Current Overland Track Conditions July 2010

[juney]

Hi all,
Hoping to keep a running record of current conditions on the OT for the month. My partner will be taking a group of friends down in a couple of weeks, and while we are quite experienced, our friends are not and current conditions will help us with our planning.
We'll give you our update when we get home too.

So if anyone goes to the OT I'd really appreciate updates on the following:
1. Current snow &/or ice conditions
2. Current status on gas heaters and coal supplies
3. Temperatures, either inside or outside, min or max. I am a temperature nerd and will get a kick out of any temperature info! The same goes for wind speed if anyone takes a reading.
4. Any info on pesky possums or rats
5. Anything else you want to share. Attempts on summits and if they were attainable would be another one.

Thanks
Cheers,
Juney

[corvus]

On what mates have experienced in the last couple of weeks there is no heater help from Kitchen Hut to beyond Narcissus
You may or not get snow same as rain and sunshine however who knows just expect the worst and enjoy the best.
corvus

[juney]

Does anyone know if Parks resupply gas to the hut heaters during winter, or do they remain empty till the booking season starts?

[Nuts]

Hi Juney, it was always early summer when i was out there. All depended on budget and timing of other operations but rarely more than annually.
No matter the attempts at education, the mid summer sock dryers have no thoughts of those that may actually Need the heaters over winter

[juney]

I will contact Parks and ask them.
Yeah, interesting that people completely ignore the request not to turn on the heaters if it's above 10degrees.

[Nuts]

Juney, latest info is that there is not much left out there at all. Would be good to hear what they have to say when you get an answer.

[sthughes]

No matter the attempts at education, the mid summer sock dryers have no thoughts of those that may actually Need the heaters over winter

This pisses me off to no end. We were at Pelion in the summer and the other people in the hut insisted on using the heater despite the hut temp already being at about 20 degrees. I was hot and had to change back into shorts and t-shirt
Perhaps parks should switch to gas resupply in Autumn??
Or better still install a system in the huts that automatically tazzars anyone who trys to start it up above 10 degrees, that will warm em up

[Nuts]

Har Har... Yes, i imagine that their socks would be dry after a good tazering..

I imagine that if the gas run out mid summer the parkies would find the heaters in piles of bits on the floor as each 'diy'er' that came through would be sure they could fix the problem

[juney]

Just got off the phone to Eddie from Parks.
He says Scott Kilvert and Pine Valley have no heating, but the rest are fine. He was on track last week and changed over the gas at Pelion, and to his knowledge everywhere else is working.
Definitive answer on resupply is nothing will get re supplied till November.
Keep in mind tho' that the reason Pelion was out last week was that the bottle needed a "turn", so gas heaters not working doesn't necessarily mean it has run out - just need someone from Parks to change the bottle etc.
I need to go back over old posts, cos I thought people have said others are not in action.
Cheers,
Juney

[Nuts]

Nah, if Eddie's been out there the info would be correct, though perhaps he just hasnt been informed of the other huts yet (besides Pelion)
They are big cylinders, locked so they do need a parky to swap from one to the other.

[sthughes]

We suspected Pelion had gas but something else was an issue as one bottle was to heavy to move.

Scott Kilvert as of 3 weeks ago had plenty of coal (or whatever the black brick things are). So unless someone has been running it non-stop or stealing it (and why would you at 10kg a bag) then it should have heating. Just make sure you take fire lighters or something as spending over an hour lighting it with wet, green twigs gets a bit tiring

[juney]

Nah, if Eddie's been out there the info would be correct, though perhaps he just hasnt been informed of the other huts yet (besides Pelion)
They are big cylinders, locked so they do need a parky to swap from one to the other.

Eddie mentioned the huts he'd been to personally last week and said he'd spoken to people who had been to the other huts and seemed pretty confident it was up to date news. I hope he is right.

Just looked at posts from end of June by Julafreak saying Waterfall and Windamere were not working the week before and sthughes saying Pelion and Bert Nichols weren't working, although don't know when he was referring to.

[juney]

Scott Kilvert as of 3 weeks ago had plenty of coal (or whatever the black brick things are). So unless someone has been running it non-stop or stealing it (and why would you at 10kg a bag) then it should have heating.

hmmm, the confusion continues!!

[Nuts]

It can be confusing, they can be a bit quirky to light and with the thermostat/solenoid some people assume they are out of gas. They also occasionally have/had problems in the feed lines.

Information gets handed down and (even by the more competent) gets jumbled. All of which comes back to the assumption not to rely on the heaters. At this time of the year with few people about and the heaters on timed cut out a tent can be just as warm.

[murrayap]

Would it be that hard to link the gas heaters to a thermostat, so that thay automatically cut off when the hut is above 10 degrees? This would ensure that the heaters aren't being wasted during summer when it's warmer.

[whynotwalk]

The heater at Bert Nichols Hut (Windy Ridge) is definitely working. It's now running on wood, and there's a couple of years' worth of it underneath the hut.

Here's a piccie from June,

cheers

Peter

[sthughes]

WOW a 'real' heater!
Where does the wood come from?

(Are those walls clad in Mini-orb? )

[north-north-west]

Where does the wood come from?

I believe it grows on trees. Despite the proverb.

[sthughes]

Ah but the question was where does THE wood come form, not where does wood come from. Big difference! Besides I believe it IS the tree, and leaves grow ON it

[ILUVSWTAS]

Would it be that hard to link the gas heaters to a thermostat, so that thay automatically cut off when the hut is above 10 degrees? This would ensure that the heaters aren't being wasted during summer when it's warmer.

A good idea.
Im so naive. I never knew there was heaters on the OT. Maybe wood heaters, but gas?? Is that really necessary? I guess we cant have the paying guests getting cold, it's not like they are in the Tasmanian highlands.

[north-north-west]

It's all these lightweighters and mainlander blow-ins, who wear runners and other inappropriate gear which gets sopping wet and has to be dried out . . .

*waits for explosion*

[corvus]

With the heater thing folks who are not regular walkers tend to think that piling their wet ,damp gear on the heater cages will dry it out ,whereas us more experienced know that Air drying on verandas works better especially in Summer however these Summer walkers pay top dollar to do it, come in many instances from much warmer climates so us Tassies in the off season have nothing to complain about if the heaters dont work.
No heaters in tents
corvus

[north-north-west]

Not when one walks alone, no.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Not when one walks alone, no.

Ohhh thats soo tempting, must..... resist...... pottymouth......

[corvus]

Did offer got knock back from you, you cannot have it both ways I guess I am just too old
corvus

[north-north-west]

*sigh*
Are you trying to get me in trouble?

[corvus]

Who me
Have you never heard about PLATONIC !! camped /slept with a few (not wife) women even in the same tent they did not like my snoring nor did I theirs
corvus

[north-north-west]

I do platonic real well. It's the blokes who seem to have trouble with it.
Especially the ones I don't fancy.

[corvus]

I do platonic real well. It's the blokes who seem to have trouble with it.
Especially the ones I don't fancy.

Offer still open for you to hook up with the Strollers if and when you can as we are contentedly and happily married or too old/ young for you, just a thought
corvus

[Son of a Beach]

WOW a 'real' heater!
Where does the wood come from?

(Are those walls clad in Mini-orb? )

There were several trees cut down to build the new hut. Most of them were cut into firewood and stacked under the hut. It's quite a few tons of firewood. I expect that when this supply is exhausted, the heater will be removed, and replaced with a gas heater (just guessing - but I don't think they'll want to encourage people to find firewood elsewhere once the current stock runs out).