lots of snow gums- possibly my favourite kind of tree in Australia, with the way its bark is coloured, and no two trees are the same. 

Above the steps was Marions Lookout, where my phone's wallpaper photo was taken 3 years ago. Quite a large contrast from the one in my phone, taken at sunset with perfect, clear weather. This one here is snow-covered, which is equally as nice. 

From this point, the track is mostly flat down a plateau towards Kitchen Hut, where the summit track to Cradle Mountain branches off. The mountain remained in sight throughout the entire walk, possibly one of the most stunning scenes in Tasmania. 

As we get closer to Kitchen Hut the snow got deeper. Wooden boardwalk has vanished into just trail markings and footsteps. Gusts picked up in intensity and small streams flowing along the plateau were all frozen in ice. 

Soon we've reached Kitchen Hut, our lunch spot. We made lunch outside of the hut, and with all the wind, we soon decided it wasn't a great idea. In the hut (day shelter only) were mostly day walkers with a mix of people doing Overland in both directions. Apparently, the shuttle driver who picked us up from Launceston had a few groups bailing out the same day, seeing all the snow on the plateau. The snow was powdery and fairly shallow at this time of the year, no need for special snow gear. The wind was manageable and nothing too extreme- just that we couldn't do any of the summits in this area, being covered in fog and potentially in extreme conditions. 

Past Kitchen Hut it's all new territory for me- places I've never been before. Without microspikes, it felt a bit like ice skating through the track, having poor grip on the icy surfaces (but not too bad).

The track wraps towards the back of Cradle Mountain, with its face coming in and out of the clouds. It looks just as stunning in every angle. 

A few snow gums along the way

Another plateau walk- this time is Barn Bluff that's right in front of us. There's an emergency shelter to the left which looks like a UFO. With the number of trekkers on this route, a great way to save energy is to reuse steps compacted by other walkers.

The track turned downhill, emerging into a snowy forest. All the trees and plants were covered in snow- probably the best highlight of the day.

At the base of that valley is Waterfall Valley Hut, a modern hut sitting in the middle of a cradle with Barn Bluff on the other side. We spotted a few camping platforms and decided to try out camping in the snow. Setting up on camping platforms is bad, and the snow made it worse. Being unfamiliar with the Tasmanian camping platform, we had to essentially dig out all the snow to find our anchor points. 

We got to the hut at 3 pm, and this means there's plenty of time to spare. The hut was really modern with a giant heater, accommodating a mix of people doing the Overland and those going on short camping trips. We had a few tables for dinner, and on the other side of the hut were people from the Hobart Walking Club, also doing the Overland but in the opposite direction. The most interesting story I've heard from them was probably from a former MUMC (Melbourne Uni Mountaineering Club) member within the group. He did a backcountry ski trip with MUMC a long time ago, and out of everyone, only one person was able to ski. The trip leader didn't know how to ski, and so did he. The one single participant ended up teaching everyone how to ski, which probably wouldn't have happened today with their club's strict procedures.

We left our packs at where the side trip to Lake Will starts. It was a short track that took about 20-30 minutes out and back. We saw some water- that will do.

Crossing through a swampy plain full of lakes, we reached Windermere Hut right after Lake Windermere. It's a modern hut, and that's where we had a snack break. It'd be a short day to stop here for the day, so we've continued aiming for a camping spot between here and the next hut. 

We've entered long sections of buttongrass plains. The area appeared to have been burnt recently and tracks were gradually being rebuilt. This also means the entire area is very muddy, having to walk through areas of swamps. 

Pine Forest Moor- quite a scenic place. We were also hit with a sudden wave of sleet- ice raining from above. Average Tasmanian weather we suppose. In front of us all the time was Mt Pelion West. 

There was a lookout to the side which we stopped for some snacks. Nice views of Mt Oakleigh, albeit being covered in clouds most of the time. We soon descended into Frog Flats, the lowest point of the entire Overland Track.

The camp spots near Frog Flats were just a few tiny grass patches next to the track, and so we decided to continue towards Pelion Hut after a short break near this tree.

A cool tree before Mt Oakleigh reemerges in front of us. Pelion Hut sits just in front, with a mountain view from its balcony. This concludes the longest day in this trip, covering nearly 25km in a single day. This is also where the track from Walls of Jerusalem joins in. During season when the Overland Track runs under a booking system, an alternative would be entering Pelion Hut via Walls of Jerusalem, and summit Mt Ossa as a day trip from the hut. 

It's one of the older huts, and at night the only source of light is our headtorches. My iPhone charging cable from Bulgaria decided to break at this point, leaving two of us with no working charging cables, and we had to share a cable amongst 3. 

A few pictures I took as I was starting the morning with a walk around the toilet

After breakfast, we continued through to Kia Ora Hut. Some had the freeze-dried Cooked Breakfast for breakfast, and it's cooked (ie. really bad). The walk through this snow-covered forest is probably some of the most scenic bits of Overland.

Soon we overtook another group starting before us. Now we're the first group to blaze through this new layer of snow.

The weather was also constantly changing as we went along the track. The skies cleared off, then it continued snowing, and then it cleared out. 

We also had to stop from time to time to clear off the ever-growing pile of snow stuck between our neck and our backpack. There's a small pile of snow on every tree branch that we walk through, covering ourselves with snow every step we went.

The snow grew thicker as we slowly gained elevation. I tried eating some icicles- they taste like normal ice. Others also had the luxury of a readily accessible water source by eating snow along the way.

The tree line soon ends, and we're now in an exposed alpine terrain. Chilly gusts blast through this vast open landscape just as we were making our way through our snow-covered walkway. A snow-covered sign denotes that we're in Pelion Pass, where the side trip to Mt Ossa branches off.

Looking south, there's Mt Ossa to the right, the highest peak of Tasmania (Left/1st image), and Mt Pelion East to the right (Top right/2nd image). The summits are fading in and out of the clouds, and today is certainly not the day to summit them. Guidebook states Mt Pelion East as a good alternative to Mt Ossa when it's covered in cloud, but today, both weren't in their best conditions. Constant gusts blow off the loose layer of snow into the air, a constant reminder that this is not a place to stay.

The boardwalk continued past Pelion Gap, elevated from the ground. That's easy to spot in summer but in winter everything is a blanket of snow, and aiming to stay on the boardwalk is a technique by itself. I've unfortunately got my boot stuck with one misstep off the boardwalk. Umjamming it wasn't as easy as lifting it up, being stuck in layers of snow and ice. What saved my boots eventually were my gaiters, with the end hooked onto my shoelaces. Pulling them like a fishing rod resulted in successful boot fishing, and they were luckily back on my feet. 

After a quick regroup, I took the lead, blazing the trail towards Kia Ora Hut. The mix of wind and rain never stopped as we were still in exposed alpine country. 

Coming downhill and losing altitude, the wind did settle a little bit. Not wearing rain pants, my pants were soaked in water and it wasn't the most comfortable outfit to be in. 

The sun soon came out, marking our arrival at Kia Ora Hut. 

We were treated with a modern hut and welcoming residents who stayed overnight. Still a tiny heater with barely any warmth to even dry a pair of socks. At least it's a warm place for lunch, where I had my freeze-dried Chicken Tikka Masala, the classic British cuisine. It tasted fairly decent, even though the chicken tasted like jerky. 

Down Kia Ora Hut the track followed through a long section of rainforests. This was the coldest I've felt on the track, probably a bit to do with the cooling effects of a rainforest, and partly that my pants are all wet, and you're constantly losing warmth over wet layers. That wouldn't be a problem if I had leg thermals- something really important to bring along. Also, if I had rain pants on, it wouldn't have been an issue either - my rain pants, which I've since sold on Facebook Marketplace, didn't fit me well.

Quick stop at Du Cane Hut- an old heritage hut that's now for emergency shelter only. There are a few potential side trips to waterfalls, but all we wanted to do at this point was to get to the next hut. 

Bert Nichols Hut- another less modern hut. The bunk beds are reminiscent of Japanese Tatami beds, and unlike New Zealand huts, no mattress is provided. The common area was fairly cold, with the hut probably not as well insulated as the modern ones. The walk to the toilet was also very long, and possibly (mentally) one of the longest walks I've ever done, walking through snow in the dark.

A few of the moors are still covered in snow. Getting to Pine Valley also involved crossing a few really fun swing bridges. 

Tiny wet boardwalks and the tree roots are all trying to trip everyone to the ground. Regardless, the track eventually eased to a gentle walk along a small creek before ending at Pine Valley Hut.

As we arrived, the person who stayed the previous night was about to leave, leaving us with some kind instructions on how to use the coal heater. With some dry kindling and a bit of fire starter, lighting up the fire wasn't difficult. Keeping the fire going involves constantly emptying the ashtray to avoid clogging, which blocks oxygen flow and shuts off the flame. Maintaining the heater was fairly straightforward: refilling with coal regularly, keeping a constant flow of oxygen through having the ashtray semi-open, and emptying the ashtray when it's full. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing a bit of Solitaire, going through some storytelling, and one person having special fried rice for dinner. A lot of the Asian freeze-dried food options aren't accurate representations of what they're planning to recreate, and end up tasting more like special fried rice in a Chinese restaurant catered to the white demographic. 

As with every hut a logbook was kept, and there's a bit more space than usual, being one that's not as frequently visited. Reading some of the other entries, this quote from the Bible summarises the trip really well: “In his heart, a man may plan his course, but the Lord chooses his steps.” Adam wrote his entry incorporating this into his writing. Perhaps that's the case with every alpine trip, where nature comes first, and humans are here to work with it. Rather than spending enormous amounts of time planning for the perfect condition (which will never exist), you might as well work with what you're presented with and improvise along. I've also written an essay on something slightly irrelevant, thinking that people reading logbooks are probably a bit bored with Overland track-related content. 

Again, the first group to blaze through new snow. The first bit of the walk wasn't the most interesting bit- it gets better.

Down the track the forest became a bit denser, and that's where snow looks the best, giving every tree branch a white coating. 

The same swing bridge, now covered in snow

It's always really nice to see how snow forms a line through tree branches, or how they're giving these smaller alpine plants a different twist.

Another swing bridge

And back to the main Overland Track, all downhill towards Narcissus Hut. There was a bit of snowfall as we were walking through, giving early Christmas vibes.

The sun came out and the land started steaming up, the warmest we've ever felt. We tucked into Narcissus Hut for our final lunch in camping food, just as others were figuring out how to radio a ferry back to the visitor centre. A ferry runs on demand during off off-season and regularly during season, skipping the section of the Overland that wraps around Lake St Clair. 

The walk to Echo Point Hut was really pleasant through towering forests. None of the track was overgrown- the Tasmanians have probably never seen Kanangra level overgrowth near the Blue Mountains. The only problematic bit of the track was a boardwalk through a swamp where the track was flooded, and a few wombats crossing. 

Echo Point Hut- a really nice hut sitting right by Lake St Clair. The jetty no longer sees passenger ferry services, but remains a nice place for breakfasts and doomscrolling on Instagram (Yes, there is mobile reception). 

There's a tiny space on the beach right next to the lake where people have probably camped for a waterfront camping experience. We weren't keen on waking up in the middle of the lake overnight, so we stuck with the proper camping spots. 

The area around the hut is rat-infested and apparently, the rats will chew through tents and sleeping bags to access food. There are lockers and bins for packs to be secured overnight. We made sure there was no food around us and haven't seen any mickey mouse overnight. Another essay was added to the logbook as well.

We had our first proper meal at the cafe next to the visitor centre, before getting picked up by our shuttle back to Launceston. A short section of Lyell Hwy before turning off to some unsealed roads.

Going through Highland Lakes before rejoining National Hwy 1 back to Launceston. 

and back in our hotel in Launceston, where we got our first shower in 6 days, and an end to our first 6-day multi-day walk.

Food review

Essentially, with freeze-dried food, the best things to avoid are Asian cuisines- they taste the worst. Worst offenders include:

• Honey Soy Chicken

• Beef Teriyaki

This comes with the exception of Thai Chicken Curry. It does taste decent (if we disregard that it's not authentic at all). 

There are some good reviews of Radix breakfasts, especially the chocolate-flavoured one. It's probably not worthwhile to make freeze-dried breakfasts- porridge/oat sachets work just as well. 

RealMeal's wilderness stew is pretty good

Backcountry cuisine's nice list

• Moroccan lamb

• Beef curry (even though it tastes more like beef stock+jerkey+rice)

• Lamb Fettuccine 

• Thai Chicken Curry

• Chicken Tikka Masala (if we disregard authenticity and treat it as a creative interpretation of indian cuisine)

• Spaghetti Bolognese (more like a safe choice. It's a bit bland and bringing some salt and pepper will help)