Day 4
29 images Created 19 May 2019
A sleep in! With no particular goal for the day we lay in our snug beds and listened to (almost) all the others busily packing up their bags and having brekky before heading off to the next hut. We finally ventured out as things quieted down and had the whole place to ourselves, save for one other couple who were also having a break in Pelion today.
Pelion Hut comprises eight small separate bedrooms with bunks that can accommodate at a pinch, a total of 64. There is a large long dining room which has eight dining tables and benches. All surrounded with a large verandah, perfect for drying the wet clothes packs and gear. Even more perfect was the fact that with no wind we finally had some blue sky and sunshine.
We had originally planned to tackle Mt Oakleigh however after the first three days we decided just to take the day to recover. So we started out with a short stroll down some lovely duckboard to Old Pelion Hut, built in 1916 to accommodate workers in nearby copper mines. Strolling back to the main hut over the soggy, boggy plains (protected by duckboard) we headed down to Douglas Creek, just beyond the hut and discovered a deep green forest of ferns and faery things – and a couple of pademelons. It was a delight to stroll along without 20kg on your back and without having to watch every step.
Returning to the hut we had a cuppa on the verandah and enjoyed lunch of a Clif Bar. The Clif bars are super dense and full of calories and provide a really easy to pack and filling lunch on the go.
After lunch we headed down the Arm River Track and then up toward Mt Oakleigh across the grass plains. Crossing a couple of streams we headed into the forest at the base of Mt Oakleigh and started up the early part of the climb through some lovely forest, but super muddy track. About a third of the way up we decided we had been strenuous enough for the day and wandered back to the hut, taking in the lovely views back over the hut of Mt Ossa (still with a little snow) which would be our midpoint goal and side trip the next day.
Arriving back at the hut it was starting to get busy with walkers beginning to arrive from their long day walking in from Windermere hut. The afternoon passed and we sorted our now dry gear and generally felt much better about heading back out on the trail tomorrow. A Backcountry freeze dried chicken tikka was on the dinner menu followed by a small piece of chocolate and we were living like kings and queens. Some wildlife spotting, paddy’s, wombats and possums followed on dusk and we found the rumours from the previous night of a Tassie Devil to be greatly exaggerated.
We returned to what was our own private bedroom this night and enjoyed the best night sleep yet – until about 11pm - when just about everyone in the hut (except us) got up to go to the toilet. Oddly this had not been a thing until we joined this new group and we vowed if tomorrow was fine we would be tenting overnight.
Pelion Hut comprises eight small separate bedrooms with bunks that can accommodate at a pinch, a total of 64. There is a large long dining room which has eight dining tables and benches. All surrounded with a large verandah, perfect for drying the wet clothes packs and gear. Even more perfect was the fact that with no wind we finally had some blue sky and sunshine.
We had originally planned to tackle Mt Oakleigh however after the first three days we decided just to take the day to recover. So we started out with a short stroll down some lovely duckboard to Old Pelion Hut, built in 1916 to accommodate workers in nearby copper mines. Strolling back to the main hut over the soggy, boggy plains (protected by duckboard) we headed down to Douglas Creek, just beyond the hut and discovered a deep green forest of ferns and faery things – and a couple of pademelons. It was a delight to stroll along without 20kg on your back and without having to watch every step.
Returning to the hut we had a cuppa on the verandah and enjoyed lunch of a Clif Bar. The Clif bars are super dense and full of calories and provide a really easy to pack and filling lunch on the go.
After lunch we headed down the Arm River Track and then up toward Mt Oakleigh across the grass plains. Crossing a couple of streams we headed into the forest at the base of Mt Oakleigh and started up the early part of the climb through some lovely forest, but super muddy track. About a third of the way up we decided we had been strenuous enough for the day and wandered back to the hut, taking in the lovely views back over the hut of Mt Ossa (still with a little snow) which would be our midpoint goal and side trip the next day.
Arriving back at the hut it was starting to get busy with walkers beginning to arrive from their long day walking in from Windermere hut. The afternoon passed and we sorted our now dry gear and generally felt much better about heading back out on the trail tomorrow. A Backcountry freeze dried chicken tikka was on the dinner menu followed by a small piece of chocolate and we were living like kings and queens. Some wildlife spotting, paddy’s, wombats and possums followed on dusk and we found the rumours from the previous night of a Tassie Devil to be greatly exaggerated.
We returned to what was our own private bedroom this night and enjoyed the best night sleep yet – until about 11pm - when just about everyone in the hut (except us) got up to go to the toilet. Oddly this had not been a thing until we joined this new group and we vowed if tomorrow was fine we would be tenting overnight.
