tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69432117384108737472024-03-09T07:02:12.584+11:00Tasmanian TrailUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-2807007436115856232019-11-04T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:58:19.930+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 018 - Railton to East Devonport<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 18</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Monday, 04 November 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Railton</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: East Devonport</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 23.5 (27.3 TT less 4.3 saved through TT re-route plus 1.0 in towns)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 470.2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Mostly overcast, cool to mild and breezy, with occasional light showers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Ferry</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Egg & bacon pie, vanilla slice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Pizza, ice-cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The 13km roadwalk from Railton to Latrobe, required because of the closure of the official TT route following a dispute with a landowner, was not much fun. Although it is a public holiday in northern Tasmania, there was still plenty of traffic and quite a few trucks. There was not much verge to the road (more of a narrow rough ditch), but I still retreated there every time I met an oncoming vehicle as I walked facing the traffic. I thought I was OK staying on the edge of the sealed surface when there were no oncoming vehicles, but learned my lesson when a car coming from behind overtook another vehicle and missed my left elbow by a few centimetres at most.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1leNEuGJIfgZfVR2Y1tZjOw7u6vxEfYGT">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position:</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I took my time getting up, knowing I did not have a long day, and didn't leave the cabin until about 8:45am. I was guessing I only had a couple of hours walking to Latrobe, a bigger town than the tiny Railton, so decided to wait until I reached the former before eating breakfast. I miscalculated and it took over three hours of tedious roadwalking (see above), though the forested countryside was attractive, to reach Latrobe. Once there, I detoured into the town and found a very busy bakery open for business, and ordered some lunch, since it was now midday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Half an hour later, I was walking again, this time along a less busy road that followed the broad Mersey River estuary towards Devonport. I could smell the sea air. After 90 minutes I entered suburbia and then reached the unprepossessing East Devonport port area. Although check-in to get on my overnight ferry to Melbourne supposedly doesn't start until 5pm, I walked down to the passenger terminal and found it open, arriving at 2:30pm and reaching the official end of the Tasmanian Trail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did a quick change in the toilets into some less smelly/dirty clothes and sorted out what gear I needed to keep with me on board after I checked my backpack, although ultimately, I decided to keep my backpack with me and just leave it on my booked recliner seat. I boarded soon after 5pm and the ferry departed at 7:30pm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My ferry arrives in Melbourne at 6am tomorrow and then I have a 4km walk to the main railway station from where I will catch a train departing at 8:30am for Sydney. From there another train to Gosford where Julie will pick me up at 9:30pm tomorrow night, all going to plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I enjoyed the Tasmanian Trail, and it met my expectations for attractive rather than spectacular scenery, I do think it is more suited to mountain bike travel because there are so many long road stretches. Although I had feet problems the whole way, I think they have improved since buying the New Balance shoes at Deloraine three days ago, and generally, I feel I got into the hiking groove properly by the end of the trip. Now looking forward to next year.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-45257445802505697742019-11-03T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:57:45.420+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 017 - Sheffield to Railton<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 17</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Sunday, 03 November 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Sheffield</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Railton</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 15.3 (12.3 TT plus 3.0 in towns)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 442.9</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Mild and mostly overcast with some showers later in the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cabin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Apricot Danish</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Chicken salad roll</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Hamburger with the lot and chips, ice-cream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The first 5km out of Sheffield followed the course of an old rail line through farmland and forest. It was soft underfoot and the walking was easy. I listened to the Deloraine Community Radio station which plays music I like (though even I find some of it a bit old) with little interruption and I found myself singing along out loud as I walked along and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Now that I'm in a more populated area, I'm again seeing a lot of rubbish dumped along the vehicle-accessible forest roads. At one point, I met a guy driving along slowly in a pickup with a large slab of concrete in the tray, and I have little doubt he was looking for somewhere to dump it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1pWaWZ5ld_XJehxaGwF-RhLxKFfHLhGTC" style="text-decoration-line: none;">here</a> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(For some reason, pictures for the last two days were not accessible. This has now been corrected and the links for those two days work.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I slept fitfully, waking a few times with pain in my feet, but managed to doze in bed all the way through to 9am and checked out of the motel at 10am. As planned, I walked to the bakery next door and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before walking out of town, admiring the many murals adorning the walls of buildings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once out of town, the TT followed an abandoned rail easement for 5km through farmland and forest (see above) and then entered a pine plantation, following forest roads. It was pleasant walking, apart from the dumped rubbish (see above), and I found a quiet place to eat the roll I had bought for lunch from the Sheffield bakery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From there it was another hour or so walking on rural back roads and old trails to get to the very small town of Railton. Unlike Sheffield, Railton seems to be a very quiet town in decline with nearly as many closed stores as open ones. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a short walk around town, bought a snack, and walked to the cabin I had booked on the outskirts, arriving around 3pm. After attending to a few chores while watching cricket on TV, I later walked back into town to the fast food store and got some dinner. It was an easy and enjoyable day, and I am almost sorry my Tasmanian Trail hike is nearly over. One day to go.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-13187504596302877202019-11-02T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:57:13.668+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 016 - Deloraine to Sheffield<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 16</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Saturday, 02 November 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Deloraine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Sheffield</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 48.3 (45.2 TT plus 2.0 navigation error plus 1.1 detour into Sheffield).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 430.6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Overcast with lengthy rain periods</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Motel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cereal, raisin toast</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Chicken Caesar salad sandwich</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Soup, a tad of rehydrated spaghetti bolognese (couldn't get it down), ice-cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Exhausted overall and feet very tired</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: When the rain stopped around 9am, I had dress-circle views over a beautiful green rural valley as I walked along Cox's Road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Lots of cobwebs across the trail through the forest in the morning, which I collected across my face and body interminably.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1LHZfBMp_H4qM_td8ykmpIhj_dxRBPDXw">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">True to the forecast, it was raining lightly but continuously when I left my cabin at 7:15am. I walked the 500 metres into town and bought a sandwich for lunch from the bakery before continuing out the other side of Deloraine and walking the 9km on roads to rejoin the official TT. Around this time the rain stopped, and I enjoyed a nice walk along Cox's Road (see above) before entering the Gog Range forest. It was very pleasant forest walking, apart from the cobwebs, but my mind was on the looming ford of the Mersey River which had been described as potentially difficult on the TT website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reached the river around noon, about the same time the rain started again. It was difficult to see how deep the water was in some parts, and the river was wide, but the current was not strong, which gave me confidence that I wouldn't get into trouble. I took it slowly and got wet up to my groin, but crossed safely and happily. My goal for the day was to get about 10km past the river crossing before looking for somewhere to camp, and feeling OK, I continued on in the light rain. My shoes and socks were wet from the river, and I was beginning to feel quite damp all over. The trail was easy forest road, although it seemed to always be ascending or descending, and the forests were a mix of eucalypt and pine plantation. At times the trail seemed to ascend into the clouds and there were no views from anywhere in the Gog Range.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was too wet to stop for a break, so I just kept walking, but must have switched off in my little rain-hooded world and missed a turn. By the time I realised, it was easier to continue on, following a different road in the same forest, knowing from Maps.Me that I would rejoin the official TT further on. The error cost me about 2km. Because I wasn't taking breaks, I was still making quite good time, and decided I would walk further than planned until I reached the edge of the forest and then camp at a river shown on the map.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a very long descent, I reached the river, but found the area wasn't particularly good for camping. It was continuing to rain, and I didn't relish the idea of setting up camp in the rain, and perhaps packing up a wet tent in the morning. I began to think about how far it was to the small town of Sheffield which I had originally intended to reach about lunchtime tomorrow, and wondered whether I would be able to get accommodation there. Unfortunately, there was no phone signal at the potential camping site, so I had to decide whether to continue walking into the farmland, where I was unlikely to find another campsite, in the hope that once I had a phone signal, I would be able to book accommodation. By the time I got a signal it was 6pm, and I was lucky enough to get a room at the only motel in town. However, it was still 10km away and I was starting to get very tired.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last 10km, though hard on the body, particularly because it involved some long ascents and descents, was actually some of the most beautiful scenery of the day. The steep green pastures had backdrops of spectacular mountains and mountain bluffs. To top it off, the rain stopped around the time I booked the motel, and I began to feel a little warmer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I finally reached the motel around 8:20pm and pretty much collapsed in a chair in the room (in which the receptionist, knowing I was going to be late, had turned on the heater). After a shower and getting into some warm dry clothes, I felt much better and ate my dinner watching the second half of the Rugby World Cup Final on TV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I only have about 13km tomorrow to my next booked accommodation, so I will sleep in as late as I can, have breakfast at the adjacent bakery, and check-in as early as I can at the next place. My feet are sore, as to be expected after 48km with a pack, but I enjoyed the day despite the weather and am happy with my fitness overall.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-79355778064613237522019-11-01T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:56:35.467+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 015 - Deloraine<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 15</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Friday, 01 November 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Deloraine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Deloraine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: ~4.0km wandering around town</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 385.4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Warm and mostly overcast</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: AirBnB Cabin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Apple pie and milkshake</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cornish pastie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Hamburger & chips, milkshake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Wandering around six of the Tasmanian Craft Fair venues and looking at some of the 260 exhibitors on a comfortably warm day in attractive Deloraine. I find the ingenuity and skills impressive, but think it would be a hard way to make a living with so much competition in the same space. It wouldn't be hard to think of a score of friends who would have savoured the exhibition more than me, and I'm sure I didn't appreciate adequately a lot of what I saw.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1L_rSIEXJQ6iny3q-AEYnSBuMnEZiYhwX">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a slow start to the day, and attended to some chores before walking the 500 metres into the centre of Deloraine, which is a pretty little town set along a main street leading up from manicured parkland bordering the Meander River. After a wander up and down the street, I visited the Post Office to collect my last mailed food package where the girl was very impressed that I had arrived on the exact date specified on the package as my ETD (all my packages say "Please Hold for Tasmanian Trail Hiker Due ~ dd/mm/yy"). I told her I was a "man of routine".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had some breakfast at one of the bakeries on the main street, and as I walked from there towards some of the Craft Fair venues, I passed the town's small sports store and saw they had some discounted running shoes in a bin out the front that got me thinking about replacing the old Nike Pegasus shoes I have been wearing, and which I feel are well past their "use by" date (and are half a size smaller that I would like). I visited three of the Fair venues, before deciding to return to the sports store to see what they had in stock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WARNING! BORING PARAGRAPH ABOUT SHOES.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The discounted shoes in the size I wanted (US12) were Asics Gel Nimbus, which have a good reputation, but after doing some Googling, I found their heel drop (how much higher the heel is than the forefoot) was 10mm, and I would prefer 12mm. I have had lifetime Achilles tendon problems (five surgeries) and the higher heel drop (which Nike Pegasus also has) takes pressure off the tendon. Inside the store, they had some New Balance 880s, which have a 12mm heel drop, in my required size and I bought them. I was once also sponsored as a marathon runner by New Balance, and have found them to be good shoes, though sometimes a little on the heavy side. The proof will be in the pudding when I wear them tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After buying the new shoes, I had lunch at the other bakery in town, bought a few things at the supermarket, then walked back to my cabin, by which time it was 2pm. I then walked to the three Fair venues close to my cabin and spent another hour looking around the exhibits, before spending the remainder of the afternoon, doing a few small chores and watching TV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later, I walked to a 50s-themed diner for dinner and packed ready for a reasonably early departure tomorrow (rain forecast). Around lunchtime, I will have to ford the other major river on the Tasmanian Trail, the Mersey. A TT website update says that there is a deep channel that makes the crossing difficult, and suggests a road alternative, but I think I'll take a look first. If I decide to backtrack, it should only cost me a few kilometres.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-54976709778078020182019-10-31T23:00:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:56:04.591+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 014 - Liffey to Deloraine<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-bd381cc5-7fff-b223-7273-6957d6c41034" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 14</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Thursday, 01 November 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Liffey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Deloraine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 33.8 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 385.4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cool early, then mild to warm and partly cloudy (Total Fire Ban in southern and eastern Tasmania)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: AirBnB cabin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Meat pie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Pizza and ice-cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Feet sore by the end of day</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It was a beautiful and peaceful early morning climb up the Liffey valley, passing by attractive little farms overshadowed by towering forested mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1NW81IOdFMnATGHaC8o2iXWE5b6QziUlN" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn't sleep all that well, perhaps because I went to bed so early (7pm) to escape the cold wind, or perhaps because of the sound of distant farm machinery that woke me around 2am (sounded like a buzz saw ….. what were they doing?). Anyway, when a nearby rooster began crowing shortly before 4am and magpies began warbling (a beautiful sound) shortly after, I gave up trying to sleep and packed up in the dark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I began walking around 5:20 am when it was just light enough to see without a headlamp, and followed the very quiet road (3 cars in 3 hours) up the Liffey River valley (see above). I enjoyed walking past these relatively remote farms set amongst fabulous scenery. I doubt that any of them make enough money to survive through farming, so I guess you have to be well-off to live there, or have a day job somewhere else. One of the joys of this whole hike has been wandering the farm back roads and observing the derelict old buildings and machinery, often juxtaposed with well-kept farmhouses with fabulous gardens. Apart from some orchards, vineyards and hops down south, the farms have mostly been pastoral, grazing cattle and sheep (the latter generally with young lambs), and more rarely, horses, fallow deer and llamas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eventually, I climbed steeply out of the valley into a dark and ferny forest, with some pine plantations thrown in, which lasted for about an hour, before I began a gentle descent northwards through farmland towards Deloraine. It was a very pleasant morning with little road traffic, and I wandered along looking at the world around me while listening to the radio. With about 10km to go, I left the official TT for my detour to Deloraine, and after more farmland, reached the town at 1:30pm, considerably earlier than planned because of my early start. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I bought a pie for lunch at a fast food shop adjacent to the town's two schools, and while eating, messaged my friendly AirBnB host to see if she would give me early access to the cabin I had booked for two nights. She responded affirmatively, and I arrived there around 2:30pm. The cabin included a washing machine, but no drier, so I hastily put all my laundry in the machine, with the exception of my barely worn long-johns and my down jacket, and set it going. My hope that at least some of the clothes had air-dried by dinner time (so I could walk into town for dinner without being arrested, or being an object of local curiosity ….. although it is Halloween) was fulfilled, and I walked to a nearby pub for dinner. There, I had an excellent, and too-big, pizza, marred only by the guy on the next table suffering from a formidable bronchial cough that had me holding my breath for a minute or two after each episode.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a day off tomorrow, and since the Tasmanian Craft Fair is on in town (touted on local radio as "the largest in the southern hemisphere"), I may have a look around, although it's not really my thing.</span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-32271329505891084242019-10-30T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:55:32.071+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 013 - Cramps to Liffey<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 13 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Wednesday, 30 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: North of Cramps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Liffey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 28.3 (40.6 TT less 12.3 saved by short-cutting Bracknell, an option suggested in guidebook)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 351.6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cold at first, then mild and partly sunny with strong winds in the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail Mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail Mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Soup and rehydrated meal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Feet sore, but not as bad as other days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It was nice to finally leave the road and follow an old eroded track down off the Central Plateau. The going was slow, but it was through beautiful forest and fern gullies, and even passed a large cave, before finally emerging into farmland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1J1pmqQ2tUMSNdIbpRYKkb9Qp0YhdyLPN" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ground was hard on the firetrail where I was camped, but at least there were no rocks sticking up in awkward spots and I slept OK, if fitfully. I was on the road at 7:30am and eagerly anticipating reaching the point 4km on where I would leave the road and join an old track. I wasn't disappointed, and although the track was eroded and covered in loose rock, I enjoyed the peace and forest as I descended from the plateau.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the bottom, I emerged into very green sheep and cattle pastures and followed quiet rural back roads for the remainder of the day, with the high bluffs of the central plateau's edge to the west and south.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the afternoon progressed, the wind became stronger, and I was reminded of the Australian Championship Marathon I ran about 40 years ago as part of the Victorian team at nearby Cressy. The wind was brutal and the field became a long snake as runners tried to shelter behind each other. The other thing I remember about that race is that I didn't run very well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The official TT route went through the small village of Bracknell (where there is a store) but there was a short-cut to Liffey, my goal for the day, that was recommended in the TT guidebook if a store was not needed, and I took that. The TT campsite is in the grounds of the old Liffey School, and I reached there at 3:30pm. It is a lovely spot on the side of a hill with good views, but it's very exposed to a cold wind that is blasting through as I write this. It could be an early night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I now have about 33km to Deloraine, where I will be staying the next two nights, using a revised TT route which has apparently been devised to avoid private land where the landowner no longer lets TT walkers/bikers pass. Deloraine is not on the actual TT, which sort of skirts around it, but I have decided to stay there, and have time for a day off.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-77957939033521808632019-10-29T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:54:57.236+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 012 - Miena to Cramps<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 12</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tuesday, 29 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Miena</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: North of Cramps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 37.3 (38.7 TT, less 1.4 saved due to bushfire detour)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 311.0</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cool early, then mild to warm and mostly sunny with strong winds most of the day. There was a Total Fire Ban for southern Tasmania.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cereal, toast & jam</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Soup and rehydrated meal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Good up until noon, then right foot PF worsened during afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Difficulty finding water, then a campsite, at the end of the day. Water had been plentiful earlier in the day, mostly seen flowing through culverts under the road, but when I needed a couple of litres at the end of the day, all the culverts were dry. I eventually found a trickle and small pond and got water from there. Likewise for places to camp. I had seen many possibilities earlier in the day, but by the end of the day I had entered a very bouldery area, with no flat spots for camping. Finally, I found a firetrail leading off the road, and camped on the hard stony firetrail about 100 metres past a locked gate. It may be an uncomfortable night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1u1akGcA-HpJrzzfFOA_nXV-_vFfzwbfV" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I woke around 6:30am and hit the road about 7:45am after an unrushed breakfast. It was a fairly major road, which I had to stay on for the morning. The official TT route used some fire trails via Tods Corner, to cut out about 11km of the road, but according to the TT website this route was closed because of a bushfire. Smoke from the fire dominated the scene as I approached the turnoff, but there was nobody stationed at the corner or any signage indicating the road was closed. I was tempted to try it to avoid the logging and gravel 18-wheelers on the road, but was worried that I might go some kilometres and then be turned back. I stuck to the road. Despite the traffic (and there were long periods with none), the scenery was pleasant forest and there was a long descent off the plateau to Wiley's Marsh with some views, where I turned north onto a narrower, but equally busy sealed road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eventually, I reached a turn-off down to Arthurs Lake and followed a difficult loose bluestone road that paralleled the lake shore and was the service road for some high voltage power transmission lines. I believe most of the "lakes" in this area of Tasmania are actually dams built by Hydro Tasmania and there are often pipelines and transmission lines visible, along with the occasional power station. As I walk, I often wonder what the place would look like without the dams. (The only protest march in which I ever participated was way back in the 70s against the damming of the Franklin/Gordon River in Tasmania. It was eventually stopped by the Federal government in a court case, and I think history has demonstrated that the dam would have been redundant. I later spent about 8 days rafting down the wild Franklin River, a trip which is still vivid in my memory.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn't find the walk under the powerlines particularly interesting, but at least it got me away from the trucks for about 6km. Then, it was back onto the road and a long steady climb back onto the Central Plateau, accompanied by the smell of bushfire smoke, and the Great Lake's eastern shore. My goal for the day was to reach a locality called Cramps, where there was boat access to the lake off the main road, but I didn't want to make the detour to get water from the lake and guessed that camping might be forbidden anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I continued on another 3km, eventually finding water and a campsite (see above). Apart from the increasingly painful plantar fasciitis in my right foot during the afternoon, I had a good day. </span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-13890760511673641452019-10-28T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:54:20.138+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 011 - Miena<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 11</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Monday, 28 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Miena</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Miena</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 0.0</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 272.3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cold and mostly sunny</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Lodge</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cereal, toast & jam</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Toasted ham, cheese & tomato sandwich and chips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Chicken Parmigiana, chips & salad</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Nothing to speak of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Lazy day</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Lodge washing machine broken so had to handwash most of my clothes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: No pictures today</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I slept well and long, perhaps confirming I was very tired last night. After getting up at 7am and making breakfast in my room, the morning was spent researching hiking/running shoes and next year's big hike, along with catching up on some email, bills and TV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After lunch in the very quiet hotel attached to the lodge, and learning that the lodge's washing machine was broken, I hand-washed most of my clothes, hanging them to dry in front of the heater, and looked at my itinerary for the next few days to Deloraine. I'll be camping either two or three nights, depending on how far I want to walk each day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Originally, instead of having a day off here at Miena, I was going to have Friday off at the small town of Deloraine. However, when I decided to have a day off here, I cancelled the first of the two nights I had booked at an AirBnB in Deloraine (the only accommodation I could find in town when I originally booked - it's a long weekend and there is a major craft fair in town). That decision now seems premature, but maybe I'll leave it for another day or two, then contact the AirBnB property again to see if the first night is still available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After dinner at the hotel, I plan an early night with the goal of leaving by soon after 7am tomorrow for a day that will require more roadwalking as I detour around the nearby bushfire.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-62813920807467140192019-10-27T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:53:52.899+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 010 - Bronte Park to Miena<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Sunday, 27 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Bronte Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Miena</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 31.4 (35.0 TT, less 3.6 because of bushfire detour)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 272.3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cold all day with a chilly wind and mostly overcast with a few showers of wintry mix in the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Lodge</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Apple crumble</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail mix and meat pie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Beef rissoles and vegetables </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I swapped to wearing my camp shoes (a very old pair of Nike Pegasus) for today to see if that made any difference to my feet. I think they were marginally better at the end of the day, though I did score a blister on my left heel. I'm thinking now that the Brooks Cascadia I have been wearing are aggravating my feet for some reason. It's hard to say how/why. I generally have a high opinion of Brooks, having been sponsored by them during my marathon career and having worn them for most of my Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 1986.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Things got pretty bleak while crossing the vast plain surrounding Little Pine Lagoon, with a cold wind coming off the lake and a wind-driven wintry mix adding to my discomfort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jZgdpMcTRZSAqiDQTOo8szv1Z0W06NKj" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I woke at 6am, ate what was left of last night's apple crumble for breakfast, and after watching the news headlines left my very comfortable cabin for the cold outside (3°C without the windchill) and the 31km to tonight's stop at Miena. After reading about closures on the Tasmanian Trail website, I decided to keep it simple and just follow the road to Miena rather than risking unexpected detours while trying to follow the published route. Even the published route was mostly along the road anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although cold, the early walking was peaceful and enjoyable through alpine forest on a formed-earth road with almost no traffic. Most of the time, the road seemed to be crossing a forested high plateau and was relatively flat, though there were no views. I just coasted along, listening to some music on the radio and trying to judge whether my feet were better because of the change in shoes (see above).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the day wore on, there was more traffic, but still long periods of nothing. Several people stopped to ask if I wanted a lift, but I politely declined. Further north, there was clear evidence of a severe and recent fire, with no signs of green shoots, gnarled and blackened trees, and bare red earth and rocks. It had a kind of stark beauty, despite the devastation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After about 20km, the road reached Little Pine Lagoon and crossed a vast scrubby plain. The weather seemed to worsen (see above), though it may have just been because I was more exposed, and the long straight stretches of road seemed never-ending in the harsh conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, I reached the Miena General Store about 2:45pm and stopped in to warm up with a hot meat pie, as well as buying a few snacks to take with me to the lodge where I will be staying, which was another 3km along the road. Somewhat refreshed, I set out for the walk to the lodge which followed the shore of Swan Bay, part of the Great Lake. There were quite a few weekend shacks and clearly fishing is the big thing around here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reached the lodge just before 4pm, and they checked me in for two nights despite there still being some demand for rooms from the bushfire fighters tackling the blaze nearby (see yesterday's blog post). They also handed over my self-mailed food parcel (they are the Post Office as well), so I'm set for the next few days after I leave here. I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-11775896842868506972019-10-26T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:53:17.724+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 009 - Victoria Valley to Bronte Park<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 09</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Saturday, 26 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Victoria Valley</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Bronte Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 33.3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 238.3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cold and mostly overcast with occasional rain and snow/sleet showers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cabin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Snickers and Mars bars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail Mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Ravioli and apple pie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Feet still sore 🙁</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Getting to the cabin, escaping the miserable weather, and watching the rain and wind through the window of my heated cabin as I write this blog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Not long after I decided it had warmed up in the early afternoon, I stopped and removed my thermal top (keeping on my heavy-duty rain jacket) and beanie. Within about 15 minutes, the temperature dropped and it began raining, then hailing, then snowing. Soon I was very cold (just wearing shorts as usual), but with nowhere to shelter, didn't want to stop and get stuff wet as I retrieved warmer gear and rainpants from my pack. I soldiered on as long as I dared, hoping it would blow over, but in the end stopped and put on the thermal top and beanie again. In changeable weather, it's always a challenge working out what to wear and when to change, though I knew that if worst came to worst, I had all the gear I needed in my pack to get warm and safe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WG4PSN2BJpfjMMXCtZbXbRyR_r6kynUE" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today was always going to be a bit of a grind. The TT was to follow a minor gravel road for about 30km, then a sealed road for another 3km.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got up at 6am and was walking by 7am on a cold morning. Knowing the route, I decided to try and maintain a good pace, have limited breaks, and get to the cabin I had booked for the night at a reasonable hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">None of the roads were busy, but there was some traffic and the road easement was wide, meaning there wasn't that sense of closeness to nature that you get from the logging tracks. Mostly, I passed through forest, but there were also some cattle grazing properties, several large reservoirs that were clearly popular for fishing, and some small groups of weekend shacks. I'm now in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, and there was a more alpine feel to the vegetation. There was also lots of smelly roadkill, mostly wallabies and wombats, to hold my breath as I passed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There wasn't much else to report on for the day, apart from the weather (see above), and it was mostly a case of just getting from A to B as quickly as possible. I reached the cabins at 3pm in light drizzle and was greeted by name by the proprietor (apparently, I'm the only booking for tonight) who also kindly drove me to the local store (barely qualified for the name), 800m away, later on so that I could feed myself tonight and tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the day, I decided that rather than wait until next Friday for my next day off, I would try and stay an extra night at Miena, which I reach tomorrow night. A phone call has tentatively set that up, though it may depend on the nearby bushfire (see yesterday's blog) being extinguished/tempered by the weather, so that the firefighters staying there go home tomorrow.</span></div>
</h4>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1e0fa10-7fff-1b84-a641-ee2f8412a021"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-70983889681306786212019-10-25T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:52:36.160+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 008 - Ouse to Victoria Valley<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 08</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Friday, 25 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Ouse</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Victoria Valley</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 24.2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 205.0</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: A bit of everything with a strong dose of wind</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Bacon, eggs & tomato, and a milkshake</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Salad sandwich</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Soup and rehydrated meal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: All good, apart from tired/sore feet towards the end of the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The afternoon walk on a forest trail, when the worst of the wind had passed, through the Lanes Tier Conservation Area, with old growth eucalypt forest and a bracken understorey, was very pleasant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The worst of the windstorm, which hit while I was crossing open grazing land on a gravel backroad, was very unpleasant, with wind-whipped dust making it very hard for a contact lens wearer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JLdErn6XeEHKCIvSM9lKlQioQWJopuNJ" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I slept in until 7am, then packed up and walked into town at 8am and bought myself a cooked breakfast at the roadhouse. By the time I finished that, and bought some drink and snacks at the store, it was nearly time for the Post Office to open. It duly did and I received my mailed food pack to see me through to my next resupply in a few days. I was on the road out of town by 9:20am in pleasantly warm conditions but with ominous clouds building in the northwest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day's hiking was really divided into two parts, the first half was to be through hilly open grazing land as I climbed up to Lanes Tier, and the second half was to be through forest including the Lanes Tier Conservation Area. It also turned out to be a day of two halves weather-wise with the morning quickly deteriorating into gale-force winds, with occasional wind-driven rain and dust, making it quite unpleasant in the open. Despite that, there was virtually no traffic and only one farmhouse in about 10km, so I had the place to myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About the same time that I left the farm for the forest, the wind seemed to drop a little, but maybe I was just more protected, and there were periods of sunshine. It warmed up enough to resume hiking in a T-shirt and there was no more rain, though the wind continued to howl in the treetops. Partway through the forest, I came on some signage warning that the road I was on was closed for logging, but I heard no machinery and ultimately saw no-one as I pressed on through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At a break I checked messages on my phone and found one from a member of the Tasmanian Trail organisation warning me that the trail near Miena, where I will be in a couple of days, has been closed because of a bushfire. I was aware of the fire through radio bulletins and knew that although it was a couple of days old, it had flared up in the strong winds. Given there is rain in the forecast, I suspect the trail will be open by the time I get there, but there is a roadwalk alternative if not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the joys of the Lanes Tier CA, the trail rejoined a more major (though still minor) gravel road and I walked through the hamlet of Victoria Valley, which seemed to comprise just one house, and found the TT campsite a little further on, arriving just before 4pm. There's a toilet, water tank and picnic table, but no shelter and it's on the crest of a ridge meaning it is exposed to the strong and cold winds as I write this. I think I will be in the tent early tonight.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-87941899175587528632019-10-24T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:51:56.144+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 007 - Jones River to Ouse<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">07</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday, 24 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Jones River</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Ouse</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 26.4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 180.8</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Mostly sunny and very warm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Picnic and Mars bars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Trail Mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Hamburger with the lot, chips and a milkshake. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Feeling good apart from tired/sore feet near the end of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The ford of the Broad River, which while quite challenging (flowing strongly and groin deep), came at exactly the right time to wash my shoes and socks which were caked in greasy grey mud after I got caught in a bog while trying to get around a big puddle a couple of kilometres earlier. After ten minutes slowly and carefully negotiating the rocky river, shoes and socks were clean (relatively).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It's a public holiday in southern Tasmania (Royal Hobart Show Day) that I hadn't counted on in my planning. I hoped to pick up a self-mailed food parcel at the Post Office in Ouse, but it was closed, and I'll have to delay leaving Ouse tomorrow until after the PO opens at 9am. I had also hoped to get an evening meal at the town pub (and, forlornly, accommodation) but was told no accommodation and no meals because of the public holiday. Not a big deal, as the camp area in town is fine and I got an early dinner at the town roadhouse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-jG8cpL3TgP0DKP579TCmhr5PMXPhcL_" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I woke to a beautiful mild morning and took my time packing up to give the tent flysheet some time to (partially) dry. I was hiking on the gravel backroad following the Jones River westwards by 7:45am. I had about 4km to reach a more major road, and for most of that distance, a ewe and two lambs, who must have escaped from a paddock somewhere, trotted fearfully along the road in front of me. They tried a few gates without success, but would not let me sneak past and end their trek. The last I saw of them, they were trotting off into the distance along the sealed road to Hobart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apart from feeling some guilt about the plight of the fleeing sheep, I enjoyed a beautiful morning walk with wisps of mist in front of some of the hills with the rest of the peaceful valley bathed in sunshine. It was already T-shirt weather, despite a cool night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the short sealed road section, came a long stretch of old logging tracks through mostly regrowth pine forest. It was a bit scrappy and boggy in parts, with the route chosen to avoid a forestry road, perhaps unnecessarily. In one of the bogs, I badly misjudged the depth of the mud and before I knew it was sinking to calf level and in fear of having my shoes sucked off. I finally extracted myself and was lucky that the Broad River crossing came soon after (see above).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From there, the trail returned to civilisation, crossing the Derwent River just below Lake Repulse and the Repulse Power Station. There followed a long hot walk along a baked clay road to Ouse. The scenery was pleasant and the road pretty much deserted, but it was hard work and I was sweating buckets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happily, I reached the tiny village of Ouse, my goal for the day, at 3:30pm and quickly bought an ice-cream and cold Diet Coke at the town store, which I consumed in the shaded town bus shelter. Later, I struck out for both accommodation and a meal at the town pub, so had an early dinner at the town roadhouse and then trekked the 0.5km to the former town sports field, now used as a campsite for the TT and for grazing sheep. The camping facilities are good, and I'm happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There's a severe weather warning for tomorrow, with gale force winds preceding a cold front bringing rain and snow down to 800m. No doubt I'll soon be dreaming of T-shirt hiking again.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-23182556395857397732019-10-23T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:51:23.690+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 006 - Bushy Park to Jones River<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">06</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday, 23 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Bushy Patk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Jones River</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 30.1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 154.4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Mostly sunny and warm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Cereal and toast & jam</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Chicken salad sandwich</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Soup and rehydrated meal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Both feet still sore with plantar fasciitis playing up in the right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Walking along a treeless grassy, sheep-mown ridge in the early morning sunshine which gave helicopter-like views over the valley below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I could have done without the steep cross-country bush bash up to the Mt Bethune ridge at the end of a long day, but the views were great from the top.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1v-SrDaxp0-sDUUArMCkexzezwd8Ri6_v" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I enjoyed a relaxed farmhouse continental breakfast at the B&B before hitting the road, literally, soon after 8am. After 10 minutes walk, I reached the "quaint" Bushy Park Roadhouse/Post Office, and stopped to collect some mailed food to see me through to the next town. While there, I bought a 1.25 litre Coke (for my day's hydration ….. inadequate, as it turned out) as well as a sandwich for lunch and a few chocolate bars. It was 8:30am by the time I got going again, and the day was already warming up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For today, the official TT crosses through a number of private properties, one of which required prior permission to cross (I called last night and they were happy to have me pass through), whilst the others require you to stick to the marked trails. I was also going to camp for the night at a private family-owned campsite by the Jones River, and had called ahead to confirm that was OK as well. There are alternate road routes for those who do not want to cross the private land, and I'm guessing most mountain-bikers use the roads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, not long after leaving the roadhouse, I climbed a gate, the first of many (and getting less agile as I age), and followed the first farm track through private land. After a solid climb, fantastic views were revealed (see above), and it was almost intoxicating to cruise along the broad grassy ridge with the world spread out below and to have it all to myself, apart from a few sheep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later there were some more backroads sections, but the highlight of the day was certainly the trail, often not marked, through private farmland and woods, made better by a picture-perfect day with a light cooling breeze. Here and there I saw wallabies and also a couple of echidnas. In parts, particularly where it was rocky and/or cross-country, the going was slow, and there were a couple of solid climbs that had me sweating buckets and wishing I had bought more Coke at the roadhouse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last highpoint of the day was the traverse of Mt Bethune around 5pm, with more fantastic views, and then a long descent through farmland to the Jones River. Just before reaching the campsite, I passed a farmhouse with a water tap outside and I filled both 2 litre water bottles, anticipating a thirsty night. The campsite has a shelter, tables and chairs, a water tank and a long-drop toilet, so everything I need. Tables and chairs are always particularly welcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is supposed to be hot tomorrow, so I will carry extra water, and there is a river to ford, that is sometimes impassable, so maybe some excitement ahead.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-9514695529175659262019-10-22T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:50:46.880+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 005 - New Norfolk to Bushy Park<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">05</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday, 22 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: New Norfolk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Bushy Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 23.1 TT (+1.2 other)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 124.3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Mostly sunny and mild to warm </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: B&B</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Egg & bacon croissant</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Ham salad roll</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Tomato soup and rye bread, bangers and mash</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Feet still very tired/sore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I really enjoyed the bucolic scenery as I traversed the Black Hills on a very quiet back road under a warm sun, with some snow-capped mountains in the far distance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BsgINBb595ldEU5AcA5qf74zhso03Dxp" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowing that I only had about 24km to walk in total, and wouldn't be able to check into my B&B until after 3pm, I slept in, and took my time to pack before leaving the motel and walking into New Norfolk to have breakfast at the nice bakery I found yesterday. While there, I also bought a salad roll to take with me for lunch on the trail (road),</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I left the bakery around 9:30 and spent the first few kilometres on suburban footpaths (sidewalks) including crossing the Derwent River (which I was to cross again at the end of my day's hike). Although suburban walking is not a highlight, I enjoy watching everybody going about their usual daily activities, feeling somewhat like an observer from another planet. People exercising, shopping, mowing lawns, watering gardens, primary school kids playing cricket in a Phys Ed class, and so on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day was warming up, and I soon stripped down to my T-shirt for the first time on thi trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Originally, without checking the map, I assumed I would be following the Derwent River upstream for the day, but in fact, the TT took backroads over the Black Hills before dropping back down to the river late in the day. The climb was long, though not particularly steep, and overlooked a rural valley where I could see small holdings and observe farmers going about their various activities. There were some small forested sections and then a sort of plateau before the road, which was very quiet, turned to gravel and began an equally long descent providing good views to the north and west. The farms were larger on this side, with few trees and vast grassy fields sweeping up the side of the mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I leaned against a farm gate to eat a late lunch in the sun and watched with interest a flock of white cockatoos in the distance, trying to work out which bird was making the decisions for the group as to which tree to perch in, and when to fly. It seemed a bit random, but I'm sure PhD's have been written on the subject.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After lunch, I had another 10km to the B&B, half of it along a busier road that followed a gorge created by the Derwent, before I descended to cross the river, pass through some hop fields and reach my quaint B&B set in a large garden around 4pm. They provide a limited dinner menu, which I signed up for, there being no other nearby dinner options. It turned out to be delicious, homemade from local produce, and I ate it on their front verandah on a beautiful mild evening.</span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-17019465801611074322019-10-21T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:49:56.190+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 004 - New Norfolk<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">04</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday, 21 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: New Norfolk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: New Norfolk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 0.0 TT (+ ~4.0 around town)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 101.0</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Mostly sunny, cool and breezy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Motel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Egg & bacon croissant</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Curried egg & lettuce roll, vanilla slice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Chicken pasta</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: My feet welcomed the day off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: None really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1z7wsMLgsGB7ClcBAYM0k6qSJp5W3oy__" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for pictures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was up late last night working out the best way to technically manage my blog and redoing Day 2, while watching English crime shows on TV and didn't get up until after 7am. I then spent some time drying out my damp tent from yesterday, and after that, trying to clean up all the dried twigs, leaves and dirt that fell on my room floor as I repacked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I later walked into town, about ten minutes away, had some breakfast at a cafe and attended to a couple of chores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Firstly, I mailed back home my topographical maps, which are relatively heavy and haven't been used at all thus far. I'm navigating using a GPS track on the Maps.me app, which is working well, and also have the hardcopy sketch maps of the entire track produced by the trail management organisation. I'm a bit reluctant to be primarily dependent on a battery-operated device, but it has worked well for all of my recent hikes, and I'm carrying a battery powerpack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Secondly, the jack for my headphones does not fit through the designated port in my protective phone case, so I bought another set of headphones that seemed likely to work (later I found out they don't work either, though they seem to fit ….. looks like I will have to continue just using my little AM/FM radio for occasional entertainment, but that's OK).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Norfolk is smaller than I expected and doesn't take long to walk around. While doing so, I made several observations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The largest shopfront on the main street was the Reject Shop (Dollar Store).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They had toe warmers on display for sale at the Post Office counter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a butcher shop on the main street selling only pet meat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a lot of large derelict buildings in and around town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a lazy afternoon planning, TV-watching and napping, I walked back into town to get some dinner. I'm looking forward to a relatively easy day tomorrow on backroads in the Derwent valley. </span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-39113676758897604252019-10-20T23:30:00.002+11:002021-06-30T15:50:10.645+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 003 - Stony Ridge to New Norfolk<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">03</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday, 20 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start: Stony Ridge Conservation Area</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish: New Norfolk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres: 30.6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres: 101.0</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather: Overcast and windy with persistent drizzle in the morning, partly sunny with a cold wind in the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation: Motel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Breakfast: Trail mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Lunch: Trail mix</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Dinner: Spring rolls, honey chicken and rice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches: Very tired again and feet still problematic. Hopefully, a day off tomorrow and then an easier day to follow will allow the body to adjust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight: Although overcast and drizzling, I enjoyed the long climb onto the Wellington Range in the morning with the wind roaring in the tree tops and no-one else about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight: The first 10km of descent from the Wellington Range which followed an over-used, heavily-rutted, muddy and massively-puddled 4WD track. I did my best to keep my feet dry, but slipped once and got both feet wet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FSzI_okr6Bc2tPwg7FEJDtyJ4HOL0oyi" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I slept quite well and was tempted to stay in bed longer, but got myself up at 6am, and was packed (with a very wet flysheet from overnight rain) by 7am. Happily, my feet were tolerable, and I continued on up the mountain under cloudy skies with light drizzle. The wind was roaring in the treetops, but it was relatively calm at ground level. It was one of those climbs that seemed to go on forever, with each bend rounded revealing another ascent. Eventually I reached a ridge which the very stony/rocky trail then followed for some time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it did start to descend, the geology seemed to change and I encountered very rough trail, mud and huge puddles (see above). A few kilometres down the mountain I joined another 4WD track which seemed to be the venue of choice for every Sunday 4WDer in the region. There were many vehicles negotiating the muddy rutted track with varying degrees of skill and confidence (not always matched to each other) and it became a bit tedious dodging them and the massive puddles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After some time, the trail reached civilisation (occasional houses) and the surface and scenery improved. It was still a long way down the mountain and my feet and legs were complaining, even before I reached the sealed road in the Lachlan valley which became a plod. I had hoped to get some food and drink at a shop in the hamlet of Lachlan shown in the TT guide, but it was long derelict. I still had a little trail mix and water left, so had some and set off for the last 7km to New Norfolk. The road was busy and narrow, not making it very pleasant to walk along, but I survived.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I reached the motel, which I was later told was formerly some kind of institution (and looked it) at 4pm, very glad to have finished. After a shower, old running friend, Ian, who had driven up from Hobart, picked me up for dinner, which proved easier said than done. New Norfolk on a Sunday night could not be described as vibrant! We finally found a Chinese and ate well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On return fo the motel, I began to try and load my blog from yesterday and found that the app had deleted it (for the second time, counting last night)! Curses! I have changed the system and hope to do better in future. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow. </span></div>
</h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-1950293026747506922019-10-19T23:30:00.001+11:002021-06-30T15:48:55.221+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 002 - Geeveston to Stony Ridge<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">02</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Date</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday, 19 October 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start: Geeveston</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finish: Stony Ridge Conservation Area</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily Kilometres: 38.0</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Total TT Kilometres: 70.4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather: Cold and squally in the morning, partly sunny in the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accommodation: Tent</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutrition:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Breakfast: Cooked breakfast</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Lunch: Snickers and Mars bars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Dinner: Soup and rehydrated meal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aches: Exhausted overall and feet particularly sore. Running nose and constant coughing ….. maybe man-flu, but more likely spring allergies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Highlight: The beautiful and peaceful walk down a rural road following Dickensons Creek to the Huon valley.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowlight: Very tired/sore feet took the gloss off some of the beautiful scenery. I'm wearing trail shoes instead of my normal boots, and maybe that has something to do with it. This is a trial for next year's big hike where trail shoes make more sense with a lot of river fords. Goretex boots, once wet, take a long time to dry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pictures</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WX2QHCTeFJ9jj2MNqn1yMp7lrq_KJeAn" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Map and Position:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Google Map</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journal:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There were three mountain-bikers also having breakfast at the B&B. They were on the last day of a ride down the Tasmanian Trail from Devonport. They warned me that finding somewhere off the trail to camp north of Judbury later today might be a challenge (and it did). The trail is primarily designed for equestrians and mountain-bikers, and during the day I encountered, separately, two very fit-looking female bikers riding strongly up the mountains. I also later met a couple of young guys labouring up the mountain who looked like their trip may have been planned last night in the pub. There was all manner of baggage hanging off their bikes, including a large duffel bag strapped to one's handlebars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My day started with a very pleasant climb past farms and orchards on a road that was very quiet apart from the dogs I stirred up while passing. Fortunately, none of them came out to greet me on the road in person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eventually, the gravel road entered a mix of forests, much of it burn-damaged, with a couple of clear-felled sections that allowed views to distant snow-capped mountains after a steep climb. It was very cold on the ridge and some wind-blasted hail made it feel very wintry. However, once the trail began to descend, it was sheltered from the wind and the sun made an occasional appearance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a beautiful long rural walk down into the Huon valley (see above), marred only by some sore feet. Once in the valley, I crossed the Huon River at 3:30pm and reached a sports field at Judbury that was the nominated Tasmanian Trail campsite for this 28km section. Given that it was a long haul (40km) from here to tomorrow night's stop at New Norfolk, including the climb over the Wellington Range, I decided to continue on. However, I first took a 30 minute break and watched the end of a local cricket match before getting water from the toilet block and setting off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I followed another pleasant rural back road north out of Judbury, following Judds Creek up into the Wellington Range. I was tired, and it was a plod, but I was determined to walk until at least 5:30pm, and ultimately did not find somewhere (a tiny patch of mossy ground beside the very stony forest road) to erect my tent until soon after 6pm. Of course, it immediately began to rain, so I waited another 20 minutes before putting up the tent. Almost immediately it was erected it began raining again and I quickly chucked everything in the tent, including myself. I was exhausted and it would have been very easy to just lie down and go to sleep, but I knew I should eat, and cooked just outside of the tent from within. While eating dinner, I managed to find a radio station broadcasting the last half of the World Cup Rugby quarter-final between England and Australia. I might as well not have bothered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later, whilst writing my blog, I lost half of it and had to start again. Fortunately, there is no-one camped within earshot. I'm a little concerned about how my feet will be tomorrow. Hopefully a night's sleep will make a difference.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6943211738410873747.post-18437395997783423512019-10-19T07:30:00.002+11:002021-06-30T15:47:59.817+10:00Tasmanian Trail Hike - Day 001 - Dover to Geeveston<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Day: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">01</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Date: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Friday, 18 October 2019</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Start:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Dover</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finish:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Geeveston</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Daily Kilometres:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> 32.4 (+2.0 unintended detour)</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Total TT Kilometres:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> 32.4</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Weather:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Partly sunny and breezy in the morning, then windy, cold and raining in the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> afternoon.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Accommodation:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> B&B</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Nutrition:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Breakfast:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Cooked breakfast</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Lunch:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Mars and Snickers bars</span></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Dinner:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Meat pies and cheesecake</span></span></h4>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Aches:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">
For the past two months I have had (self-diagnosed) plantar fasciitis in
my right foot and some right hip issues for even longer. I'm hoping the hike will either resolve these
issues or give me confidence that I can hike with them (with a much longer hike
next year in mind). For today, the hip wasn't too bad, but the foot
became more painful as the day wore on. It will be interesting to see how
it is tomorrow.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Highlight: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">It was really nice to be on the trail
again. With some notable exceptions, it has not been a great year.
Being on the trail and back in the bush lifted my spirits, though I'm still
mindful of the travails of others.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">Lowlight: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;">It was disappointing to see
the amount of rubbish, particularly on the trails closer to civilisation, that
had been dumped in the forest - tyres, cars, household appliances and
furniture. There were also many discarded bottles and cans along the way
as well.</span></p></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Pictures: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F0serN2sT2RfXb8jaJuoSqkhB_WgoDr7" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">here</span></a></span></h4>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Map and Position: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Click </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=179u3k4GQabeY7UGzVvlu-d9SNMzHmX0I&usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> for Google Map</span></span></h4>
<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 2pt; margin-top: 12pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Journal:</span></h4>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" id="docs-internal-guid-329077e9-7fff-790b-bb5d-d8407f9ec91c">I flew down to Hobart yesterday and then caught a bus to the tiny town of Geeveston, where I stayed in a B&B last night. This morning, I caught another bus for the 25 minute ride to the tiny seaside town of Dover, from where I began hiking north along the 470km Tasmanian Trail, my home for the next 2.5 weeks. The trail will be predominantly along rural backroads, forestry roads and firetrails, so not as hardcore as some others I have done, and I will often be staying in B&Bs, pubs, etc.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It was 9:20am, by the time I climbed away from the picturesque Dover on tranquil Port Esperance, passing by farms, apple orchards and fallow deer enclosures, accompanied by evocative agricultural aromas. I was only carrying a daypack, since my day's hike would take me back to Geeveston via forests and mountains, but a "bushwalkers weather alert" issued last night encouraged me to pack it with warmer clothes, wet weather gear, and my emergency kit. The early weather, however, was perfect for hiking and I thoroughly enjoyed the easy climb into the mountains.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Although there were glimpsed views to distant mountains and valleys, for most of the day I was surrounded by forest, with occasional clear-felled patches, burnt areas and a high swamp. Light drizzle late in the morning, was followed in mid-afternoon by a sudden weather change which saw the temperature plummet, winds rage and rain fall. I went from warm one minute to cold and shivering a few minutes later. However, the weather change roughly coincided with the start of my descent from the mountains and the temperature became more tolerable on the leeward side.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After a long descent, I finished my day walking along another beautiful rural valley road occasionally bordered by lovely flower-filled gardens. I reached my B&B around 5pm in light rain which continued into the evening.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Rather than trek another 500m to a pizza place for dinner, I opted for a couple of pies from an adjacent service station for dinner. I could have had dinner at the B&B, but it was a bit pricey, and I knew I would sit there eating and thinking a couple of pies would have done just as well.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The bad weather is forecast to continue tomorrow, but may clear, if I'm lucky, by tomorrow night when I will be camping out.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1