The morning of Day 3, we took a short morning walk along Cataract Gorge in Launceston, spotting some wild baby wallabies, before heading to Cradle Mountain and Lake St. Clair National Park (what a name!). On the way, we stopped at a cheese factory and did a bit of cheese tasting. I liked the Tasmanian wild wasabi cheese! Too bad I can't take cheese on the long flight home since it needs to be refrigerated.
We arrived at Cradle Mountain early compared to most tours. I had expressed to our guide a few days ago that I wanted to summit Cradle Mountain (which is a 6 to 8 hour hike, depending on weather and fitness), so he worked hard to get us to the National Park as early as possible.
Today was a beautiful and relatively clear day compared to the usual rainy weather around Cradle Mountain, so our guide said that it was an good day to attempt the summit. He said that most people spend days at the park and never even see Cradle Mountain because of the constant clouds around it, so I already considered myself fortunate just to have a nice view of the mountain at Dove Lake at its base.
So the plan is to hike from Dove Lake up to Marion's Lookout (900m), then across the plateau to the emergency shelter hut where the summit track begins. Once at the hut, this is the time to make the decision whether or not to attempt the summit (1545m). The weather changes very quickly here- it could be clear when you start the hike and then rainy at the summit a few hours later, or the other way around. So, the decision whether to push on toward the summit really needs to be made when you've completed the 2-hour ascent to the start of the summit track.
Since we arrived at the park at 1pm, and the last shuttle bus was at 8pm, we took the short cut up to Marion's lookout to save time (as recommended). This was a steep track with chains planted into the rock to help you climb. It was heaps of fun, and we got an awesome view of the crater lakes below and the surrounding mountains. I am glad that both Nicole and Chantal had the courage to attempt the summit with me. I would not have gone alone- gotta use the buddy system you know? Nicole didn't have the right shoes or confidence, and Chantal is afraid of heights, but I am so proud of them for coming along. They're both in good shape, so they did well during our faster-paced hike to the hut and the start of the summit track.
When we reached the hut, the weather was still clear (but very chilly), and the three of us decided to go for it. There were other hikers on the trail too, so that made me feel better- safety in numbers. We made the initial ascent and then started climbing over boulder over boulder over boulder. This was similar to the Mount Doom summit, except that the dolorite rock here was a lot harder more more slick than Mt. Doom's lava rock. Kearse would have loved/hated it/me.
As you get closer to the top of Cradle Mountain, you have to get creative and do some more technical climbing. This involved finding handholds, having your feet hang off of the cliff face, and jumping between rocks with large deep gaps in between. I enjoyed the climb so much, even though it was tricky and scary at parts! It was challenging and thrilling, and that was definitely the best part about it (next to the views, which were beyond phenomenal).
The track gets more and more difficult the closer you get to the top. The gaps get deeper and the climbs trickier. When we were only 15 minutes from reaching the summit, the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. At this point, I decided that we turn back. Nicole and Chantal were getting scared and refused to press on. They said they would start the descent and wait for me at the hut, but I chose to turn around as well. The rain was already making the rocks slippery, and it was getting worse the longer we waited. There wouldn't have been a view at the top anyway because of all of the clouds.
So, we hiked down the mountain toward the hut in the spitting rain for about an hour. I am happy to report that my semi-rainproof hiking boots and camelback held up wonderfully! By the time we made it back to Dove Lake at the bottom at 6pm, the storms had passed and the sky cleared. There was literally blue sky over Cradle Mountain.
It's disappointing to get to the bottom of the track and see blue sky, knowing that you could have been at the top. Had we just waited out the rain for one hour at the hut, we could have made it to the summit with an amazingly clear view. The thing is... you don't know that when your sitting 1500 meters high on the side of a cliff at the start of a storm.
After expressing my disappointment to our tour guide the next morning, he confirmed that we made the right decision. You don't know what the weather is going to do, and he knows hikers who have tried to wait out the weather and ended up getting trapped in a snow storm in the middle lf the summer. Nevertheless, I'm still a bit disappointed that we were so close. If only we would have taken less time during our lunch break at Marion's Lookout, then we would've been at the top when the clouds rolled in, instead of 15 minutes away. But then again, I'm not sure if Nicole and Chantal would have gone that far anyway, they were already paralyzed with fear by the time we turned around.
Actually, our hike back down the mountain in the rain was quite beautiful. I commented on how pretty the landscape looked in the drizzle as the sun tried to poke through, and Chantal exclaimed "I LOVE you!", and Nicole said "You're crazy! This is your nature!" Ah that made me happy :)
The morning of Day 4 after our attempted summit, Chantal and I went on a chilly and misty two-hour morning walk through the temperate rainforest, quartzite beaches, and sub-alpine plant life around Dove Lake. We watched the sun rise behind Cradle Mountain, and the clouds flow over the summit, down into the valley, and over the lake.
Then we drove toward the west coast of Tasmania, taking a break for lunch in thensmall and lazy town of Rosebery, the second rainiest place in Australia. Fun fact: the weather in Tasmania comes al, the way from Argentina. The storm surges in South America, builds across the ocean, and smacks into Tassie's west coast. Because the storm builds all the way across the Pacific, the weather is quite dangerous here.
In Rosebery, Chantal and Nicole wanted to see a picture of me with my hair down, so I showed them my Buzzcard, and Nicole's reaction was: "You're so American! This is so American!". Haha so funny! I guess it was my "American smile"! We then continued on to Strahan, the only town on Tasmania's west coast, and of course we made a stop at the beach to play in the Indian Ocean!
That night in Strahan, Cantal made us some awesome lemon cookies from scratch, filled with strawberry or lemon jam and drizzle or dipped in chocolate. Yum! Cookies made by a professional baker! Wooooo! Chantal was a pro with improvising with that hostel kitchen and small town supermarket.
On our fifth and final day together on the Tassie Tour (and my second to last day in Australia), we had a big drive from Strahan, across the island, and back to Hobart. Along the way we stopped at Nelson Falls, Lake St. Clair (Australia's deepest fresh water lake where I had a relaxing lunch on the crystal clear lake shore), Mt. Field National Park, the Land of Giants (towering gum trees over 100 meters high that reminded me of the sequoia trees in Yosemite), Russell Falls, and Derwent Valley (where hops are grown that are used in 85 percent of all Australian beer).
We made it back to Hobart by dinnertime, enjoyed some fish and chips and farewell drinks, and then called it a night. The next morning I am headed to the Hobart airport to fly to Sydney. There I will meet up wit Hanna and Nina for my last day in Australia, and then head back home on March 2nd. I can't believe January and Fbruary have already come and gone. If it weren't for my awesome $10 digital watch from Wal-Mart, I would have no idea what day it is!
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