Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Discussion specifically about the Overland Track should be posted in this subforum, including side trips and the Cradle Mountain day walk area. Alternative access routes and connecting routes belong in the parent forum.
Forum rules
Overland Track App
An electronic guidebook for planning and walking the Overland Track.
Download this app for loads of information about planning, gear, food, accommodation and much more about the Overland Track.
You will also find topo maps, terrain profiles and track notes for offline use.
$10 -- Discount to $3 until December 15
Image

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby weeds » Thu 26 May, 2016 9:23 pm

So, I thought I was ahead of the game with planning so I can make the bookings on the 1st July......

Private transfers are already starting to be booked out for December and booking for the walk haven't even opened...grrrr
weeds
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 338
Joined: Tue 31 Mar, 2015 5:29 am
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby weeds » Sun 24 Jul, 2016 8:39 am

Fully booked......er well nearly, only the hire car to do.

Opted with private transfers to and from cradle, one full day at cradle, eight day on the track followed by seven days in Hobart.
weeds
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 338
Joined: Tue 31 Mar, 2015 5:29 am
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby weeds » Mon 07 Nov, 2016 8:26 pm

Fully booked now, sent confirmation emails out making sure is good with our bookings.

Five and a bit weeks.
weeds
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 338
Joined: Tue 31 Mar, 2015 5:29 am
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby weeds » Mon 05 Dec, 2016 9:31 pm

Seven days and counting.....

Did a test pack tonight......made a list of the final few things to throw in.

Wendy discovered her pack was wet after a training walk....investigating the water bladder. My water is on the outside of the pack which has its benefits.

We are umming and ahhing about food...I think I'm sorted.

Layers and spare clothes....still mixing and matching.....

Getting excited
weeds
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 338
Joined: Tue 31 Mar, 2015 5:29 am
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby Hermione » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 6:54 am

I've given up on water bladders, just had too many leak in my pack. I don't know why I'm not especially rough and this doesn't seem to happen to other as much. The other thing about Tasmania is that there's quite often spots to fill up your water bottles. Coming from WA where water can be an issue, we carried a ridiculous amount of water on first walk here. I'll bet you're getting excited it's part of the fun, you spend ages planning this sort of thing and finally it's happening. Hope you have a great time.
"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit"
User avatar
Hermione
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 221
Joined: Wed 27 Mar, 2013 3:50 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Female

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby benoloughlin » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 7:48 am

weeds wrote:Seven days and counting.....

Did a test pack tonight......made a list of the final few things to throw in.

Wendy discovered her pack was wet after a training walk....investigating the water bladder. My water is on the outside of the pack which has its benefits.

We are umming and ahhing about food...I think I'm sorted.

Layers and spare clothes....still mixing and matching.....

Getting excited


I take water bottle capacity of 2 litres. At nearly every hut site tank water is available. And there are plentiful locations to resupply in between huts.
However, as a precaution, I also take Micropur water purification tablets. Campylobacter is present in many of the streams and giardia is present in some of the waterways on the Overland Track.
Having had campylobacter - its not something you ever want to have while you're on a multi-day walk.

My advice to you is to be flexible with regards to your plans. See how you go and fit in some of the side trips if you have the time and energy.
All the best,
Ben
User avatar
benoloughlin
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 103
Joined: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 7:59 am
Location: Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby Nuts » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 3:12 pm

benoloughlin wrote: Campylobacter is present in many of the streams and giardia is present in some of the waterways on the Overland Track.


As far as i'm aware no specific testing has been done for many years and none at all for Giardia (in CM/LSC np)??. (not that it may have occurred, or be the sort of information that ends up closely guarded, as best the service here can.... just that it would be interesting news to share). Each to their own actions but do you have a source documenting a background to this statement (in regards to bushwalking) or is this just accepted advice from others?
User avatar
Nuts
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 8632
Joined: Sat 05 Apr, 2008 12:22 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby benoloughlin » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 3:42 pm

Nuts wrote:
benoloughlin wrote: Campylobacter is present in many of the streams and giardia is present in some of the waterways on the Overland Track.


As far as i'm aware no specific testing has been done for many years and none at all for Giardia (in CM/LSC np)??. (not that it may have occurred, or be the sort of information that ends up closely guarded, as best the service here can.... just that it would be interesting news to share). Each to their own actions but do you have a source documenting a background to this statement (in regards to bushwalking) or is this just accepted advice from others?


I was quite sick with it and the reason I know what it was is that the pathology test came up positive for campylobacter. When my doctor and I had a chat about what I had been doing we drilled down to inadvertant ingestion of water from Dove Lake. Campylobacter and giardia are notifiable conditions and so there's quite a bit of information gathering and sharing. When I told my doctor what I had been doing and where I was, she told me that it was well known (among GPs) that campylobacter (and giardia to a lesser extent) are present throughout. Campylobacter is found in the faeces of macropods and wombats. Giardia is brought in by people.

So, while you might be right that there has been no specific testing in CMLSCNP for campylobacter and giardia, the repeated occurrences of positive pathology results from people getting sick after being in the area and drinking untreated water from local streams is a pretty reliable indicator that its present.

But each to his or her own. After my experience, there is no way that I would ingest water from natural sources from anywhere in Tasmania unless it was first boiled or purified. Whether or not you personally think my statements have any credence, the act of boiling your water or purifying it - its very cheap insurance and its advice I will continue to pass on.
kind regards,
Ben
User avatar
benoloughlin
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 103
Joined: Fri 21 Oct, 2016 7:59 am
Location: Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby mark electric » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 4:04 pm

Thanks Ben for sharing and Nuts for your follow up question.
When I looked at the fresh running streams in Tassie, in that environment, you cant help but think that nothing could be purer.
Some times I wondered why I bothered to filter then drop a puritab into each bottle and then boil for meals.
But always think a dead animal could be in the water up stream.

I started with 2 lts of water on the OLT, then dropped to a litre. Compared to QLD, water is never far away.
Happy trails weeds.
I walk, shuffle then hobble.
User avatar
mark electric
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun 23 Oct, 2016 3:56 pm
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby Nuts » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 5:52 pm

There's value in gulping down fresh mountain water without a care :(

So Dove Lake, it is a substantial water body, almost always moving from wind action and flow & with a relatively small catchment.
Doesn't add up, there's definitely macropods (and Wombats) but to concentrate such a load to 'contaminate' the lake?

I'd suspect a source from other bipeds, at least i'd hope so :( , the toilets, the doors, that pie from the servo?, shaking hands..
User avatar
Nuts
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 8632
Joined: Sat 05 Apr, 2008 12:22 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby johnk1 » Thu 08 Dec, 2016 8:36 pm

I'm with Nuts.

I think the source has come from somewhere else.
johnk1
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat 30 May, 2015 9:11 am
Region: New South Wales
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby Nuts » Fri 09 Dec, 2016 5:42 pm

Should add that, while I doubt major water sources up there are an issue, Ben's advice is still sound here (as it has been in the other topics iv'e noticed & imo).
User avatar
Nuts
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 8632
Joined: Sat 05 Apr, 2008 12:22 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby weeds » Tue 13 Dec, 2016 4:50 am

D Day.....boarding a big jet plane in a couple of hours.

Really hoping we get the bug for hiking and this is the first of many......thanks for all the tips.
weeds
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 338
Joined: Tue 31 Mar, 2015 5:29 am
Region: Queensland
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby Azza » Tue 13 Dec, 2016 8:39 am

I reckon your more likely to catch something nasty from poor hygiene practices around the huts.
Poo fingers on the water tank taps, hut bench tops etc.
User avatar
Azza
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 980
Joined: Thu 06 Mar, 2008 11:26 am

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby South_Aussie_Hiker » Tue 13 Dec, 2016 9:41 am

D Day.....boarding a big jet plane in a couple of hours.

Really hoping we get the bug for hiking and this is the first of many......thanks for all the tips.


Good luck. You'll love it.
User avatar
South_Aussie_Hiker
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 930
Joined: Tue 22 Feb, 2011 9:24 pm
Region: South Australia
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby Overlandman » Tue 13 Dec, 2016 11:25 am

You will have a great time.
Looking forward to the trip report
Regards OLM
Whatever, Wherever, Whenever
Overlandman
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Athrotaxis selaginoides
 
Posts: 1566
Joined: Sun 13 Nov, 2011 5:22 pm
Location: Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Questions.....OLT Locked in for Dec 16

Postby dee_legg » Tue 13 Dec, 2016 11:28 am

Agreed Azza. I've walked the track 30+ times and have never been sick out there (with gastro-like illness). I've never treated water on the track but I also wouldn't drink from creeks north of Kitchen Hut, Pelion Creek or the soaks on Mt Doris.

Hope you have a great trip OP. I've just been up kunanyi/Mt Wellington this morning and the wildflowers are going off! It's a beautiful place and a beautiful time to visit, I'm very jealous.

Dee.
User avatar
dee_legg
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 450
Joined: Mon 01 Oct, 2007 4:12 pm
Location: Hobart
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Female

Previous

Return to Overland Track and Cradle Mountain

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests

cron