AAWT advice

A forum for discussing the Australian Alps Walking Track. This is a 655 km long track from Walhalla (Vic) to Tharwa (ACT)

Re: AAWT advice

Postby askew116 » 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. :D ) 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.


Thank you for your advice :)

Since my OP, I've decided to postpone the trip to late Jan/Early Feb 2016. This both gives me more training time, and greater likelihood of reasonable weather and easier access.

I've also arranged to hike the Edinburgh - Glasgow section of the Scottish National Trail in Jan 2015. I'll still be taking part in the 3 peaks challenge, of course, and over the next year and a bit, will attempt longer/tougher trails in the UK.

Frankly, my biggest fear with the AAWT is snakes, as I have a mild phobia of them, and they're not animals I'm used to encountering. However, I know that they don't generally strike unless provoked (I actually once accidentally trod on a Boa Constrictor, and all it did was scamper away!) so it's not something I'll let dissuade me from this challenge :)
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby jford » Mon 29 Sep, 2014 2:22 pm

Something that overseas visitors to Australia don't seem to get is that there is nowhere to resupply. Yes, the AAWT goes through Mt Hotham and past Thredbo and Benambra, but they will have a small supermarket or such like and not much else open at the time of year you're going through. There are no outdoor shops like there are in medium sized towns in UK and Europe.

Chapman in his book on the South West Walk in Tasmania reiterates numerous times the fact that there is absolutely nowhere to resupply, to stop overseas visitors getting into serious trouble. The AAWT has a few more facilities than that, but not much more. Between Walhalla and Mt Hotham there's nothing near the track. Know the escape routes, which will be off the map mostly.

If you do food drops every four days you'll spend as much time driving around dropping them off as you will walking.

Good luck, but make sure you know what you're doing. Sure, carry a PLB, but using it is not to be taken lightly. Many other threads here cover whether to hit the button or not and the implications of doing so.

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Last edited by jford on Mon 06 Oct, 2014 12:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby peregrinator » Mon 06 Oct, 2014 9:33 am

Re Chapman's AAWT book. I just happened to read the Overland Track thread on the Tasmania forum where there is information which appears to be relevant to this topic. NNW's first quote indicates that Chapman's books in general, not just the Overland book, have significant inaccuracies. Maybe over the total length of the AAWT these cancel each other out? But if not, it's a serious issue. Who knows?

north-north-west wrote:
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%.


icefest wrote:
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.


north-north-west wrote:
Yes, that has been my conclusion too.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby icefest » 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?

Yep, lots of distance/elevation errors, but they're by far the best guide books I've ever used. There's a reason they are at the top of the list: http://besthike.com/2011/05/02/best-hiking-guidebooks/

As far as cancelling each other out, does it really matter? You're walking 500+km, 20% more or less makes some difference, but shouldn't change the way you plan, walk, or anything else...

I'd probably try to take a GPS trace anyway, just so that you can easily get back to the trail if you loose it.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby jjoz58 » Tue 07 Oct, 2014 6:51 am

Try going to the page of Karen Cody. It contains the gps tracks of every day of her groups walk in Mar 2010 and is an excellent resource that compliments Chapman's book. I have her track loaded in my GPS for reference although I am going to stray from it in some places. http://www.johnevans.id.au/Pages/KC/KCAAWT.html
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby north-north-west » Tue 07 Oct, 2014 2:58 pm

My own GPX files for the AAWT would be of little use to most people, not because I did it in bits and pieces, but there are a LOT of sidetrips, detours and extensions.
AAWT.jpg
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby icefest » Tue 07 Oct, 2014 3:16 pm

That's really pretty NNW!
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby north-north-west » Tue 07 Oct, 2014 4:40 pm

:D
Such fun that was. The sense of fulfilment when I filled in the last little bit. :) The feeling of emptiness when I wondered what I would do next. :( Good thing I moved back down here . . . 8)
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby vicpres » Mon 13 Oct, 2014 2:11 pm

A number of responses have mentioned seasonal road closures as an issue for starting the AAWT in October as they prevent or restrict access to put in food drops. One such road closure is the Licola - Mansfield Road that gives access to a popular and convenient drop site at Mt Skene. This road is typically closed from mid-June to the end of October and severe penalties apply to travelling on this road during the closure period.

However, through Bushwalking Victoria it is possible to obtain permission to access the road during the closure period, for the purpose of putting in a food drop. A 4WD vehicle will be required for access during the closure period. For further information email Bushwalking Victoria at admin@bushwalkingvictoria.org.au Please note that this arrangement only applies to the Licola - Mansfield Road, not to other roads and tracks managed by Parks Victoria or the Department of Environment and Primary Industries.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby madmacca » Tue 14 Oct, 2014 12:54 am

Chris - thanks for the additional info on the Jamieson-Licola Rd. Useful to know that.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby JamesMc » Tue 14 Oct, 2014 7:42 pm

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.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby jford » 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.


You're not wrong. There's some highlights, but a lot of lowlights. It's a walk for Australians who've done everything else and need a long 'through-hike' as the Americans would call it. Much of it from Walhalla, or at least Baw Baw up to beyond Rumpf Saddle is marginal, and a fair bit between Bogong and Thredbo is too. That said, as an Australian who's done a lot of other walks, I wouldn't mind doing it some time in the near future.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby Eljimberino » Thu 16 Oct, 2014 11:03 pm

We are attracted to nature because it has no opinion of us.


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Re: AAWT advice

Postby rocketrm2 » Fri 24 Oct, 2014 8:15 pm

Its gets very lonely on AAWT, its no AT or PCT. I hiked 5 days before seeing another person. Same goes for wild life never any except some rabbits.
But on that point be prepared for lots of isolation. Also no hikers = no info,
But it is an amazing hike
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby ethoen » 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.


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/
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby ethoen » 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/


We also have the West Highland Way (150km) and Pennie Way (429km) if you want something a bit more sedate to warm up on.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby Eljimberino » Sat 25 Oct, 2014 12:56 pm

My girlfriend and I also did the Spey River walk a few years ago. With the sidetrip to Tomintoul (sic). Was excellent.


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Re: AAWT advice

Postby andyszollosi » Sun 30 Nov, 2014 1:26 pm

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!
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby walkon » Sun 30 Nov, 2014 2:50 pm

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.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby Eljimberino » Sun 30 Nov, 2014 5:26 pm

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.


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Re: AAWT advice

Postby oyster_07 » Sun 30 Nov, 2014 5:32 pm

The mean maximum in Melbourne is 25.9 degrees in January, and Melbourne certainly gets days over 40 degrees.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby askew116 » 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!


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?
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby north-north-west » Mon 01 Dec, 2014 7:22 am

Eljimberino wrote:But I'm still struggling to imagine it being over 35 above 1000m.

I've had 40 degree days on the Main Range. It's not the norm but it can happen.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby andyszollosi » 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.


I personally agree about relishing solitude in wilderness. Some people find it harder than others however. I met a lady who walked the AAWT solo in 7 weeks and reckoned for her, the hardest part was the loneliness. Personally, I only get lonely in the city, where I'm surrounded by people I don't know; people I will never know. In the hills, there is too much around me to keep my mind busy.

As for the solar charger, I used a 'powertraveller- powermonkey extreme' initially, which is a seperate solar panel and battery. From this battery you can charge your devices via usb through either 5v or 12v. This set up failed me.
The screws holding the solar panel together gave way 2 weeks in. I taped it together but the panels stopped charging the batteries three weeks in. In hindsight, I may have been a bit rough with the unit, but the product is marketed as an expedition style, durable device, so I was fairly disappointed.
In the end, I got a mate of mine to post me a new solar panel to the Mt Hotham general store, which was again the same brand, powertraveller, but a different model. This one was a panel and battery in one. I was much more tender with this one and had no further problems.
It was great to have it as it meant I could recharge my camera's batteries, phone, water purifier and kindle. It needs a lot of sun though, a perfect sunny day in the open would generate just enough to recharge my iphone two thirds of the way. I guess I had a lot of devices that needed charging though, so that was part of the reason why I was always low on power.

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


I had a heatwave between Mt Jagungal and Witze's hut, but it could happen anywhere. Obviously, the lower down you are, the warmer it is. To get an idea for the maximum temperature reached, check one of the weather stations further down in the valleys, eg Licola. The hottest day I had was barely over 30 degrees and for me that was enough to take the day off and hide in the hut.

I believe the summer coming up is expected to be a hot and dry one (El nino pattern, I think?). The section from Rumpff to Hotham is the driest, but in summer, you constantly need to be thinking about water, the entire way. A lot of the creeks marked on the maps are likely to be dried up. Expect to spend some time at the end of some days, looking for water. Water drops might be a good idea.

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?


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!

As for other hikers, the longest I went without seeing anyone was a week, but this was in early spring, before the 4WD tracks are re-opened, so in summer you'll probably encounter more people. Overall however, about half the days on my walk I did not meet anyone, and very few walkers. Mostly the people I met were hunters, drivers, fishermen or campers. The Bogong high plains and the main range were the most visited places. The Mt Howitt area and far east gippsland (omeo highway to cowombat flats) felt the most remote.

As for the huts, they are great in REALLY bad weather. In anything less than a blizzard I always sleep in my tent. The huts are often pretty rustic and are mostly heritage listed so they are only meant to be used in emergency overnight. As a general rule, I found the huts in Kosciouszko NP to be better maintained and more comfortable, however there were some exceptionally nice huts in Victoria as well (Cleve Cole, Vallejo Gantner).
When it's really cold and wet, the huts are awesome though as they usually have a fireplace, wooden bunks and a table with seats. They also have residential rodents, more often than not. If you do stay in a hut, make sure you hang up your food on the hooks that often hang from the overhead beams. I kept my food in my pack one night and in the morning, there was a hole in my pack. At least my food was untouched!

Another thing I was going to mention but forgot was to register your plan with all the local parks offices (eg: Parks Victoria, Kosciouszko NP and Namadgi NP) so they know you're in the park in case there is a bushfire.

Also, when doing your food drops, consider placing some water as well, it may be required in summer.

Best of luck!
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby peregrinator » 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!


You can buy salt tablets from a pharmacy. Possibly an easier way to carry salt. After once getting severe leg cramping and having to walk/crawl along the Crosscut Saw and down Stanleys Name spur, I've always carried tablets to prevent dehydration.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby Mark F » Tue 02 Dec, 2014 7:22 am

peregrinator wrote:... I've always carried tablets to prevent dehydration.


At last! dehydrated water in a tablet form.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby askew116 » Tue 02 Dec, 2014 8:27 am

A massive thank you so far for everyone who's commented on this thread. Everyone's been so helpful and generous with their advice, and my research is going very well.

Today, I've launched a website and Facebook page, and I'd love it if a few of you guys would take a look and Like it:

https://www.facebook.com/GarethOzHike

https://garethaawthike.wordpress.com/

I mentioned in a previous post that I'm a filmmaker, and as well this hike being a personal challenge that I've always wanted to take, it's also going to be a documentary for my next project!
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby andyszollosi » Tue 02 Dec, 2014 1:54 pm

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!
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby askew116 » 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!


Hi Andy, thanks for the advice. The Hiking Life blog looks fantastic, I'll definitely be gleaning as much info as I can from that.

Regarding picking up food drums, I can assure you I will dispose of them responsibly. The schedule on the website is a very early version, before I'd fully considered the logistics of pre- and post-hike planning

Regarding the food prep, I was planning to buy and prepare everything I need from when I arrive in Sydney, which is a week prior to placing the drops. As far as the meals themselves go, I've taken inspiration from the following blog/trip report from the AAWT: http://people.aapt.net.au/~mtmajor/AAWT2008page1.html and plan to follow this pretty closely, although I'll be taking a slower pace than these guys!

This summer just gone, I hitch-hiked the length of the UK. My pack weighed 20kg precisely, and I was often dropped 3-4 miles from the town/city I was going to, so I have had some recent experience with carrying a heavy pack, albeit on mostly flat terrain. Obviously this is hardly an equivalent challenge to the AAWT but it did give me a good idea of the magnitude of what I'm attempting. I'm still researching and planning the logistics and solutions to problems, and while I believe it would be arrogant of me to claim that I'm confident I'll succeed, I am going through each problem I can envisage and doing my best to minimise them.

I've also already checked out off-road insurance, and have found a company that covers me for off-road driving in a 4wd.
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Re: AAWT advice

Postby Lophophaps » 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!


+1 The idea of training on hills with a load of water appeals. Unless the weather gets really bad, say a full-scale Ben blizzard, then continue. This is reality, and on the AAWT you will often not have the option of going back. To a certain extent you can wait out bad weather, but this should only be for short periods. Wait too long or walk too slow and your schedule will be amiss.

You should have a number of fallback plans for every stage. River too high to cross, rats eat your food, no Internet connection, serious stuff. By having plans set up in advance, implementation will be much quicker and easier. You may wish to consider putting such plans in writing. Start with escape routes and work from there.
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