It's Anzac Day. Up at 5:40 AM I could've made the dawn service if there were a "bush service." To commemorate the 101st anniversary of Gallipoli I donned my Anzac pins and shared a few of my homemade Anzac biscuits. Clouds covered Barn Bluff but since tomorrow is a long day I thought I'd take it easy today. In a couple of days I hope to climb Mt. Ossa, Tasmania's highest peak. Glancing at the hut journal, a number of people have complained about a lack of mobile coverage! Seriously? People who complain about things like that shouldn't go trekking. A funny entry was written by a group called the "snorchestra." This morning I think we were all a bit lazy because it was a relatively easy day ahead.
Tasmania is sometimes thought of as Australia's "New Zealand" and I reckon it's more like NZ than the mainland but I've yet to find that spectacular grandeur that makes Tassie famous. Today would be a short walk with all of it above 1,000 metres. For brekkie I cut up an orange and made a cuppa. Setting out reasonably early I thought of the side trip to Lake Will by leaving my pack at the junction but the currawong is as cheeky as the kea, and will unzip packs and steal your food. Ten minutes before Windermere Hut I spotted the perfect lunch spot on the shore of Lake Windermere. I was the first person to the hut today. Thinking of scientifics I sleep on a top bunk (heat rises) and with everone using their cookers the hut stays warm. With my bag put away I got my gas cooker and some tea and headed back to the spot I noticed.
Thinking I'd have a peaceful communion with nature, I bumped into the guided group. Sharing some comedy I boiled up some instant noodles. The wind wasn't working in my favour as it blew the flame all round. As I walked back toward the hut a wombat crossed the track directly in front of me.
It's my first time seeing a wombat in the wild. Did you know that a newborn wombat is less than inch long? After enjoying some noodles, a cuppa, and some serenity by the lake I made my way back to the hut. I chatted to several people including Jennifer from Invercargill; she was shocked I even know where it is, let alone having lived there for a few months (I lived with Elly and Keryn back in '09). Rhys, the parker ranger told us part of the Overland Track nearly became a highway. For din-din (dinner) I tucked into some roasted sweet potato soup. I feel like I brought too many clothes and not enough food. In the future I should just bring only two sets of clothes and wash them as I go along. When you go trekking you're going to smell and get dirty; there's no getting round it. Today was an easy day but tomorrow is a long one. After a long day of trekking there's always a good atmosphere in the hut
"The real meaning of travel, like that of a conversation by the fireside, is the discovery of oneself through contact with over people" -Dr. Paul Tournier, Swiss phyisician
Day three of the Overland Track is tomorrow. Let's see what happens!
