Day 1 - 3 Australian Alps Walking Track

I have now been home for just over a week and find myself settling back into the real world once again.

Again, Thank you everyone for your support both through your traffic here on Oz4adventure as well as through my private Facebook page.  I do feel like I haven't finished as yet as I have yet to share much of my journey with you all.

As an article about my journey could go on for hours I have decided to break it down into sections so hopefully it makes for more interesting reading and better content.

Halloween, October 31 at 8pm having checked and rechecked our gear, had our last dinner with our families and said our goodbye's we left Spencer street Melbourne Bus terminal on the 8pm Greyhound 

service.  The thought being we could sleep through the night relaxed and start fresh and chipper on day 1 out of Namadgi the next morning.  We both did get some sleep but not enough to say we were in good condition the next morning.  The Greyhound service arrives downtown Canberra at 4am ( which we knew) so its an ideal time to call up anyone you know in Canberra and ask for a lift to the outskirts of town. 

Fortunately, I know snowboard adventurer Allistair Court who was excited to hear about our plans and was able to pick us up, let us have a shower at his home and then drive us to the Namadgi Visitor centre all for a 6am start.  What a legend.

After a couple happy snaps to get us started we set out for what we knew was going to be an epic adventure.  10 minutes later was our first toilet break!  I wish I could tell you more about Namadgi but to be honest we look for the trail and got moving.

The first couple days we knew were relatively flat so we had prepared ourselves for an easy go of it.  Both Tim & myself had pack weights of about 20kg's which is relatively light and well organised so we were confident we would do these first couple days easily.

Let me now take you to an exert from my journal, this is line 1; "WE CAN'T DO THIS!  This is so hard, my feet and back hurt even with 1/2 day being flat."  Having not trained in the last 12 months virtually at all, having not worn my hiking boots or pack since Wilson's Prom in November 2012 I was feeling what NIL preparation felt like.

Our original destination of Orroral River was reached none the less by about 2:30pm.  Its a fairly open plain of paddock with little tree cover and as it was warm we thought maybe we should continue to Sawpit Creek.  We filled up our water and as we were doing so we saw our first snake..... swimming in  our water source.  We definitely felt we should push on.  

Having reached sawpit creek we soon established that there was not much room to camp so we just parked my echo 2 HMG shelter right there on the trail.  Tim and I agreed to share my 2 person tent for the first 6 days until the Kiandra food drop, were we had placed his tent with our food for his use for the duration of the journey.

I slept very little both because my body hurt especially my feet as well as the general anxiety of the endeavours ahead.  I remember that I bought some insoles for my boots to do the Wilson's Prom last year and that they killed my feet.  I unfortunately neglected to remember this fact prior to our departure and so after day 1 my small toes had been crushed into painful stumps.

Day 2,  I had hoped would bring more comfort and ease to our adventure.  I decided to remove the insoles from my boots completely to provide some relief to my toes.  In doing so I would be walking on the unprotected frame of my boots.  By then end of Day 2 I would have a blister on the ball of my right foot that stretched from my 2nd toe right to my crushed pinky toes.

So much of the first 2 days were surprisingly on hard road type Four wheel drive tracks.  This was punishment on my feet.  We were both grateful for the river crossing at Cotter Hut, it allowed for a nice break and to cool my feet in the icy water.

As I was filtering the water with our Katydyn pump I hear huge splashes just meters behind me.  Apparently this family of Kangaroos thought Tim was in their spot and they came rushing across the river to tell him all about it.  They stuck around for about 20 minutes and in the end we left before they did.

We had to more aggressive climbs today, one being Murrays Gap which I have been told is a total of 31 switch back false summits.  Information provided by Hayden & Dave who we meet tomorrow.

There were a number of reasons for both Tim & I to get back home as soon as possible so althought we wanted to see all that the AAWT had on offer we also wanted to push a little further every day to hopefully finish a couple days earlier.  So in this spirit we walked a little further again and completed our second day of 31 km or so when we arrived at Bill Jones Hut.  We knew that earlier in the day we had avoided staying at both Oldfields Hut and Pocket Hut which by reputation were both huts we knew we should really have stayed at but pressed on through none the less.

Oldfields Dunny (toilet)

Oldfields Hut

Its at this stage of the evening that things changed for me and got a little more serious.  With a number of family issued ever present in his mind Tim had journeyed with me for 2 days.  Whilst we set up camp for the evening Tim discussed with me his desire to return home to resolve these family matters.

We planned an exit and from tomorrow I would be hiking solo.   

Bill Jones Hut

Having not really prepared for a solo adventure Tim and I started to review what changes needed to be made.  I would now have a first Aid kit, water filter, GPS and maps to carry.  I have only ever hiked for 3-4 days at a time and I have never hiked solo before so there were some new burdens to carry and weigh up!

I want to let everyone know that I fully supported Tim in his decision, his loyalty to me made him come out with me for 2 days which I considered at the time and still today as a real sling shot into this adventure.  I also want to point out that 3 years ago when I messaged to all my Facebook friends about who wanted to join me, within 1 minute Tim was on the phone.  Without him supporting this dream, I may not have ever gotten out on the AAWT.  My enthusiasm and focus on this adventure probably would have disappeared and i would never have had this experience.  So I am eternally indebted to Tim.

Day 3 was surprisingly easy going, we took the pedal off a little and just enjoyed what we knew was our last day hiking together.  We stopped by Hainsworth hut and signed the logbook whilst grabbing some brunch.  We noted that Dave & Hayden had started on the same day but from a closer point and were in fact staying at Witzes Hut tonight which was my destination as well.  I could potentially hike with them if they were interested.

About an hour later as we came into the Boundary Rd/Mosquito Creek junction we noticed a number of horsemen loading up after having had a weekend bucks weekend on the horses.  We had a quick chat to them and they kindly agreed to get Tim to a bus depot which ended up being in Wagga about 100km away.  We quickly took the supplies I needed out of Tim's pack and loaded me up.  I also scored 2 fresh apples from the guys so was stoked with that.

From this point forward it was just me and the voices in my head to journey to Walhalla.

AAWT - Follow us with Spot

Well with only a couple days now till we leave I wanted to make sure everyone has the link to follow us, there currently is no data so when you open this link you won't see a map etc but when we start on Friday morning a map and track markers will appear

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0NliWqjZqCCWVqVpWQo8CS98GflbxXdFH

Australian Alps Walking track - Oz4adventure Follow us Tracker

Well the time has come, we are just 11 days now from starting our Australian Alps Walking Track adventure.  Monday to Wednesday just past Tim and I drove all over the Australian Alps delivering our food drops to the planned locations, Kiandra, Thredbo YHA, Hope Rd, Omeo Highway, Hotham and Rumpff Saddle.

Not only do we now feel prepared from a logistics complete point of view but it also gave a chance to get some visual bearings of where the trail will be entering and exiting certain points along our journey.

We also viewed a small glimpse of the scenery which is to come, we are now not only motivated and inspired but ready to go!

3 years ago when Tim & I set out to walk the AAWT end to end we did so to raise awareness for mens mental health and depression.  We have spoken to a lot of people about the hike over the last 3 years so we hope somewhere in all those discussions we have helped someone to get through something.
We would also like to take the opportunity to again let everyone know that we are here, if you every need a ear to listen.

For all of the support of our friends and family we thank you all, we thank you for reading our posts, we thank you for the birthday gifts and christmas gifts over the years that have not been so much as surprise as we have demanded very specific gear so we could achieve this goal.  We thank you for your love and well wishes.  Now we need 1 more thing from you all, we need to know you will be watching us!  Below is the link to the "Spot Tracker" which we will have on daily from camp to camp so that everyone can follow our progress, as well as see if we get into trouble!  Please share this link with friends and family who may wish to follow us, please follow us yourselves and keep us in your prayers.


http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0NliWqjZqCCWVqVpWQo8CS98GflbxXdFH

The current track markers were recorded during our drive to place the food drops as a demonstration for followers of what to expect to see during our hike, these markers will be removed from the page prior to our departure.

Australian Alps Walking Track - our HIking menu

So I've been weighing up in my mind a dilemma of sorts, "What can I eat that is lightweight, tasty enough to keep me satisfied for 36-39 days and provide me with sufficient energy to achieve my daily targets."
And of course it has to not go off whilst buried in the ground for possibly up to 8 weeks! (we will be digging them in about 2 weeks prior to our departure)

October last year Tim and I dug a sample into the ground up Mt Dandenong at a friends house of some of the staple items we knew we were bringing to see how they went and after 6 weeks in the ground I pulled them out and ate them all with a quiet confidence I wasn't going to get sick.  We added to the list since then but again with proper food preparation and vacuum sealing everything, we will be safe and well fed.

above photo is still missing 17 dinners and is for 1 person only

Breakfast 

I've read on a number of blogs of guys who have gone out in the bush with their favourite meals only to find that in the changed environment they cannot stand to look at the foods more less eat them, yet due to their location in the scrub and unable to just jump out and buy something else they had to shovel it down begrudgingly.  I experienced this 2 years back with packaged Oatmeal, that being said once a week I expect to wake up to cold and rainy conditions so I am none the less bringing 1 oatmeal breakfast per week.  The other 6 days a week i will be having either Honey or Berry "Light & Tasty" breakfast cereal (75g) and to keep my pack weight down I am just eating it with water ( no milk or powdered milk) I have actually been eating this for 8 weeks now every morning and to be honest I really see no need for milk on my cereal ever again.  The cereal taste isn't masked by the milk taste, my guts can digest the water easily and it doesn't cost me and the shops.

Energy created to start the day   In 2 oatmeal sachets (80grams) = 1280 kJ
Light & Tasty average (75g)    =  1155 kJ

Morning snack/Afternoon snacks

Again we are looking at variety as well as energy at a weight and a taste that will satisfy.
We will be rotating our menu daily between Energy bars, Dehydrated fruit and Trail mix for mid morning and mid afternoon snacks.
I have not calculated the energy values of the dehydrated fruit or trail mix but can testify to their benefits based purely on experience.







Pineapple, Banana, Granny Smith Apples and Pears have been lemon treated, dehydrated and vacuum sealed into 80 grams snack packs for convenience and hygiene.











Almonds, Pine nuts, Unsalted Peanuts, M&M's and cashew have also been vacuum sealed into 150g snack packs.


               

I have sampled a number of different energy bars and in the end have bought some of most of them and a couple standard grocery store bars to add variety to the menu.  All are high energy out put some slow release so fast release.  I can gage on the day what I want and it could definitely mean the difference between and enjoyable day or a miserable one.






Lunch

As far as hiking lunches go we have gone with the pretty standard stuff.  German Garlic Mettwurst (60grams), old faithful Parmigiano Reggiano (50grams) and Vita-Wheat Crackers (23grams)

Energy values;                    Mettwurst 60 grams = 843kJ
                         Parmigiano Reggiano 50 grams = 820kJ
                         4 Vita-wheat crackers 23.2 g     = 378kJ


                 


Afternoon hydration






Every other day we will also have a Powerade sachet to keep our electrolytes up









Dinner

We have tried some different things out over the last couple years since getting my dehydrator, the basis of my dinner meals is now to keep it easy.  1) meat 2) vegetables and 3) a staple to hold it all together.

We are rotating between Chicken and Tuna, mixing it in with a variety of vegetables (either cauliflower & Broccoli with Carrots or just corn and carrots) and for a third option 2 different spaghetti bolognese sauces.

We have taken all of the above and first individually cooked each item, veggies and spaghetti.  We have then blitzed each item in the Thermomix to make it either a paste or a powder.  Canned chicken or Tuna once blitzed becomes a powder.  These items are then weighed and vacuum sealed into a combined sachets for each dinner.  See below as an example of the canned chicken stages.

Canned chicken is best!

Blender into a paste

Spread evenly on dehydrator tray

Dehydrated

Blitz into chicken powder

Add to Veggie and Quinoa and seal it up

So as mentioned in the above photo our staple for each of these meals will be Quinoa, a protein - I wanted to mix up the rice content(carb).  I'm no health or well being guru but the basics of having a protein with Carbohydrate (in my mind) is that the protein will repair my body wwhile the carbs will energise it.


Desert

At every food drop we will be picking up some sweet supplies that are neither lightweight, healthy or compact.  Blocks of chocolate, a can of soda and bag of lollies are all on the menu.  We will also have every other night a hot chocolate to see out another glorious day in the wilderness.  Throw in a multi-vitamin every morning to make sure we have a balance vitamin and mineral intake and we set.

All these items will be organised and sealed up into our food drops.  Each food drop will have 6 - 7 days of food and supplies.  Our daily total food weigh varies depending on which snacks we have that day and whether we have hot chocolate at night but we will have between 3621grams and 4214 grams plus a chocolate block here or there per drop/week.

AAWT 2013 Canberra to Melbourne

Its been 11 months since we cancelled our November 2012 attempt at the end to end traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track.  For months both Tim & myself were shattered at the chance we had missed to get out and discover the AAWT.  A lot has changed for us both in the past 10-11 months and today I can confidently say that life is less complicated then last year.  (Still complicated, but far less)

It our great please to announce that we will be departing on the Australian Alps Walking Track from Tharwa to Melbourne on November 1, 2013.

Both Tim and myself over the past 3-4 months have been quietly going about our preparations.  Looking at our personal fitness, our pack gear and pack weights, nutrition and hydration and all the logistics that go a lot with being out in the bush for an extended period of time.

October 14th 2013 we will be taking a couple days a placing our food drop, except the Rumpff saddle due to the road closure.  October 31, 2013 we will return for that last drop and once we have returned to Melbourne we will jump on the greyhound to Canberra for a November 1, 2013 first day.

Our 36 day schedule would have us arriving in Walhalla the evening of December 6, 2013 so we hope to add a rest day by choice (not necessity!) and arrive at noon on Saturday, December 7, 2013.

Please follow us on my SPOT tracker page which I will post and email around closer to the departure day (and once I'm certain it operating correctly).

REFLECTIONS

About a month ago I watched the Cairns Ironman and the Port Douglas Triathlon.  We set up our camping chairs beside the course (with Megan and the kids.)  

For the triathlon there were bunches of competitors of all talent levels, first riding past our point and later when we moved into town for a watch they were running past.  Well not everyone was running but they were doing their best.  

As I watched competitors achieve their goals I must say I was touched.  Megan and I were both touched.  It was motivating and inspiring.  Their were elderly people shuffling along the beach, larger fellas trudging and plenty of athletes having a red hot crack.  

We really loved the notion that these people had all set a goal.  No matter what their condition or past, they were going to do the Triathlon.  So impressed.

Yesterday, I was able to watch my children.  As I watched them I was amazed in the same way with what they were achieving.  We went Jungle surfing at Cape Tribulation, QLD.  This is a series of Zip lines ( flying foxes) through the rain forest canopy, sometimes as high as 24 metres off the ground.

They handles it with class and achievement.  I wonder if i will always be amazed by them.  I expect I will forever be in awe of them all.  Here is a quick clip of my 4 year old, Judd enjoying his adventure.

What a fearless kid!

Like a Sunrise!

Well we have been in Queensland for 6 month and our adventure is coming to an end.  We have met some great people, seen a beautiful part of the world and challenged our family once again.

I have worked some mad hours up here to complete the renovation, hopefully next week it will be complete!  But it amongst it all, although challenging, we have enjoyed and really loved Port Douglas and the local area.

From Kayak fishing Palm Cove, cycling the Captain Cook highway back to Cairns, camping at Granite Gorge or jumping into the falls at Mossman Gorge they have all been day out adventures, way too short.

I've enjoyed days with my wife and kids on the beach.  We have never lived by the beach so this has been really great.  Cutting down coconuts and drinking the water, or bringing them home and shaving the flesh out of the nut - either way is good beach food by my standards.  And free!

We came 3rd in the Carnivale sand castle competition and got our winning smiles in the local paper.  The kids are still talking about how the dragon wasn't actually a sand castle so how did we win..... We decided to go build a proper sand castle with a tunnel and everything! Cool kids.

Queensland......... Good-bye

FNQ - Far North Queensland - local adventures

So since moving to Far North Queensland my athletic endeavours have fallen by the way side.  I've been working hard on the renovations and working with my family to transition to the new life style.

Last week I met a local while running, he was training for the Cairns Ironman in june and after having a 8 km run with him I thought to myself, it's time.

We are only up here for 12 months so we want to make sure that we create some memories and experience what FNQ has to offer.

So here are a couple things I've done since.  This clip is of a friend of mine catching a Sweetlips off the reef of Palm Cove.

I'm running the GoPro.

Easter weekend my parents came up from Adelaide and we brought them up Skyrail to Kuranda and returned via the train back through the mountains to Freshwater.  Periodically you could see down the cliffs to the Barron gorge and some amazing waterfalls and swimming wholes.

So today, I got on my Azzurri and cycled from Port Douglas to Barron Gorge where I met up with a couple friends.  We hiked up the river bouldering along the river banks for about an hour when we can to a great swimming spot and waterfall cliff jump.  To our surprise we looked up and saw the train slowly creeping past us on the cliffs high above.

Shaun explaining where the last group was taken by the crocs! 

The first cliff face about 1/3rd up is where the boys jumped from which is about 10m

Kurt looking for good spot to jump in

The gap in the trees where the train can be seen