Just for a bit of fun I thought I might walk from the sk village to Stacks bluff and back. This time I thought I might take a mate and also not spend the night lying on pineapple grass and wombat poo in a whiteout. I know it sounds like fun, but...
So we traipsed, nice and early from the car park across meadow vale and plunged thru alpine scrub and scree to the top of Rodway valley. Let me say, if one likes rocks, big ones in fact, they will be ecstatic in Rodway. Moving on we took the short cut into long valley and made great time to lake Youl. Alpine beaches never cease to amaze me and the one at lake Youl is only little but certainly an amazing sight on the otherwise bleak (beautiful) plateau. After photos we darted around the corner into Foster vale. I had memories of difficult scrub here but it seems I should have gone rock hopping straight up Lewis creek dead easy mate! Stacks then loomed I front of us, a bit more strolling and the cairned track from story's creek was found making the last k or so pretty easy. Then the highlight! The view from stacks is outstanding, sitting in the stone fort/cairn eating my peanut butter cheese and being able to see half of tassie is always a soul lifter and today was no exception. Mathinna even came to the party with some 4G reception allowing me to post a live update on Facebook. So sandwiches and chocolate consumed it was time to put it in reverse and bid a fond farewell to stacks. I was even able to survey the overnight spot on the return, my companion being sure to remind me where the "campsite" was. Haha. I'm sure he only did it when it was clear we were actually going to return!
So Ben Lomond traverse is a magic alpine walk. Great views, easy walking if you are observant, a beach, a fort, stark beauty, all the flora you can poke an Orites acicularis at and no doubt a thousand other things that I love about the Ben. Be well prepared, it can be dangerous but if alpine plateaux are your thing, this ones a cracker. So don't hesitate. Of course unless the cloud ceiling is under 4000 feet. Hesitate then.
Seriously, a great place. You'll be lucky to see another soul. The plaingermarriner knew their homeland was special and so will any visitors who spend even a short time there.