Ultralight Hiking:
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Della & I (combined age then 120) heading
off from Freney Lagoon on the second day of our walk across
All about light weight, ultra light hiking, backpacking, bushwalking, hunting, tracks, trails, adventures, gear, reviews…
I have been hiking/hunting now for over sixty years, a little more
slowly than I once did, walking in the Victorian
This is a ‘work in progress’. I will be adding to it on a regular basis adding new photos, adventures, product/ideas, suggestions, etc. You should also look at HIKING ADVICE also a section of gear advice for my son written in 2011 WORLD TRAVEL KIT FOR SON. You can also see my older posts here: Hiking 2014.htm & Hiking 2013 & Earlier. Hope you find something interesting.
PS: UPPER YARRA TRACK: I have recently created this site The Upper Yarra Walking Track Australia’s oldest (& best), an approx. 10-14 day walk with numerous resupply points, plentiful water and camping spots now extending from Moe railway Station @ 150 kilometres up the Latrobe, Tyers & Thomson River valleys, via Yallourn North, Erica & Walhalla, across the Baw Baw Plateau, along the Upper Thomson River, past the Yarra Falls & Mt Horsefall, along the Little Ada, Ada and Yarra valleys via Warburton to Lilydale Railway Station. Now, complete with Track Instructions
ULTRALIGHT HIKING BLOG:
24/05/2017: Man is the Measure of All Things (Protagoras) Some handy estimation
tricks.
This astonishing Pre-Socratic was a brilliant mind. I guess everyone knows his 'Theorem" about right angle triangles. The saying above might not be quite so well known (or his enjoiner, 'Eschew beans'! I think I know why!), but we can use some of the proportions of the human body and the a property of an Isosceles Triangle (ie one with two equal sides) to do some pretty handy estimations.
You hold a stick at arm's length as shown in the drawing on the left so that the top of the branch exactly aligns with the top of the object whose height you want to measure. You can do one of two things: drop the stick over as in the drawing on the right, or pace the distance between you and the object. The height of the tree will be exactly the same as the distance from you to the object (Isosceles triangle, you see) Or the point on the ground where the stick on the right indicates.
You have formed a little isosceles triangle with your eye, your arm and the stick This triangle projects forward to the larger isosceles triangle formed by your feet, the distance to the base of the tree and the height of the tree itself, so the height of the tree is always exactly the distance from you to the tree..
Here is an interesting proportion. The distance between your eyes is almost exactly 1/9th of the length of your arm to the tip of your thumb (as shown below). By alternatively closing one eye and then the other, and estimating how far the object aimed at with your thumb 'jumps' sideways, then multiplying that estimated distance by 9 (it might be easier to multiply by ten which is close enough really) you can get a pretty good estimate of the distance to that remote object (ie it will be distant roughly ten times the distance your thumb jumps!) Neat eh?
This can be useful if you are taking a long shot (eg at a deer) with a rest, or eg if the object is your destination and you wish to know how far away it is, or if you need to cross a river and you want to know how wide it is so that you can judge how far upstream you need to start swimming or paddling (on your Thermarest Neoair mat) to safely get across. Always cross at the deepest, slowest straightest spot. You will already have measured the speed of the current by throwing s floating twig in and timing it.
If you dropped the stick to the side as in the right hand drawing in the first illustration, you can use the approximate number of tree lengths to estimate how far your thumb has jumped. If you assume that a similar tree near you which you measured by pacing is the same height as the one on the far bank, you will have a very clear idea of the distance to the remote object in tree lengths. From then on, it’s only a matter of simple multiplication.
The featured image is Da Vinci's famous 'Vitruvian Man' where Da Vinci sets out his ideas of the ideal human proportion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man
23/05/2017: Epirbs are not Taxi Hailers: Lots of people are misusing these tiny devices. I guess because they are (relatively) cheap, but really if you want to spend time in the wilds, spend some money to get a decent communication system eg either a satellite messenger or a satellite phone – or both.
So many people are pressing the panic button because they have a sniffle or ran out of Oreos occasioning hugely expensive search and rescue operations for them that eventually governments are going to have to charge everyone for the thoughtlessness of the few. Mostly people just want a specific thing eg a helicopter pick-up from a specific point (which will be an extra for a search and rescue operation) but which is relatively inexpensive (say $1-2,000) and ought to come out of your own pocket. Often such a pick-up is non-urgent as well.
Val from Hauroko Tours related to me an example from a few years back. He had dropped a group off at the Hauroko Hut to begin the Dusky Track (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-dawn-to-dusky/). Later the very same day they hit their Epirb. Within an hour of starting out on the Dusky, they found the Hauroko Burn flooded. In my opinion they could have proceeded, but in any case it would likely have gone down by the next day (and they had a lovely dry hut to stay in whilst waiting it out).
Any walk on the Dusky is likely to encounter flooding/ waiting etc. Such is wilderness experience. Also, Val would have been back in three days, so they only had to wait. Clearly they had food for 8-10 days if walking the Dusky. Instead they hit the Epirb occasioning an urgent and expensive search which in my opinion they should have been charged for! Such ‘Crying Wolf’ behaviour is likely to cause the authorities to become less interested in launching into such wasteful exercises. The public purse is not infinite.
PS: Over reliance on electronic knick-knacks is problematic at best. before folks venture into the wild, they ought first have properly equipped themselves with a functioning set of the equipment they were born with: brain, eyes, ears, hand feet, back etc. The first of these needs some training. I will be posting some ideas about this soon, but in the meantime you might review this http://finnsheep.com/HIKING.htm
20/05/2017: Ultralight Ultra-Sharp Knives: Ceramic knives are sharper than
metal ones and their edge can last 10 times longer. They can also be lighter. I
have been thinking that this ‘ceramic escape knife’ would fit well in an
ultralight fishing kit such as this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/
This little guy weighs only 3 grams, has a blade 1.25” (3.175cm) and is 1.75”
long x .4” wide (4.445 cm x 1.016 cm) It
may be illegal to import or sell this product in Australia. There is a metal
version which weighs a colossal 8 grams: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dermasafe-ultralight-knives-and-saws/
Some options:
http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/tools/ceramic-escape-knife.asp
http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/tools/covert-non-dulling-razor-blade.asp
http://www.derma-safe.com/product/the-derma-safe-folding-utility-knife/
This guy has an enchanting range of
ceramic knives: http://ceramicknife.org/
19/05/2017: Antarctic Flights from $1199: Well $1999 if you want a better view,
but really not bad for the visual feast of a lifetime. I know it’s a lot of
money to spend for a 12 hour flight where you end up right back in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=9qS_ShexHd0
18/05/2017: Wings
and Water: My favourite airline operates out of Te Anau Fiordland,
Their pilot, Kylie ready to take you on the flight of your life at the lake’s edge, Te Anau.
Here is their plane at beautiful Supper Cove, Dusky Sound. The DOC hut is just a few steps up the path behind the plane.
And here it is taking off at Supper Cove
View of the Fiord
How steep the edges of the fiords are - notice all the fuschia regrowth (light green): this is a favourite moose food.
View of supper Cove Hut from the air.
Me at Supper Cove.
Leaving Supper Cove - view down the fiord.
A little further down the fiord.
Wet Jacket Arm.
Tarns in one of the passes probably Pillans.
Just look at this patch of fuschia regrowth - how many moose could such feed support? And how hard would it be to ever see one?
Pass.
Probably Doubtful Sound.
These new slips will regrow with Fuschia. Moose can travel around these steep sides, but I doubt you or I can!
Look at this wonderful perched lake. So many beautiful secret spots in Fiordland where no man's foot has ever trod.
Fiord after fiord after fiord.
Those mountains are certainly steep.
Looking up the
Trampers Transport : Supper Cove - Dusky Track. Take the easy way to the Dusky Track at 9am daily. Fly from Te Anau to Supper Cove or return. They can also ferry stores to and from Supper Cove. Duration: 30 Minutes flight time approximately - $330.00 per person (2017).
They also do a range of wonderful ‘joy’ or scenic flights. There are
numerous places they can take you into the
Here are just some of their destinations: Blanket Bay (Doubtful Sound), Bligh Sound, Breaksea Sound, Caswell Sound, Chalky Inlet, Charles Sound, Charles Sound – Helipad, Dagg Sound, Deep Cove, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound / Supper Cove, Dusky Sound / Cascade / Luncheon, Earshell Cove, George Sound, Glade House, Te Anau Downs to Glade House, Glasinoch River, Gorge Burn, Junction Burn Hut, Lake Alabaster, Lake Hakapoua, Lake Hankinson, Lake Hauroko, Lake McIvor, Lake McKerrow, Lake Manapouri, Lake Marchant, Lake Mavora, Lake Monowai, Lake Poteriteri, Lake Rakatu, Lake Wapiti, Lake Wilmot, Long Sound, Martins Bay, Milford Sound, Nancy Sound, Preservation Inlet, Stewart Island, Sutherland Sound,Te Anau Downs, West Arm, Wet Jacket Arm, Worsley Arm,,Queenstown.
17/05/2017: Water from thin air: A New Dehumidifier: This device pulls water from dry air, powered only by the sun. It is still a long way off being available, but it may someday make long desert journeys much more possible: ‘Imagine a future in which every home has an appliance that pulls all the water the household needs out of the air, even in dry or desert climates, using only the power of the sun...
The prototype, under conditions of 20-30 percent humidity, was able to pull 2.8 liters (3 quarts) of water from the air over a 12-hour period, using one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of MOF. Rooftop tests at MIT confirmed that the device works in real-world conditions.'
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-04-device-air-powered-sun.html
16/05/2017: Hiking Crayfish Bisque
First catch your crayfish...Once again here's a delicious soup to cook in the wild after you have been doing a spot of fishing. Naturally it uses only dried, concentrated and lightweight ingredients. I based it on a traditional bisque recipe we have eaten for years but with ultralight ingredients. My tastes run to peppery and my wife is a lover of tomato flavour, so at just these proportions the dish may be a little intense for you (or not enough), so you can play with the proportions a bit until you get it just right. I hope you enjoy it.
To 1 Litre of water add:
10 teaspoons of milk powder (add cold and stir in - it mixes better)
1 x 40 gram packet Continental French Onion Soup (NB low salt is good)
1-2 50 gram sachets of tomato puree (to taste)
1-2 small cubes or teaspoons of chicken stock
1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
1 Teaspoon (to taste) of sweet paprika.
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Bring to the boil. Simmer 3-4 minutes Stir oiccasionally. Add:
200 gram can of shrimp (if you don't have a cray) A 100 gram can of tuna will do in a pinch!
1 x 85 gram packet of Magi 2 minute noodles well broken up (into 1 cm lengths)
Simmer a further 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy.
For other hiking food ideas, try a search for 'food' in the search bar at the top right hand corner of the page.
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/steves-ultralight-fish-chowder/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-crayfish-bisque/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-ultralight-fisherman/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-coconut-fish-curry/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hand-line-fly-fishing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-ball-of-string-and-a-feed-of-cray/
If you enjoyed this post and would like to make a small donation to the upkeep of this page, you can do so by clicking the PayPal button below. Even a small amount would be appreciated.
Other Posts:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lightweight-fishing-rods-reels/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pen-fishing-rods/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/3d-fishing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/four-gram-fishing-handlines/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fishing-with-floss/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bcb-fishing-kit/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/bcb-fishing-kit-as-good-as-it-gets/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lightweight-fishing-rods-reels/
07/05/2017: From
Dawn to Dusky # 8:
The mountain which hangs
over Upper Spey resembles one of the
The colours are beautiful.
Leaving
Detail of the orbs and fruit.
Lots of duckboards at the beginning. This used to be quite swampy patch in years past.
All day is just a gentle
incline following the
With some hobbity bits.
The Spey is a pretty little river. You can walk along in it for kilometres instead of on the track when the level is low. Good trout fishing too!
Bryn just could not resist the temptation to revel in some Fiordland mud one last time!
Eventually I tire of walkwires. There are three this day. The very last one over the Dashwood Stream I chose to wade.
But as I have said before, Bryn just loves them! That stream is really steaming...
A light in the forest.
Still a few muddy patches.
Spey river scene.
Lunch by the
Easy fishing.
The very last walkwire over the Dashwood Stream.
One last glimpse of the Spey River
And we are out on the
Bryn 2008.
An enigmatic Kiwi sign on
the
Just in time to catch the Doubtful Sound bus - you wish!
View of Doubtful Sound from
The Mica Burn.
Likewise.
Here we are at West Arm. Methinks they have cold beer on that 'real journeys' boat.
Inside the Manapouri Power Station hundreds of metres underground at West Arm. Unfortunately you can no longer see this.
I was right: A well-earned beer on the boat across
Heading back to 'civilisation'.
It is a beautiful lake.
Hitching back to Te Anau from Manapouri 2012.
Fiordland Birds: An Aside: If you thought it was quiet (and
peaceful) walking the Dusky track and that you don not see anything but a
handful of birds as you traversed it, that's because New Zealand has lost 99%
of 99% of its birds. Most were eaten by stoats or possums. This is a stoat trap
along the
You are lucky to get snaps of more than a handful of birds, such as these:
It is such an awful change from what I am used to in the Gippsland bush, Victoria where you are likely to see up to 500 bird species, and at any time walking =in the bush there are probably fifty birds visible and audible of probably upwards of a dozen species - almost more than you are likely to see in a lifetime in Fiordland. They have a plan t recover their bird life. I hope they succeed with it.
02/05/2017: From
Dawn to Dusky #7: You have a big climb and descent today: over a kilometre
up and then down again from the Kintail Hut to the Upper Spey Hut. You don't
have to worry. Though it takes me longer now, I did this section in 2006 when I
was a mere 58, the first time I walked over
Resting in the Kintail Hut with Steve Hutcheson 2012.
Crossing the Seaforth: I usually walk across the river at this point, but Bryn actually prefers walk wires!
My turn.
Beautiful flat stalking to begin with: one of the denizens seems to have lost something.
The track follows the Kintail stream upwards towards
The Kintail Stream is quite gorgey. There are many beautiful views of water crashing down.
Like this.
The walkwire across the Kintail Stream. I find this the most frightening of the trip. It is so long, such a long way down and car sized rocks below with water torrenting over them should you fall. Bryn just finds it fun! If the stream is low you can cross in the stream below.
High on the face overlooking Tripod Hill and the Gair Loch there is a huge 'new' slip. You can see plants are beginning to colonise it. look out for moose browse on fuchsia here in 20 years' time!
You would not want to be here when this slip formed.
Unfortunately (or fortunately if you are a moose - due to the edible regrowth)
slips in Fiordland are very frequent. The '
The
track becomes steeper.
A bit of a scramble in places.
And steeper. Some places it is so steep you have to climb up a chain
for support. Bryn Jones. But it is nowhere near so bad as the descent
from
The mountains tower over you. There are many beautiful views back down along the Seaforth whence you came. if you are like me you will wonder whether you will ever see this view again . In 2006 oI thought I would never see it again, yet as it turns out it has become almost routine. Still i wonder whether I will ever gaze down upon Tripod Hill and the Seaforth ever again - or hear a lonely moose call. As I am quite old now, and ought to go places where Della can accompany me, this may be my last Dusky trip.
The awesome view back down the Seaforth somewhat spoiled by Bryn And me. Tripod Hill on my left shoulder.
Here it is without us. You have followed the Seaforth up from Loch Marie which you can just make out left of centre behind the Tripod Hill to the right of the Gair Loch (at the right base of the hill, then pretty much straight up to where you are now.
Finally you break free of the leatherwoods and have a view of
The cliffs certainly beetle overhead.
There are many strange plants in these high alpine meadows.
The
last pinch is a bit of a climb - you wonder whether you will ever make it!
Time for a drink. You will miss that beautiful cystal clear
Now you have all that way down again to go to the Spey.
In Centre Pass in 2008 Bryn and I were visited by a pair of Kea who entertained us for quite some time with their many tricks.
I suspect they would have eaten out of our hands - or nipped our fingers off!
Again the cliffs beetle overhead.
You feel quite small in this grand scenery.
Just before you enter the leatherwoods you can turn back and view
There is a substantial slip to cross. You may not be able
to see the markers on the other side - look out for the
Finally you are down to
flat going along the
The Dusky still has the odd muddy patch awaiting you.
Finally you arrive at the
02/05/2017: From
Dawn to Dusky #6: Loch Marie to Kintail is another long section much like
coming up from Supper Cove. It takes me 7-8 hours, but I am not a racer. Much
of the trip is walking along pleasant river flats. Some of the clearings are so
big you have to look out for the (large) triangles on the other side. There
would be pleasant camping along this section, as in similar parts of the trip
up from Supper Cove. I have seen fish in the river above Loch Marie, and there
is a mounted photo on the wall of the Loch Marie hut of one such caught in the
upper reaches of the
The first approx 3/4 of an hour are not so pleasant, hillsiding, rocks and tree roots, etc. this can be avoided if the river is low. You can walk up along the other side (or in the river) and cross once it flattens out on the true right bank as I have done here:
Looking back towards the
You can avoid this bit of difficult going at the start when the river is low.There are a couple of bits of hobbit country where you climb over tree roots for about an hour I guess, but it is very pretty, and not too bad.
This new bridge is a pleasant spot for a breather. It was not so nice wading across here up to your neck in the past.
There are some quite big clearings (more on the other side of the river - usually easily crossed in this section). this one complete with waterfall.
Hobbit country.
Some places you have to hang on so you don't fall in the river.
This debris gully is a good spot for a morning break.
And to check your map - you should have it laminated (as shown) for Fiordland weather.
You wouldn't want to be here when it was really raining though!
Lunch stop about half way you can get down onto these boulders and have lunch in the sunshine on a nice day.
Tripod Hill and waterfall.
We often stop for a break at the Kenneth Burn walk wire. Bryn taking it easy. Bryn and Irralee are both immune to sandflies. that would be nice!
Kenneth Burn.
After the Kenneth Burn there is a bit of a rocky climb around a giant slip and a bit of tree-root hopping going down to the head of the Gair Loch (which can be quite unpleasantly swampy when it is wet). After that it is easy river flat going to the Kintail Hut which is off the track a bit to the left. It is a very damp spot, so you probably won't be having a fire. You also have to walk back about fifty metres to get a sat phone signal.
The Kenneth Burn 'slip' has regrown with hundreds of acres of fuschia. This is a favourite food plant of the NZ moose, and you will see many examples (mostly old) of moose browse and barking if you keep an eye out. If you are very quiet and lucky you might even snap a photo of one -- there is reputed to still be a $100,000 prize! When I was walking out in 2012 there was one spot in particular to the right of the track just about the top where a moose had obviously stayed and grazed the tops of every plant for several days - just days before I passed, worse luck!
This is the Fuchsia slip I have been talking about. Hundreds of acres. You can imagine thousands such throughout the moose range in Fiordland.
Irralee pointing out some moose browse about 2.5 metres up a fuchsia on the Kenneth Burn slip.
Detail: You can see they have bitten through twigs between 1-2 cm in diameter and broken them off. Nothing else could do this 2.4-2.7 metres (8'-9')off the ground.
A bit of rougher going heading down to the Gair Loch.
A bit of swampy going near the Gair Loch.
Easy to go down to your hips!
Looking down on the Gair Loch from near Centre Pass. The
track has circled behind the Tripod Hill(from left to right in the photo) then
come along the right hand side of the
And then pleasant walking for an hour or so until you come to the Seaforth walk wire and the Kintail Hut.
Like this.
Seaforth Walk Wire. The hut is a little further along about 200 metres back from the river on the true right bank
Kintail Hut.
28/04/2017: From Dawn to Dusky # 4 & 5: The trip to Supper Cove is a side trip taking two days - but really worth it! The walk up/down from Loch Marie to Supper Cove takes me 7-8 hours. I know you may be younger and in more of a hurry - who know why? Most of the distance is very pleasant, flat walking along a river/lake. There are two exceptions: the hour you have to spend climbing around the giant slip which created Loch Marie until after the Bishop Burn (which is not too bad actually), and the last hour if you cannot cross Supper Cove at low tide before you reach the Supper Cove Hut. It is one of the nastiest tree/rock hopping bits on the whole track, seeming doubly worse as it comes at the end of a long day. Many folks have turned their knee or ankle on this section (including me), so leave early enough you are not hurrying at the end of the day when you are tired.
Supper Cove itself is one of the pleasantest spots on earth, and you should plan to spend a few days there. It has likely got the very best toilet view in the world too! You might be able to prearrange (as I sometimes have) a helicopter or the float plane to leave some supplies tied up in a bag in the rafters of the boat shed so you can extend your stay. You will be able to have fresh fish three times a day if you have a hand line, some sinkers and hooks - or you may be lucky enough to find some there that the DOC has not confiscated. You should plan on this and have some oil/Alfoil (and a little salt to taste) to cook the fish with. The Blue Cod particularly, easily caught in the deeper water off the rocks behind the hut are perhaps the best eating fish in the world. Maybe include a cheap frying pan in that bag.
In 2009 I paddled this section with my Alpacka 'Fiord Explorer'. I am not going to do so again!
There it is on the shores of
I even paddled across the lake itself though I can't imagine why now.
First the track follows the old miner's track along the edge of the lake. A few rocks, but easy going.
The
loch is beautiful in the dawn.
Everywhere there is the beauty of water moving.
My son Bryn crossing the first walk wire in 2008.
Some
beautiful views of the lake through the ancient trees.
Sometimes when the lake is very low it is easier to walk along the edge of the lake. Look out fro moose tracks in the soft mud and sand. Such tracks have often been seen here.
At one point as you climb around the slip listening to the roar of the water as it crashes over the giant boulders and wondering that trout can find their way past it, you will come upon the remains of the iron tools C19th miners used to make this section of the track. What hardships they must have endured.
Lots of places DOC have put in new steel or wooden bridges (even a new walk wire) since I first walked it nearly twenty years ago. It certainly cuts out some difficult scrambling up and down.
Eventually you meet up with the
Mind you there were some rapids to avoid!
Real 'Huck Finn' stuff this.
The flat going is split by an unexpected ladder.
Crossing the Mcfarlane Burn 2008.
The Old Supper Cove Hut site. Just before you leave/join the river you will see (if you look carefully) the remains of the old hut. Right in the centre of the photo you can just make out the parallel lines of the tree fern trunks which formed its floor. It was the last point you could get to by boat. It would have been a useful shelter if the river and particularly the Henry Burn swamps were flooded. It would have been a cold, wet camp to have lived in whilst you were building the track in the C19th though!
My son Bryn demonstrating just how swampy it gets between the two arms of the Henry Burn in 2008.
My daughter Irralee crossing the 'Waterfall Burn' in 2007.
The Waterfall Burn. There is a 160 metre waterfall at the top of this unnamed stream. You can climb up with difficulty by following the next gully (ie on the true right down Fiord). in 2000 the top of this higher waterfall was shrouded in mist and it appear4ed to simply fall from the clouds. It was pouring with rain and photography was impossible/disappointing. There was fresh moose sign (tracks/droppings) up this burn then too.
Easy
walking, as you can see. If the tide is not so full you can still cut
off a fair bit of nasty stuff. The track is usually not far from the shore
(after crossing) the first ridge. If you are looking across the Cove facing the
hut you will see some white rocks on the other side. if you aim for the right
hand end of those rocks, you might still see a taped trail leading up to the
main track when you get near. This is the view looking from the hut side
towards the 'Waterfall Burn' side. The low tide at Supper Cove is approximately
2 1/2 hours earlier than Port Craig (so, if Port Craig's low was at 1:30 pm for
example (as it was on 21/04/2017), Supper Cove's was at approximately 11:00
am.. You can check the tide info at the Met Service NZ before you start on the
track to see whether you will be able to cross Supper Cove.
If the tide is fully low you can walk all the way across the cove. You can just walk out past the boat shed and helipad, cross the Hilda Burn, then head straight across the Supper Cove flats. Only 'thermometer deep' as you can see Bryn crossing in 2008.
This is the first view of Supper Cove looking towards the hut (unfortunately at high tide). The hut (invisible) would be almost exactly centre. See the white rocks on the shore opposite. You would aim just to the right of them if you were walking across at a lowish tide, then walk up (approx 50-100 metres to the true left bank of the Hilda Burn) to intersect with the track. I did mark the low tide trail in 2014 with tape and a buoy hung from a tree on the shore. You might still spot them.
First view of the hut from the air (with Della 2011: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/)
My daughter Irralee crossing the Hilda Burn 2009.
Arriving at the Supper Cove Hut.
This is the beautiful view from the verandah looking up the Seaforth. The moose were released on that sandbar (centre) in 1905. Many delights await at Supper Cove.
Such as fishing off the rocks for blue cod: my son Bryn demonstrates.
A Hummingbird hammock comes in handy at Supper Cove 2017: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-hummingbird-in-the-hand/
It is becoming a busy switch over point for tour boat operators.
You can often 'catch a lift' to/from Supper Cove from a a helicopter:
Or a float plane.
About 100 metres behind the Supper Cove Hut there are the remains of another 'mystery' hut guarded by a fantail. You can continue up that ridge (past the cataract) and drop down into the Hilda Burn upstream (if you are intrepid/foolhardy). Just after where the Burn splits in two I glimpsed a cow moose in 2000.
27/04/2017: From Dawn to Dusky # 3: It will take you slightly longer to walk from Lake Roe to Loch Marie than it did from Halfway Hut, though this will come as a surprise when you seem to have walked 3/4 of the way there over pleasant snow-grass tops sprinkled with myriad jewel lakes and you are gazing down on the Loch and its tree trunks just a kilometre below you. That last kilometre is a doozy!
Looking back towards the hut from
Looking down from the climb in the previous photo.
Last view of Lake Roe and its hut.
A myriad jewel lakes.
Mist magic.
Looking up the Seaforth towards Centre Pass.
First view of the Fiord and the sea faraway.
The last tarn before the perilous descent.
But it is not without its beauty.
It is horrendously steep. Not a track at all, but more like some horrific ladder mostly made of tree roots and rocks. Here and there a chain for support.
It is a nightmare descent which seems as if it will go on forever.
But finally it does come to an end (after 3+ hours!)
There is an emergency shelter in case the river is too high.
A very long, high walk wire if it is not quite so high, or you can
cross below the walk wire if it is low, like this,
A very pretty waterfall to look at.
The lake of course with its many tree trunks.
And just a quarter hour's stroll from the walk wire the cosy
27/04/2017: From Dawn to Dusky #2: If it took a little over 6 hours to walk from Hauroko to the Halfway Hut (as it did me this year - I was quicker seven years ago, no surprise), then it will take slightly longer to walk to Lake Roe Hut. Do not time yourself to arrive after dark. The hut would be very difficult to find in poor light as it is off-track to the right.
The view ahead out the front door of the Halfway Hut on a fine sunny Fiordland morning. Deer have kept the lawn well mown.
The same view from the air. It is a large valley. Room for a few moose there.
The trail begins: most of the day is tree root hopping (but it is not bad going) save between the two walk wires and after yoiu break out onto the snow grass tops for the last half hour or so.
Beautiful vistas.
Pretty views of the Hauroko Burn below.
Very roughly it is about one-third of the journey to the first walk
wire, one third to the next, and the last third to
You could walk along the river fishing between the two walk wires. The track is almost always close by and in sight on the true right bank in this section.
Lunch at the first walk wire. I was in no hurry. My new Icebreaker 'Departure 2' wool shirt (http://au.icebreaker.com/en/midlayers/-departure-ii-long-sleeve-shirt-plaid/103036.html?dwvar_103036_color=301) worked wonderfully in Fiordland. It was soft and comfortable and protected me from sandflies. The breast pocket was just the right size for my pocket camera (Nikon Coolpix S7000). It was a beautiful temperature for the days' walking (about 15C) and had no unpleasant smell to it even after more than a week of wear without washing (it did get wet a couple of times though - as when I fell over in the Jane Burn for example). Once wet it did not strike cold after less than a minute, and dried out completely (from soaking) on my back in less than an hour. Highly recommended. It now comes in a beautiful green and black plaid - something for my Xmas list!
A note on sandflies: Generally they do not bother you when moving or of a night but some places especially near water they can be terrible. It is easy to believe that folks have been driven to suicide by them. Some places they will cover every exposed piece of skin in the blink of an eye. Most folks are allergic to their bites and come up like the surface of the moon in an agony of itching. There is a solution: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/ Come prepared. I always carry extra repellent and ointment as it is easy to lose one from your pockets.
It is relatively easy flat going between the two walk wires; time for a spot of fly-fishing perhaps.
Through a serene and peaceful forest.
Until you come to the second walk wire.
After which the track starts to gradually rise until it eventually breaks out onto the snow grass tops. You know you are about there by the strong smell of deer in the leatherwood forests near this boundary.
You climb up the Hauroko Burn which becomes quite steep in places, falling in small cascades.
You begin to get views of the tops ahead and to the sides.
And the view behind down the valley is quite spectacular.
It is a pleasure though to at last start to break out into snow grass country.
The way ahead is now clear (if not well marked). it is straight over
that hill in the centre.
Finally you come to
First view of the hut.
Just in front of the hut a comfy seat has been provided.
The view in front of the seat is quite spectacular.
You can walk up the hill behind the hut and get some spectacular
views of
25/04/2017: From
Dawn to Dusky #1: Regular readers will know I have just returned once more
from hiking the Dusky Track, Fiordland New Zealand - probably NZ's toughest and
most beautiful. I have now been on the Dusky nine times. For most of its length
it is more a route than a track. Take away the track markers and it would
disappear completely. So many places too it goes where no sane route would take
you: straight down a drop-off in the section from
You need to beware of kea in the
Most sections take all day, so it pays to get started early (at dawn - as you will need to do on the first day if you are to catch the bus and boat) as many places it would be extremely dangerous to be walking in poor light or at night. Also, being one of the wettest places in the world and with lethal changes of weather, it is essential you have some kind of shelter as you may easily find yourself caught out at night. Rain strips heat from your body 25 times faster than dry air. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/ I chose a hammock and tarp as the often torrential rain may mean that it is impossible to find anywhere dry on the ground. At very least take a hiking umbrella: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/ It might be even more desirable and less tiring to slow your pace and plan to camp put some nights instead of staying in the huts (if the weather is pleasant). Most places, except when journeying across the tops, there are plenty of trees to swing a hammock - and if you are near a stream, there is the likelihood of fresh fish for supper - or breakfast!
Dawn breaks through clouds over Lake Hauroko
I find the Backcountry Navigator App and the NZ Topo maps which are free, really useful for keeping track of just where you are: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/nz-topo-maps-app-for-hiking-in-nz/ You can switch the GPS on on your phone to check this from time to time, leaving it usually in the default GPS off and Flight mode to conserve batteries. This way you would not walk past the hut, and might have a feed of fish as well. The Halfway Hut may be the last hut in NZ which has the old-style open fire places which were so warming and efficient. The new 'green' stoves are absolutely hopeless. I am not convinced they put out any warmth at all for a large expense of effort and fuel. You certainly cannot cook anything on top of them, or even warm it.
You should also download (to your phone) the map here: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/dusky-track/ and the brochure here: http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/dusky-track-brochure.pdf so that you can study them beforehand and refer to them as you go along.
Especially in autumn there are often long periods of high pressure where you
can walk for days without taking your raincoat out of your pack. I have found
Elders 28 day Rainfall forecast for the bottom of
Finally a beautiful clear day as we chug North towards the Hauroko Hut and the beginning of the Dusky Track.
Most folk walk from South to North, ie from
Johan & Namu tied up at the mouth of the Hauroko Burn
It is also possible to do shorter sections of the track by availing oneself
of ‘back loads’ on helicopters or the ‘Wings and Water’ float plane (http://www.wingsandwater.co.nz/ )
which operates a ‘regular’ service to Supper Cove at the head of the Fiord. It
can land in many other places in Fiordland too, such as
The Hauroko Hut, a comfortable hut a minute's walk from the lake and the burn.
Boat transport to the Hauroko Hut is usually organised with Johan and Joyce at Lake Haoroko Tours https://www.wjet.co.nz/pages/lake-hauroko-tours/ and bus transport to meet with them at the Clifden suspension bridge with Trips and Tramps https://tripsandtramps.com/product-detail/dusky-track-transport Johna & Joyce also operate a jet boat on the Wairaurahiri River (as does another operator) which has to be just about the best jet boat ride in the world (and a convenient way to begin or end the wonderful South Coast Track (see eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/south-coast-track-fiordland-nz-dellas-version/) You would probably leave your car at the long-term car-park at View St, Pearl Harbour, Manapouri, or you can catch a bus back to Te Anau from there.
The Track begins.
Track times are pretty fluid as with many NZ tracks. For reasonable fit
people of my age (68) it is rare for a section to take less than six hours, and
some will take more than 8. If you have a late start here, it might be better
to wait until next morning so you won't have to hurry. That way you could also
do some trout fishing in the Burn which the track parallels for many hours. It
is possible to walk along in the stream in many places, then rejoin the track -
if the water levels are low. The sign on leaving the
The Hauroko is a beautiful little trout stream.
With more delights around every corner.
The first 3/4 of an hour after leaving the hut you are walking along on basically river flats quite by the true right bank of the Burn more or less until you come to a walk wire on a side burn. After that the track climbs and the tree hopping begins. Nonetheless it is fairly easy going until you arrive at the walk wire near the junction of the Gardner Burn. After that the track climbs around a gorge and the going gets pretty rough for an hour or so until you come out onto the flats along the Burn again (now the true left). You have nearly two hours walking along here until you come to the hut, set back a little from the stream so that you might not see it if you were walking in the stream fishing, for example.
The track begins to climb after you cross this pretty side burn.
There are some lovely views still down to the river.
And it is not without beautiful 'ents'.
It is a magical path.
Then you come to the
After the
Once you break out onto the flats again you could easily walk along in the stream fishing for your tea.
Bracket fungi make excellent fire starters when dry: some fine examples.
My daughter Irralee at the Halfway Hut 2009.
A note on getting lost: From time to time you will lose the track markers. probably about twice a day! There are many deer paths, and many wrong turnings others have taken to follow. As soon as you realise you have lost sight of the markers, Stop. Before ever thinking of panicking, have a cup of tea. My mother Marie always advised this, and it is damned good advice. Spending s a little time doing something else, then being warmed by a refreshing 'cuppa' does wonders to allay fears and settle your thinking. Consult your map. Try to work out where the track must be. Often the track follows one side of a stream or another. Try to remember when you were last on track, and how far back you think you went wrong. Try to remember the last little bit of your path. Mark your current position so you can find it again, eg by a small cairn, breaking branches, etc. Backtrack to where you think you went wrong, marking or at least noting your route as you go (so you don't get even more lost). You shouldn't ever be more than a hundred metres from where the last marker was unless you were really wool gathering and there was a very pronounced deer path (or etc) you have followed.
Sometimes it will be the way ahead that is unclear (even if you have the markers behind you.) Again, try to work out (from your map and the lay of the land) where the track must go. Make little forays forward and back to your marked position along obvious routes until you find the path ahead. If this does not work, try forays (back and forth) a little further off what you thought was the 'line' of the track until you find it. If you are starting to panic, have another cuppa! Unfortunately the 'obvious routes' are not always correct There are a couple of places (eg one below Loch Marie as the track skirts the huge slip which created the Loch) where the track switchbacks unexpectedly, and the markers are missing or hard to see, yet lots of folks have forged straight ahead making a very pronounced path where the real path is just about impossible to see. Remember that whoever fixed the markers ensured that you could always see one before or behind when they nailed them to the trees. I know many will have fallen off, but if you are 'lost' and careful, you should after less than 100 metres find one leading one way or another. You should by now have refound the track.
If you really find it impossible to follow the track in one direction, then follow it in the other. It is better to give up the idea of completing the track than to die! In the (very) unlikely event that you cannot find the track in either direction, go back to the map and try to work out where the track must be (eg it is roughly following the true right bank of a stream. If you follow the stream you will find it again (eg at a walk wire where it crosses). Be very careful walking off-track as the ground often has large holes which can open up beneath you. This whole area is an ancient moraine. You are much better carefully trying to find your own way out of a situation like this than immediately setting off an Epirb/Plb which might not work from the location you find yourself in - or the batteries might be flat! I carry both a satellite phone and a satellite messenger/Epirb hybrid (such as this: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-poor-mans-satellite-phone/). However both may fail, whilst you should always have your wits about you! You should in any case have let someone know your intentions and when/where to start looking for you. If you have a shelter and warm clothing, and do not stray even further from the general position of the track, you will be found alive, or you will find your own way out.
Perhaps the worst places to get lost are on the tops (which are often not as
well marked as they might be). Frequently you cannot see the way ahead
(especially in heavy rain, fog or cloud). You need to take extra care in those
sections as it is colder, windier and harder to find shelter. Some folks decide
they will walk all the way from
The Elusive Fiordland Moose: Along the way there is sporadic moose sign if you are alert and keen eyed. Nothing else could reach up 2.5-2.7 metres (8-9'), break off branches as thick as your thumb and strip them, or devour all the lower vegetation of their favourite broadleaf plants, or systematically bark trees, or leave footprints as big as a cow's.These solitary leviathans yet roam these forests unseen.
This coprosma has been systematically broken off about 2.5 metres up.
And this.
Broadleafs have commonly been stripped to this height.
They like to snack on nutritious bark as they amble along.
Leaving footprints as long as my glasses case. Like this:
Or this.
Someday someone will stumble round a corner onto one and snap its pic. Already two confirmed C21st DNA samples have been collected, and one indistinct photo. It is only a matter of time...
You are now one seventh of the way - More installments to come...
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/off-to-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2009/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-nz-with-bryn/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-april-2007/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-for-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-dusky-adventures/
05/05/2017: Jelly, The Smallest 4G Smartphone. This is a neat little phone – fits in your fob pocket, but has all the functionality of your regular smart phone. Only 60 grams, less than $100. It would be excellent for ultralight hiking. You might also consider it as a spare phone – if only you could have duplicate sim cards. Well, you can illegally, actually. Try Google. Personally, I am tired of phones being too big, and getting lost, broken or in the way. This is the solution: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/jelly-the-smallest-4g-smartphone?_ga=2.148572213.380118193.1493830329-1204359062.1493816838
15/04/2017: A Hummingbird in the Hand: I just took delivery of these fabulous new ultralight hammocks. One, (the lightest of course -147 grams) will be coming with me on my upcoming Dusky Track adventure. I would not be ‘betting my life’ on one for ten days in the wilderness unless I had every confidence they are a superior product.
These
are the cleverest and best engineered hammocks I have seen – and I’ve seen (and
made!) a lot of hammocks. They are made from reserve grade parachute
nylon and are designed, engineered and built to rigging specifications -
meaning you can be confident their weight ratings will not fail you.
Button
End.
The suspension system and button-link connectors are brilliant. The suspension system weighs just two ounces (60 grams) and is easily attached with the button-links. I know I could probably reduce the weight a fraction (maybe 20 grams) by replacing the ultra-light webbing with dyneema, but as this would harm the trees more, I hardly think it is worth it. Chris & Kathy have worked out the design and parameters of these hammocks just about perfectly. They have also ensured that everything packs down into the smallest imaginable packages for stowing in your ultralight pack.
Ultralight Whoopie Sling.
However, you know I can’t stop tinkering: I have already added dyneema gear loops to each end of mine so I can attach bits and pieces there instead of leaving them on the ground overnight – and I have added an adjustable centre line (these added 8 grams) to a see if I can achieve ‘the perfect hang’, though I am pretty sure the folks at ‘Hummingbird’ have so designed the hammock that you lie pretty flat in it, and the sides don’t press in too much – more about that later.
Ultralight Tree Strap Suspension System - 30 grams/1 oz each end!
They have three sizes of ultralight hammocks: Single 147 grams/5.2 oz - weight rated: 136 kg/300lb, Single + 210 grams/7.6oz – weight rated: 158kg/350lb, and Double 289 grams/10.2oz weight rated: 181kg/400lb. I will be using their Single ultralight hammock as emergency sleeping quarters in Fiordland (in case of flooding), and I might do some off-trail camps as well, as I usually do. It will also be excellent (along with my cuben tarp) for eating lunch on those (inevitable) wet days. Look out for a full(er) review on my return home.
Chris & Kathy also sell many hammock accessories (such as tarps eg ‘Heron’ from 243 grams/8.6oz) to complete your hammock home. All their gear is competitively priced given the high quality of their products.
'Heron' tarp.
Check out their page here: https://hummingbirdhammocks.com/
15/04/2017: 19 Gram Dyneema Camp Shoes: I just finished making this pair of ultralight camp shoes for my Dusky track walk which I start on Monday. They are made from 3.6oz/yd2 Dyneema fabric. Paired with a pair of down socks from https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-socks/ (approx 50 grams per pair), I should have nice dry, warm feet at the end of what is usually a fairly wet slog each day. I will post the pattern and instructions when I get back (promise).
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fifteen-gram-blue-foam-flip-flop/
14/04/2017: Camper Crane: As you know we have a slide on camper for our
Defender. These usually come with detachable wind-up legs which are quite
awkward to operate. I decided to instead suspend the camper on this crane
arrangement in the old dairy for easy installation/removal. In addition, I
bolted some 4”x4”s to the floor so that the truck would be forced into exactly
the right position when I wanted to place the camper on it, then it is a quick
and simple matter to bolt it to the deck. A couple of minutes and we are off on
our next trip . See you!
Camper suspended
above tray height. There is a crane (red above) at each of four corners.
The camper is connected
to the crane with eye bolts and chain.
Detail from above.
This is quite a simple arrangement and really makes it enormously easier to fit the camper to the truck. I recommend you do something similar. I bought these cranes from eBay for about $150 each.
12/04/2017:
The chimney. The blue and white
"Gentlemen" sign was found in the debris on the concrete slab and is
fired enamel on steel.
The Fireplace.
Tag inside chimney.
Evidence of split timber formwork in
chimney construction. Fireplace.
Henry Short and Robert Hoddles oil and water colour paintings
of
Main fall
11/04/2017: More Dusky Adventures: I start on the track on Monday for ten days.
As you travel to work on Monday, you can imagine me at the same time standing
on the deck of a small boat (Nimu) chugging across beautiful
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/insects-can-ruin-a-camping-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-adventures-1/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/eddie-herrick-moose-hunting-at-dusky-sound/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-friend-i-met-on-the-dusky-track-fiordland-nz/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dreaming-of-the-dusky-track/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-dusky/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/moose-hunting/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-moose-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hunting-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/off-to-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/shadowland-fiordland-video/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-toilet-view-in-the-world/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/10-days-in-fiordland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2009/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-nz-with-bryn/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-april-2007/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/weather-for-fiordland/
11/04/2017: Ultralight Travel Toothbrush: Not an ultralight hiking toothbrush perhaps. For that most folks cut their standard toothbrush in half, but this one is really good for travel, being very slim, compact and light and giving very nearly as good a result as a rechargeable such as the Braun or OralB, but without needing a power socket or all that extra space/weight. It is also very comfortable and non-slippery to the hand. Colgate® 360°® Optic White™ Battery-Powered Toothbrush: 36 grams inc battery, comes in Soft and Medium. I have tried a heap of battery powered toothbrushes over the years: this one is by far the best, smallest and lightest. At that weight too I have no doubt some people will take it (and some floss) hiking too. The floss can come in handy for repairs, or for fishing: http://www.colgate.com.au/en/au/oc/products/toothbrush/colgate-360-optic-white-battery-powered-toothbrush
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/self-threading-needles/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fishing-with-floss/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/four-gram-fishing-handlines/
10/04/2017: You may want to get a pet raccoon after this: https://laughingsquid.com/two-raccoons-hilariously-playing-with-soap-bubbles/
10/04/2017: Guy Builds Water Cooled, 72,000 Lumen LED Flashlight and Takes it for a
Nighttime Stroll: http://twistedsifter.com/videos/water-cooled-72000-lumen-led-flashlight/
09/04/2017: Super Simple Trail Meal: Take one packet of Ainsley Harriot's Spice Sensation Cous Cous (100 grams) 1492 kj (352 calories) plus ½ packet (65 grams) Craisins Fruit & Nut Trail Mix 1389 kj(332 calories) Totals (165 grams) 2881 kj (684 calories) = 4.14 calories per gram. Just boil 2/3 of a cup of water (approx 6 mls meths) and add to the couscous, stir and wait a couple of minutes for it to fluff up, toss through the trail mix. Eat. Delicious!
08/04/2017: The
Thylacine Returns: Here’s hoping that ‘Tassie’ follows the Night Parrot and
other such ‘beasties’ back from extinction. We once tried to hunt ‘The
Inverloch Tiger’ with hounds, but the hounds just would not give chase, and
only behaved very strangely. Perhaps this was because it really was something
different (from the foxes and deer they were used to trailing) - as I
understand hounds have to be specially trained eg to hunt big cats such as
mountain lions in the
06/04/2017: Catching Your Breath -
Walking Uphill: I am often gob-smacked by just how bright Willis Eschenbach is, but THIS observation was
astonishing. Could breathing OUT more combat the breathlessness you get by
strenuous walking uphill. I tried this out on my recent hunting trip, and it’s
TRUE. I was able to walk in one go to the top of hills I normally have to pause
several times to ascend and arrive completely NOT out of breath. Try it
yourself: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/09/23/catching-my-breath/
The 'Road' to Lobuche.
'He said “You’re
not breathing out enough.”
He explained that particularly when we’re swimming, but
also with any exercise, people usually end up panting, taking very rapid,
shallow breaths. We focus on breathing in, on forcing more air into our lungs.
He said that the way to break that habit was simple—when you start running
short of air, don’t mess with the in-breath, just breathe out for one count
longer.
He pointed out that when we swim or run, we usually fall
into a pattern. With me, when I swam I breathed out and then took an in-breath
with every alternate stroke of my arms. He said when I ran short of air, there
was no need to mess with the in-breath—what I had to do was just add one more
beat to the out-breath. So for example, if I was running, I was in the habit of
breathing in for two steps and out for two steps. When I started running out of
breath, I needed to lengthen my out-breath to three steps … and then if that
wasn’t enough, lengthen the out-breath to four steps, and so on.
And that was it. There’s no need to make any alteration
to the in-breath, we’re all really good at that part. Filling up the lungs
isn’t the problem, it’s emptying the lungs.'
Another useful breathing technique: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/breathing-trick-that-puts-you-to-sleep-in-seconds/
First Published
on: Sep 29, 2013
06/04/2017: Breathes There The
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
'This is my own, my native land!'
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,
As home his footsteps he hath turned,
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentred all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonoured, and unsung.
05/04/2017: Breathing Trick That Puts You to Sleep in Seconds: I always go straight to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, but I know some people toss and turn, especially in the wilds. Here's how to go out to it just like flicking a switch:
1. Before you begin, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth just above your teeth and keep it there throughout the exercise.
2. Exhale completely through your mouth quite forcefully so you make a "whoosh" sound.
3. Close your mouth and inhale quietly and softly through your nose for a mental count of four.
4. Hold your breath and count to seven.
5. Next, exhale completely through your mouth, making another whoosh sound for eight seconds in one large breath.
6. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three times for a total of four breaths.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to/a15524/sleep-breathing-technique/
A good pillow is a big help. here's one I use:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/exped-ultralight-pillow/
Another useful breathing technique: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/catching-your-breath-walking-uphill/
03/04/2017: An early morning reflection:
02/04/2017: Saw my first waterspout today! It was only a small one, about a
metre high, and it appeared suddenly while we were gazing at the
01/04/2017:
Spot is mesmerised by it too.
Pelican at
Gulls scour the surface watching for minnows rising.
Then drop and pounce.
A family of divers on their morning swim.
A gull combs the surface: So many birds.
31/03/2017: More Gippsland Secrets: Here are another half dozen beautiful Gippsland places that I love
Macailster Gorge: You will have to canoe down the
Macalister from Basin Flat to
Snowy Bluff: Again this is a walk into one of our fabled 'wilderness areas'.
The Mt Darling-Snowy Bluff Wilderness was set aside by Joan Kirner back in the
1980s. Few people visit. You walk in from Dimmock's Lookout on the
Wingan Inlet: Little Cormorants make their home right at the inlet's mouth.
You access this trip (on good gravel roads) from
Combienbar: In
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippslands-hidden-secrets/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-great-gippsland-circuit/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/beautiful-east-gippsland/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-thomson-river-gippsland-victoria/
30/03/2017: Cooking for men? Or you could try Steve's Nepali Dahl Soup. Now with Della’s ‘seal of approval’!
29/03/2017: From Shirt To Puffy: Imagine a light shirt that automatically puffs out into a jacket when the temperatures drop. A textile lab is working on a fabric to do just that. This is a step upwards from the inflatable clothing I have written about before. I think it still has a way to go before it replaces wonderful down garmens such as Montbell’s, but it sure is an interesting development: https://gearjunkie.com/watch-fabric-transform-t-shirt-puffy
Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-shuegwsrI
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/unbearable-lightness-of-being/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/inflatable-insulated-clothing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/montbell/
29/03/2017: Some good news: Brownie The Town Dog's Grave.
Owned by no one but beloved by all, Brownie was a good dog: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/brownie-the-town-dog-grave
28/03/2017: New Ultralight Survival Shelter: Terra Nova Superlite Bothy Bags. There are occasions when you just may not survive unless you have a roof, even when you are planning to arrive at a hut or paid accommodation (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/) If you are not carrying a tent (or even an umbrella See eg http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hiking-in-the-rain/ or http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-umbrella-redesigned/) you should think about one off these. This new model from Terra Nova weighs only 253 grams, shaving 100 grams off the one I own. I carried this one: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/survival-shelter/ on my Everest Base Camp walk (see eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/)
It weighed 350 grams which may seem a lot to haul 5 ½ kilometers into the sky when I didn’t need it! Then again, I haven’t needed a funeral plan yet either, and I’m not complaining! http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tarps-bivis-bothies/all-bothies-bothy-bags/superlite-bothy-2/
Available at Massdrop right now for US$79.99: Superlite Bothy Bag
Superlite Bothy 2
For 2 people
Fabric: 70gsm polyester with PU coating
Silicone-coated fabrics
Dimensions, packed: 5.1 x 4.3 in (13 x 11 cm)
Weight: 8.9 oz (253 g)
If you were sitting on your Neoair Xlite Women's in there on your CycloneChair you should survive the night in warm clothes even if it gets down well below freezing, and the rain is pouring down - otherwise you would die!
Superlite Bothy 4
For 4 people
Dimensions, packed: 7.9 x 4.7 in (20 x 12 cm)
Weight: 14.1 oz (400 g)
28/03/2017: Snow Goose is Good food: Absolutely. I’m sure there are many interesting ‘bush meats’ might be added to that cornucopia too here in Oz. Throw for koala, echidna, platypus…on the barbie: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/29657-A-Snow-Goose-is-good-food.html Includes recipes!
27/03/2017: Astronaut who walked on the moon: ‘why I know aliens haven’t visited
Earth’. I thought it was a great headline too. I really liked his argument.
But there is much more to
27/03/2017: Ultralight Keyboard Warriors: I took a side-trip to Reddit to
re-post some of my ideas/adventures thinking ‘like minded’ people there might
be interested, people at such sub-reddits as Bushcraft, Ultralight, Wilderness
Backpacking, Camping and Hiking for example. You would think so, wouldn’t you?
There was considerable interest from the readership, as you might imagine.
Unfortunately, like much of the media,
these ‘sub-reddits’ are controlled by a small clique of control-freaks and
extremists – by and large very rude people as well! Even though I sought (and
gained) prior approval to share these posts from their ‘moderators’,
nonetheless they were universally condemned and/or removed by the moderators
and their extremist allies even though clearly the great majority of Reddit
readers (ie 19 out of every 20) just came over for a look and most stayed for a
much longer visit –and I thank them for it! The clique staged a massed
campaign of ‘down-voting’ as well as frivolous, rude and contemptuous
commenting – this from folk who have not a shadow of our bush experience - and
much of it carried on in secret (from the 'community') in that it occurred
after my posts were taken down in contravention of an expressed promise
otherwise. I should mention that neither the moderator at MYOG or Trail Meals
acted like this, indeed quite the contrary (and thank you) - but there are many
negative commentators nonetheless who serve only to alienate people like me
from engaging with Reddit.
If such social media is to persist, the
95% need to wrest control from the 5%, else it will ultimately fail, or society
itself will fail. This extremist ‘cell’ revolutionary method has ever been the
means by which democracy has been overthrown by fascists, communists and other
enemies of society. Evidently much the same behaviour applies also at Twitter.
Facebook (with its emphasis on ‘liking’) seems much friendlier. Pinterest and
Instagram even moreso.
Needless to say, I will be abandoning
Reddit. It is (at least as presently constituted) a quite anti-social ‘social
medium’, and I suggest you also avoid it, as it is likely only to upset you, as
it has me. I will concentrate on improving the acessability of my site.
I noticed, whilst this was going on, that
for some mysterious reason Word Press has shrunk nearly all my photos (some so
that they are almost impossible to make out). It is a mysterious vehicle.
Apparently you can click on them to see a larger version, but I’m sure people
would like a larger, clearer image at the outset – so, I will work my way
gradually through the nearly 900 posts and enlarge all the photos, many
thousands of them. This may take some time, and naturally posting will be a bit
lighter while I get this done.
I also noticed that the meta tags (at the
bottom of each post - which is what helps the search engine find the post when
you do a search for a particular topic) are missing on most of my posts. A
search engine therefore might not find some of my ‘camp shoe’ or ‘
Oh, and thank you for your continuing
support (including many messages of such) here at ‘The Ultralight Hiker’. So
far I have only ever had one slightly negative comment which was down to poor
wording rather than malice – which is nice. As I’m sure you understand, this
blog is ‘a labour of love’. Such support is appreciated.
Meanwhile, my wonderful new NBN interent
connection is playing up again (as always) and is just so slow. I need to see
if I can negotiate with the ISP/NBN to get this improved. The ‘information
super highway’ is just crawling along here…No doubt others have the same
problem.
23/03/2017: Breakfast
this morning: Growlers on the
The river is just outside the window:
View upstream:
View downstream:
23/03/2017: Ultralight Glasses Case: 12 grams: If you have got to my age (or had other bad luck) you no doubt need glasses. I now wear progressive frameless titanium glasses (14 grams) all the time, but I also need a spare pair in case I lose or break them. The quite lightweight case they came in from Zenni weighs 47 grams (blue below). I knew I could do better. Like this:
As you can see I have also managed to fit in a pair of clip on sunglasses, Weight 4.5 grams eg to prevent snow blindness!
This is 350 ml (12 oz) PET drink bottle I cut down with a craft knife (I should have left a tiny bit more of the neck) and some bubble wrap = 12 grams, a saving over over an ounce ie more than the weight of a muesli bar on the trail, or more than enough weight of fuel (metho) to cook a meal. Every little bit of weight saved helps lighten the load and means you can go a little bit further, easier. I could have even cut down on the (used) bubble wrap a little more.
Here it is compared with my old glasses case.
Indeed switching to these frameless glasses (two pairs) also saved me over an ounce (28.5 grams)! I have simply rolled the glasses up in the bubble wrap and squeezed them through the neck. These flexible titanium frames are quite difficult to break anyway: you can just about stand on them, so they will be fine in the ‘possibles’ bag in my pack.
This ultralight glasses case has been safely stowed (without any due care) in my pack now for over a year and maybe a thousand miles. All its contents came out perfectly for a photo this morning.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-spare-glasses/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/zenni-the-hearing-company/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/securing-hearing-aids/
22/03/2017: O’Shanessy Aquaduct Trail:
It starts/ends at the original weir built
in 1914 just below the current large dam which is probably 20 times the
original size. Then continues for about 40 km until it meets up with the
aqueduct from Badger weir Healesville. You can now walk along the decommissioned
section. There is an internet page about the story. http://oshannassyaqueduct.weebly.com/
‘The trail runs in parallel with
the Warburton Rail Trail, however, the O’Shannassy Trail is set into the
mountain ranges, and therefore provides a different perspective to the
environment. Surrounded by tall trees, and ferns, the trail follows the
historic open channelled O’Shannassy Aqueduct, and allows for spectacular views
of the
Warburton is in the middle of the trail.
The trail is on the north side of the Yarra. About 700 metres from the Yarra to
the aqueduct on a well marked path. It's a good alternative to the rail trail
and you can also access the weir from the Warburton -
If you finished the Upper Yarra Track at
Big Pats Creek, you could walk into Warburton, then cross the Yarra and go up
hill on
If you are exiting the Upper Yarra Track from Big Pat's Creek Road you could instead of walking towards Warburton turn right and head upriver for a couple of kilometres to Cement Creek road and that takes you to the aqueduct via a place called Redwood Forest that has become really popular and has a huge cleared area for camping plus the clear cement creek. Map available here: http://www.visitwarburton.com.au/activity/oshannassy-aqueduct-trail ’
20/03/2017: The Ultralight Trail Baker: You can make a baking stand (‘the Flashbaker’) out of aluminium flashing. You just need to cut a circle a little smaller than your pot and leave three approx 1 ½” ‘legs’ on the outside of the disc which you fold down to support whatever you are cooking. (OK, this one has four legs!) This works well with a thick dough. I have often made ‘damper’ in my cook pot with such an arrangement. My original flashing ‘baker’ weighs 13.5 grams.
L to R: Snowpeak 1400 ml Titanium Cook pot Frypan Lid, Brasslite Turbo 1D Stove, Brasslite Traillbaker, ‘Flashbaker’, Evernew Titanium Sierra Cup, Snowpeak 1400 ml Titanium Cook Pot
Or you can also buy Brasslite’s excellent ‘Trailbaker’ here: http://brasslite.com/products/brasslite-trailbaker/ which weighs 50.5 grams. It would be possible to make a suspension system for an Evernew Titanium Sierra Cup (Weight 63.5 grams) which does the same thing – and doubles as a cup (Remember the ‘Hot Lips’ though: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hot-lips/). Some titanium windscreen material (if it had enough holes in it) or lightweight weldmesh rolled into a cylinder ends joined with a paper clip would probably ‘do the trick’ or a circle of thin wire with three attached hooks for suspension from the top of the billy.
I gave up cooking 'bread' on the trail maybe ten years ago - just got so many other recipes happening I guess, and was finding it a bit tedious, especially due to advancing arthritis. I find these good for: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/lunch-on-the-trail/ Of course another alternative is 'Johnny Cakes' or 'fried scones' - a great colonial Australian favourite, and a favourite with me for many years too!
The ‘Flashbaker’ just goes in your normal cook pot. This is all you need (except for a simmer stove. I use these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/alcohol-simmer-stoves/) You don't need two pots at all, one inside the other. Of course this only worked with a stiff dough which sits on the baking disc or stand. If you want to bake a cake, or something with a runny dough, you will need something like the Trailbaker or Sierra Cup (above)
PS: Use a wad punch to make the baking disc even lighter. I figure you could take off at least 1/3 of its weight to bring it down to say 8 grams! Or you could make the baking disc (The Meshbaker') out of 1 cm stainless steel weld mesh. The holes would distribute the heat better too when baking bread.
I only ever baked bread (or 'damper' usually) usually to use for my lunch the next day, along with eg a sachet of tuna or some peanut butter. It is actually just as easy (and quicker) to make 'Johnny Cakes' or ‘Bannock’, maybe in the traditional way: on a stick! More about them, later…and my damper recipe!
19/03/2017: 2WD Folding Motorbike: Here’s just the thing to cut up those bush tracks
even more – or you could think about walking, and saving both your money and
the bush! http://www.moto2x2.com/en/ & http://newatlas.com/taurus-2x2-2wd-fat-wheel-motorcycle/44616/?li_source=LI&li_medium=default-widget
See also; http://www.theultralighthiker.com/rokon-scout-a-2wd-motorbike/
18/03/2017: Steve’s Nepali Dahl Soup: I made this dahl entirely with dried ingredients so I could make it on the trail. It made over a litre. I had trouble eating half. Very filling, tasty and nutritious. Do try it at home first. I would put the lentils in one small snap-lock bag and all the other dried ingredients in another. This soup will make a welcome change from whatever you are eating now and is very light and cheap to make.
Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
3 ½ cups water
20 grams Hormel dried bacon pieces
1 table milk powder
2 teaas powdered/dried onion
½ packet Tomato cupasoup
½ teas turmeric
1 teas ground gunger
½ teas hot paprika
½ teas garam masala
½ teas coriander
Pinch groundblack papper
2 teas dried chives
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas cumin
Instructions:
Soak lentils 10 + minutes
Add ingredients
Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes.
Salt/pepper &/or curry powder (not needed) to taste
Thicken continental deb mash (not needed)
Comment: Delicious!
17/03/2017: Hoons: Recently we were up near
Toorongo trying to work out a hiking route from Noojee to Tanjil Bren &/or
to Mt Horsefall. (More about that soon!) We walked along this ‘closed’ road
from the Toorongo No 3 Bridge to ‘Rabbit Flat’ (an interesting part of the
world). The road had been ruined by dozens of these huge bog holes caused
jointly by folks not owning a shovel (with which to drain them), no maintenance
by the DOC, and sub-human 4WD ‘hoons’ entertaining themselves with plowing the
road. The puddles were so deep poor Tiny had to swim them.
This kind
of madness has to end. So does the policy of the DOC closing roads rather than
maintaining them – a situation caused by their employing an army of university
‘educated’ bludgers who want to spend all day in offices having meetings or
playing at computer screens or driving round in Hiluxes. Instead they should
employ folks who actually want to do (physical) work (the only kind really)
such as driving 4WD tractors and actually fixing the roads and/or creating and
maintaining firebreaks (we have an out of control fire near Caringal this
morning in an area where the tracks have also become impassable) also spraying
noxious weeds and eradicating pest animals.
Neither
the ‘hoons’ behaviour, nor the DOC’s strikes me as ‘conservation’ – if the
greenies have not made that a dirty word for you too!
There was also some
16/03/2017: Weird and wonderful: the Strandbeest, a new life form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPbWSx_FW9E & www.strandbeest.com
15/03/2017:
14/03/2017: Upper Yarra Track Map: Here is a map showing the whole of the
(Extended) Upper Yarra Track from Lilydale all the way to Moe, approximately
250 km and 8-10 days:
14/03/2017: Canoe/ Motorbike Trailer: I modified our ancient 6’ x 4’ ‘box’
trailer to carry our two Old Town Pack Angler canoes and my 225 cc Yamaha Serow
motorcycle. I achieved this with three simple ‘drop-in’ welded steel sections
which come out/in in a minute when you need the trailer for something else
- such as transporting sheep. It may not
be apparent that I have welded four pieces of box section to the corners of the
trailer so that the two end steel pieces simply slide in (and hold down the
motorcycle track). It is a simple and effective arrangement.
I can tie the second canoe right side up on top of the first one (shown). This arrangement proved perfectly sound even on rough 4WD tracks such as we often frequent. It gives us single car access to sections of river which we want to canoe together. I realise some aspects of it could be done much better (and the whole arrangement could be finished (and painted), but I don’t need to ‘get a life’. I already have one!
It was all done somewhat hastily so we could complete our Wonnangatta canoe trip – whilst there was water. See eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
13/03/2017: Killer Bees: Yesterday afternoon we took a drive to Yanakie just doing some research for an idea of mind which I will call ‘The Great Gippsland Circuit’, a hiking trail which ‘circumnavigates Gippsland.
We drove down Red Bluffs Road to the beginning of the Marine & Coastal Park, took the track to the right, parked the car at a turning circle about 100 metres in.and got out. We were instantly attacked by these vicious black bees which we at first mistook for March flies. They just wanted to sting and sting for no reason at all. We desperately leapt back into the car. If we had been on foot I hate to think what would have happened – we probably wouldn’t be here to tell the tale!
Not a pretty sight (at best)!
My parents were apiarists, so I have had a lot to do with bees, but I have never encountered anything like this before. They just attacked and attacked – even though we were nowhere near their hive. At least it was not in clear sight of the car. It was just like when you knock a paper wasps’ nest down accidentally and they all go for you – but these were not wasps. They were bees. They left black stings in the bites. I did not notice any gold colour to them at all.
I will report this tomorrow to Parks Victoria. If this is some new type of bee, they need to be curtailed before they spread more widely.
Our bee attack wasn’t quite as bad as this one though: Dangerous Swarms - 'Africanized Bees Attack and Kill Man': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkkUYvn0VPs&spfreload=10
13/03/2017: The Great Gippsland Circuit: A hiking trail which ‘circumnavigates Gippsland. This is an idea I have been turning over in my mind for some time. Much of it is already in place, but someone (me?) needs to ‘join the dots’, work out connection water and resupply points, camping spots, track instructions, times and a map. It will take some time – and may be revised a number of times.
Gippsland is unquestionable the most beautiful area in
The Alpine Walking Track (Kosciosko to Mt Whitelaw) and Upper Yarra Track
(Mt Whitelaw to lilydale) constitute one long leg of the trail. Other ‘bits’ in
place include the Bundian Way (Bega to Kosciosko), the Wilderness Coast
Walk (Bemm River to Eden), the Bruthen to Orbost Rail Trail, the Traralgon to
Maffra Rail trail, The Grand Strzelecki Track, The Great Southern and Tarra
Rail Trail (eg Fish Creek to Yarram), the Old Port Walking Track (Port Albert),
various hiking circuits in Wilsons Prom (eg Tidal River to Sealers Cove,
Sealers Cove to Five Mile Beach? Five Mile Beach to Johnny Souey to Tin Mine
Cove, etc), existing beach walks (eg
Clearly the walk will be over 1,000 km long and will take 2-3 months. There
will be many resupply points and many (public transport) connection points, so
that shorter sections of the track can obviously be undertaken. There will be
many places you can find paid accommodation, restaurants etc as well as camping
spots. It will take some time to work this all out but you will survive and
enjoy even if you just begin tomorrow and carry on following your nose (and a
map of
08/03/2017: Hiking With Dogs #1: I am heading up the bush for a week soon with the two JRs, Spot and Tiny. Tiny is now 17, has slowed down a fair bit and has failing eyesight and hearing, so that she gets left behind a bit. She still has a good nose, so she is not going to get lost permanently. As she cannot hear me call, she can be a bit hard to find, so I decided I would buy one (actually three – for US$59!) of these: https://buy.thetrackr.com/ to help me find her.
They work off Bluetooth and are connected via an App to your
phone, so that you can make them sound a beep when you are looking for them
&/or your phone can also
At the moment they only have a range of 30-50 metres, but
that is better than nothing (especially when I am deaf too!) Soon there will be
a new
Of course the dogs have their own Tyvek raincoats (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tyvek-jack-russell-rain-coat-13-grams/), down beds, groundsheets, ultra light bowls, dehydrated mince, Smackos & etc, etc. So far they have not been called upon to carry any of this gear (They are busy pointing out the deer!), but I could construct little packs for them I suppose. These ;little guys are so small I have to portage them across rivers as they would be swept away. I carry Tiny in an ultralight day pack worn pack to front (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/osprey-ultralight-stuff-pack/), Spot has mastered a trick of riding on my shoulders, like this:
07/03/2017: Side Insulation: Gossamer Gear’s Sitlight Pads are just great for this if you cut them in half lengthwise. They can be still used in your pack’s pad sleeve but when it comes time to make your bed, either on the ground or in your hammock, these little fellows will keep your elbows and shoulders toasty warm.
You lay them egg-crate side down to get maximum insulation. The egg-carton shape makes them effectively 2 cm or nearly an inch of foam, and all those little hills and hollows makes them ‘stick’ to your groundsheet or hammock so they don’t move around.
There are three sizes available now. Mine don’t seem to be any of those. Mine are 9 ¾ x 18 ¾ ( 25 x 48 cm) and weigh 34.5 grams. This is a pretty small weight penalty for the comfort they bring – and they still do double duty as a pack frame and a trail seat! Mine are also used as my dog’s mattresses, but you pretty much need to have a JR(as you should) if this is going to work for you.
See also:
http://gossamergear.com/sitlight-sit-pad-group.html
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/womens-are-great-in-bed/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/does-spot-like-to-hunt-deer/
05/03/2017: Womens Are Great in Bed: You have probably noticed before how much I have extolled the virtues of Thermarest’s wonderful sleeping pads. I particularly adore this one (the Noeair XLite Womens) as it as light as a feather (340 grams), ‘fits’ me perfectly at 20” x 66” (51 x 168 cm) and is superbly comfortable (moreso I think than my own bed) at 2.5” thick (6.3 cm) and warm enough to sleep on a block of ice (I have) with an R-rating of 3.9! https://www.thermarest.com/mattresses/womens-neoair-xlite
You will probably have glimpsed this little piece of yellow in many of my hiking photos, often folded up into a chair, eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-last-of-the-mountain-men/
I am about 5’8” so my heels just hang over the edge, and the rest of my body fits its mummy shape just about perfectly – which is what you want to make an inflatable pad super-comfy. I also think the horizontal tubes have an edge comfort wise over longitudinal ones but this may well be a subjective thing.
The first point is the most important one anyway: If you have surplus mat at the ends, sides or corners your weight will drive the air there and you will sink further into the mat. This means that the mat has to be inflated more to support your weight from sinking to the ground (usually your buttocks or hips) at the heaviest point.
To me a tightly inflated mat is less comfortable than one that is less so. I prefer a softer bed. I realise this may not be so for everyone, just most people, but if you are like me you will want to chose a mummy shaped pad and cut it to just 2” shorter than your actual height (as I explain how to do here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/modifyingshortening-hiking-mats/) so that it is both exquisitely comfortable and the minimum weight!
From Thermarest’s page:
‘Product Details
The women’s NeoAir XLite mattress delivers more warmth and comfort per ounce than any other three-season air mattress available. Cold sleepers will appreciate our Women’s version, featuring an added layer of our reflective ThermaCapture™ technology for added warmth. New softer fabrics bring better next-to-skin comfort and boost in durability with no added weight. For the discerning alpinist, thru-hiker or backcountry minimalist who’s counting every ounce, there is simply no better choice to assure the kind of rest you need to get done what you’ve got planned for tomorrow. Stuff sack and repair kit included.
Ultralight: Advanced fabrics and a tapered design make this the lightest 3-season backpacking air mattresses available, with no peer in its warmth-to-weight ratio.
Warm: Multiple ThermaCapture™ layers trap extra radiant heat for cold sleepers, without the bulk, weight or durability issues of down and synthetic fills.
Comfortable: 2.5” (6 cm)-thickness, soft-touch fabrics and baffled Triangular Core Matrix™ structure provide unrivaled stability and support.
Ultra-Packable: Low-bulk materials make the XLite mattress the most compact NeoAir mattress ever – as packable as a water bottle.’
PS: Repairs: Though they are quite tough you will inevitably manage to puncture your pad. Mine was punctured within a day of my having bought it by a certain puppy (you will have met Spot if you have been here before) grabbing it in his needle teeth and dragging it backwards out the dog door onto the front lawn where he engaged in a full-blown mock battle with it until I intervened. I have found that nothing beats cuben tape (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cuben-tape/) for patching holes in them, The cure is instantaneous, efficacious and has not had to be repeated (Spot is now four years old). This tape is also excellent for a wide range of other repairs (raincoats, tents etc) and should always be carried!
PPS: Thermarest also have a chair which will do this but I own the Big Agnes Cyclone Chair ( I think slightly lighter) which has served me as furniture for many years in many wild places: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/cyclone-chair/
PPPS: Another feature of inflatable mats is that you can get yourself and your pack (dry) across swollen rivers relatively safely with them by using them as a kick board. I have had to do this numerous times. Usually it is winter, so it’s not much fun, but if you need to cross...I usually take all my clothes and my shoes off first and put them inside my pack liner.
PPPPS:The RRP for this pad is US$159.95 if you buy it from the States and use (eg) Shipito (https://www.shipito.com/en/?id_affiliate=5249&countrycode=AU) to get it to Oz (Recommended).
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-soft-pillow-and-a-warm-bed-under-the-stars/
05/03/2017: I know I probably shouldn’t
like this, but I do: William Wordsworth:
‘The
World Is Too Much With Us’
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
05/03/2017: Fire Tent:
Further to my post about being able to light a fire in the rain, (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/) I have also long toyed with the idea of carrying/constructing a fire rain hat or raincoat so that heavy rain doesn’t put out your fire.
The two occasions when it is really important to be able to light a fire are when it is very wet and cold and when there is a bushfire approaching (so that you can create burned ground as a refuge!) On such occasions if you don’t have a lighter, or can’t light a fire you’re a dead duck. Smokers clearly have an advantage here over more sanctimonious folk, and even though I gave up smoking more than a generation ago (! – there is an interesting method of measuring time) I still always carry a ‘Mini-Bic’).
Above: Steve Hutcheson and myself Wonnangatta-Moroka Winter 2012
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
We always camp in a shelter which allows a fire outside. A tent is a cold, creeping thing to have to retreat to when you can sit/stand in a warm open shelter, drink rum, play games, read etc in front of a cheery fire – and with a warm back! If you pitch any rectangular tarp high you can have a (small) fire at one end (though the wind tends to catch the tarp if it isn’t pegged to the ground on at least 2/3 sides).
I think it should be possible to suspend over the fire (eg a 1 metre square) diamond of eg ‘Tyvek’ @ 1.75 ounces /square yard and a melting point of 800C. You need to be careful that the fire can’t ignite its ‘roof’ or use it as a wick to ignite your tent, but this shouldn’t be much of a problem in the rain. Set-up obviously needs to be when furled (a couple of rubber bands should achieve this) so you can pitch it over the fire when it is already lit. Weight should be able to be kept to less than 3 ounces (90 grams) including stakes and guys. Tyvek, with its 800C melting point should make a good material for this ‘rain hat’. It might be better to use the material that fire blankets are made from for this purpose.
A ‘Standard’ Australian Fire Blanket (cost approx A$20 such as has lived in our kitchen for 20+ years) appears to be made of woven fibreglass and measures exactly 1 metre by one metre and weighs 427 grams, so it will (pitched diagonally - like the tyvek shelter in the photo) make an excellent small waterproof shelter for a fire. The fact that it will reflect otherwise wasted heat straight back into your tent will also mean you use much less fuel and can have a much smaller, safer fire. I would use a stainless steel fishing ‘leader’ as the guy on that side of the tent (with a ring at an appropriate point on it to secure the top corner of the blanket) and pitch the fire tent over it and pegged to th ground on the other three sides.
I see now that someone is selling just such an idea, the Fire Defender (They even have an 'ultralight' version):
http://theupscout.com/gear/campfire-defender/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4RRYM5?m=A2CWO6R96322MU&ref_=v_sp_widget_detail_page
Above, their 'ultralight' version
You might be interested in buying some flame resistant fabric to make your own. You could look eg here; http://www.auburnmfg.com/product-category/mro/heat-resistant-cloth/
Tyvek Fire Tent’: We always camp in an open shelter (something like the one
above in he photo) with an open fire out the front. So warm and cozy even on
cold,wet days. This shelter is very easy to make. It consists of a
I have a more compact model (shorter wings) made out of .48oz/yd2 cuben fibre which weighs 200 grams (as seen here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/)! This is my ‘always’ emergency tent which goes with me everywhere – even on day walks: so often these can turn into an overnight trip
I have spent a night sitting (on a piece of thick bark) in front of a fire in the open on frozen ground, in a light snowstorm wrapped only in one of those mylar ‘space blankets which fit inside your breast pocket (Never be without one!). It wasn’t very comfortable, and I didn’t get a lot of sleep – but I am still here to tell the tale. Expect things like this to happen to you, and be prepared!
Two of those ‘blankets’ can make quite a serviceable tent and a sleeping bag. You will need some dental floss or similar to make tie-outs: simply lasso (& capture with the material) a rolled up ball of earth or a gum nut etc with the floss and you can tie out to trees, rocks or sticks driven into the ground. I always carry some dental floss/Dyneema fishing line in my first aid kit (and a self-threading needle – old eyes, you see) for making repairs to my clothes, (hounds sometimes!) – or myself! See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pitching-the-poncho-warning-this-may-save-your-life/
03/03/2017: Backcountry Radio: Most radios on offer will
just not cut it at all once you get a few miles from the broadcast tower. This
little gem has amazing sensitivity and will pull in stations from all over the
world. I have owned this little guy for over 10 years (and it looks like it).
It has been everywhere with me, provided me with countless hours of listening
pleasure (I’m not sure whether I have ever changed the two Duracell batteries)
and kept me in touch with world affairs, weather & etc. it is the Grundig
Mini 300 World band Receiver at 127 grams bare and takes two AA batteries.
It has
now been replaced by the 400 mini weighing 91 grams using two AAA batteries, a
significant weight saving. Here is its Amazon listing: Pricey at US$129.99 but
it works, is durable, so it is worth it. https://www.amazon.com/Grundig-Compact-Shortwave-Digital-Display/dp/B001QTXKFG
Grundig Mini GM400 Super Compact AM/FM Shortwave Radio with Digital
Display (NGM400B)
- More details: AM/FM-stereo and shortwave bands
- Analog tuner, with digital display
- Digital display shows frequency, time, and alarm activation
- Clock
and alarm function
Product Description
The ETON Mini GM400 Super Compact AM/FM shortwave radio features AM/FM-stereo and shortwave bands and an analog tuner with digital display. The digital display shows frequency, time, and alarm activation.Clock and alarm functions are also included. It runs on two AAA batteries (not included). Other features include: 3.5 mm headphone output; telescopic antenna for FM and SW reception; internal ferrite bar antenna for AM reception; DC input (5V). Includes: owner’s manual, warranty card, carrying case, and earphones. Dimensions: 2.75 inches x 4.3 inches x .472 inches.
From the Manufacturer
Grundig Super Compact AM/FM Shortwave Radio with Digital Display M400
A powerful shortwave radio with awesome features!
Super compact and light weight, the Mini 400 features AM/FM and shortwave radio frequencies. The analog tuner and easy-to-read digital display completes the simplicity of enjoying shortwave listening. Extend the telescopic antenna for better FM and SW reception and plug in a pair of headphones (included) to get a personal experience. It even has a clock and alarm function.
It's portable and versatile
The Mini 400 is a super compact radio that is perfect for all your adventures. Small enough to slip into a shirt pocket or backpack you can take it on your world travels or your daily hike. It keeps you informed and entertained with Shortwave as well as AM/FM and includes a sleep timer with alarm so you can wake to your favorite radio station. Digital display shows frequency, time and alarm activation. It even includes a telescopic antenna for FM and SW reception.
Anywhere is your playground with the MINI 400
It has an internal ferrite bar antenna for crisp and clear AM reception, anytime, anywhere. It has dual power sources: 2 AAA batteries (not included) and included DC input (5V). So the MINI 400 is the perfect companion for wild adventures or simple use at home.
Features:
- AM/FM-stereo and shortwave bands
- Analog tuner, with digital display
- Digital display shows frequency, time, and alarm activation
- Clock and alarm function
- 3.5 mm headphone output
- Telescopic antenna for FM and SW reception
- Internal ferrite bar antenna for AM reception
- Power source: 2 AAA batteries (not included)
- DC input (5V)
- Includes: owner's manual, warranty card, carrying case, earphones
- Another offering: https://countycomm.com/collections/radio/products/countycomm-gp-5-ssb-general-purpose-radio
85 grams plus 3 AA batteries.
02/03/2017: My Top Five
Knives
1.
Gerber: 'LST Ultralight'
2. Outdoor Edge: 'Razor Blaze'
3. Deejo: '27g Minimalist 3in'
4. Leatherman: 'Micra'
5. Spyderco 'Honeybee'
I've
purchased and tested numerous pocket knives over the years. This is my current
top five that I use day to day (as you can see from the photo these aren't
brand new and have been used a countless number of times). Each has it's own
advantages depending on your need. You can read more about each of these knives
on my blog by following the links below. All are modesty priced workaday tools
which have served me very well...
1. Gerber: 'LST Ultralight'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gerber-knives-light-cheap/
2. Outdoor Edge: 'Razor Blaze'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/never-have-to-sharpen-yo…/
3. Deejo: '27g Minimalist 3in'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/deejo-minimalist-3in-fol…/
4. Leatherman: 'Micra'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/leatherman-micra-multito…/
5. Spyderco 'Honeybee'
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-perfect-keychain-kni…/
02/03/2017: Deejo Minimalist 3in Folder 27grams
This is the Deejo Minimalist 3 inch Folder weighing 27 grams (as configured). You could probably shave 3-5 grams off that by deleting the pocket clip, but you might also just ruin the knife, so don't. The pocket clip comes in handy anyway as it allows the knife to be worn on the outside of your clothing or pack where it is always ready for immediate use.
There is a bit of a story behind this particular knife. When Della and I traveled to NZ to walk the South Coast Track back in April 2016 (see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-walk-in-fiordland/ and etc: Oh, Wow, It was so good!) when I went through the scanner I had forgotten that I had a credit card knife in my wallet, (one of these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/small-thin-pocket-knives/ and they picked up on it - something which had not happened the last 2-3 times I had flown!
I always carry a knife - i have been a farmer for 40 years). It is just such a normal part of my life, of course I forget that I am carrying it. I just automatically put it on with my trousers every morning. I probably use a knife over ten times a day! When this has happened to me before (twice) they just let me check in my carry on luggage. This time I encountered the Gestapo. The airport police were called and they decided I had a concealed and prohibited weapon and were going to charge me. They kept me stressed out and on tenterhooks for three months over it despite my pointing out to them that they had mistaken a nearly 70 year old retired farmer for someone else entirely: a young thug or a potential terrorist perhaps. I suspect they are afraid to challenge these types and that I was an easy target.
Anyway, I found myself in NZ in the market for an ultralight knife to replace the wonderful Clive Sinclair Cardsharp (recommended, but maybe not legal!) so I just happened to buy the Deejo, and it has been in my pocket ever since. Its only disadvantage is that it is so small and light I sometimes have trouble finding it, but it works really well, and holds an edge brilliantly. Get one.
See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/my-top-five-knives/
Some more details:
'Light as a feather with the strength of a pocket sword, the Deejo is wildly efficient in action, in weight, in use and in portability. It's the pleasure of a perfect fit and performance in the service of utility. Select one to suit your specific needs, taste or personality.
The Deejo Naked is the famous ultra-light design in its purest form. Three exclusive weights, 15g, 27g and 37g, in mirror-finished steel or in tinted shades of matte titanium, in three ranges of varying materials. The Deejo Wood comes in 3 species of precious wood with beautiful grain designs. From the deep black of the grenadilla to russet hues of rosewood and the curves of juniper wood, subtly peppery in scent. The Deejo Colors comes in 8 eye-catching hues, one for every style or occasion. Dress the Deejo in bright color and sharp flashes, get it in its minimalist version with the Naked, or it's most luxurious with the Wood.
Ultra-light, ultra-flat, with a 420 stainless steel blade with titanium finish. It has a comfortable Polycarbonate handle, secure liner lock system, belt clip, and ample sized chisel ground blade. Polycarbonate is a thermal-resistant plastic with excellent mechanical properties and able to withstand temperatures of -135° to 135°C. It has a high degree of transparency which filters light better than glass for deep, vibrant colors. Safely slips into any bag or pocket with ease.
Specifications
- Blade Length: 3.0" (7.6 cm)
- Closed Length: 3.5" (8.9 cm)
- Blade Steel: 420 Stainless
- Overall Length: 6.5" (16.5 cm)
- Handle Material: 420 Stainless Steel and Black Polycarbonate
- Weight: 0.95 oz. (27 g)'
- Available: https://www.knifecenter.com/item/DEE9AP001/deejo-knives-color-white-polycarbonate-27g-folding-knife-satin-plain-blade-minimalist-design
27/02/2017: Adventure Unlimited:
https://gearjunkie.com/mike-horne-pole2pole-expediton
26/02/2017: Inflatable Bathtub Groundsheet: The lack of a bathtub floor is one of the chiefest comparative drawbacks of tarp camping vs tenting. I have been toying with this idea for some time. I used to usually collect some suitably lengthed dead branches and drape the edges of the tarp over them on the appropriate uphill side if rain threatened to inundate the ground.
I played with various means of suspending the edges of the tarp with mitten hooks attached to the tarp. This works but is awkward and slow with my arthritic fingers, then I thought, what if I made an inflatable tube which circumnavigates the tarp? I thought this was a genius idea till I Googled it and found someone else had already been there before me. https://www.esvocampingshop.com/en/air-barrier-tent-ground-sheet-inflatable/ Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I did come up with the idea independently though. Theirs is quite heavy and only really suited to car camping not hiking.
Before I ever looked to see if there was such a thing I was thinking mylar or silnylon (both possibilities still – further experimentation needed), then I hit on the DIY packraft site I posted about here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/new-diy-pack-raft/ and realised they could supply the materials for the tube and valve and that I could simply sew this to the edge of my 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon tarp then seam seal the join.
Unfortunately the lightest heat sealable material (eg from http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html) is (I believe) 3 oz/yd2. I would need a tube 22’ long to circle double (7’ x4’) groundsheet. If I wanted the tube to be 2” in diameter, this would mean the tube would be in excess of 11ft2 or 1.3yds x 3 = 4 oz plus the 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon 3yds x 1.3 = 3.9 Total 7.9oz or approx 240 grams. Good, but too heavy. If I can make the whole thing out of silnylon the first figure will become (1.3 x 1.3) 1.69 oz giving a total of 5.6 oz – or approx 160 grams. Much better.
A silnylon dry bag seems to hold air quite well though it is not designed to, so I suspect that if I glue up a tube of silnylon it will serve quite well, even if I have to add additional silicon as in this post: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/waterproofing-tent-floors-and-ground-sheets/
Why not try it yourself, and get back to me?
PS: This groundsheet will go very well with this tarp:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/poly-tent-by-the-ultralight-hiker-on-the-cheap/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/henrys-original-tarptent-tarptent-for-2/
I realise this inflatable tube
could be added to my Holeless poncho to make it into a better
groundsheet: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/
eg for my http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-deer-hunters-tent/
PS: As with my other design ideas, feel free to make one yourself but if you want to manufacture them I would appreciate some credit.
26/02/2017: Waterproofing Tent Floors and Ground Sheets: I have mentioned this brilliant idea before but apparently I had not done a post about it. Jim Woods has this great treatment which dramatically increases the waterproofness of silnylon (or other) tent floors or groundsheets. It simply involves mixing some (tube) silicon with odourless turpentine (ratio approx 1:3), painting it on and waiting for it to dry. I have done this myself and it works well. Simple, but highly effective. More details here: A Treatment for Silnylon Floors: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html as mentioned here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/trapped-by-flood-waters/
26/02/2017: The Silverback: This is the new Gossamer Gear 58 litre pack. Total weight (Medium) 1060 grams with removable options, ie bare = 595 grams (ie without lid, hipbelt pad and frame).
This new pack is the ‘Big Daddy’ of the Gossamer Gear Gorilla (48 litre total) pack which I reviewed some time ago eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-bush/ I also pointed out here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pimping-a-gorilla/ that you could leave the aluminium pack frame at home and attach a much simpler hip belt and switch in the Air Beam pad for the Sitlight pad to reduce the weight to 644 grams, a very acceptable weight for a 48 litre pack.
If you performed the same mod on the Silverback you would have a 58 litre pack (and left the lid at home which weighed 651 grams, meaning the extra approx ten litres has cost you just 10 grams, not very much for all that space! If the Silverback lives up to the wonderful standards of past Gossamer gear packs – I started many years ago with their redoubtable G4 – and I’m sure it will, you will have an outstandingly robust and comfortable ultralight pack at a very reasonable price (from US$215) http://gossamergear.com/silverback.html
If you add some tie outs to this pack (as I did with my Gorilla: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/attaching-tie-downs-to-your-pack/) and you utilise some compression bags ( http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-tardis-folding-space/) this pack will suit you for the longest expedition. I would be able to carry all my gear and supplies for an unsupported month with this pack.
More good news: Gossamer Gear have listened to my suggestion (above) about lowering the weight of the hipbelt and now offer a much lighter, simpler hipbelt with pockets http://gossamergear.com/fast-belt.html at 82 grams and US$21. It looks something like this:
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-hiking-gear/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hip-belts/
PS: If you find some discrepancy between Gossamer Gear’s stated volumes for this pack and mine, note that GG do not state the volume any of its packs above the extension collar ( approx 8 litres) or in some cases the volumes of the pockets (my estimate: 13 litres).
25/02/2017: Ultralight Hiking USB cables, etc: This is my tiny bag of cables and other electronic goodies. The cable (17 grams) is only 6″ (15 cm) long and comes with interchangeable tips (5 grams each). Shown USB, micro USB (x2) and Sat Phone charger plug (comes with, so total = 27 grams) – this will get all my hiking devices charged on the trail: phone, camera, torches http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/, sat phone, sat messenger, or etc). Also see below it a 5 gram white USB/Micro USB SD (& micro SD) card reader – great for sharing files on the trail (eg someone else’s photos. Also a couple of spare micro SD cards and adapter/s and a 3 gram case for extra photo etc storage – just in case I get the opportunity to make a movie about Fiordland moose! Note to self: I can save 4 grams here! The solar set-up below can recharge a couple of AA/AAA batteries and all these devices as I walk along.
NB: Solar charging http://www.theultralighthiker.com/powerfilm-usb-aa-solar-charger/ (well charging in general) did not work at all well at high altitude (as on my Everest Base Camp trip), though it works fine at home in the Victorian mountains (never above 2,000 metres), and usually much less – there will be a future post about this, but to cut a long story short; everyone’s batteries discharged (even when not in use) at at least twice the normal rate in Nepal, eg: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/i-saw-below-me-that-golden-valley/
Weights:
Cable inc sat phone tip 17 grams
2 x micro USB tips 5 grams ea
USB/Micro USB reader 5 grams
3 micros SD cards, adapter, case 5 grams
Cuben stuff sack 2 grams
Total 39 grams.
Solar pack setup. See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/attaching-tie-downs-to-your-pack/
I bought the cable and adapter tips from these folk: http://www.tekkeon.com/products.html
Some other Tekkeon tips: Adapter Tips: http://www.tekkeon.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=15
They also sell this interesting AA charger: http://www.tekkeon.com/products-tekcharge1580.html
125 grams Uses AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries TekCharge MP1580
doubles as a battery charger, so you can charge your rechargeable NiMH or
lithium batteries as needed.
They also have a number of power banks such as this one: http://www.tekkeon.com/products-tekcharge1820-specs.html
125 grams for 4800 mAh
This is a reasonable weight for a power bank (I will also have a later post about them), but my spare battery for my Samsung Galaxy S4 camera weighs 35 grams for 2900 mAh, so about 15 grams per each amp hour. At that rate of conversion a 4800 mAh power bank should weigh less than 90 grams! I need to walk around the city sometime with an electonic scales in my posket weighing these ubiquitous little guys. I have done very poorly searching eg for ‘lightest power bank’ on the net. Good luck with that! But, if you have better information, please let me know.
I figure you need a minimum of approx. twice the capacity of your phone, so likely over 6000mAh. This would need to weigh (much) less than the above solar setup or this lighter version, the Bushnell Solarwrap Mini: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/charging/ which can be cut down by about 7 grams and still attach to your pack (as above) so will weigh < 80 grams for 1,000 mAh, plus whatever the sun delivers!
25/02/2017:
18/02/2017: Found Space: Underneath our caravan sink was a mess of plumbing. As you can see a large fitting and poorly routed hose stole most of our already limited storage space. I purchased the much shorter and more compact fitting online and installed it myself (rerouting the drain hose in the process) and now have space for another storage box.
Before:
A comparison of the two fittings. The white one is nearly 120 mm tall and the one on the right is 35 mm.
Lots more space now:
The plumbing which remains still leaves much to be desired but it would be lots of work now for little gain (save neatness) but when the caravan was being manufactured it would have been (relatively) easy to install the plumbing in a workmanlike and tidy fashion and to have the caravan delivered with storage containers which actually fitted the space. Every caravan whose cupboards I have opened seems to have just the same issues – yet many folk paid tens of thousands of dollars (more) for their vans than we have.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/girard-tankless-water-heater/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/staircase-for-camper/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tray-top-camper/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tray-back-campers-and-other-heavy-loads/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/twin-shock-absorbers/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/second-air-bead-locks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mobile-phone-antennae/
17/02/2017: Vargo
Titanium Knives: Vargo now have a 2.7” (68mm) fixed blade knife which weighs 28 grams (inc
sheath) and a 2 ¼” (57mm) folder at 30 grams. https://www.vargooutdoors.com/titanium-wharn-clip-knife.html
& https://www.vargooutdoors.com/ti-carbon-folding-knife.html The RRP on these beauties
is US$59.95 (though they are available on Massdrop for US$44.99). These knives
would be hard to beat for the ultralight hiker.
PS: I
always carry a fixed blade knife for its ability to split wet wood for
emergency fire lighting. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-light-a-fire-in-the-wet/
& http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fire-on-the-snow/
Some more
specs:
Fixed
Blade:
- Material, blade: Japanese titanium alloy
- Single-bevel grind
- Wharncliffe point
- Integrated carrying clip
- Hardness: Rockwell C 50
- Sheath: Kydex
- Blade length: 2.7 in (69 mm)
- Blade thickness: 0.1 in (3 mm)
- Overall length:: 5.4 in (138 mm)
- Knife weight: 0.7 oz (20 g)
- Overall weight: 1 oz (28 g)
Folder:
- Material, blade: Japanese titanium alloy
- Material, handle: Carbon fiber
- Wharncliffe point
- Double-bevel grind
- Liner lock
- Lanyard hole
- Hardness: Rockwell C 50
- Blade length: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
- Blade thickness: 0.1 in (0.25 cm)
- Total length, opened: 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Total length, closed: 3.3 in (8.4 cm)
- Weight: 1 oz (30 g)
16/02/2017: Henry Shires’ Tarptent: This is one of the best and cheapest DIY tents around. With Henry’s permission I am reprinting his full instructions here: ‘The following document has appeared in print since 1999 and details plans for making your own tarptent. While neither is as easy to set up, nor is as storm and wind resistant as the next generation Tarptents, these tents are excellent do-it-yourself projects for even the first-time sewer. We will be happy to offer tips and suggestions should you decide to make one.
The Tarptent sleeps 1+ (me, gear, +) and weighs 18 ounces complete with poles, stakes, tie lines etc. The Tarptent-for-2 sleeps 2 (or huge for one), weighs 24 ounces complete including generous beak, and has some additional room for gear. Both tents are floor-less, completely screened with zipper opening door and made from 1.1 oz silicone-coated nylon. Here's everything you need to know to make your own. https://www.tarptent.com/tarpdesign.html
|
IntroductionA goal of every ultralight backpacker is to carry a comfortable shelter that offers maximum protection from wet weather and bugs, while minimizing weight, difficulty of setup, and cost. The Tarptent is my solution to the problem.
Shelter ComparisonThere are three traditional shelter types. Here is a summary of their relative performance. My rankings are subjective.
Each shelter type excels in certain categories. The tarp is at or near the top in all categories except bugs. My goal was to create a modified tarp that eliminated the bugs while maintaining excellence in all other categories. The Tarptent weighs about 18 ounces, sleeps one person plus gear, and costs about $60 to make. The Tarptent-for-2 costs costs a few dolllars more. Disclaimer: Snowy, winter conditions create additional shelter needs. The Tarptent will be fine in light snowstorms but is NOT intended for winter use. All in the FabricWhile researching tents for myPacific Crest Trail thru-hike, I found and subsequently purchased a tent from Stephenson (603-293-7016), a producer of very light, high quality, but expensive tents. This bug-tight, 4-season tent weighs just over 3 pounds (less if you don't get the extra window screening), sleeps 2 very comfortably, and offers easy setup. It would rate a "4" in nearly all categories except cost. At 1.5 lbs/person, it's hard to beat, except if you're hiking solo. What really got me thinking about making my own tent was the Stephenson tent material. Stephenson tents are able to achieve their remarkable lightness because they use 1.4 oz./sq. yd. silicone coated ripstop nylon. Urethane coated nylons weigh well over 2 oz./sq. yd, some approaching 3 oz/sq. yd. While this may not sound like much of a savings, it really starts to add up when your tent contains 10+ sq. yds of material. The Stephenson catalog offers the 1.4 oz. fabric for sale. It also references the material that was used in previous model years but discontinued because of an apparent problem with the supplier's ability to meet demand. This material is 1.1-ounce silicone-coated nylon (silnylon). Silnylon is available now from several mail order suppliers, and it is the material I used to make my Tarptent. It is very strong, extremely lightweight and must, of course, be protected from abrasion to withstand extended use. Update 9/5/01: "1.1-ounce" refers to the fabric weight before the coating is applied. Actual fabric weight is variable, depending on manufacturer, and can range from 1.3 to 1.5 ounces/ sq. yd. This variability will impact the final Tarptent weight by up to 1 ounce. Recently I have begun using a silicone-coated, "zero-porosity, high performance rip stop nylon fabric" from Aerodyne Research Corp that is used for parachutes. It's called Zero Porosity Fabric (ZPF) and the company claims that it weighs 1.3 ounces/ sq. yd. On my scale it weighed 1.5 ounces/sq yd. My last batch of "1.1-ounce" silnylon from Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics also weighed 1.5 ounces/sq yd. so either my scale is off or the variability is just to be expected. What's great about the ZPF fabric is that it has a smooth, rather than slippery, finish and is MUCH easier to sew than standard 1.1-ounce silnylon. Sort of like the difference between matte and glossy photographic paper. This fabric is extremely strong--you wouldn't want your parachute to be weak--but seems to have a bit more elasticity than standard silnylon. The 3-point rear pullout on the Tarptent-for-2 is designed to eliminate the small amount of extra sag caused by the increased elasticity. Your mileage will vary. Anatomy of a DesignWhen I started working on this design, I began with an Integral Designs 8'x5' 1.1-ounce silicone coated tarp. It weighed about 6 oz, cost $50, and came with all the guyline pullouts already installed. I created a simple a-frame design, using 26" straight poles (I-poles) in the front and back. I sealed the triangular open ends with coated nylon doors, bounded at the apex by small mosquito netting vents for ventilation. I sewed one door edge to the tarp and used Velcro to attach the other edge for easy opening and closing . A groundcloth formed the floor of the enclosure. I attached guylines to the front and back and staked all 4 corners to the ground. There was just enough room to wriggle in and out of the tent and it kept the bugs out. Serviceable, cheap, lightweight, no view and no fun. It also suffered from condensation and showered on me when I brushed the material while exiting the tent. Next I decided to raise one long side of the tent and add mosquito netting along the entire length. This increased ventilation and provided a bit of a view. It also dramatically increased floor space while extending the drip line away from the interior. Original Design Raised Side Modification
I modified the door and added guylines along the edge of the raised side at the corners and in the middle. While testing this tent I discovered that the netting actually blocks most of the driven rain. Small spray that gets through the netting will not reach more than a foot or so into the interior so as long as you keep the groundcloth/sleeping bag away from the netting you will stay dry. Subsequently I changed the front and back doors to all netting to increase ventilation and views with minimal increase to rain exposure. The original 8' x 5' tarp was then transformed into something like this:
I field tested this tent on a '98 JMT hike and it performed quite well. I still got a few drips of condensation when exiting the tent and I couldn't sit up to move around, eat, or put on a shirt. I yearned for more freedom of movement. This time I needed my calculator and a little help from simple trigonometry. I wanted to maintain the floor space but increase the headroom without adding much to the overall weight. By raising the front and lowering the rear I added less than 7 sq. ft. (less than 1 ounce) but increased headroom by 1 foot. I'm 5'11" and can just sit up in the Tarptent. So without further ado, here's how to make your very own 18-ounce Tarptent™.
Materials
A good place to order materials is Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics (1-800-693-7467). Poles can be assembled from sections available at REI and other sources. My local REI did not have the grommet tips when I inquired so I had my poles custom made by TA Enterprises (1-800-266-9527) for about $10. Pole Notes: Adjustable Trekking poles can also be used. If you turn the poles over you should be able to insert the pole tips into the existing grommets. Adjust the poles to match the specs for the front and rear heights (though most trekking poles will not collapse down to 20" and you'll have to get creative to use one for the rear). For those using Glen Van Peski's G4 pack, the 18" or
20" The PlansThe following designs are intended for 1 person and gear (Tarptent) or 2 people and some gear (Tarptent-for-2). The Tarptent can sleep two in a pinch but the Tarptent-for-2 is intended for extended 2-person use or as a more luxurious shelter for one.
Fabric Dimensions: Cut 2 identical pieces of silnylon. Click here for printable pattern.
Cut 4 pieces of no-see-um netting. Click here for printable pattern. Left Side (raised side)
Right Side (low side)
Front Door
Rear Door
Cut 8 identical pieces of nylon tape or webbing for pullouts.
Cut 1 piece of Velcro tape (both sides) for netting tie or 2 pieces if you're adding a beak.
Some Assembly RequiredPlace the two identical pieces of silicone-coated nylon together and stitch along the long horizontal side. Use a 0.5" inch seam allowance. The Tarptent should now look like this:
Now fold over each edge 3/4" and stitch to form a border. The Tarptent should now look like this:
The PulloutsPullouts are used to attach the Tarptent to the ground, via a stake or guyline.
The areas around the pullouts will be subject to stress and it is imperative that these areas be reinforced to spread the load. Cut scrap nylon and reinforce as shown :
You will need to cut scrap nylon to fit each corner and the midway point of each parallel side (the ridgeline pullouts). You can also add reinforcing patches along the midway point of each long side though those points do not experience much stress. Make each piece several inches wide/long and stitch along the direction of stress.
Front and Rear PulloutsThe front and pullouts are grommeted to support the Tarptent poles. Adjustable Trekking poles can also be used but be sure the grommet and associated webbing is large enough or just affix the trekking pole to the webbing loop and leave out the grommet.
Make two identical grommet loops as follows: Fold a piece of nylon tape in half. Insert a #1 grommet near the end of the loop, through both pieces of tape, and spread the free ends as shown:
Repeat with a second piece of tape. Now, attach the grommet loops to the middle of the front and rear parallel sides. Be sure to spread out the tape so that there is more surface area to sew.
Side pulloutsNow attach the remaining webbing strips to the 4 corners and the two remaining midpoints. Fold each piece in half, turn it so it faces you edge on and then open it like a book to form a loop that looks like this:
Attach the loops to the remaining areas in the same manner as the grommet loops. Your Tarptent should now look like this:
Out, Damned MosquitoesBlessed be the ones inside the netting for they shall remain sane... Before you attach the netting you should determine which long side of your Tarptent you want to raise up. If you sleep on your left side as I do you will want to raise up the left side (as viewed from the front) of the Tarptent so you can see out the side of the tent while lying down. Reverse the instructions for a "right-sided" design. A Velcro closure is nice so that you can prop open the door when the bugs are low. Peel apart the two halves of the Velcro and stick them together again so that they form one long piece with about 1/2" overlap.
Sew the overlap area to the edge of the tarp, about 1/3 of the way up the fabric, so that it forms a right angle to the tarp. Be sure to attach the Velcro to the left side of the Tarptent before you sew the netting. When the netting is held open by the Velcro it will look like this:
Now, sew each of the long pieces of netting to the edges of the Tarptent roof as shown below. Be sure to center each piece of netting so that there is enough material on both ends to overlap with the adjoining netting. For now, do not sew past the center of each corner.
Tip: The netting/nylon interface is slippery. You will want to use a short stitch length to prevent seam puckering. Practice with scrap before you proceed or you will have to rip out your first attempts. I also recommend cutting each long side netting in half and sewing each half separately. Once the tent is set up, pin and re-sew the break in the vertical wall. This will help eliminate the stretch in the netting. You are now ready to set up the Tarptent and adjust the netting for good fit and finish. Be sure the Tarptent is taut before proceeding. Walk to the back of the Tarptent and pull the back window netting flap across until it's taut.
Pin the netting to the edge of the roof Specificationsline. Now go the front of the Tarptent and repeat the sequence with the front door flap but leave a little slack to compensate for the zipper. Draw a line along the netting corresponding to the pins. This is the zipper line and you will need to trim the netting back to this line. Take down the Tarptent and sew the zipper to the right side of the Tarptent You will need to sew one side to the right edge of the roof and the other side to the edge of the netting.
Be sure to block the top of the zipper to prevent complete separation by sewing an extra piece of nylon tape across the zipper. Stitch over the area a few times. Do the same thing to the bottom of the zipper by separately taping each bottom edge and stitch to prevent unraveling. Finish sewing the rear window along the pin line. Set up the tent again and pin the corners of the netting so that they hang straight and slightly inward. Each corner should form a pocket (for placing rocks/shoes/etc. to hold the netting) and the netting should fold to the inside. There should be about 7 inches of netting to the inside of the tent. Trim the netting as desired. In the field, place objects along the netting border, as needed, to complete the bug seal. When you have finished pinning the material, take the Tarptent down and sew the netting along the pin lines. Options (Why? Because we got 'em.)Sorry no moon roofs or 4-speaker stereos. But if it's beaks or floors you want, you came to the right place. Adding a Beak
A beak is an awning that partially covers the front of the tent. I have made it a standard part of the Tarptent-for-2 and consider it optional for the original Tarptent. It adds about 1 ounce to the overall weight of the finished product. In either case, it will not be needed except when the tent front is aimed into the blowing rain. A beak will, however, allow the front netting to be left open during most storms--a benefit for increasing airflow in wet weather--and allow you to scootch up toward the front. Like the door netting, the beak is designed to be rolled up and stored with velcro when not needed. Click here for printable pattern
Adding a FloorThe Tarptent is designed to have an open floor with netting border. Typically a groundcloth forms the interior. I always carry a groundcloth made of Tyvek Housewrap--a very tough and highly water resistant fabric used in building construction--and center it inside the Tarptent. My groundcloth measures 3 x 6 1/2 feet and weighs about 5 ounces.
Another option is to fill the space with a full netting, Tyvek, Silnylon, or combination floor.
A removable floor is the best of all worlds because it gives you flexibility to sleep out or in without having to carry an extra groundcloth. Here's how to make one. Determine the dimensions of your groundcloth. Now cut or piece together a netting floor insert to match the interior dimensions of the "hole" in the Tarptent or Tarptent-for-2 (see above) and create a another hole in the middle of the netting insert that is an inch or two smaller than your groundcloth. Sew velcro to the corners and middle of the long sides as shown.
Sew corresponding velcro patches to your groundcloth as shown.
Sew the netting insert to the netting flaps on the tarptent (except the front door) and press the groundcloth velcro patches onto the netting insert. Your completed floor should now look like this,
A combination netting/removable floor should add 1-1.5 ounces to the overall Tarptent weight (not including the weight of the groundcloth). A full netting floor would add about 4 ounces. Finishing TouchesSet up the Tarptent again and seam seal the main ridge seam and, if you wish, the seams around the pullouts. You may also wish to sew small loops at the front of ridgeline and about 1 foot toward the rear for use as a small clothesline or flashlight holder. An additional benefit of these two loops is that they double as a ridgeline tightener. Click here for additional Tarptent-for-2 finishing touches. But Do I Really Want to Make One...Since I first published this document, many people have asked me if I have any original Tarptents to sell. The answer is no because the new, next generation Tarptents are so much better. If you'd still like an original Tarptent, I've authorized Moonbowgear to produce them. Five Months on the PCT
I put the Tarptent through an extensive field test during my hike. For nearly 5 months on the trail, the Tarptent was truly my home. Overall, it performed like a champ and I stayed exceptionally dry and warm during my walk. I do, however, have a few comments and suggestions for future Tarptent users.
The Tarptent will be forever linked with the most incredible journey of my life. That's it! I hope you enjoy your original Tarptent or Tarptent-for-2 and please feel free to contact me with comments or suggestions.
Henry Shires info@tarptent.comTarptent is a trademark of Henry Shires. I assume no responsibility with regard to the Tarptent's performance or use. © 1999-2016 by Henry Shires. All rights reserved. |
16/02/2017: ‘It is easy to forget that the memoirs of a little girl who watched
Native Americans on horseback and saw herds of buffalo on the plains happened
within living memory of my elders when I was born’.
14/02/2017: An Excursion to the
‘After bathing in the Thompson, which we found about up to our waists, and very cold, we had breakfast, and made another start. We crossed the bridge and ascended the opposite hill. The track was good, and after a time we got among the green saplings and wattles. They were about 9 inches at the butt and about 30 feet high. They grew thickly on each side of the track, and were often fallen across it. So we continued for about 2 miles, apparently keeping near the ridge of a spur. At this point the track turned a little off the ridge to the right, crossing the head of a valley, which ran south, to join the Thompson.
Just as we got across this valley we came to a pile of huge granite holders, and from this spot we got a fine view down the valley, and up the Thompson, with Mount Baw Baw in the back ground. Just beyond there was a heavy fall of dead, timber, which we got past with some difficulty. The track was again clear for a little. It then crossed the ridge, and we got on to a sideling sloping to our left. Here we came to another heavy fall of dead timber. Some logs 100 feet long and several feet through at the butt had fallen across the track, bringing down with them great quantities of the sap-lings and wattles. The track was blocked in this way for 100 yards or more. We had to endeavor to carry our packs over the obstacle, and then find places where the horse would jump the logs, or they were sufficiently broken to enable him to scramble over them, and move the saplings for him to get there.
We loaded again, and proceeded a few hundred yards. Here we came to a worse
block, and extending a long way ahead. It had taken us two hours hard work to
traverse the eighth of a mile. We were then 12 miles from
On our return to the granite knoll we admired the view at greater leisure. The undulating ridge of the plateau, covered with foliage of diverse tints; the red of the gum saplings contrasting with the deep green of the wattles and the huge black and white trunks that at intervals towered above it. In the back ground were Mt. Baw Baw appearing as an isolated group of rounded pyramids or conical domes rising to a great height above the plateau on the south-east, and that notwithstanding that the granite knoll was 2600 feet above M'Mahon's, or between 3000 and 1000 feet above the sea, and the ground between us and Baw Baw was rising. We returned to the Thompson, and camped a second time upon the same spot.
The next day we left our camp standing and walked to the Yarra to have
another cooler at the falls. We had a pleasant walk through the beech forest,
the dark shade of which was set off by the straggling gleams of bright sunlight
which found their way between the trees. We had lunch under a small fall. A
little above this was a great fall, which was shaded by the ferns, and very
pretty. We then began to descend the great fall from the top, keeping near the
edge of the creek, and saw a fine series of cascades. Still, we could see but a
small por-tion at once. After getting over 100 or 200 feet, we came to a high
rock, jutting out on the left bank of the stream. To the top of this we
climbed, and were rewarded with a magnificent view. The face of the fall was
visible for 300 or 400 feet, the upper and lower portion gleaming through a
pale green veil of ti-tree. Looking outwards, we could see far down the
The next day we struck our camp on the Thompson, and for the two succeeding
days we proceeded without difficulty till we got to
At tbe foot of
We were not a little glad when we again made the Excelsior shaft. After this the travelling was easy. On reaching the place where the old track turned off to Alderman's Creek, we thought we would follow it and camp there. But finding the descent would be very great, we turned back and camped on the ridge, which the supply of water in the hut enabled us to do.
The next day we set out for Reefton. Not withstanding the rain which had taken place, the little water holes were quite dry. Going down the thick spur we had a fine view of a nameless mountain mass on the opposite side of the Yarra, whose steep and rugged sides were seamed with an irregular network of foliage. We descended the deep spur, and arrived at Reefton. We had eaten up all our provisions, our boots were nearly worn off our feet, our garments were ragged, but we were in good spirits, for we had seen the falls.
Here we met Mr. Lewis, and were hospitably entertained by him and his wife,
which we thoroughly appreciated, and next day left for the metropolis. On
reaching
When I arrived at the river, I saw cattle tracks along the bank and knew there must be somebody living not far off. After following it down for about three miles, I suddenly came upon a selector's bark mansion. To my surprise there were some girls outside, more surprised than I was, not only as to my state of dress, but as to where I had come from, as there had not been anybody through this part for about five years. After regaling myself with a delicious glass of gooseberry wine, I passed on to the next crossing, where a miner lives, who kindly gave me a good tea and put me on the track to Mount Lookout a distance of two miles, uphill all the way (by the clock), where I arrived at eleven o'clock at night, and was refused a bed till I convinced the proprietor that I was not a sun-downer on the wallaby track.
... It would have taken at least a week to do the four miles after I left you with the pack horse." We saw lyre birds at intervals all the way along the South Dividing Range of the Yarra, and thence as far as we went, and we also saw trace of wombats, and we killed a snake on Mount Horsefall, bnt we neither saw nor heard any other animals, whether birds or beasts. This absence of life made the part we passed through particularly silent, except for the sound of the wind among the trees, or of falling water when we were near the Yarra, Different members of the party drew com-parisons between the Yarra Falls and other waterfalls they had seen— the Stevenson, the Erskine, the Watts, the Eurobbin, the Wentworth, the Wannon.
In general character the
I saw none of these slides on the Yarra, the fall being broken by short slopes only. While the Yarra falls over the edge of a precipitous and wooded declivity, the Watts rushes down the bottom of a vast and steep gorge between Mount Juliet and Mount Strickland, the wooded sides of which descend to the water's edge in steep unbroken slopes of, I should say, at least 2000 feet. As compared with the Eurobbin Falls in Victoria and the Wentworth in New South Wales, the Yarra Falls were considered to contain more water, but do not present the feature of an unbroken fall of vast height which distinguishes the former. As compared with the Loutit Bay Falls, I do not think I saw on the Yarra any one cascade unbroken by steps as high as the Splitter's Falls, or even as the falls of the Erskine. But both these latter falls are seen from valleys where the view is much shut in, and where consequently, the actual height is not liable to be dwarfed by comparison with greater heights or depths.
A further question that may arise is how far the
There is a certain pleasure to be derived from encountering and surmounting
difficulties. The mind is completely taken out of its accustomed train by the
immediate necessity of devoting the whole attention to the passing incidents of
the journey. The extent to which this is the case few people will conceive who
have never taken a trip of the kind. One appears to forget, for the time,
everyday life, as if he had been all his life a wanderer in the wilderness. To
those who look at things in this light I would recommend a trip to the
At the present time settlement is prevented by the inaccessible nature of the country, but this would not be a permanent obstacle ; a little engineering skill would no doubt carry a dray road on to the plateau, after which there would bo no further difficulty, except from vegetation. Some years hence, therefore, there may be a movement to take up this country. Since my return I have been questioned as to the character of the soil; I said it was good, but of course no grass would grow under the timber, "That," the answer was, "is a small matter. If the soil is good it is easy to ring the trees."
It is a matter, therefore, for consideration what ought to be done in anticipation of such a movement. It would add to the colony some square miles of summer pastures and perhaps of cornfields, but it would have other effects of a different character. The snow no longer shaded by the dark foliage of the beech trees would, melt more rapidly. The ground exposed to the summer sun would harden and absorb less water, and there would be a probable diminution of the rainfall, The result would be disastrous floods in the spring when the snow melted, followed by a quickly diminished pe-manent flow of the stream during the summer. It would seem well, therefore, that some steps should be taken permanently to preserve these forests in their present state. How far this is now done incidentally by reason of tbe country being included in auriferous reserves I do not know.’
Turns out there is still more to find out about the
‘State Party Marooned. Trafalgar and Yarragon Times Friday 8th February 1918.
Tourist Hut Gives Shelter.
Under the above heading the Herald on Monday last says:-
When the storm broke on Saturday a Parliamentary and departmental party led by Mr. Barnes, M.L.A., which was returning on horseback from a trip to the head of the Yarra to inspect the district timber resources took shelter in the tourist hut near Yarra Falls.
"The rain fell in bucketsfull", said one member of the party today in describing his experience.
"Men and horse soon looked as if they had been wading through a stream. Our boots were full of water. When we reached the tourist hut we had to strip off our clothes and dry them at a fire. While our clothes dried we had to be content with less raiment than is ordinarily worn in the busy haunts. We had a Railway Department photographer with us but he refrained from snapshoting us as we wore rags and other coverings, which are stored at the hut. We stayed all Saturday night at the hut, and left on Sunday morning."
The party, in addition to Mr. Barnes consisted of Mr. M. Hannah, M.L.A. vice-chairman, and members of the New Industries Institute.’
Once again I am grateful to Thomas Osburg for finding and sharing these historic treasures.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-trip-to-the-upper-yarra-in-1907-camping-near-mcveighs/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/yarra-falls-shelter-house/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/from-1925-the-baw-baw-track-notes-of-a-recent-visit/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/secrets-of-the-yarra-walshs-creek-yarra-falls/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/yarra-falls-3/
13/02/2017: Don’t like Google’s intrusiveness? You can get most Apps here without a Google account: http://en.uptodown.com/android If you go to their site you will see that each App has already been checked by perhaps 50 Anti Virus programmes to be safe – no doubt you can also run it past your own. This may be the next best thing to outright ‘jailbreaking’ your phone, which you might alos consider if yout are obsessed by privacy issues.
For example you can download the old version of ‘Pdf Maps’ which allows you to open an infinite number of maps. You have to uncheck 'Update' to continue its functionality. This is really good for opening GPS enabled Vicmaps on your mobile phone.
12/02/2017:
I would estimate it to take at least three hours from Webbs Track to
You can also put in at the intermediate point Burns Track (just a km above the junction). This would be a good place to check the canoeability of the East branch before you try it from Webbs all the way down. Keep an eye on the river heights gauge http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDV60154.html to see if there is enough water. A decent summer shower should provide you with some fun!
View downstream.
View upstream.
A PS: I had not thought about canoeing the section of the Tanjil downstream
from Blue Rock but apparently they let out 'Environmental Flows' from time to
time which makes this possible. I will post when I know more.
12/02/2017: What
a great poem! Especially the last stanza, and the last line:
Ulysses - Tennyson
It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match’d with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d
Greatly, have suffer’d greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro’ scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honour’d of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’
Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades
For ever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!
As tho’ to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.
This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and thro’ soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.
There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toil’d, and wrought, and thought with me—
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
’Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
11/02/2017: Strange
Stone Circles: I am sick to death of seeing these ubiquitous idiotic
‘structures’. They do nothing to contain the campfire – indeed they are likely
to harbour smouldering embers which wind will later re-ignite into
conflagrations. They are a tripping hazard responsible for many burns injuries.
They are visual squalor. They are almost always in the wrong place. They are
impossible to see once the grass has regrown. I hate to think how many times I
have srubbed my toes on them or come close to damaging my vehicle with them.
They make it almost impossible to slash the grass in summer to prevent
bushfires and are annually responsible for thousands of dollars of damage to
equipment. It is almost always better not to have the fire in the same place
all the time. Individual small campfires cause interesting regrowth responsible
for the propagation and preservation of many rare species, particularly
orchids. Permanent campfires just sterilize that spot and create no renewal
opportunities. In any case, they are almost always symptomatic of summer
campers who should have no campfire at all given the likely enhanced wildfire
danger, and that it is not cold enough to require a fire. You almost never see
these structures erected by winter campers such as deer hunters. Let’s stamp
them out, please!
10/02/2017: Escaping the Heat: Who needs an air
conditioner? Go up a thousand metres and you lose approx 8C. The Baw Baw
Plateau this week has been beautiful with maximums in the low twenties whilst
folks below in the
There are lots of spots you can camp all along eg the Forty Mile Break Rd (North of Noojee) which is mown to a width of nearly two chains all around the magnificent mountain ash which form a broad avenue along it. Certainly one of the five most beautiful (2WD) roads in Australia (open November to May). Along the Baw Baw Plateau (4-600 metres higher) it was even cooler. How glorious to be camped eg at Mt Whitelaw or Mt St Phillack saddle in this weather.
Here we are set up in a sheltered shady spot atop Mt Horsefall – with even a mobile and internet connection!
The view out our front door.
Spot takes a closer look at that magnificent view over the
Of course we were even able to cool off on the way with a quick trip to the
beautiful
Map: See Rooftop’s ‘
08/02/2017: Hammock Pad Extender: Ed Speer hit on this lightweight way to ensure that you stay warm in your hammock many years ago. You could make this yourself in a lightweight nylon (eg .7 oz/yd2, such as this: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/online-shop/argon-67) I don’t need the insulation for my knees as I always sleep on my bnack in a hammock, so mine would weigh half of the one shown in the photo ie less than a square yard of fabric plus two pieces of evazote 1 ½’ x 6”, so less tha 2 ounces anyway.
https://web.archive.org/web/20060115191541/http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm
08/02/2017: The secret of true happiness: Study,
Majority Of Humans Happiest When Rest Of Family Still Asleep: http://www.theonion.com/article/study-majority-humans-happiest-when-rest-family-st-55243
07/02/2017: DIY Netless hammock: Over the years
we have made lots of hammocks, but we would have made a better job of we had
followed some expert instructions. The following instructions and photos were
kindly provided by Simon McGuire at Tier Gear,
Tier Gear: http://www.tiergear.com.au/
Above: the Goshawk hammock. This is what your completed hammock should look like (minus the insect netting).
‘Part 1 - Sewing the hammock body
Tools required:
a. Sharp scissors or rotary cutter
b. Fabric marking pencil or similar
c. Measuring tape or ruler
d. Long straight edge
e. Sewing machine
Materials used:
- A good quality polyester or nylon fabric. In this instance I used Argon 1.6 which is a ripstop nylon designed specifically for hammocks.
- Good quality sewing thread. Gutermann's Mara 70 would be a popular choice for the DIYer as would Rasant 75.
Procedure
- Cut your fabric to the length you require, taking into account the end channels and some loss of length when you gather the hammock. For a 3.3metres length hammock I start with 3.6 metres of fabric, as my end channels take up 100mm at each end and there is also some loss when the hammock is gathered. Fabric width is usually around 1500mm.
- Sew a rolled hem along both
long sides. Start by folding the edge over once, and then over again. My
hems are usually around 10mm in width but you can go bigger or smaller.
Start by sewing along the inside edge of your hem. A single line of
stitching is adequate but a second line of stitching adds a professional
touch, and some extra reinforcement to your hem. The second line of
stitching should be just inside the outside edge of the fabric.
- Repeat Step 2 on the other
side of your fabric. Once finished the hem on both sides it's time for the
end channels to be sewn on the short sides of the fabric.4. There are a
number of ways to sew the end channels. I measure down 100mm from the end
of the fabric and mark a line across the width of the fabric. I then take
the end of the fabric and fold it over so that it is a couple of mm before
the marked line. Now I fold the end of the fabric over again to just past
the raw edge and this time right on the marked line. This hides the raw
edge inside the channel, and gives you four layers of fabric making up
your channel at a width of about 25mm. If you are going to use the end
channels to run your suspension directly through then this end channel may
be made larger if required.5. Now you are going to sew the end channel
down. Depending on how you are going to gather the hammock you will need
to sew at least 2 lines of stitching, though 1 would be adequate, or 3 if
you are going to run the suspension through the channel and hence making
the stitching on the end channel weight bearing. I do not run the
suspension through the end channel so I only sew 2 lines of stitching.6.
Sew the first line of stitching along the inside edge of the end channel,
and then the second line of stitching 4-5mm inside of the this. This
second line of stitching ensure you capture the raw edge of the fabric
inside the end channel.
- Repeat steps 4-6 at the other end of the fabric.8. Congratulations that is your hammock body sewn. Basically I could have broken it down to: sew a rolled hem on both long sides, then sew a bigger rolled hem along the short sides and then gather - job done! It really is that simple.
Part 2: Gathering the hammock, and attaching the suspension
Once your hammock is sewn the next step is gathering the ends. There are numerous ways to do this, including methods which don't require the sewing of end channels in your fabric but I will leave those methods to people who have experience with them. These methods require the sewing of an end channel as detailed in part 1 of making a net-less camping hammock.
Essentially when gathering the ends of your hammock, you are simply inserting something through the channel and tightening it in order to essentially a ball of fabric.
Method 1:
The first method involves running your suspension directly through the channel e.g. your whoopie sling or continuous loop, and cinching tight. This produces a clean looking finish, and is the method probably most commonly used by camping hammock manufacturers. This method places stress on the end channel stitching so you want to ensure you lay down some solid stitches, and have at least 3 parallel rows using quality sewing thread. It is not recommended for lightweight fabrics, where failures have been known to occur. It also produces a consistent gather of the hammock without much fuss.
If attaching a whoopie sling insert the fixed loop through the end channel
Run the adjustable loop of the whoopie through the fixed loop
Cinch tight and you are done. (Note: in the photo below there is only 2 rows of stitches, 3 are recommended for this method)
Method 2:
This method involves running a cord, or some people use a cable (zip) tie, to gather the ends. Your suspension, e.g. whoopie sling or fixed loop, is then girth hitched over the hammock fabric below the gather you have just created. The gather prevents the suspension from slipping off the end of the hammock. This method does not place any stress on your end channel stitching, and is fine to use on lightweight fabrics as well as heavier fabrics. There is some minor fiddling required when attaching your suspension to ensure a consistent gather of the fabric. If you like being able to change out your suspension quickly or play with different setups this is the method for you.
Insert cord through end channel. In this instance I am using 2mm VB cord.
Next you can tie a knot as per Knotty's method on Hammock Forums, insert a cable (zip) tie, or use a small cord lock as I have done below.
The cord lock method leaves a length of cord, depending on how long you cut it, I use around 600-650mm, which you can attach a mitten hook to the end and this gives you an attachement point for a peak bag, pillow of whatever you want at the ends of the hammock.
Next you need to attach your suspension by girth hitching to the fabric below
the gather. If using a whoopie sling you simply run the adjustable loop of the
whoopie sling through the fixed loop of the whoopie, and cinch tight. You may
need to move the fabric around a little to ensure the fabric is gathered
consistently.
You can run the suspension over the top of the gather as per below,
or run your suspension through the middle of the gather as per the photo below
Rather than attach the whoopie sling directly to the hammock, another option is use a continuous loop which allows you to disconnect your whoopie sling from the hammock, or allows you to easily change between whoopie slings or webbing based suspensions. Another advantage is if the distance between your two anchor points is too close then the loops can be attached directly to your tree straps through the use of a marlin spike hitch.
Whoopie hook spliced onto whoopie sling adjustable bury and attached to
continuous loop.
There are many options when making hammocks, and those options listed above are but a few.
Happy hanging.’
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-netless-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
06/02/2017: If Bernardi does quit tomorrow, will there be a spill?
05/02/2017: I just love the wild
places, and have long ago discovered Teddy’s various books about hunting
too; I think I started with a book about hound hunting mountain lions in what
is now
The most memorable photo in the book was of a treed ‘lion’ maybe 100’ up a pinon pine with a huge hound baying at him from about 6’ below: "The encouragement of a proper hunting spirit, a proper love of sport, instead of being incompatible with a love of nature and wild things, offers the best guaranty of their preservation." Theodore Roosevelt. Yes! You might begin your ‘love affair’ with Teddy perhaps with this book, ‘The Wilderness Hunter’ https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Hunter-Classic-Reprint/dp/1332803369
04/02/2017: How to
fall and not break your bones: ‘The other thing to avoid…is “foosh,” an
acronym for “falling onto outstretched hands.” If you do that, all the force of
impact will be concentrated there, raising the risk of breaking your wrist. You
similarly don’t want to come crashing down on your knee so you break your
kneecap or do that manoeuvre where you kind of pedal with your feet to catch
yourself, which can lead to broken bones in your foot and ankle. Instead, if
you feel yourself falling, experts said you should bend your elbows and knees
and try to take the hit on the fleshiest parts of your body, like the side of
your thigh, buttocks and shoulder. “Aim for the meat, not bone,” said Kevin
Inouye, a stuntman and assistant professor of acting, movement and stage combat
at the
03/02/2017: The Ethical Hunter: I really appreciate feedback such as this - and what a stunning photograph:
‘I recently read your sambar stalking
articles and really appreciated your old school view point. I have been a hunter/bushy for most of my life, but what I
haven’t taught myself I learnt from my old man, who is very much and old school
bushy. I've mostly traveled the bush on my own (in a 4x4) all through the Vic
high country.
Although new to sambar stalking as
such, ever since I was a kid, I used to try and stalk rabbits, read their body
language, anticipate their next move, practice moving slowly, quietly, etc. I
still need to pull my finger out and get a decent deer gun, and my game
license, but I had a bit of a stalk while away over the Xmas break, and managed
to get this photo of a doe and fawn.
I don’t have the best camera gear yet
so the longest focal length lens I have is 135mm. I stalked these two up to
about 30 yards, got this one photo, and they bolted (I swear it was the sound
of the shutter that set them off!) Had I had a 270 rather than a camera, I'd
probably be butchering now rather than talking to you.
That said, its always been about the
hunt for me, not the kill. I've taken 50 odd rabbits in a night, and not had
the same feeling of accomplishment as I did after stalking these two deer. I
couldn't agree more with the points you make (camo clothes, trail cameras, 500
yard shots, scopes, pretty much all of the points you make). I've always loved the elusive sambar stag, I guess I kind of
relate to them, to their solidarity, the way everybody is gunning for them, the
untamed country they call home, reminds me a lot of myself a bit.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your
articles. I have bookmarked your website, and I will no doubt refer to it many
times in the future. I really appreciated your view, tips, tricks etc.
Especially the iron sights, and no camo. Thank you
very much for putting it out there, very much appreciated from a not so young
bloke that’s just getting into sambar, but trying to do it the right way, the
respectful, ethical way...
Thank you. Thanks heaps mate.
I've spent way more time than I should have reading your articles the past day or so. For me at least, its great to read the ethical hunter point of view, and without firing a shot, I’ve learnt more from reading your website than I have from years of listening to others talk crap about the latest and greatest camo gear, or trail cameras. I genuinely do appreciate the info you have put out for us all. Any ethical, respectful (of the animal) hunter would be well advised to take the advise of blokes like you. Thank you,’ Matt Elder. (And thank you, Matt Elder).
03/02/2017: Amazing
Earth: a lava ‘waterfall’ in
03/02/2017:
02/02/2017: Poly Tent by The Ultralight Hiker on the Cheap: As part of a series on economy backpacking, I bring you my new poly tent made from a ‘standard 8’ x 10’ poly tarp bought from the local Churchill $2 shop. This one cost me A$7.99 and took only minutes to make. Mark out the tie-out positions as shown. Use Tarp clips or polystyrene balls as tie outs - so actual tie out position will be about 2” inside the fabric edge. Tie Apex to an extended hiking pole (4’ height) as shown. Peg out Rear point, then two End points approx 6” forward. Then loosely toe out two Front points (as shown) then two Side points. Cut slit. Attach tie downs to Flaps for closure. Place ground sheet (and dog) inside. Enjoy.
As you can see, Spot is now an uncle.
Fully open.
Interior: inside 6’ x 4’ poly tarp ground sheet.
Fully open.
Storm mode.
Rear.
Made in minutes from one of these.
Plan.
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-egg-ring-ultralight-wood-burner-stove/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-side-burner-metho-stove/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/super-cat-metho-stove/
01/02/2017:
See: http://finnsheep.com/THE%20UPPER%20YARRA%20WALKING%20TRACK.htm
Early
Trips to
Upper
Yarra Falls: To the Editor of the Argus: Sir, Mr. Panton's letter on the
discovery of Mount Donna Buang, that appeared in "the Argus" of the
lst inst, brought back to me recollections of the time-half a century ago when
I was one of the many hardy prospectors who penetrated the dense scrubs and
steep mountain ranges of the Upper Yarra, in search of gold. I have still a
vivid recollection of the night -a most uncomfortable one-I passed with Mr.
Panton on Queen's Birthday Creek, on May 24, 1866; but I think that gentleman
makes an error when he alludes to me as the discoverer of the falls near the
head of the river.
I am under the impression that they were
visited by a party of surveyors in the year 1845. I certainly re-discovered
them in 1867, and named the waterfall (there are several) after Mr. Panton. It
would be a graceful act to abandon the present name (
Yarra
Falls 1888. This is the middle part of a 3 part article. Leader (Melbourne,
Vic. 1862 - 1918), Saturday 22 November 1884, page 16 The Contributor: An Excursion to the
We struck camp next morning at half-past
nine. Just after starting we noticed a tree marked W. From this we understood
that we had been encamped on the two mile water. This made our march of the
previous day a little over 8 miIes, The height of our camp measured by the
barometer was 1700 feet above McMahon's, We proceeded along the south watershed
of the Yarra in a general easterly direction. The prevailing character of the
country was the same as on the evening before, The track was often perceptible
as a sort of avenue through the scrub, though in the clearest places knee deep
in ferns and wire grass and obstructed by logs.
We passed through several saddles
separated by small rills. At about twelve o'clock we could see a great spur
coming in to join the ridge we were following from the north - that is on our
left, This could be nothing else than the right watershed of Alderman's Creek.
We were, therefore, making good progress, and might hope to reach the Yarra
that night. So we went on for another half hour, when our horse, in getting
over a log, slipped and fell. He could not rise again with the pack and we had
to unload him, but he was none the worse.
As we began to ascend the hill we found
the sides and top of it covered with huge logs hundreds of foot long, as if it
had been cleared by a survey party, The interstices between them were filled
with tall bracken and scrub with white flowers, and the track seemed altogether
obliterated. We made our way very slowly round and over the logs, and presently
the horse got another fall, and we had to unload and reload again.
There was a good look out from many places
down the
At about four o'clock we began to descend
a little, and get into a forest, in which the beech tree was the prevailing
timber, though largely mixed with tall gums and messmates. But little
vegetation grows under a beech tree; what there was was the blue gum fern with
the crimped frond I have noticed before. Moreover, the beech tree is seldom
uprooted. It slowly decays as it stands and falls piecemeal, The ground in a
beech forest is therefore encumbered by but little fallen timber.
As soon as we got under the beech trees
the track improved very much. They were mingled, however, with very tall
messmates, from which large quantities of dry bark in strips 4 or 5 inches
across and 30 or 40 feet long or more had fallen to the ground, and lay in
large coils. These continually tangled our feet, and it was difficult to get
free of them, One would continually find one was dragging a tail behind many
feet long. On getting under the beech trees the prevailing tints again changed.
The black earth was bare, and varied shades of brown or dark green met the eye
in every direction.
Towards the south and east the slope was
so steep that we got a look out over Gippsland as far as the ranges in the
neighbourhood of Baw Baw. The earth seemed everywhere moist; in places one
could hear the water under one's feet. The track continued slowly to descend,
and our view became shut in on all sides. About six o’clock we found ourselves
in a saddle. This we identified upon our tracing as about 6 miles from our camp
of the night before And 4 miles from the Yarra. It seemed a likely place to
find water. There were a few beech trees and messmates on the saddle, and a
forest of white gums, tall, slender poles like the mast of a ship, 300 feet
high at the least, with a tuft of foliage at the top. There was a fern tree
gully coming up to the saddle on each side. The earth was black and moist, and
for the most part bare.
R. found a good stream of water a little
way down on the south side of the saddle, so we determined to camp. We pitched
the tent under two beech trees, whose thick foliage would protect us from any
sticks that might be blown off from the gums, and made our bed of fronds cut
from the ferns. When we got up the next morning a strong north wind was
blowing, shaking the tall, white ferns like corn stalks, bending them as if to
break with a great roaring noise. We did not make a start until about half-past
ten, when we at once began to ascend out of the saddle, and soon came out into
the sunshine on to a hill covered with fallen timber and sword grass, and from
which there was a good view of the opposite ranges. The logs had rotted and
broken into fragments, and were therefore not the obstacle they had been on
After a little we again descended into a
beech forest. Here the track was clearer than we had yet found it. It was
obstructed by little else than small sticks. There was a little of the usual
green fern, but except for that the ground was clear of undergrowth on all
sides. The dark foliage of the beech trees overhead shut out the sky. In order
to keep the track it was necessary to keep a sharp look out for blazes.
After about a couple of miles gum trees
again appeared mixed with the beech trees, and we were again troubled by fallen
timber. About the same time we found growing in the track tall solitary stalks
of grass like oats which shot up with a stem as thick as one's finger, seven or
eight feet high. Finding the horse would eat the two gathered bundles of it, as
we went along. A little after twelve o'clock the horse got another fall getting
over a log. We had to unload, and determined to have lunch.
When we again made a start we found it had
been raining heavily, and that the scrub was very wet. In a little while we got
out of the beech forest, and began to ascend a hill covered with tall standing
gums and thick bracken up to our shoulders. Through this we pushed our way,
getting drenched through. When we gained the top of the hill we found our track
appeared to leave the ridge, and turn down the sideling to the north-east.
After turning down on the sideling we were soon again in a beech forest, and
out of the high wet bracken.
In about half a mlle we came to tho creek,
which was broad and shallow, scarcely covering the ground. It crossed the track
from left to right- not from right to left, as marked in our tracing. The
descent from the ridge to this creek was not more than 200 or 300 feet, and not
at all steep, considering it was on a sideling. We crossed the creek and
ascended to tho ridge on the opposite side. Crossing it we descended on a
sideling to the Yarra, which we at once passed over. It was a much smaller
stream than that we have left at McMahon’s, being about 30 feet wide and about
up to our ankles, with, however, a good current.
The scene was a peculiar one. It was still
raining hard. Heavy clouds rested on the tops of the beech trees from 50 to 70
feet above us, which lined the river banks and covered the slopes, and hung in
festoons between them, but below it was clear. We had no time to stand and
watch it, however, being wet through. We had to get to work and camp at once.
In about twenty minutes we had a fire big enough to roast an ox. Having pitched
our tent we looked about for something to make a bed of, and the best thing we
could find was a heap of bark at the foot of a neighbouring messmate. This we
dragged in front of the fire and dried, after which we had our evening meal
round the fire. We stood up round it for some time drying clothes, while the
horse stood warming his nose on the opposite side of the fire. Finally we
turned in.
We were up at six the next morning. There
was still a slight rain, We had breakfast, and at half-past eight we started in
search of the falls. Our camp was shown by the barometer to be 2100 foot above
McMahon’s or only 500 feet lower than the top of
We accordingly started down stream,
crossing a considerable tributary on the right bank just below our camp, Tho
river ran through a beech forest, and as nothing will grow under the beech
trees, its banks were without that fringe of peculiar vegetation which is
usually such a marked feature in an Australian river or creek. After a little
we went over to the left bank, and crossed a small creek which joined the river
on that bank, we then came upon a series of small hills, perhaps altogether
fifty or sixty, There was, however, a good indication of something better. We
could see a light through the trees ahead as from a largo clearing. This
appearance could only be occasioned by the edge of an abrupt declivity.
We pushed on and soon began to get
glimpses of a valley a long way below us, and to hear tho roar of a great fall.
The beech forest ceased with the edge of that declivity, and the slopes below,
when not too steep and bare for anything either to grow or stand on, were
covered with undergrowth, mostly ti-tree. To see the fall we must get below it.
We accordingly descended as rapidly as a regard for our necks would permit
several hundred feet, and made our way on to a ledge down to the water. From
this point we could see the water falling above and below us over a face of
dark rocks in a series of steps. The fall was shaded by ti-tree, with
occasional tree ferns on the ledges. The spray fell like rain. We were too
close to the face of the fall, and tho ledge we were on would not permit us
getting further out.
We were not the first persons who had
viewed the Yarra falls from this spot, for we saw a tree with a blaze on it, on
which was a name, partly overgrown with bark, which we mado out to be A. Burns.
We then crossed over, scrambled along the face of the cliff and made our way
down another hundred feet or two, and got another view of the falls, with,
however, the disadvantage that we were too close to see far up or down. This
point was by the barometer 550 feet below the top of tho fall. We could see the
fall for about 50 feet below it. It was a continuous fall all the way,
interrupted only by small ledges. There is, however, no reason to suppose that
the lowest point to which we could see was anywhere near the bottom of the
fall. Judging from the appearance of the valley it was far from being so. The
total height of the fall therefore, can scarcely be less than 700 feet or 900
feet; it is probably 1000 feet.
We had not seen by any means as much of
the falls as we should have liked, but we were compelled to return. It was
Tuesday, and R. had to be In a distant part of
In returning we got a view of a great
cascade, forming the top-most rip on the fall, which we had not seen going
down. By half-past one we had regained our camp. We then bathed in the Yarra,
had lunch, struck our camp, and started for the Thompson, where we hoped to
camp that night. It was shown by our tracing to be 4 miles distant. The track
in the first instance followed the ridge of the very low spur between the main
arm of the Yarra and tho tributary that joined it just below our camp. After a
little the track forked; we took, the left fork, which took us down to the
tributary at a point where two creeks united to form it; beyond this the track
was not apparent.
After a little we found a place where a
tent had been pitched, with a rude platform of round timber to raise it off the
ground. We had evidently come upon an old surveyor's camp. That explained how
it was that the track ran out. We accordingly returned and took tho right hand
fork of the track. After we had gone about three quarters of a mile the track
turned down to and crossed the creek on our left, and shortly afterwards began
to ascend a ridge on a sideling. The top of this ridge was not. more than 100
feet or so above our camp. On it we found white gum timber. The ridge was
narrow, and the track immediately descended on a sideling on the other side,
about 300 feet into a narrow valley containing a fine stream of water. The
sides of the valley were lined with beech trees, with a few tree ferns. This
creek must form the right fork of the Yarra as laid down on the maps; and as
its level appeared lower than the top of the falls, must join, the left fork
below them.
Crossing the creek we ascended on a steep
sideling on the other side to a height somewhat greater than that from which we
had descended, and found ourselves in a forest of white gums mixed with beech
trees, with a good deal of undergrowth. The creek, however, continued tolerably
clear. We were now upon the crest of the dividing range, between the waters of
the Yarra and the Thompson, marked on the maps as Wright's Range. A little
before seven o'clock the track began to descend gently, and we reached a fine
stream of water crossing the track from north to south, spanned by a good log
bridge. This stream, which was much larger than either fork of the Yarra, or, I
should say, than both of them together, we made out to be the Thompson. Here we
determined to camp.
A little way up from the river, to the
right of the track we had come by we found an open glade carpeted with good
grass. On this were the remains of an old survey camp, consisting of log
platforms, similar to that we had noticed on the Yarra. There appeared to be a
succession of rich glades along the river, divided only by low scrub, tall
timber not being found till some little way up the slopes on either side. There
was, therefore, a clear view up and down tho river for some way over the top of
the scrub. We could see the sky, too, overhead and in front of us. All this was
a change after the dense grass through which we had been travelling for the
last four days, The edge of the other valley was lined with large white gums,
say 100 foot high, with straight, thick limbs tapering to the top, and wide
spreading arms a little more than half way up. The slopes behind were covered
with a mass of plants of different kinds. Every here and there above this rose
to a great height huge logs, white with age and black with fire, without limbs,
broken at the top.
Though generally impressed by the view,
there was a feeling of solitude connected with this camp not experienced
elsewhere in the course of this trip. The height of this camp was 2300 feet
above McMahon’s, or only 100 feet lower than our camp on the Yarra. We were
still, however, above a high plateau, as high or higher than the top of
01/02/2017: This is
truly astonishing: Images of giant planets orbiting a star 129 light years
away. I do so love progress: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/a-four-planet-system-in-orbit-directly-imaged-and-remarkable/
31/01/2017: Extreme
kayaking: Watch Kayakers Take a Beating In 90-Foot Falls: https://gearjunkie.com/kayakers-take-beating-tomata-two
PS: This is not for me and
If you liked this you might also enjoy reading this book: Hell or High
Water, Surviving Tibet’s
30/01/2017: Restore Pdf Maps Functionality: I recommended this App back in Nov ’14: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gps-phone-apps-25k-vicmaps/ Many folks have probably noticed that their Pdf Maps App has updated to Avenza and that now they are only able to open three maps for free instead of an unlimited number of maps, and that Avenza would like them to pay over $30 per year to restore the functionality they had before!
As I understand it, Pdf Maps (version 1.7.3) is free software –
This Youtube (and others) tells you how to uninstall Avenza and put Pdf Maps in its place. You have to be sure to cancel the ‘Update’ function so this doesn’t happen to you again. Once again you will be able to open an unlimited number of Pdf maps for free - such as can be bought from: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/imf/search/Topo30Front.jsp some of which you may need to walk The Upper Yarra Track, for example: http://finnsheep.com/THE%20UPPER%20YARRA%20WALKING%20TRACK.htm
Happy mapping!
29/01/2017: Wonnangatta:
The strange circle of foam...
And then, the dawn:
We just could not stop snapping away at it.
Della of course took the best photo with her new birthday Galaxy S7.
Then I looked upstream to try to understand where the foam had come from. There was a weird gyre at the head of the pool.
Here it is in detail.
Della also took this photo of Spot and me examining the gyre. The river was so reflective in the early morning light.
Then a small black diver swirled through the mist.
Upstream the pool had become a magic mirror.
Whilst downstream it was a dream of silver...
Then to check out the first rapid. Churning away in a tumult. I opined I could shoot it with each boat in turn as I had the last but one grade 2 rapid (we had portaged the last). Della urged caution as we were far from help. We checked out an old pack track on the true right bank and decided we could carry the boats the 100 metres around it. So we did.
Then we came to the second 'Surprise rapid. A somewhat shorter portage over mostly flattish rocks. This one would definitely have you out. One rock would hurl you one way whilst instantly another would hurl you the other. Paradoxically it might be better with more water. We portaged three times in all, then after a tricky Grade 2 rapid with a sharp right turn in it we were mostly safe on placid waters. We should have portaged it as well as it gave Della quite a fright.
The calm after the storm.
And so it (mostly) went on.
Past these beautiful, interesting trees - the greenest, shadiest most
luxuriant native tree I have ever seen in
And these pretty sweet smelling yellow flowers - perhaps a reader can help me out. I would plant some.
Still half a dozen small rapids before Angusvale. Like this one...
And this.
A bee-eater (one of many we saw) atop this dead bush.
Della was still going strong even though she had quite a shock on the tricky Grade 2 rapid (which we ought have portaged)!
The dogs still showed a lot of interest in our progress...
These bushes are what we used to call 'native willow' They will not do such a good job of retaining the riverbanks though!
The second last rapid.
The last small drop (and Angusvale) are just around the bend. What a delightful three days' adventure. The Wonnangatta is certainly a river to dream of...
You can check the river heights here: http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDV67202/IDV67202.084118.tbl.shtml
Check suggested river heights below. If you are unsure whether there is sufficient water, you can canoe the short (half-hour) section from Meyers Flat to the Cobbanah Creek confluence to check it out.
Appropriate Vicmaps: Cobannah North T8322-4-N and Tabberabbera North T8322-1-N available here: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/imf/search/Topo30Front.jsp Use Avenza App.
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/dawn-surprise-rapid-wonnangatta-river-australia-day-2017/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-one/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-two/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-waterford-to-angusvale-day-three/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/canoe-wonnangatta-the-movie/
28/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Waterford to Angusvale Day Two: The second day we ventured as far as the 'Surprise Rapid' which took us five hours (this is including brief halts for lunch, snacks, etc - and at retiree speeds), but mostly speed is related to water flow, and we are canoeing the Wonnangatta this summer with very low flows because of the effects of the bushfires years ago.
We had camped the first night just before the complete end of private property on the right bank. In most cases there is a public margin where you can camp even though there is private property along the river. It was not long before I spied an enormous stag (without antlers) running with two wild cows and calves which I thought an amazing thing. He was too quick for a photo though! Not long afterwards though our passage was blocked by a party of wild bulls which we waited to disburse - as they were not behaving in the most friendly manner! I judged all of these stock to be wild as they were running on public land/National park and had no eartags and they were clearly all sorts of crossbreeds.
They do look daunting, don't they. I was pretty keen to stop Spot barking and antagonising them!
There were a few more interesting rapids in this section.
And we finally came to the end of the dread willow blight! The riverbanks resumed their beauty.
Some of these rapids would disappear at a greater river height - or become more difficult!
Della is hiding behind that island before she comes down this one:
With a very professional style!
Spot and Tiny look back towards her, most impressed.
After an hour or two a break for a snack.
And then onwards again!
The various herbivores are keeping this national park well mown. There is much more grass on various private properties across the river.
A wedge-tailed eagle combs the cloudy sky.
Another pleasant rapid.
The remains of an old swing bridge I guess.
And Spot investigates a bathtub which may come in handy in case we lose our canoes!
There are some fearsome predators as in these waters (river monsters perhaps - well there are giant carp anyway, nearly a metre long). No carp chewed open this freshwater mussel though.
Paddling on.
You can see the damage the absence of willows creates!
The river has become wider.
Towards the end of the trip there were a couple of Grade 2 rapids, which we checked out before we committed ourselves. This one was OK, but another we portaged. there is no sense in getting yourself injured so far from help - and we are here for a good time.
After five hours we came to the (first of) the Surprise rapids. There are several in quick succession. I reckoned I could get down this one safely. Della demurred, so next day we portaged all of them (there is an old pack track) on the right bank.
Thre is a long languorous deep pool upstream the 'Surprise', a pleasant harbour and a shady spot to rest. We pitched our tent on a little flat about three metres just behind me to my right.
The residents began to come to check us out. Here is a wood duck. Then a giant carp began to repeatedly broach in the deep pool. I tried for an hour to snap a photo of him but to no avail.
You can see how close our tent was to the water. It was a lovely camp. The water was warm enough for a bath (as on the first night). The ground was soft and flat. We enjoyed a pleasant night's rest in the wild.
I went for a little walk back along the river for a couple of kilometres (there are substantial clearings all along it). I saw two does and a stag - again they departed too quickly to get a photo. Della utilised part of one of their relatives to make a 'Clan of the Cave Bear Mask'. Here, she is one of the 'People of the Deer'. Well, she is a dear person anyway to come with me on these wild adventures!
27/01/2017: Wonnangatta:
This is our rig. We spent the first night in the camper. I have arranged a simple drop-in frame which carries the motorbike on one side of our 6 x 4 trailer and the two canoes on the other. I will perfect this and do a separate post about it
. 
We begin the journey.
Many beautiful European trees in this first third.
The first two days were all just pebble races or Grade 1+ rapids. Really enjoyable. We never had to get out of the boats.
A heron watches us pass. The birdlife on the river is rich and varied. Unfortunately it is not possible to get very good photographs with a waterproof pocket camera.
Catleburn Creek confluence about half an hour in. It would be easy to put in here. there is also a lovely car camping spot. The dogs enjoy playing in the sand.
Leaving the Castleburn Creek confluence.
Just cruising.
A splendid long race.
Lots of fun Grade 1 rapids.
These wood ducks were playing 'hide the duckling'.
Some willows needed here.
Spot keeps a close check on Della's progress. Tiny is just' grocking'!
These relict brachychitons (kurrajongs) are a feature of the river (as are bee-eaters!)
Spot wondering whether Della is going to ever make it down this easy race. Here she comes.
The Dargo River confluence, lunch stop for us on a beautiful beach. The willow haters have been at work here.
Della powers along.
Spot surveys with distaste the kilometres of dead willows and wonders, 'Why?'
We usually approached complex rapids (eg this one with its many rocks) carefully, even getting out to check whether it was safe if necessary. This one is fine.
A pair of blue cranes sombrely watch us pass.
A dead tree kangaroo. Possibly a victim of the willow spray!
Just so many beautiful, easy sections of river. You could go to sleep. But don't!
This old-timer had a delightful garden. A good crop of prickly pears there. For the first 5-6 hours there are occasional patches of private land interspersed with bush on either side of the river.
Lichen has taken a lot of trouble to paint these cliffs. The deer are keeping the grass well mown.
I had stopped to look at something when Tiny (faintly) saw Della go past. Thinking she had been abandoned our 17 year old heroine Jack Russell (centre) swam clear across this mighty river to 'save' Della. Six hours in. Time to make camp, perhaps.
And what a delightful river bank camp it is. This is my 'Honey I Shrank' tent (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/honey-i-shrank-the-tent/). Della enjoys a well-deserved cuppa. Spot keeps her company. Tiny hits her bed. I quite agree with Ratty, 'There is simply nothing quite like messing about in boats'!
Right behind our camp (<20 yards away) there was this monstrous wallow, so you can be sure we were serenaded by sambar by moonlight! No cast antlers found unfortunately!
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
27/01/2017: Dawn,
Surprise Rapid,
27/01/2017: A trip
to the
‘On the morning of the 9th inst. a party of seven, consisting of a councillor (hereafter called " The General"), his two sons (" The Farrier" and "The Baker"), a local chemist (" Dr. Pills") and* his son (" Norme"), a contractor known as "The Champion" (tea drinker), and the son of one of Kew's oldest councillors (known as "Captain Moonlight"), left Kew at 8 P.m. with a caravan drawn by two small horses, and two bicycles, en route to the falls at the source of the Yarra River.
Brushy Creek (16 miles) was reached, and a halt was made for lunch, thence through Lilydale to Worri Yallock (32 miles), where the camp was pitched for the night. Fishing was indulged in at night and shooting in the morning.
January 10 -A start was made at 8.30, but at Oak Hill (a few miles further on) the hames broke, and a .new pair had to be purchased. Another start was proposed, but one of the horses objected; consequently, the services of a draught horse were called into requisition, and the whole caravan was safely towed up to the top of this steep hill. Launching Place was reached at 11.30, where the midday meal was disposed of. One thirty to 2 p.m. was occupied in covering the distance to Yarra Junction, where a halt was made until 4 30 p.m. There negotiations were made for the hire of a pair of heavier horses, which were secured at the exorbitant (save the mark !) fee of 10s per day for two horses, a driver, and the keep of the horses. The party then pushed on to the Little Yarra and camped for the night, and were joined at 9 p.m. by "The Measurer."
January 11 -We were met by the driver with the two hired horses, and a start
was made at 7.40 a.m., and we passed through Old Warburton, the new
Here and there bridges have been thrown across the river to connect the settlers on the far side of the river with civilisation on this. The whole scene is picturesque. The timber trade with this railway station is enormous - timber trains are sprung upon you at nearly every turn of the road, and the cartage from outlying districts by bullock wagons has cut the roads up terribly. For the past two years (so we were informed, and we could readily believe it) no attempt at repairs has been made. The consequence is that from this point onwards you have to keep your eyes open continuously for large holes and deep ruts. The balance of the roadway is covered inches deep in dust.
Having laid in a further supply of provisions, we pushed on to Sunnydale (3 miles), where we camped for dinner. This spot is as pleasant a one as the eye could rest upon. The river is almost horse-shoe shape, the soil is of a chocolate volcanic origin, planted with English grasses, and the cattle grazing thereon were in prime condition. The beautiful green tinge of the grass, contrasted very strongly with the brown, sunburnt, natural grasses hitherto met with. Having refreshed the inner man and consoled ourselves with a game of crib, we set out for Starvation Creek, where we purposed camping for the night.
Some three miles short of our destination we were overtaken by two young men on rather flash horses, from whom we made enquiries as to the distance yet to be covered. They were as deficient in knowledge of the locality (if not more so) as we were ourselves. At the conclusion of our inquiries our "corner man"- mounted on his white charger, wearing blue dungarees and leggings, minus a coat, shirt-sleeves rolled up, and hat well drawn down over his eyes - asked, in sonorous tones, " Have you got any money?" The elder youth laughed, but the younger lad's face blanched, and he edged his horse away quick and lively. Thereafter our corner man was known as "Captain Moonlight."
Starvation Creek was reached about 6 p.m., and immediately on passing over the bridge your eyes were drawn to a signboard affixed to a tree, bearing the name, "Starvation Creek" Fastened on to the sign-board was the dry thigh-bone of a bullock, indicative of miners' results in fossicking for gold at that place. We pitched our camp on the flat, and, after tea, went fishing.
At 10 30, when the last of us were retiring for the night, we were attracted by the sound of bullock teams approaching, and, shortly afterwards, two wagons, loaded with 1500 palings each, and drawn by 16 and 14 bullocks respectively, hove in sight. Here, also, the drivers camped for the night, the bullocks being let loose (each with a bell round its neck) to forage as best they may. The bullock drivers had been at work since 5 a.m. They made their bed on some dozen bags of chaff, under a tarpaulin covering, which had been left there by Mr Buller, of the store at McMahon's Creek, three miles further on. Mr Buller is accustomed to leaving half his load at this point on account of the steep hill between Starvation Creek and McMahon's Creek, and so great is the code of honesty in this part that he has never been known to lose a bag.
January 12 -Up at 5.30 a m., our usual hour, and after bathing, breakfast,
and repairing punctured bicycle tyres, the two cyclists covered the three miles
to McMahon's Creek in 25 minutes, notwithstanding the hills and dust. The
peculiarity of this dust, viz., powdered schist rock was that no matter, what
its depth you could always ride through it. A similar depth of dust around
By 12.30 we reached the old mining town of
McVeigh's hotel, at Walsh's Creek, was reached at 5 p.m., and our camp was pitched about a quarter of a mile beyond his house, at the junction of the Wood's Point and Clear Creek roads. Owing to the kindness of Mr McVeigh, five of our number (now increased to 11) were able to sleep in a tent he has had permanently erected on the roadside on a wooden floor, and under a bark roof instead of a fly. Here we met Jimmy Clark, the man who cut the track to the Falls, and received full instructions as to the route to be taken.
Here two curious incidents were noted. The whole of this portion of the
country has been permanently reserved for future water supply purposes for
January 13 -After an early breakfast we started to pack our four horses in a peculiarly up-to-date style of our own, and just before starting, at 10.55, a photo was taken of the turnout. It will be interesting to see how they develop. From this point to the Falls Creek (16 miles) a pack track is followed, which for the most part skirts the Yarra. It is good solid plugging following this track up hill and down dale. At first the four horses were led, but "The General" soon became full of "Captain Moonlight's" charger, and practised his 'prentice hand at bullock driving, and was successful in soon reducing his steed to a worthy pack-horse.
At 2.10 (7 miles) we reached Contention Camp (Bromley's Reef Goldmine), but of this you shall hear more later on. After dinner we caught a few fish, and then pushed on with the intention of camping at Fall's Creek, but at Poverty Bend (3 miles short) we were blocked by fallen timber and had to camp for the night on the track. Bed was sought at 9 p.m. About 11.30 p m. one of our number was awakened by a crashing sound, and on investigation it was found that one of the horses had got loose and had fallen off the track. All hands turned out, and until 2 am axes and tomahawks were used in cutting away timber to free the poor brute, who was jammed between two saplings, with his feet hanging over the creek.
After two and a-half hours' solid graft we were able to pull the horse clear and roll him into the creek, about 2ft. deep. Then "The General" and "The Champion," with lantern and axe, proceeded to lead the horse along the bed of the creek to the crossing, about 200 yards up, but being blocked by fallen timber, tethered him on the further bank for the night, and repaired to the camp-fire to dry their boots and socks. A billy of tea was soon brewed, and bed once more sought.
January 14 -A stir was made at 5.15 a.m., and a reconnoitre being made, it was found necessary to cut a zig-zag track up which to lead the horse. The barometer gave the fall of 47ft. down a 1 in 1 slope. At 9.30 a start was made, the horses being left behind with the driver, as the track was blocked. Falls Creek was reached at 10.30, after passing through a forest of beautiful beech trees, the timber previously being black butt and stringy bark. Here we found the brand of Mr A. J. Campbell, of the Mines Department, on a sassafras tree.
Mr Campbell gave the height of the Falls Creek as 1760ft. above sea level. Our barometer gave only 1550ft. From this point there is a steady climb of two miles and a-half up the spur, rising over 1000ft. in that distance. Turning to the right we reached the top of the falls at midday, where we had lunch. Four different photos of the falls were taken. Owing to want of time and shortness of provisions we were unable to climb from the top to the bottom - a distance of 700ft in less than half-a-mile.
The sight was one of exceeding grandeur, double falls, single falls, and cascades following one another in quick succession. The country itself was disappointing-trees there certainly were in plenty, but small plant life was rare. Snow lies on these mountains (2800ft. above sea level) for about eight months of the year. The water which soaks into the schist rock, of which the whole of these mountains are composed, freezes, and, expanding, splits the surface stones along their cleavage planes, thus rendering it exceedingly dangerous when climbing in parties. Once a stone is loosened from its bedding, it thunders down the hill and over the precipices (many of them from 50 to 100ft.), and never ceases until the foot of the falls is reached. One should never die of thirst in this country, but animal and bird life are practically an unknown quantity. At 2.10 p.m. we set out on our return picked up our horses at Poverty Bend at 4.15, had afternoon tea, and pushed on to Bromley's Reef and pitched camp at 7.15.
January 15 - After breakfast, Mr Victor, the manager of the mine, which is the first opened up in this country, very kindly showed us all that there was to be seen. Two reefs have been discovered. No. 1 gave 4580z. from 130 tons; No. 2, about 150ft. west, 17oz from 15 tons. No. 2 is being worked at present. From the side of the hill a tunnel runs 160ft. west, and then the drive turns up north and south along the reef 130ft., which outcrops on the surface 60ft. above. The stone is run out on the trucks, and then sledged down to the 4-head battery worked by waterpower. The cost from first to last works out at 16s. per ton. From the battery a tunnel is being driven on a grade of 4ft. in 100ft. to intercept the No. 1 reef, which outcrops on the surface 670ft south, and has been opened out to a depth of 130ft, showing a reef 2ft. in thickness, carrying good gold the whole way. This tunnel has already been opened out 490ft., and it is expected that in nine weeks the shaft will be reached. Steel rails are being laid for the tram track in this tunnel, and it is the intention to tunnel across to No. reef, which will mean a considerable reduction in working expenses. The mine has been floated into a company of 30,000 shares at 5s. each, half paid up, and today are quoted on the market at 6s. 2d. The Hon. E. Miller is chairman of directors. I believe there is a big future before this district as regards mining. Our camp at McVeigh's was reached at 1.50 pm, and the rest of the day was devoted to fishing.
January 16 - At 10 a.m. a start on the return home was made. We camped for
the night at Big Pat's Creek, and reached Little Yarra at 1 pm. on the 17th.
There half the party returned by the night train, the remainder visited the
20/01/2017: A
20/01/2017: Secrets of the Yarra: Walsh’s
And this was McVeigh’s Hotel at the junction of the Yarra & Walsh’s
Creek, a transit stop on the way to the famous
And this was what the (now forbidden)
Here is a more recent photo of the bottom fall:
This may even be an 1845 painting by Hodddle of the
They certaoinly are spectacular waterfalls, deserving to once again become
one of
And this is an interesting shield of a cycling tour of the Yarra Track in bygone days:
19/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Hut Creek to
The section begins with a long, deep race down to the Scorpion Track
crossing. Until closed, there used to be a couple of kilometers of lovely car
camping on grassy flats on both East and the West bank of the river here. Alas,
our masters have decreed, 'no more' - and no more fire access, or pest animal
management access, etc either. Canoe camping though is a different matter!
Outstanding swimming beaches.
Delicious long, placid pools.
Lovely pebble races.
Ducks. Well: birds, lots of birds. This section is a bird watcher's paradise. There were literally flocks of dozens of bee-eaters for example - and enough bell miners to almost deafen one!
And the water is as clear as crystal!
The Rock of Gibraltar looms overhead.
Lots of great Grade 1+ rapids.
A cool shady place to stop for lunch on a hot day.
Look at this wonderful long deep pool.
And this beach!
And this one: what a majestic gum!
And another vast deep pool. There were giant fish along this section; carp which must have been nearly a metre long!
Spot caused me to sweep under a branch and the boat filled up with long-legged spiders - which had built webs in two minutes!
So that I had to get out on this delightful bar and foist them out.
One of the fords (Scrubby Creek Track) is in the background as Della negotiates this interesting rapid.
Then comes this enchanting labyrinth.
The westering sun is brilliantly glistening off this pebble race.
Suddenly you break out into Guys.
This appeared to be a sandpiper - a long way from the sea.
These spur-winged plovers just took off as I pressed the shutter.
Guys' giant walnuts were loaded with fruit nearly the size of tennis balls!
They, and the weeping willows transform the river into a European landscape.
The blue hills behind Della make a delightful backdrop.
She finishes the very last rapid in a halo of sunlight!
You can drag your boats out on the North-East side of the bridge - or you can go two kilometres downstream (another half an hour) and get them out more easily at Meyers Flat.
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
18/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Black Snake to Hut Creek:
This is the second section downstream from the
Straightaway you are into a long right-curving chute which goes on for nearly a kilometre. Delightful.
With a couple of pebble races thrown in just for fun. Like this one:
And this:
About a kilometre in there is a splendid swimming hole with a beach on one side and a deep pool complete with diving rock on the other.
Another Grade 1 rapid.
A long deep section.
Spot is on lookout. What a great swimming hole this is on a right hand bend.
The long flat on the true right bank below it has many possible grassy
campsites if you are planning a lazy, multi-day canoe odyssey from
The river is so clean and clear.
Some of these interesting trees have spring up here and there. I suspect they are weeds and are inedible - at least the birds have been ignoring them. Can anyone identify them? They are not loquats: the fruit have hundreds of tiny seeds like tomatoes.
Here is what the flowers looked like some months ago.
Maguires Flat is on the true left bank here. Scorpion Creek is on the right.
The last straight. At the end of Maguires Flat there is a pebble race (you go down the left hand side). Hut Creek is straight ahead of you on the left bank. It is easy to be swept past, particularly at high water (ie over 1.8 metres) so you should have checked this out before you started at Black Snake Creek when you were leaving your vehicle here. You have to drag your boats about fifty yards back along the bank of the creek to your car, but it is easy. Someone else could clear some of the fallen branches - after all what is the 'Dept of Many Names' for? Well, I wonder...
See Also:
Section 1: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-kingwell-bridge-to-black-snake-creek/
Section 2: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-black-snake-to-hut-creek/
Section 3: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/wonnangatta-hut-creek-to-waterford-bridge/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-wonnangatta/
For
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnangatta-mitchell/
17/01/2017: Wonnangatta: Kingwell Bridge
This section and the next (to Hut Creek) are the best family canoeing
opportunities on the river. When our kids were little (just a quarter century
ago) we must have canoed them a hundred times. In the morning you can drop in
at the
The photos that follow are of this first section. (I will post about the second section later). The photos are in sequence so I hope give some indication of what you will encounter (many delights) along the way. Both sections are just pebble races or Grade 1+ rapids. Of course you can fall out. Your kids should be wearing life jackets but I confess that once ours could swim we found it just about impossible to keep them on them.
Every now and then you might encounter something (a tree down perhaps, or a
log sitting in a dangerous position) where you want to get out and walk the
boats around. Della does not see as well as she used to, so reverts to this
strategy more than I do. Also, sometimes she misses the deepest channel and has
to get out – but she has only 38% vision, so if she can still canoe this river,
I’m sure you can! You need about 1.70 metres at the
Setting out just above the Kingwell Bridge. There is a large cleared area on the upriver side where you can easily turn a car and trailer around – or camp if you wish!
There was some heavy roan traffic on the bridge that day!
Some majestic gums line the river.
Mostly, as you see, it is fun pebble races.
And pleasant deep sections just right for a swim. We could never go far before the kids wanted a dip!
A great little rapid.
And another deep section where you can ‘raft up’.
Hawkhurst’s sheep slumbering under their ancient poplars didn’t like the look of us – or our dogs!
What a lovely deep lead!
The gums and European trees get on together just fine.
Some wood ducks enjoying the river.
Della missed the channel here below the willows and poplars.
This gum tree though seems to be trying to avoid these poplars! Neighbours!
A great swimming hole.
And a lovely beach opposite.
Della always loves to have a fossick.
This time she has turned up a treasure!
She wanted to avoid this little rapid though she has canoed it scores of times before.
The dogs Tiny and Spot are all attention.
Some interesting cliffs for climbing.
And around the bend we go!
Another beautiful deep lead.
Looking back at the last little drop, the light catches the water splendidly.
As it does here.
Always some beautiful flowers to see.
This swing bridge is just above the Black Snake Creek. Time to start looking for the small landing beach (left) where the creek joins the river.
What a delightful trip! Hope you enjoy it too.
Nowadays there is a free camping ground (with fire pits, toilet, etc) at Black Snake Creek (which was a town with a PO etc during the Depression). The remaining hut is the home of its last inhabitant, Harry Gee who stayed on here alone for many years. His house used to have a huge walnut tree on the Downstream side and a vast loquat on the upstream side. There was a bridge spike in the walnut tree about 8′ up where he used to hang the carcass of a sheep, etc he was to eat.
The mine which was the purpose of the town lies further up the valley. There is a walking path. We used to park the camper under the deep shade of his walnut tree where the Gang Gangs and Major Mitchells rained down green walnuts on us! Before the kids could swim they would make a wading pool in the creek just behind his house. We had many lovely holidays there – I hope you do too!
17/01/2017: End the
Misery of Insect Bites: After a trip to NZ’s Fiordland all my exposed skin
used to resemble a very angry surface of the moon for weeks afterwards, but one
application of this wonderful cream on any troublesome bite makes it go away
completely (also works on leech bites). For some bizarre reason antihistamine
cream to treat insect bites is banned in
16/01/2017: Ten delightful hours so far canoeing the beautiful Wonnangatta River from Kingwell Bridge to Waterford Bridge, as ‘we catch the wave’ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-wonnangatta…/ (See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafting-the-wonnang…/) In this section the river journeys for many hours through the most serene and beautiful forest you can imagine – and full of beautiful camping spots! More photos to follow. Here is a foretaste. PS: Delightfully we have found a campsite here where our mobile phones and internet both work!
12/01/2017:
Canoeing the Wonnangatta, Catching the Wave: Rainfall at Mt Hotham is a
pretty good analogue for river flow on the Wonnangatta-Mitchell. The river
flows at approx 4km/hr. Use that fact to time the canoeability of sections.
On Monday (9 Jan) it rained steadily all afternoon and
there was 63 mm of rainfall at Mt Hotham by the time it stopped around
9pm. The whole valley got a good
soaking. You can check this is happening by comparing eg rainfall at Dargo. You
can see that it is raining by checking the radar.
By 2.52am on the 10th the river had started
rising at
It rose to 1.84 metres at 21:17pm on the 10th,
stayed there until 8: 52am on the 11th and then began falling. By
19:17 on the 11th the river had returned to 1.80 at
Since the bushfires summer flows have been deplorably low
and will likely remain that way for many years. You have to catch the wave! If you started out from
If you anticipated the wave you would be able to start at
Saturday and Sunday the river should be canoeable anywhere
from Eaglevale down and the weather should be fine and about 26C. This should
be a good weekend on the Wonnangatta. Enjoy! I know I will!
|
Station
Date/Time |
Water Level |
|
07/01/2017 02:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 05:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 08:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 11:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 14:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 17:53 |
1.75 |
|
07/01/2017 18:23 |
1.74 |
|
07/01/2017 20:53 |
1.74 |
|
07/01/2017 23:52 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 02:18 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 02:52 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 05:52 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 08:52 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 09:32 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 09:37 |
1.75 |
|
08/01/2017 10:22 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 11:52 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 14:52 |
1.74 |
|
08/01/2017 16:52 |
1.73 |
|
08/01/2017 17:52 |
1.73 |
|
08/01/2017 20:52 |
1.73 |
|
08/01/2017 23:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 02:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 05:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 08:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 11:52 |
1.73 |
|
09/01/2017 13:27 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 14:52 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 17:52 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 20:52 |
1.72 |
|
09/01/2017 23:52 |
1.72 |
|
10/01/2017 02:52 |
1.72 |
|
10/01/2017 03:22 |
1.73 |
|
10/01/2017 05:52 |
1.73 |
|
10/01/2017 07:47 |
1.74 |
|
10/01/2017 08:52 |
1.74 |
|
10/01/2017 09:57 |
1.75 |
|
10/01/2017 11:42 |
1.76 |
|
10/01/2017 11:52 |
1.76 |
|
10/01/2017 12:52 |
1.77 |
|
10/01/2017 13:32 |
1.78 |
|
10/01/2017 14:02 |
1.79 |
|
10/01/2017 14:22 |
1.80 |
|
10/01/2017 14:47 |
1.81 |
|
10/01/2017 14:52 |
1.81 |
|
10/01/2017 15:02 |
1.82 |
|
10/01/2017 15:47 |
1.83 |
|
10/01/2017 17:52 |
1.83 |
|
10/01/2017 20:52 |
1.83 |
|
10/01/2017 21:17 |
1.84 |
|
10/01/2017 23:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 02:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 05:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 08:52 |
1.84 |
|
11/01/2017 10:47 |
1.83 |
|
11/01/2017 11:52 |
1.83 |
|
11/01/2017 13:22 |
1.82 |
|
11/01/2017 14:52 |
1.82 |
|
11/01/2017 16:07 |
1.81 |
|
11/01/2017 17:52 |
1.81 |
|
11/01/2017 19:17 |
1.80 |
|
11/01/2017 20:52 |
1.80 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tue 00:00 EDT |
N |
31 |
41 |
12.3 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 23:50 EDT |
N |
31 |
35 |
12.2 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:40 EDT |
N |
31 |
35 |
12.2 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:30 EDT |
N |
35 |
43 |
12.4 |
- |
9.4 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 23:20 EDT |
N |
33 |
37 |
12.4 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
62.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:10 EDT |
N |
39 |
44 |
12.4 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 23:00 EDT |
N |
35 |
44 |
12.4 |
- |
9.4 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 22:50 EDT |
N |
33 |
37 |
12.4 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:40 EDT |
N |
39 |
44 |
12.4 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
62.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:30 EDT |
N |
35 |
46 |
12.3 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 22:20 EDT |
N |
28 |
31 |
12.2 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:10 EDT |
N |
33 |
41 |
12.1 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 22:00 EDT |
N |
28 |
39 |
12.1 |
- |
9.4 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 21:50 EDT |
N |
37 |
43 |
11.9 |
- |
8.7 |
- |
- |
62.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:40 EDT |
- |
33 |
35 |
12.0 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:30 EDT |
NNW |
31 |
39 |
12.0 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 21:24 EDT |
N |
31 |
50 |
12.1 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 21:20 EDT |
N |
28 |
30 |
12.0 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:10 EDT |
N |
37 |
41 |
12.0 |
- |
8.8 |
- |
- |
62.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 21:00 EDT |
N |
30 |
37 |
12.1 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 20:50 EDT |
N |
20 |
30 |
12.1 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:40 EDT |
NNE |
33 |
39 |
12.0 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:30 EDT |
NNW |
26 |
37 |
12.1 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 20:20 EDT |
N |
31 |
41 |
12.0 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
61.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:10 EDT |
N |
35 |
39 |
12.0 |
- |
8.9 |
- |
- |
61.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 20:00 EDT |
N |
28 |
33 |
11.9 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
61.4 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 19:50 EDT |
N |
22 |
26 |
11.9 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
61.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:40 EDT |
NNW |
17 |
22 |
11.6 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
61.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:30 EDT |
N |
24 |
30 |
11.8 |
- |
9.3 |
- |
- |
61.0 |
0.2 |
- |
|
Mon 19:20 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
24 |
11.8 |
- |
9.5 |
- |
- |
60.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:10 EDT |
N |
26 |
30 |
11.8 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
60.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 19:00 EDT |
NNW |
24 |
33 |
11.7 |
- |
9.2 |
- |
- |
60.0 |
0.6 |
- |
|
Mon 18:50 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
28 |
11.4 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
59.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:40 EDT |
NW |
24 |
28 |
11.0 |
- |
8.3 |
- |
- |
59.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:30 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
35 |
11.1 |
- |
8.6 |
- |
- |
58.8 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 18:20 EDT |
NW |
22 |
24 |
11.4 |
- |
9.0 |
- |
- |
58.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:10 EDT |
NW |
28 |
31 |
11.6 |
- |
8.8 |
- |
- |
57.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 18:00 EDT |
NW |
26 |
33 |
11.7 |
- |
9.1 |
- |
- |
56.8 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 17:50 EDT |
W |
28 |
33 |
11.4 |
- |
8.5 |
- |
- |
56.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:40 EDT |
W |
30 |
35 |
11.0 |
- |
7.9 |
- |
- |
55.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:30 EDT |
W |
28 |
41 |
10.7 |
- |
7.6 |
- |
- |
54.8 |
1.6 |
- |
|
Mon 17:20 EDT |
W |
35 |
39 |
10.4 |
- |
6.8 |
- |
- |
53.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:10 EDT |
W |
39 |
44 |
11.1 |
- |
7.5 |
- |
- |
50.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 17:00 EDT |
NNW |
22 |
31 |
12.0 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
46.2 |
2.6 |
- |
|
Mon 16:50 EDT |
N |
22 |
28 |
12.2 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
44.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:40 EDT |
N |
28 |
35 |
12.4 |
- |
9.8 |
- |
- |
43.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:30 EDT |
NNW |
28 |
39 |
12.7 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
42.6 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 16:20 EDT |
NW |
31 |
35 |
12.6 |
- |
9.8 |
- |
- |
42.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:10 EDT |
NW |
26 |
30 |
12.8 |
- |
10.5 |
- |
- |
41.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 16:00 EDT |
NW |
28 |
43 |
12.6 |
- |
10.1 |
- |
- |
41.4 |
0.6 |
- |
|
Mon 15:50 EDT |
NW |
28 |
35 |
12.7 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
40.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:40 EDT |
NNW |
24 |
28 |
12.6 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
40.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:30 EDT |
NW |
26 |
39 |
12.4 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
39.6 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 15:20 EDT |
WSW |
17 |
20 |
12.9 |
- |
11.3 |
- |
- |
39.2 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:10 EDT |
NNW |
20 |
24 |
12.9 |
- |
11.0 |
- |
- |
38.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 15:00 EDT |
NW |
28 |
44 |
12.8 |
- |
10.4 |
- |
- |
37.6 |
0.2 |
- |
|
Mon 14:50 EDT |
NNW |
20 |
28 |
12.8 |
- |
10.9 |
- |
- |
37.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:40 EDT |
NNW |
30 |
35 |
12.9 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
36.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:30 EDT |
NW |
31 |
43 |
12.9 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
34.8 |
0.4 |
- |
|
Mon 14:20 EDT |
NW |
28 |
41 |
12.9 |
- |
10.5 |
- |
- |
34.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:10 EDT |
NW |
35 |
43 |
12.9 |
- |
10.1 |
- |
- |
31.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 14:00 EDT |
NW |
33 |
44 |
13.0 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
29.0 |
3.8 |
- |
|
Mon 13:50 EDT |
NW |
33 |
41 |
13.0 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
25.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:40 EDT |
N |
35 |
44 |
13.1 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
22.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:30 EDT |
N |
39 |
61 |
13.1 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
20.0 |
1.4 |
- |
|
Mon 13:25 EDT |
N |
35 |
56 |
13.0 |
- |
10.2 |
- |
- |
19.2 |
1.8 |
- |
|
Mon 13:20 EDT |
NNW |
37 |
46 |
13.0 |
- |
10.1 |
- |
- |
18.8 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:10 EDT |
N |
19 |
24 |
13.0 |
- |
11.2 |
- |
- |
16.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 13:00 EDT |
N |
39 |
50 |
13.0 |
- |
10.0 |
- |
- |
12.4 |
1.8 |
- |
|
Mon 12:47 EDT |
NNE |
39 |
44 |
12.9 |
- |
9.9 |
- |
- |
10.6 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 12:37 EDT |
N |
43 |
63 |
12.8 |
- |
9.6 |
- |
- |
6.4 |
1.6 |
- |
|
Mon 12:30 EDT |
N |
37 |
50 |
12.7 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
5.4 |
2.6 |
- |
|
Mon 12:20 EDT |
NNW |
35 |
41 |
12.6 |
- |
9.7 |
- |
- |
3.4 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 12:00 EDT |
N |
31 |
43 |
12.9 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
0.2 |
0.2 |
- |
|
Mon 11:50 EDT |
N |
33 |
39 |
13.0 |
- |
10.3 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 11:30 EDT |
N |
26 |
33 |
13.3 |
- |
11.1 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 11:20 EDT |
- |
26 |
31 |
13.5 |
- |
11.4 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 11:10 EDT |
N |
37 |
41 |
13.7 |
- |
11.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 11:00 EDT |
N |
39 |
48 |
13.9 |
- |
11.2 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 10:50 EDT |
N |
39 |
43 |
13.7 |
- |
11.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:40 EDT |
N |
37 |
43 |
13.6 |
- |
10.9 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:34 EDT |
N |
33 |
52 |
13.7 |
- |
11.2 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 10:30 EDT |
N |
39 |
52 |
13.8 |
- |
11.1 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 10:20 EDT |
NNW |
35 |
48 |
14.9 |
- |
12.7 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:10 EDT |
N |
39 |
44 |
15.5 |
- |
15.5 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 10:00 EDT |
N |
33 |
44 |
15.3 |
- |
15.3 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 09:50 EDT |
N |
30 |
35 |
15.7 |
- |
15.7 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 09:36 EDT |
N |
33 |
52 |
16.0 |
- |
16.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 09:30 EDT |
N |
35 |
44 |
16.4 |
- |
16.4 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
|
Mon 09:20 EDT |
N |
33 |
39 |
16.4 |
- |
16.4 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 09:10 EDT |
N |
30 |
37 |
16.5 |
- |
16.5 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
|
Mon 09:00 EDT |
N |
33 |
44 |
16.1 |
- |
16.1 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
- |
12/01/2017: Klymit
Hammock Pad:
This new pad from Klymit is definitely worth a look if you are planning on some hammock camping, hunting or fishing: https://www.klymit.com/hammock-v-1.html. Its design tackles the single biggest issue of hammock camping head on, ie how to keep your back, shoulders, elbows, arms & knees comfy and warm.
I find any insulated rectangular pad big enough to keep me warm, but if you are any wider than me, you might want a wider pad (as I have mentioned in earlier posts) or some ‘wings’ to warm up your arms etc where the sleeping bag’s insulation will be compressed against the hammock. Mind you at an R rating of 1.6 this pad would only keep you warm enough in summerish weather - though your sleeping bag insulation would drape into its valleys and add somewhat to its insulative ability.
Speer Hammocks used to make a Segmented Pad Extender which kept your arms and shoulder nice and warm. We made one of these too and it worked well. Here’s a link to making one yourself: http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearSPE.html
I recently posted a number of other hammock items you might also find of interest: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping-double-bunking/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/make-your-own-tarp-or-hammock/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
11/01/2017: Self-Balancing
– The New Way Forward (This is neat!): http://newatlas.com/honda-self-balancing-motorcycle/47257/
& http://newatlas.com/honda-new-uni-cub-personal-mobility-device/29771/
& http://newatlas.com/honda-u3-x-experimental-vehicle/13008/
09/01/2017: Super AAA
Torch 145 Lumens:
Maratac have upgraded the Cree emitter in their latest AAA flashlights so they now output a massive 145 lumens. This is one mighty little torch. Available from US$41.25 Special deals regularly on Massdrop: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/aluminium-anodized-aaa-flashlight-by-maratac-rev-3 Also available in Titanium: https://countycomm.com/collections/aaa-flashlights/products/polished-titanium-maratac-aaa-flashlight-rev-4 You can also rig it as a head torch http://www.theultralighthiker.com/mini-super-torch-a-weeks-light-weighs-50-grams/ & http://www.theultralighthiker.com/diy-head-torches/ The white rubber light diffuser (see photo) turns it into a superb tent lantern. The pocket clip weighs almost nothing and makes carrying and accessing it a breeze.
08/01/2017: A Mini Rechargeable Aqualung: At under 2 kg with enough air for 6-8 minutes to a recommended depth of 3 metres and rechargeable with a hand pump or car compressor this device is rather cute: https://www.minidive.com/minidive-pro/
07/01/2017: Making Small Things Smaller to save Weight and Space:
Diane Sioni has some fine advice here. http://gossamergear.com/wp/making-small-things-smaller-to-save-weight-and-space It pays to go through your gear again and again. It is always a game of ‘putting and taking’ (one of the first games we learn and still lots of fun at nearly 70!) What you take and what you leave is matter both of individual choice and dependent on the trip you are doing. Eg; How long. How long between resupply. Likely conditions…
Some time ago I posted about making containers out of straws. If you have tried this, you probably hate yourself, but lots of folks are still reposting it on Pinterest, so I guess it’s cute. My advice: try getting some really small snaplock bags from eBay instead. eBay is also an excellent source for small bottles, test tubes, atomisers, etc. A small plastic test tube can have some Dyneema fishing line wound on it (glue one end, snap the other with the lid). It can contain your needle (a self threader I think, Diane), a few fish hooks and sinkers and still weigh just a few grams. Some polystyrene balls for floats will double as spare tarp clips: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/worlds-lightest-tarp-clip/.A fish for tea one night will generously repay carrying that little extra weight - as will being able to repair gear, or yourself – and not stabbing yourself with that needle!
I did a little ‘show and tell’ a little while back of some of my gear here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-hand/ Some things surprise: eg I would not have thought of taking a musical instrument – but then being deaf, I hate music. Then again, not being a woman I would not have considered a DIY ‘Lady J’, but I have also had my bottom attacked pretty ferociously eg by sandflies in Fiordland. The article is a good starting point for a review of your gear. You can always save a little – but do not jeopardise your safety!
Above: ‘Possibles’ bag contents: on green cuben bag: ulralight fishing kit, 2 handlines containing hooks, sinkers, bait, self threading needle (repairs), two springers, 4 polystyrene balls, alum foil for cooking fish; on green S to S bag, Iridium Sat Phone; on white cuben bag: spare glasses in plastic case, Kabar knife, Adventure Medical Kits space blanket bag (emergency day pack & ground sheet); snaploc with glasses cleaner; Bushnell mini solarwrap charger; on white cuben bag: cuben bag with charging connectors AAA to AA battery converters, in blue bag spare batteries = 6 Eneloop AAA, 2 camera, 2 phone, 2 Photon, 2 hearing aid; USB AA/AAA battery charger; first aid kit: Antisan (bites) ointment, Mylanta (indigestion), earbuds in snaploc, Leucotape on cuben bag containing variety of plasters and blister pads, triangular bandage (sling) below: elastic bandage, cuben bag with variety of tablets eg pain, inflammation, diarrhoea, allergy etc; Toiletries on white cuben bag: wet tissues, 2 pocket Kleenex (enough for a week!); below on small green cuben bag S to S ultralight head net (mozzies – sleep) and microdripper of insect repellent (Deet); magnifier on mirror; square of silnylon for repairs with 2 stickon tie outs on top; spare trekking pole basket; clip on glasses cleaner; bottom row: on snaplocc bag length Dyneema, glasses repair kit, various bits and pieces: 2 safety pins, 3 line locs, 2 tarp tie outs, I carabiner, I mitten hook, 1 cord loc, 1 spare mini compass; on cuben bag, cuben tape (repairs) rubber band, spare bottle cap; on white cuben bag: 2 lightload towels, comb, Aloksack (for camera); on blue cuben bag: microdripper bottles containing: handcream, suncream, deodorant, iodine, wash, anti fungal cream, tube anti inflammatory cream, tub toothpaste, tub heel balm; anti allergy cream.
Some of these things I have cut down substantially since then (eg for my Everest hike see eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/thatendlessskyway/ For example I have made an ultralight glasses case: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-glasses-case/ I have substituted these http://www.theultralighthiker.com/11-gram-rechargeable-head-torch/ for the Photons and reduced the number of batteries needed, and so on. The quest to be 'ultralight' goes ever on and on...
05/01.2017: Pack Rafting the Wonnagatta-Mitchell:
We took a day off today, it being 30C and there being enough water, to revisit one of our favourite spots when our kids were little over 20 years ago…Hot summers then (they were hotter) and there was plenty of water (before the ‘noughty’ fires) we used to camp at one particular spot and either spend the day drifting down to our camp, swimming and playing, or else start off from camp and drift down to another exit point way downriver.
Now most of the campsites are gone – locked off. Our public lands are progressively being stolen from us. Those that remain are crowded, and they now have toilets and ‘designated campsites – both represent the end of freedom! Yet there is no-one on the river. It is just as idyllic as ever…And you can still put in where we used to and get out nearly where we used to – there are tiny snippets of (hidden) public access. You have to look carefully for them, and there may be a little bush-bashing, but not much.
You can canoe this wonderful river all the way from the Humffray confluence
way inside the Alpine National Park just below the Station, all the way to
Here we are, ready to set off.
As you can see we are one car plus one motorbike.
Della is away first, keen to start.
These two snaps are for the kids: remember this old abandoned orchard and its apricot tree where we used to feast those Xmases past
?
And this swimming hole where you wiled away so much long summertime…
Away we go! Just here the river is like a mirror!
Della prefers to follow because of her eyesight – she has less than 40% vision – and you think you have problems? Nonetheless even in just this last year she has followed me to many places those with two good eyes have seen; the South Coast Track & Westies Hut, NZ for example: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/westies-hut/
And remember this deep, cool swimming hole too?
Nonetheless, she is a champ!
Just to prove I was there too.
This, believe it or not, is a deer path on public land! This would be a good place to be at dusk with a .308 – if you were hungry!
Huck Finn, eat your heart out!
There be monsters here:
And interesting flotsam. This vast length of 1/2″ rope was caught up in a huge pile of flood-wrack. i souvenired it!
Look at that girl go!
Here near the wallows she shot ahead of me eager to find a great antler of her own just as our son did many years ago. All we found today was some very muddy sticks, alas!
Once more she is following faithfully behind down this entertaining little drop.
Here is an interesting historical curio, the cab of an old jinker – and Della!
I have the Alpacka Fiord Explorer, and Della has the Alpacka model, just perfect for someone who is just 5′. Hers has an airtight zip so you can stow your dry bags inside the craft’s tubes. What a clever idea. Or you can tie your packs etc on the bow and stern as I have done with my dry bag above.
And here is a dragon wondering what is going on.
Who we will leave to wait for our next trip to find out – a multi day one, I think. And soon!
PS: Today there was exactly 1.80 metres on the
Even at this height there will be lots of lovely long deep sections, and anyway lots of beautiful camping spots and cool swimming holes. Have fun! Time was, there was water aplenty every day of the year. There used to be much more water summertime. The bushfires stole the river folks. It will not be back until the forest is all growed back again – by then I will be gone!
The section we canoed today was one which escaped the fires. The birdlife was beautiful and exhuberant. I must have spotted a hundred different species of birds; both the kinds of wood swallows, (very noisy) leather heads, scads of bell miners, many kinds of honey-eaters, many kinds of parrots including gang gangs, three kinds of ducks, two kinds of doves, wagtails, kingfishers, mutton birds, warblers, wrens, currrawongs, sitellas, beautiful purple cuckoo-shrikes with their graceful dipping flight, resplendent bee-eaters, the improbable blue eyes of bower birds…
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-about-diy-pfds/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-pack-rafting-life-vest/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-paddle/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoe-clearing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-gorilla-in-the-bush/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-rafts/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-track-canoeing-the-seaforth/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-gippslands-rivers/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/home-made-pack-raft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/faux-packraft-vs-alpacka-raft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-thompson-river/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-thomson-river-gippsland-victoria/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/videos/thomson-river-canoe-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tanjil-river-canoe-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tanjil-river-canoe-trip/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tanjil-river-canoeing-update/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tin-canoes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister-river/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/canoeing-the-macalister-2/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hornet-lite-pack-raft/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/pack-raft-saves-the-day/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/packraft-video/
03/01/2017: New DIY Pack Raft: You have probably caught up with the price of a brand new Alpacka raft (http://www.alpackaraft.com/alpacka-raft-series/) and put your canoeing dreams on hold but there are cheaper options.
There is for example my home made pack raft (which costs less then A$40) that I posted about way back here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/home-made-pack-raft/ for example. I have since thought that it would be better to attach the reinforcing bottom with a circle of tarp clips (such as these: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/easyklip/) connected together with a thin rope. It can be easily taken off to dry and put back on again before you re-inflate. And it is easy to replace if it wears out.
I have also mentioned Klymit’s much cheaper rafts (from around US$100: eg here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/ & here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-laid-schemes/
Now there is an even better option: http://www.diypackraft.com/shop/ What a
resource this is! These folk offer a DIY kit from US$125! This is a very good price for a real packraft able
to canoe serious white water! Their rafts start with an ultralight version815
grams!
Their page comes with every bit of useful advice you could
possibly want. The site is positively encyclopaedic. Their DIY seat plan is
handy. Even their blog http://www.diypackraft.com/blog/ is
imnpressive. It even includes a DIY paddle! Check them out.
I may start with their fabric sample kit (US$5.99 – free
international shipping) and their http://www.diypackraft.com/2016/07/09/diy-heat-sealing-iron/
(I have some other projects in mind for heat sealable fabrics).
Their fabric prices are quite good. I compared them with a
couple of other suppliers such as Quest:
http://www.questoutfitters.com/Coated_2.htm#HEAT%20SEALABLE
and Seattle: http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html
Of course you can get them cheaper if you buy in bulk, eg Rockywoods: http://www.rockywoods.com/Fabrics-Kits/Heat-Sealable-Nylon-Fabrics
You will still need a paddle: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-paddle/
See Also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/faux-packraft-vs-alpacka-raft/
http://blog.hillmap.com/2013/02/raft-valves-and-dreams-of-homemade.html
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/gippsland-pack-rafting-routes/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-pack-rafting-life-vest/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/more-about-diy-pfds/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/you-take-the-high-road-and-ill-take-the-low/
PS: I have the Fiord Explorer pack raft from Alpacka, what they call their ‘Moose Boat’, because you can pack a whole moose carcass in it. You need to consider just how much you might carry before you purchase or make your first/next pack raft.
Happy Paddling!
02/01.2017: Make Your Own Tarp or
Hammock: Tier Gear DIY Guides: Aussie Outfitter Tier Gear has an absolutely
wonderful page of instructables here: http://www.tiergear.com.au/28/diy-guides
which show in profound detail how to eg make your own superb hammock &/or
hammock tarp - amongst other things. You can also buy all the materials from
them. They deliver incredibly fast Australia-wide from their home in
If you don’t feel up to making your own gear (yet) you can order the same item from them already craftsman manufactured right here in Oz! And at a good price. For example, the Torrent 3.3 tarp shown in the photo is currently A$160. It is obviously a wonderful tarp which you could use instead of a tent (with a groundsheet) or as a hammock tarp. Its specs are as follows:
Ridgeline length: 335cm
Width: 280cm
Distance between bottom corners: 165cm
Panel pulls: None
Weight (in the stuff sack without cords or pegs):
Xenon Sil 1.1 (1500mmHH): 334grams (basic)
You might go on to make the same item later in .5 oz/yd2 perhaps in olive drab or camo. Available eg here: http://www.zpacks.com/materials/waterproof-fabric.shtml ) at about half the weight. Also check out their great range of interesting gear, eg suspension systems & etc For example: http://www.tiergear.com.au/11/online-shop/hammock-suspension-and-hardware
01/01.2017: Hammock Camping - Double
Bunking:
This is an 8’ x 8’ (2.4 x 2.4 metres) cuben tarp to which we sewed two 4’6” x 8’ (1.35 x 2.4 metres) ‘wings’ so we could close it off as a tarp shelter like this:
It weighs 200 grams. Joe Valesko at zpacks made it for me. You can see what it looked like before we sewed the ‘wings on it here; http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/tarps.shtml. I/we have slept in it many nights. Here I was using a space blanket as a ground sheet. This works well. At this point I had not made my bed. It can also be erected as a hammock tarp like this:
Of course it can be tied/pegged out much tauter than this. I am not expecting to be camping on the verandah (though that is where many ideas are first tried out – as I’m sure you have already noticed!)
As you can see it will provide you with plenty of shelter from rain, and you can peg the downwind side up high enough that you can have a fire slightly to one side and enjoy the fire whilst relaxing on the hammock out of the wind and rain.
Della is reclining on a Nano 7 hammock here (https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/nano-7-hammock) which (with the caribiners removed and with dyneema ropes attached) weighs 187.5 grams. I would just throw one of our Thermarest Neoair Womens mats (340 grams) in it and a Montbell Ultralight Super Spiral #3 down sleeping bag (600 grams) for a perfect night’s sleep (Total: 1327.5 grams). Perhaps you would like to compare that weight to your current tent, sleeping bag and mattress combo! My arrangement is also much more comfortable, safer and drier.
We already know we can sleep in two Nano 7s pitched one above the other. You have to pitch the tarp slightly higher (4’6” instead of 4’). You have to boost the top person in, and then the bottom person (me) is closer to the ground than I would like (so far as getting in/out easily is concerned), but it works!
Now to check out whether we can both sleep head to toe in a double hammock. Side by side definitely doesn’t work! Here’s Della:
And here’s me at the other end:
As you can see, Spot figures there is plenty of room for him too – and he’s comfy! This is a Trek Light Gear Double Hammock (https://www.treklightgear.com/double-hammock.html). We were playing around with mattresses here. Della is lying on a ¾ length Neoair. I am on a Neoair Womens. We are using the new Klymit Ultralight pillows (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-ultralight-pillow/ ) and the Airbeams (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/air-beam-pad/ ) from our packs (both of which we would be carrying anyway) for side insulation on the side where our sleeping bags will be compressed. It is comfy enough.
Hummingbird Hammocks (https://hummingbirdhammocks.com/shop/single/) have a double hammock which weighs 10.2 ounces (289 grams), and a single+ one which weighs 7. 6 ounces (210 grams) which could also be used for two. I should also mention their ultralight single here which weighs 5.2 ounces (146 grams) – even lower than the Nano 7! I need to try their products out!
I think a single wider (possibly longer) mattress would work better. The Klymit Ultralight I ordered from Massdrop is on its way. It is 23” wide. I am also eying some Exped mats which look really good.
So, what is our strategy here. What are we about doing? There are places we go where we may not need a shelter at all (because there are huts a day apart (Fiordland for example). However, you would be a damned fool to have no shelter as you can be very dead (as I have seen) if you don’t make it to a hut in torrential rain, for example. You must have a roof (see: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-importance-of-a-roof/) There, and other places it might be good to have the option to sleep on the ground, or if the ground is too wet/rough etc, to sleep in the trees.
We are looking at what is the minimum we can jointly take so we can do this. We are pretty close here to the solution. We will be looking into some wider pads which might better suit two people in a double hammock such as Big Agnes Q-core slx, and Exped Synmat UL7 MW & etc.
If you have a (wife or) youngster at home you want to start on camping/hiking/hunting, a double hammock plus tarp shelter such as I have explained here will mean s/he has to carry very little and will be safe in the tree with you - away from nasties such as spiders and snakes!
PS: I don’t know whether you noticed the eye bolts in the verandah posts to which I have attached two lengths of chain and some caribiners so I can quickly swing a hammock on the verandah if one of us wants to have a lazy day (Della actually went to sleep in the Nano 7 whilst I was off cleaning out a sheep trough!) I recommend this arrangement for your consideration.
PPS: If you are considering just a single hammock configuration you might want to know how light you can go with a tarp. This guy has been making cat curve tarps for ages: http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/maccat_tarps.php His Mac Cat Standard is obviously all you would need. In 1.3 oz/yd2 silnylon it weighs 270 grams (and costs US$105) which means it would weigh above 104 grams in cuben (let’s say less than 120). For comparison Joe Valesko makes an asym one which weighs 136 grams. Add a hammock at 146 = 266, plus 30 grams dyneema suspension , some pegs and some guylines for the tarp. You are still looking at a hammock/tent at less than 350 grams!
My first homemade hammock and hammock tarp were both fashioned from some green 2.2oz/yd2 nylon ripstop from Spotlight (you can see what it looked like in the 'poncho shelter' link below). We simply cut the required length for the hammock (leaving the full width of the fabric 5' - 150 cm), folded it over and double hemmed it at the ends (to take the rope). The selvage was enough for the sides. For the tarp we used a 7' x 7' (210 x 210 cm) square flat felled at the join and hemmed all round, to which we sewed grossgrain tie-outs at the corners and halfway along the sides. This arrangement worked fine for years and in all kinds of weathers hunting sambar deer in the Victorian mountains. Indeed I have been bone dry under this minimalist tarp when a couple of fellow hunters were soaked to the skin inside a tent pitched under a tarp not ten yards away! I am talking a tarp of 49 square feet here - and some of that area is almos6t certainly superfluous! In cuben 49 ft2 would weigh 2.7 ox or78 grams! Now you see what my 300 gram 'limit' is about!
See also:
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-hunting-till-dark/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/all-in-one-hammock-tent-poncho-backpack-at-1-2-kg/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/laybag/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hole-less-ponchoshelter/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammocks/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/hammock-camping/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/sleeping-pad-reinvented-big-agnes-q-core-slx/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-insulated-static-v-lite-sleeping-pad/
http://www.theultralighthiker.com/modifyingshortening-hiking-mats/
28/12/2016: Ultralight Toothpaste: ‘Tactical skills weblog Imminent Threat Solutions shares a simple method for making toothpaste dots by squeezing small, chocolate-chip sized "dots" of toothpaste onto aluminum foil, allowing those dots to harden for a week or so, and then transferring to a small waterproof bag. To use, all you need to do is pop a toothpaste dot in your mouth, chew for a few seconds, and start brushing.’ http://lifehacker.com/5979236/toothpaste-dots-keep-down-toiletry-bulk-when-carrying-light & http://gossamergear.com/wp/toothpaste-dots
27/12/2016: The
Even along the river it is barren lands.
View from Nangartschang Hill of one such cataclysmic lake.
About half way looking back towards Pangboche.
About half way looking towards Dingboche – could be out of a ‘spaghetti western’!
It is not until you see this that you are aware that the mountains are a vast crystalline growth on a truly gigantic scale. Of course you knew this intellectually all along: it is what the clash of continental plates and the uplift of crustal magma which creates them is all about, but not until you see the monstrous facets of stone mountains fissuring and fracturing away onto valley floors thousands of feet below are you truly aware that this is the same process yous see in your salt shaker or on your battery terminals at home but on a garagantuan scale.
Dingboche: Nangachang Hill left
In Dingboche you are right below the Western slopes of Ama Dablam where
there were apparently intrepid souls making their best efforts to commit
suicide trying to reach the top. It looked impossible to me! Maybe the other
side. It is the most photogenic of mountains. Some such suicide victim was
clearly being rescued by this chopper in the morning. I did not notice when I
snapped the scene the really super, supermoon hovering in the sky above it –
yet that was weeks before the ‘official supermoon’! They do things differently
in
To me Ama Dablam is forbidding.
We had an acclimatisation day in Dingboche 4410 metres during which we
climbed Nangartschang Hill just behind the French bakery where we were staying
to approx 5200 metres. BTW the bakery also have a small Pharmacy which can be
very handy if you are beginning to feel some symptoms of altitude sickness
&/or Khumbu cough (they stock both Diamox and antibiotics, for example –
also throat lozenges which you will also probably need by now!) If you take ½ a
Diamox twice per day this will help prevent the symptoms of altitude sickness,
which if you begin to suffer from, you must immediately
descend – as it can be fatal! You should have begun this prevention strategy
before you left
View od Dingboche from Nangartschang Hill: all the tiny brave potato fields.
Literally hundreds of folk were attempting the ascent of Nangartschang Hill as I set out after breakfast (Steve had preceded me – the young are always rushing ahead or lagging behind – why is it so?) Most turned back before the summit. When I arrived there I had only three others for company, including Steve. It was definitely a photo opportunity, but I must say I prefer greenery!
The Ultralight Hiker on top of Nangartscang Hill @ 5200 metres.
My head cold and sore throat became worse over the next 24 hours. I also
felt very tired after the descent so reasoned that the planned foray to
We parted just after breakfast and I headed off towards Luboche. However, I had to climb a couple of hundred metres over the hill I had climbed to the top of the day before with relative ease and after a while I could tell I was not going to make it. I could not tell whether it was altitude sickness or an onset of pneumonia at that stage, but I needed to get downhill immediately whichever it was and get well, so I headed off back towards Namche instead. I had a terrible two day walk there and on to Lukla as I decribed elsewhere, then a long, tortuous month recovering from the pneumonia which also struck young Steve down a couple of days later. I will let him carry on with his story of venturing on to Everest Base Camp:
Views (above and below) up the valley from Nangartschang Hill towards Chukkung.
‘I left Dingboche early (after saying goodbye to Steve J) and didn’t leave
Chukkung until just before noon. I made it to the false summit of
Steve H atop
And a friend!
When I realized that the actual summit was further up, I pushed on, but it
was already quite late. The route was rather difficult as I was climbing across
loose rock on a ledge that dropped several hundred meters. Very close to the
top, I even became bluffed out and had to turn back around to find the correct
route marked by small
From the summit, I could see that clouds were rolling into the valley and began whipping up and over the saddle, from which I would descend. So, I did not stay long. The descent took forever. It was late in the evening and the sun began to set, casting its beautiful golden light on the high peaks to the east. I took a lot of pictures of this evening magic, which is why I didn’t arrive back in Chukkung until a long while past darkness.
I’ve done