SueOfTheSouth wrote:If you didn't think much of the mud on the O.T. I recommend you stay away from the South Coast Track. The O.T. is like a highway in comparison.
Agreed.
However, stressing the "in comparison" - that's not to say the Overland Track is a highway, as others have already mentioned.
If you have done a few multi-day walks in Tassie, you will enjoy the OLT. If you haven't, you have a great distance to cover, over an array of terrain, and with weather that can and does catch you out.
I did it in Winter 2007, and crossing Pelion Pass was a full on blizzard, cameras stayed away from Pelion Pass all the way to Kia Ora hut. And it really was a case of staying focussed - am I getting cold? Have I drunk enough, eaten enough - got the energy, comfortable, not worrying (as a prelude to panic if you weren't sure of things), enough daylight left in the day. Things you might think about under such conditions - and I was prepared and knew what I was doing.
There were a couple of lads from Sydney travelling that same day, they stopped at Pelion gap for lunch, got the billy going for lunch, then the blizzard hit - and hit hard. It spooked them, they ate their warm (read "not cooked") lunch very quickly and literally ran to Kia Ora. They had jeans, and no gaiters.
Then there were the two girls sleeping on the floor beside the heater in Pelion, as they didn't bring sleeping mats.
As well as the weather, the distance too is a challenge.
The last day was a bit of a surprise - from Narcissus to Cynthia Bay.
On the map and in the Chapman book it looks flat. But it is a twisty little track through the rainforest, with lots of roots and logs to negotiate for much of the way.
We were particularly stuffed by the time we got to Cynthia Bay. A lot tougher than I expected.
All in all, I'd say fairly challenging, and very rewarding.