Mon 29 Sep, 2014 9:37 am
madmacca wrote:Firstly, by planning more than 12 months ahead, you are giving yourself every chance of succeeding.
I agree that Chapman's book is a must, but there have been some changes since it was published - check Chapman's website for online updates http://www.john.chapman.name/aawt-upd.html and also the Australian Alps National Parks' site http://theaustralianalps.wordpress.com/experience/aawt/
Early October timing is problematic - a couple of the key roads necessary for even a minimal resupply strategy (every 110 km or so) are not open as of 28 Sep 14, although should open within a week or so. The bush tracks that you would need for a more frequent resupply strategy than this will not open until early November. Also, early Ocotber may still have significant snow on the higher sections - this will mean either slow and fatigueing travel, or snow-shoes. Personally, I like the spring timing, as water is still plentiful, and the risk of fire is much lower. If you can push things back to late October, then you will probably make things easier on yourself.
While things like 3 Peaks are a good fitness challenge, your preparation should also include some 2-3 day wild camping walks in the Pennines or Scottish Highlands (especially as you can still walk there without a passport. ) These will teach you some skills, and also the chance to test and prepare your gear. And try and do these in say, November, or March rather than the northern summer - conditions should match the worst of the AAWT.
The big risks of the AAWT (in no particular order) are snakes, trips and falls, heat exposure/dehydration, hypothermia, and bushfire. With the right equipment, skills and knowledge, most of these can be managed and should not be #insanities.
When you are ready, you may want to post a gear list over on the equipment thread for a constructive critique.
Mon 29 Sep, 2014 2:22 pm
Mon 06 Oct, 2014 9:33 am
While there is a lot of useful information in the Chapman books, I've yet to find a distance measurement in any that is accurate. Some shorter bits are, according to my GPS, out by as much as 40%.
After much lengthy discussion about this with a friend we decided that Chapman has probably read distances off a map (probably using a drafters compass) and has made his elevation profiles using maps too. We decided that he was still using the diagrams/distances he first measured for his first editions. (We had no older editions to compare.) That's the only way we were able to explain some of the gross variances in his charts and real life.
Yes, that has been my conclusion too.
Tue 07 Oct, 2014 5:37 am
peregrinator wrote: Maybe over the total length of the AAWT these cancel each other out? But if not, it's a serious issue. Who knows?
Tue 07 Oct, 2014 6:51 am
Tue 07 Oct, 2014 2:58 pm
Tue 07 Oct, 2014 3:16 pm
Tue 07 Oct, 2014 4:40 pm
Mon 13 Oct, 2014 2:11 pm
Tue 14 Oct, 2014 12:54 am
Tue 14 Oct, 2014 7:42 pm
Thu 16 Oct, 2014 7:58 pm
JamesMc wrote:I'm surprised someone would come all the way from the UK to walk the AAWT. It's not terribly scenic. There are dozens of places where I'd rather spend a couple of months walking. You won't hook up with someone else walking all the way because nobody does it. Much of the scenery, at least south of the Murray, is very degraded. And a lot of the walking is on roads. You'll have more trouble with hot / dry weather in summer than cold / wet weather in spring. If you can carry a full pack up Ben Nevis, you'll have no trouble with the climbs.
Thu 16 Oct, 2014 11:03 pm
Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:15 pm
Sat 25 Oct, 2014 7:44 am
askew116 wrote:Unfortunately the UK doesn't really have adequate trails to approximate the AAWT, and although I'll be climbing Mount Snowdon, and hiking Cannock Chase as part of my training, I realise that the AAWT is on a whole different league, from the research I've done.
Sat 25 Oct, 2014 7:50 am
ethoen wrote:askew116 wrote:Unfortunately the UK doesn't really have adequate trails to approximate the AAWT, and although I'll be climbing Mount Snowdon, and hiking Cannock Chase as part of my training, I realise that the AAWT is on a whole different league, from the research I've done.
In the UK we have the Cape Wrath trail which is a fantastic wildness trail, completely un-signposted and with no fixed route. The aim is to walk from Fort William to Cape Wrath in the most north westerly point of the Scottish mainland. It takes 14 to 21 days depending on your highland experience, fitness level and how many munros you summit. The best time to walk is around Sept/Oct or April/May as you need at least 12 hours daylight a day but without the midges and other summer pests.
It's first on my list when I return to the UK.
http://capewrathtrailguide.org/route/
Sat 25 Oct, 2014 12:56 pm
Sun 30 Nov, 2014 1:26 pm
Sun 30 Nov, 2014 2:50 pm
Sun 30 Nov, 2014 5:26 pm
Sun 30 Nov, 2014 5:32 pm
Sun 30 Nov, 2014 7:39 pm
andyszollosi wrote:Great thread, lots of great info already!
I have just completed the AAWT, from Walhalla to Canberra, so I'll chip in my 2 cents worth as well.
I walked solo and took 74 days including about 20 days of side trips and about 10 rest days. Before this trip, my longest solo walk was 3 days.
I left in early September and arrived to Tharwa in mid November, experiencing the full range of conditions that the Australian Alps can throw at a bushwalker.
In the end, I loved every minute of it.
Well... almost every minute of it.
I encountered a regular blizzard on the Bogong High Plains in mid October, as well as a heat wave in early November in the Jagungal WIlderness. I found the heatwave to be much more unpleasant.
Summer is the most popular time of year to walk the track, but like any other season, has its set of challenges. The risk of bushfire is great and will put an end to even the most well planned trip. If it's really important for you to complete the hike in one go, I would choose early spring as the likelihood of evacuation due to fire is minimal. However, if you do chose to walk in summer here are a few tips that will help you adapt to the Australian conditions:
If you are walking the track in the summer, expect to walk in early mornings and in the evenings, taking refuge in shade in the middle of the afternoon. Temperatures can climb up to the mid forties (celsius) with scarce water supply between Rumpff Saddle and Mt Hotham (as well as other sections).
It's probably worth looking at the page of the Bureau of Metereology and look up the observation archives to gain an accurate idea of the conditions you're likely to encounter. Check the stations at Mt Hotham, Thredbo Top Station, to get an idea for the weather on the high ridges and plateaus, and the town of Licola and Thredbo Village to see what the weather is like further down in the valleys.
http://www.bom.gov.au/
The right clothing will be key. As well as having the right gear to deal with unexpected storms (which occur often, even in summer), you will need a lightweight, breathable long sleeve shirt and trekking pants. The Australian sun will burn you to a crisp if you wear T-shirt and shorts. Take a broad rimmed hat to shade your face and neck and include a mossie net that pulls over the top and over your head to keep the flies out of your face. There will be a lot of flies. Take strong insect repellant.
In your food drops, include extra salt as the food you eat may not be enough to replace the amount of salt you're sweating out of your body.
Always carry more water than you think you will need. Expect the majority of creeks to be dried up by mid summer. A large water bladder is essential, as campsites won't always be near water. I used an MSR 10L Dromedary and found it to be perfect.
In terms of general gear that you may need...
I strongly recommend hiking poles, taking a repair kit (thread and needle, tape, paracord or twine) and some reading material to keep you entertained at night(I took a kindle that I would recharge with a solar powered battery. I read about 15 books during my trek).
As for fitness, the lighter your pack, the better time you'll have. Aim to keep your dry weight (including food) below 20kgs. The daily elevation change through the Victorian Leg is insane. There is not much flat ground, and the tracks can be very steep. My most horrendous memory of the trip was the climb up to Mt Shillinglaw. It was consistently steep, and took me 3.5 hours. So my advice is to do lots of hills with a heavier pack than the one you will be carrying on the AAWT. The stronger you are before you leave, the more fun you will have. My training was walking the overland track 17 times (102 days on track in 7 months) as a guide with a 20kg+ pack and I found this to be just enough to prepare me physically. However, as it's been said already, after 2-3 weeks, your body will adapt rather well to the walking routine and you will be cruising by the time you reach the end. So if you survive the first fortnight, you should be right.
I think it's great that you're taking on the challenge of this track. It is because of the sheer magnitude of the challenge that this walk is so rewarding. If the conditions and the terrain were less challenging, I wouldn't have felt the same sense of accomplishment near the end.
If you are seeking solitude in Nature, soloing the AAWT is a perfect choice. It will be an experience you will never ever forget. It will make you strong, both mentally and physically. And the scenery is breathtaking (in sections) too!
Best of luck, and keep asking questions on this thread, there is a lot of collective experience on this forum!
Mon 01 Dec, 2014 7:22 am
Eljimberino wrote:But I'm still struggling to imagine it being over 35 above 1000m.
Mon 01 Dec, 2014 11:51 am
walkon wrote:Well done Andy. I don't get the whole worried about being solo for days on end thing. I'm very much a people person though I relish my walks in solitude. I'm doing the Aawt next year, most of it solo and the biggest issue with the solo thing is other people dealing with it
Andy what solar charger did you use, did you combine it with a battery pack or just charge the device.
Eljimberino wrote:Hi Andy, thanks for your advice. I plan on walking the track leaving just before new years and expect to be sitting out the worst of the midday sun. I've looked at the temperature graphs for Mt Hotham and Thredbo from the BOM website. The highest avg. temp in Jan is about 25 degrees. For this reason I struggle to imagine 40 degree temps. Im preparing for those temps and swarms of flies.
But I'm still struggling to imagine it being over 35 above 1000m.
What was the highest temp you experienced, and where? Is the Rumpf Saddle section the driest? Is the consensus that it's an okay year waterwise?
In any case, I quite like having to sit out the heat. You kind of have an extra campsite each day.
Ride On
Thank you so much for your advice, it's greatly appreciated, and despite all my research, I learnt a lot from reading your post, for instance about taking extra salt.
Now that I'm less than a year away from going I'm getting into the full swing of training, and have almost compiled a kit list that I'm happy with. I shall also be taking a GoPro camera, so I can document the highs and lows (physically and mentally!) of the AAWT.
Just out of curiosity, how often did you encounter other hikers? And did you stay in huts when you came across them?
Mon 01 Dec, 2014 1:11 pm
andyszollosi wrote:Thank you so much for your advice, it's greatly appreciated, and despite all my research, I learnt a lot from reading your post, for instance about taking extra salt.
Yup, hyponatremia (low blood sodium) should be high up on your list of conditions to be aware of, alongside heat exhaustion,dehydration, sun burn and hypothermia. Its symptoms can be quite similar to dehydration so it can be a tricky one to pick up. Nausea, headache, confusion.
It occurred to me once during my trip, when I was well rested, well fed and well hydrated so I could pretty much rule out everything except low salt. I had a number of hot consecutive days and I simply lost power during one of the climbs and felt faint. A handful of salt fixed me up. Yum!
Tue 02 Dec, 2014 7:22 am
peregrinator wrote:... I've always carried tablets to prevent dehydration.
Tue 02 Dec, 2014 8:27 am
Tue 02 Dec, 2014 1:54 pm
Wed 03 Dec, 2014 5:16 am
andyszollosi wrote:Nice, blog and FB page, I'll keep following your progress Gareth!
1 year of preparation for the AAWT, from virtually no hiking experience is a VERY tight timeline. Even 2 years would be tight.
I read through your training plan. Day hikes and gym will not prepare you adequately for the AAWT. I recommend regular multi day hikes that will allow your body to adapt to a heavy backpack. Do at least one longer 5-7 day hike before you attempt the AAWT. Have you ever walked up a hill with a 25kg pack? Try it, pick a hill where the elevation change is 400-500m and load up a pack with water bottles. That will give you an idea for the effort required to do an average hill on the AAWT.
Also, it is also ESSENTIAL that you have tested out EVERY piece of gear you will be taking on the AAWT, as there is no chance to replace something if it is not suitable/fails. So going hiking will allow you to test out the equipment you'll be needing.
What are you going to eat on the trail? Whatever it is, it needs to be nutritious, light, quick to prepare and varied. And also generous portions as your body will surprise by how much it can eat with an increased metabolic rate.
The best way to prepare for a hike is to go hiking, even if the conditions/track is different. Without racking up at least some hiking experience in the UK, your chance of success in completing the AAWT in one hit are very slim.
If you need more general advice on walking, use this forum, there is a lot of good advice.
Also, here is a great blog by a VERY experienced walker, Swami:
http://www.thehikinglife.com/
I also see a couple of problems with your current itinerary, relating to the food drops.
2 days will not be enough to buy food, prepare your parcels and place them. This took me 4 weeks, although I dehydrated my own meals, so the food prep took 3 weeks of this.
You should allow at least a week instead of 2 days, at bare minimum. Also, you have not allowed time for picking up the food drums afterwards. Are you planning on leaving them in the bush for someone else to clean up!?
Also, when hiring a car, ensure it is covered when you are driving it off road. You will probably have to find a camping-van company as a standard hire car will not be insured off-road.
I admire your ambition, but you have an insane year ahead if you're going to be successful, and safe.
Good luck!
Wed 03 Dec, 2014 8:00 am
andyszollosi wrote:1 year of preparation for the AAWT, from virtually no hiking experience is a VERY tight timeline. Even 2 years would be tight. ... I admire your ambition, but you have an insane year ahead if you're going to be successful, and safe.
Good luck!
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