ROCKS AND TREE ROOTS

Saturday January 9, 2016
Day 3 – Overland Track: Lake Windermere to Pelion 20km

Today was the first day we felt like we were properly hiking. The ground surface was mostly natural with rocky paths and long sections through beech forest where we were picking our way through tangled tree roots. As one French hiker said at the end of the day…”that is more what I was expecting not that Disneyland boardwalk everywhere”. Could not agree more.
Another absolutely stunning day with clear blue sky and temperature in the mid 20’s. We both managed the walk well, finishing before midday. We had lunch, put up our tent and pottered about,  resting a bit before heading back on the trail to visit Old Pelion Hut and a swim in a very refreshing waterhole. I never imagined that I would ever be swimming in cold Tasmania let alone on the Overland Track. It is notorious for miserable weather most of the time.

We sat in the sun on a warm rock after our swim and thanked our lucky stars. By the time we returned from our swim our tent site was surrounded by other campers. Not much serenity at night-time until everyone goes to sleep.  We deliberately chose not to sleep in the huts, which are present at every camp spot, as we thought they would be noisy. But with everyone being asked to camp in designated areas, we end up being close to other campers. So much so that for the past two nights you could hear snoring from the adjacent tents. But the beauty of the day more then compensates for the lack of evening serenity.