Note: Whilst I on occasion take a rare, fabulous snap, the majority of these photos were captured by the much more talented @holly_cardamone so credit to her and her talent!
I stood in the icy water, breathing through the pain of the cold water. Hands on head I sucked in a breath and walked through the ocean back onto the beach. The water was only waist deep – I wasn’t sure I could do it. “Yeah, you can” I muttered to myself and turned around, walking deeper and deeper into the icy waters that were coming directly from Antarctica. With one last deep breath I dove into the water, the cold water literally taking away my breath. All of my senses froze in time, and it took real effort to push to the surface. As I broke the surface of the water, I screamed ‘Faaaarrrrrrkkkkkk’ and laughed. A few of my fellow hikers on the beach laughed with me. Thirteen of us had just hiked the 3 Capes Trail in south Tasmania, ending on the beach at Fortescue Bay with our two guides. I hadn’t known what to expect on this hike; it was going to be very different to my usual solo adventures where I carry everything I need on my back and disappear into the bush to tackle the elements alone.
Clothes changed and warmed up with a coffee I got on the bus to head back to Hobart and reflected on what a week it had been.
Only a week prior I had been in the corporate mindset, on a plane to Canberra to present, meet customers, and spend time with colleagues. Room service in hotels and running on Canberra’s stunning local trails; 3 Capes still felt like a world away. I was home late Wednesday night where I dumped the suitcase and grabbed a duffel bag full of hiking gear ready to set off at 7am the next morning. One night with hubby and the dog and I was off again, feeling slightly guilty about so much time away from them!
I met my friend Holly early and we headed to the airport for a quick flight down to Hobart; ie a quick nap for myself. I have taught myself the wonderful skill to be able to sleep on planes. It’s a fine art! We were both heading on this adventure together to celebrate respective big birthdays. My 40th birthday was looming and this was my early present.
Landing in Hobart we were set on visiting Mona, the local museum/gallery but when I checked the opening hours, we realised it was closed so after dumping gear at the hotel we went discovering locally. Exploring in the rain led to an Irish Pub (of course) where I gorged myself on chicken parmigiana and ‘carb-loaded’ on chips. We checked out the local bookshop, wandered through the malls of Hobart and headed back to our rooms to get our gear ready for the morning. I whipped out the laptop, ready to sneak in a few hours of work and then noticed the giant bathtub in my ensuite. I was technically trying to ‘switch off’ for 4 days so the laptop got closed and the bath got filled! I later carb loaded again with dinner in the hotel, The Old Woolstore. Steak and mash potato – highly recommend this hotel and the delicious food!
Post dinner, I gathered all my hiking gear and checked I had everything I needed ready for the morning and then jumped into bed with a book about a group of corporates that go on a hiking retreat, and one doesn’t come back; Force of Nature, by Jane Harper. Most would argue that it’s not the ideal book when you are starting a 4-day hike!
The morning was met with anticipation. I was unsure what to expect. I knew that it was not going to be physically challenging distances for me each day – I was right in the middle of a running training plan and was doing much higher mileage that our daily plan. I knew the challenge for me would be slowing down, giving control to someone else, walking at another’s pace, switching off when life outside was so chaotic. Could I do it, or had I paid money to just be frustrated for four days? With Tas Walking Co as our guides were in safe and experienced hands.
We were a quiet group when the bus picked up – all full of excitement and anticipation for the days ahead. We were taken to the Tas Walking Co’s headquarters where we packed our gear into packs and ticked off everything we needed. Our guides, Gus and Dayna introduced themselves and we were given a snapshot of what to expect for the weekend, including a warning of some wild weather which had me excited. We all piled back into the bus, this time at least knowing each other’s names, and set off. We had a 2hr trip to Port Arthur to start our adventure, with a pit stop in Dunalley, which is where I realised, I had forgotten to pack my toothbrush.
Day one: 6.36kms +248m
Arriving just north of Port Arthur we met our boat driver, and our bus driver became our deckhand. The bay was small, slightly protected and our little boat was the only one bobbing away. With 13 in the group, 2 guides and 2 boat hands we easily filled the boat without much room to move. We pulled on waterproof ‘oodies’ to keep us warm and dry and Raul told the adventurous ones to sit at the front. Of course I dragged Holly right to the front seats! Boat rides are definitely a favourite of mine. As we came out of the safety of the little bay we were greeted with the wind. The slap-in-your-face kind of wind that makes your face light up with joy as you taste the salt water and smell the ocean whipping around you. We started with a scenic tour of the Port Arthur Historic Site, from the water. It was incredible to see the old buildings and hear stories from the penal colony times and we were silent as the water lapped the edge of the boat and we looked up at the ‘Isle of the Dead’ where all the bodies from the colony were buried. It was eerie seeing it from the water. Moving on from the historic site we checked out some birds perched on the cliff tops, only for our guide to notice a sea eagle well camouflaged against the cliff. When I saw that the guides were squealing with joy and jumping up and down, I realised just how rare this sighting was. We hung around for a few minutes, watching the young sea eagle chase birds and try and grab some lunch. From there we headed out to the big ocean, the Southern Ocean.
With swells as big as 4m we bounced along the waves, smacking into them with a bang and a giggle escaping from my mouth every time. This was fun! The motor was killed, and we bobbed about like a cork in a giant tub of swelling, surging water. How boats survived this, and bigger swells, is remarkable and we were told a lot didn’t. The whole coast was littered with shipwrecks. We waved to Cape Raoul in the west and headed back into the safety of the bay, spotting our lodge in the distance on the hill. We pulled up into Denman’s Cove, whipped the shoes off and hung them around our necks, ready for land. With packs on, we jumped down from the bow of the boat in the icy waters and waded to shore. All the sea air had me hungry and I was happy that we were hanging out on the beach to have lunch. Ham and salad roll with a danish to follow; it was delicious and well placed to give us the energy to walk the few hours to our lodge for night one. We started to climb away from the beach, and I hung at the back with Holly chatting away about how awesome the boat ride had been. As we climbed the trail, we could see the penal colony across the bay and the water from the top looked much calmer than we had just witnessed. The trail told a story, with chairs dotted along the way sharing stories of inmates, love and adventure. It was a beautiful walk; the weather was kind to us, and I really enjoyed switching off from the world. We stopped at Surveyor’s Cove and Gus talked us through the nature around us and really made me reflect on why I was out there. I wasn’t there to run big distances, solo hike into dangerous territory and fight storms. I wasn’t there to test my body to it’s absolute limits like I usually do. I was there to switch off, enjoy, slow down. I embraced this as we moved on, Surveyor’s Cove being the last time we could physically touch the water until we finished the hike.
We passed through Surveyor's Hut soon after and I admired the excellent facilities that were available to the public walkers. We pushed on a wee bit further before coming to a secret trail that took us to our lodge for the night, Crescent Lodge. We were met by Kara’s beaming smile and the smell of freshly baked cake. The lodge was stunning, with views out to Crescent Bay and the Southern Ocean and we all stared in awe at the beauty around us. Whilst we snacked, we were allocated rooms and given the layout. With a yoga room to stretch and relax in, and a lookout to watch out over the bay, and hot showers and more food – I was in heaven! This was not what I was used to on my hiking adventures. The wine was poured, and I grabbed a glass of sparkling wine and headed up to the lookout. A deep breath of the magical clean air that comes with being in the bush and I was filled with happiness and peace. With a toast to Dad’s ashes out in the ocean I smiled at the beauty around me. This was going to be a great weekend!
Slow cooked beef cheeks for dinner were the icing on the cake for an amazing day spent both on sea and land. After watching shooting stars with Holly, I curled into my bed, warm and smiling.
Day two: 12.07km +462m
Whilst I went to bed smiling it wasn’t long before I was trying to work out if it was ok to throw something at Holly or I should gently roll her over to stop her snoring. She obviously had taken very well to the sea air! At 3am I couldn’t be responsible for my actions anymore, so I grabbed my blanket and headed to the yoga room. I curled up on the couch, snuggled into my blanket and tried not to move because the light was set on a sensor and would turn on with movement. Without moving a muscle, I got the best few hours’ sleep I had had all night. As the sun started to break over the horizon I snuck into the kitchen early hunting for coffee, but nothing was yet boiling / brewing, so I sat at the window just soaking up the view.
After a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, mushrooms and toast we were all ready to go at 9am, getting to know each other more and more as the hours passed. We were all packed up ready and noticed that the guides were not. Unfortunately, poor Gus had a medical emergency and couldn’t continue with us. I had a chat with Dayna and mentioned that I usually carried upwards of 20kgs and could easily help her with carrying some of the gear. Dayna was incredible; it was obvious she was worried about not just Gus, but making sure the group were safe, but she also had a calmness and humour that kept us all at ease. We made a plan to have Kara walk us to Arthurs Peak and a new guide would walk in the following morning to meet us at Cape Pillar Lodge. Dayna shared around some of the extra weight with the stronger hikers and we took off about an hour later than planned.
As we crossed the plains, eyes darting left and right looking for wombats we saw the helicopter coming into pick up Gus and we all stopped and watched as it circled around the trees before landing in the clearing near the Surveyor’s Hut. A great site for the public hikers to witness before starting their day. We trekked on, climbing up to Arthurs Peak and revelling in the beautiful coastline spread out before us. You could hear the waves crashing into cliffs and smell the salt spray and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from the beauty of it.
From Arthurs Peak, Kara and I ran ahead – and I mean we actually trotted which I was very excited about – and set up the Trangia stove at ‘Jurassic Crack’ (you can imagine the dirty jokes following this one) which was a beautiful spot for morning tea. With water bowling I made jokes about being the new fill-in guide and we shared around biscuits and enjoyed a cuppa. It was magic.
It was such an enjoyable walk into Cape Pillar Lodge. There was beauty in everything we saw. From the cliffs to the overgrown rainforest section, to the fungi and the orchids. We saw echidnas, bee hives overflowing with honey and a snake basking in the sun. The terrain moved from easy dry trail to boardwalk and you could easily forget about your feet and look around you. With a break for lunch overlooking the cliffs we were well fuelled for the day with ham and salad rolls and chocolate and weather gods gave us sunshine and a breeze.
We came to the intersection of the old trail that was first used when two blokes bush bashed their way through dense bush, parkour style, to attempt to be the first to make it to Cape Pillar. It took them years, and they made it, but only to realise someone had been there before them. Their story kept us all entertained for the next few days and we trekked along behind them, on much nicer terrain than they experienced. From this intersection we headed south to our lodge, passing by the public hut (Munro) and climbing 13 switch backs, termed the devil’s driveway before coming to Cape Pillar Lodge: our home for the next two nights. Another stunning lodge with views out to the wild ocean including views from your bed, through the trees out to ocean beyond. An ocean that just stretched forever.
I unloaded the extra weight I had carried for Dayna, including 4L of water and a stove and was greeted with the fabulous news that they were going to put a bed in the yoga room for Holly so that I could get a good night sleep. I took this as a good karma for helping, but also acknowledged that it was a safety thing, considering we were walking along cliff tops on day 3. Probably smarter that I actually slept. In all honesty, I was already eyeing off sleeping on the deck!
Mel, our host, looked after us with more cake, cheese and crackers and wine and I slipped off to the spa to meet Sara who gave me the most incredible massage. I was also given the luxury of a spare toothbrush! I was soaking up every bit of luxury on this trip. Dinner was chicken with roast potatoes and an incredible creamy sauce. The group was excellent, and everyone had become friends quickly, sharing tales of the day had and excitement about the day ahead. There was amazing energy between the group, where you could sit and chat with each other, but also sneak off to the yoga room or the deck and have some quiet time and everyone respected each other’s reasons for being out there and needing what they needed. I am not used to hiking with other people and I found this incredibly refreshing that everyone had this respect for each other, but also cheered each other on and celebrated each other’s achievements. I loved it.
Post dinner I went and lay on the deck for a while looking up at the stars before sneaking off to bed with a glass of red wine and my book. I cherished having the room to myself, with only an inkling of guilt that Holly had been kicked out and enjoyed some quiet time reading with my wine before dozing off.
Day three: 15.72km + 643M
After the best night sleep, I rose early and lay in bed watching the birds wake up around me. I had slept with the blinds and window open, and I could see the birds scuttling in the trees, and through the trees the blue ocean. I could hear the wind whipping through the leaves and the birds singing away, starting their day. I felt so relaxed, and so peaceful that I wished I could bottle this and bring it out when life in the corporate world got busy. ‘Click’ I whispered; my internal camera shutter, reminding myself to never forget this moment.
Finding coffee, I went to see if Holly had survived her night in the yoga room and the guilt disappeared when I realised she had loved it. The room had an incredible view over the cliffs and she had an amazing view of the stars and moon all night. Relieved, I headed to breakfast for porridge to start the day. Our new guide, Jacqui appeared as we were all packing day packs ready for an adventure to Cape Pillar; this was an out and back section for the day so we only had to take a day pack and could leave a lot of our gear behind. It felt lovely and light to only have a day pack on and as we left the lodge, and I skipped down the 13 switchbacks at a trot.
We were soon walking the ‘great wall of China’ boardwalk. A snaky boardwalk that covers 2kms and winds around the terrain similar to the great wall. It was a beautiful walk, because you could switch off and just soak up the terrain. It was cold, but the rain held off and I was comfortable walking in shorts with a few layers on top. We stopped for morning tea at a sculpture that resembled echidnas called ‘Sex on the Cape’ and once again the biscuits came out.
As we came to the Cape, the views opened up into expansive ocean and cliffs as far as the eye could see and soon we had Tasman Island coming into view. Famous for yachts rounding the cape in the Sydney to Hobart race, but also one of the most beautiful locations for a lighthouse that I have seen. You couldn’t help but keep stopping to just stare in awe at the beauty but also conjure up stories of adventure for the past lighthouse keepers. As we got closer to the island we came to ‘The Blade’. A cliff edge that juts out towards Tasman Island this out and back section is not for the faint hearted. You step up and up and there is nothing but a sheer drop either side of you. We did this in two groups, and I squealed with joy standing on the rocks at the top and staring across to the lighthouse, feeling so close I could just reach out and touch it. The wind whipped around me as we climbed down, and I loved just feeling a whisper of the power of the weather. We moved on out of the elements and had lunch which was a beautiful grain salad that I coupled with a tin of tuna. I was loving the food on this trip!
It was a short trek to the end of the cape, rounded off with a view back to Tasman Island and a photo opportunity on the chair ‘claim your moment’ where the original hikers claimed their victory to make it to the cape. From here we could make our own way back to the lodge, retracing our steps from the morning. Holly and I took it slowly, enjoying all the views and chatting and laughing the whole way. Greeted at the lodge with more food and more wine I was wondering how I was going to go back to my old ways of carrying dehydrated food and all my gear for a hike! Salmon canapes, wine and a group singalong had us all ready for our final dinner and I was feeling a little sad as we sat down to wallaby stew for dinner, knowing it was all going to come to an end. Slowly, post dinner, we all trickled to bed in the knowledge that all good things must end.
Day Four: 16.3km +579m
Another incredible sunrise and I baked on the deck pre-breakfast whilst we stretched and got ready for the day ahead.
We were a good group in the mornings; all packed up quickly and ready to head off on time each day. Fuelled with baked eggs for breakfast we were off early, and it wasn’t long before we had arrived at the public hut, Retakunna for a quick pit stop. We had a 4pm deadline to meet the bus to head home and everyone had picked up the pace. From the public hut we were climbing Mt Fortescue; whilst this was mainly stairs it was also something like climbing a mountain in Middle Earth and I half expected hobbits, fairies and elves to jump out from the green lush bush around me. Fungi grew around us, moss covered the rocks, and you could feel in the air the dampness that grew as you climbed. It was so beautiful and a stark contrast to some of the terrain already experienced, including vast plains and cliff tops. We grouped together for morning tea, more biscuits, and we then had a ‘silent walk’ for about 30mins. We all walked along, with a big gap between us, and no one spoke. I loved it – it felt like my usual solo hikes, and I love silence in nature. You hear so many little things that you ordinarily miss; the wind in the trees, scurrying in the undergrowth, the birds calling for attention. It’s an explosion of the senses. We finished the silent walk at the storytelling chair; a big old throne in the middle of the forest with ‘once upon a time’ inscribed on the wood. It seemed fitting!
We descended Mt Fortescue and came out of the forest, and you could feel the air change. It became dryer as we could see the cliffs and the ocean again and you could feel the salt in the air. We were nearing Cape Hauy.
Lunch was falafel wraps with a beautiful view once again of the ocean below. The ocean was angry, and the wind was strong with white caps covering the ocean and the wind picking up spray so fast that it looked like a mirage on the horizon. We knew the wind was getting too strong to be able to get out to Cape Hauy and with a deadline for the bus it was decided we would not go all the way to the point. I was ok with this – the trip had far exceeded my expectations, and I was happy regardless. We have to work within the realms of Mother Nature when we throw ourselves out in her domain.
When we came to the intersection to Cape Hauy a few of us dropped our packs and did a short out and back, revelling in the views but also cursing the steep stairs! Then it was a beautiful climb down the other side towards the finish line and Fortescue Bay. I had let Holly go ahead and suddenly realised she would cross the finish line without me - despite having walked together for 4 days. I couldn’t let that happen! I was itching to run and so I set off on a beautiful downhill gradient at a slow trot. Made slow by wearing boots and a 7kg pack. I had a huge grin on my face as I trotted down, skipping over steps and giggling at myself. I was LOVING this. I caught up to some of the group and finally caught Holly with only about 300m to the finish. We took a selfie at the end with our unwashed, un-brushed wild hair blowing in the breeze and we headed to the shelter where I proceeded to strip off for my swim.
What an adventure. What an explosion of the senses in every way possible. What an experience. I learnt so much on this trip. Not only did the guides educate me on the terrain, the flora and the fauna but I taught myself how to slow down, how to appreciate some of the little things that I often glide past and miss. How to experience it with others. Only a few days later I ran 16kms before breakfast and I smiled to myself as I realised, I ran further before breakfast than our longest day on the trip; and yet the distance didn’t matter at all when hiking. I tracked the time on the feet daily, but the days were measured in laughs, in delicious food, in inappropriate jokes, in photos snapped, in songs sung, in glasses of wine shared. It was measured in moments – something I will keep with me forever.
留言