Mt Rufus circuit

Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion.
Forum rules
Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.

Mt Rufus circuit

Postby JaguarShark77 » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 11:54 am

Gidday all, hope you're all well and getting at least mostly good weather wherever you are.

Wanted to gauge the wisdom of my attempting the Mt Rufus track. Looking at doing it in a couple weeks - weather pending, of course. As it stands, I'm weighing up two alternative options:

1. Standard clockwise circuit from Cynthia Bay, full pack the whole way, up Rufus and down to camp at Shadow Lake for the night before (relatively) easy walk out the next morning, or
2. Head to Shadow Lake first with full pack, set up campsite and then head up Rufus with day pack before returning to Shadow Lake at end of day

My questions are:
1. How feasible/difficult is the Rufus circuit with a full pack?
2. Is option two far more sensible/doable?
3. If neither option appeals as overly smart, is there a better approach I can take for the circuit?

As a guide: my current fitness level is not amazing (certainly not at the level of many of you guys here) ... but not terrible either. Spent all of winter and (apart from a couple of weeks recently) the time since walking every day, including incorporating as many hills as possible, so am at least moderately walk-fit.

Thanks guys. Just want to make sure I'm not biting off more than I can chew.

PS: Please don't kick my *&%$#! too badly for the ludicrousness of any of my questions ... that's why I'm posting them here before attempting it!
JaguarShark77
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri 09 Jul, 2021 1:17 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby headwerkn » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 1:23 pm

Mt Rufus circuit tracks are in good condition (by Tasmanian standards) and manageable by pretty much anyone in decent weather with a bit of fitness and bushwalking experience.

Both options are definitely feasible, but day tripping out from Shadow Lake to the summit and return would obviously be easier in terms of weight on your back. The climb up onto the eastern ridgeline is quite steep and would present a decent challenge with a heavy pack, but is pretty short.

Basing yourself at Shadow Lake would also give you a bit more flexibility to time yourself around any problematic weather during your trip, and with a lighter daypack (albeit one with all the requisite safety gear) you could complete the summit loop a bit faster if need be. As I'm sure you're aware the current forecasts are, ahem, rather unstable at present with potential snowfalls. The upper ridges of Mt Rufus are quite straightforward to traverse (again, relatively speaking to surrounding peaks/ridgelines) but are still very exposed to prevailing westerlies, and you'll be out in it for a while if the weather turns. Dropping down to the Gingerbread Hut is an option if things if you need to bail.
Last edited by headwerkn on Tue 01 Nov, 2022 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
headwerkn
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat 09 Nov, 2013 3:50 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby myrtlegirl » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 1:46 pm

Mt Rufus is a great circuit to test you.

I'd say head to Shadow, and see how you feel. If you're feeling unsure (feeling unsure can be a sign of wisdom), you won't regret choosing the safer option.
myrtlegirl
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 154
Joined: Wed 06 Jan, 2010 3:40 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Female

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby JaguarShark77 » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 1:57 pm

Thank you for the excellent advice, Headwerkn - the Shadow Lake daytrip option definitely appeals as the more sensible of the two options. Working my way up to a reasonable level of walk fitness here, but ... also well aware of my limitations, and lugging a full pack up a steep mountain ridge doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun at this current level of fitness.

I hear you on the weather, too. No way I'll be pushing my luck there, even if it means waiting a few more weeks!

And thank you, Myrtlegirl - reckon you and Headwerkn have confirmed the Shadow Lake option in my mind. As someone far better than I am at this once said, don't rush - the mountains will always be there!
JaguarShark77
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri 09 Jul, 2021 1:17 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby north-north-west » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 4:13 pm

It's easier to do it as a day walk as it's a fairly short loop with a good, well-marked track all the way. But if you insist on camping there's also the option of spending the night at Gingerbread.

I'd head up to Shadow to see what the weather was doing before deciding whhere to pitch.
"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."
User avatar
north-north-west
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 15069
Joined: Thu 14 May, 2009 7:36 pm
Location: The Asylum
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: Social Misfits Anonymous
Region: Tasmania

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby JaguarShark77 » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 7:21 pm

Ah, thank you, NNW. Certainly not wed to the overnight idea - more just thinking out loud - and may end up doing it as a day walk. And I hear you, re: gauging the weather from Shadow Lake, too. Reckon that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

Do want to check out Gingerbread Hut, too, regardless of whether I’m staying the night or not!
JaguarShark77
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri 09 Jul, 2021 1:17 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby Tortoise » Tue 01 Nov, 2022 7:38 pm

JaguarShark77 wrote:Ah, thank you, NNW. Certainly not wed to the overnight idea - more just thinking out loud - and may end up doing it as a day walk. And I hear you, re: gauging the weather from Shadow Lake, too. Reckon that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

Most people do it that way. I guess it depends on what you're after. I've carried a big pack up and over Rufus. Lovely training walk, very doable, even for a tortoise like me. The main thing I'd be thinking about is the wind. It seems to be one of the windiest mountains - or maybe just when I'm there. I think 3 out of 4 or 5 times I was blown off my feet.
User avatar
Tortoise
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 5136
Joined: Sat 28 Jan, 2012 9:31 pm
Location: NW Tasmania
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Female

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby north-north-west » Wed 02 Nov, 2022 6:25 am

Tortoise wrote:The main thing I'd be thinking about is the wind. It seems to be one of the windiest mountains - or maybe just when I'm there. I think 3 out of 4 or 5 times I was blown off my feet.


For me, it just fogs in, regardless of forecast or starting conditions. I've had a view just twice out of at least a dozen visits. Still a good walk, but.
"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."
User avatar
north-north-west
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 15069
Joined: Thu 14 May, 2009 7:36 pm
Location: The Asylum
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: Social Misfits Anonymous
Region: Tasmania

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby JaguarShark77 » Wed 02 Nov, 2022 10:07 am

Thanks Tortoise, yeah, I've heard that the wind on Rufus can be pretty ferocious. Whatever the case, I'll be making sure I'm as well-prepared as I can be. Don't think I'll be following your lead and taking the full pack across, though - that might be a down-the-track thing, I think!
JaguarShark77
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri 09 Jul, 2021 1:17 pm
Region: Tasmania

Re: Mt Rufus circuit

Postby JaguarShark77 » Wed 02 Nov, 2022 10:09 am

north-north-west wrote:
Tortoise wrote:The main thing I'd be thinking about is the wind. It seems to be one of the windiest mountains - or maybe just when I'm there. I think 3 out of 4 or 5 times I was blown off my feet.


For me, it just fogs in, regardless of forecast or starting conditions. I've had a view just twice out of at least a dozen visits. Still a good walk, but.


That's Tassie in a nutshell, NNW! Views are a wonderful bonus but the weather's going to do what the weather does. Still looking forward to it - beautiful country around Lake St Clair.
JaguarShark77
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri 09 Jul, 2021 1:17 pm
Region: Tasmania


Return to Tasmania

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google Adsense [Bot] and 18 guests