Mountaineering Melbourne: Hidden Gem

Wednesday, 28 November 2018

Free Capes Track

Recently we did the slack-packing trip down in Tasmania and you'll find tons of blog and self-proclaimed expert hikers who give you all kinds of tips for this indulgence. Basically you have three major options on how to do the trip:

Glamping - around 3k AUD
Slack-Packing - roughly 500 AUD
Old-School Camping - free (besides the park pass)

Now I don't want to bore you with yet another insta-blurb or re-written track-notes, so I'll quickly run down some pro-tips on the slack-packing option and then go into the free old-school version.

Slack-Packing

Day 1 - Port Arthur to Surveyors Hut
This day is short so load up fresh food, booze and steak. Don't worry about a hangover, because day two can be endured with it.
Day 2 - Surveyors Hut to Munro Hut
About an hour before you hit the hut, you literally get to the junction which is only 10 minutes away from the Retakunna Hut (Night 3 accommodation). Stash some critter-proof packed food & drinks for evening number 3 and save yourself carrying some stuff for 2 more hours.
Day 3 - Munro Hut - Cape Pillar - Retakunna Hut
Since this is the main event, you want to be down there in good weather ... if possible. Get the latest forecast from the ranger. You can pick up some phone reception near the loos / helipad. We left the hut at 11 am with a baby which left plenty of time for an easy walk, breaks, taking pictures and getting to the last hut.
Day 4 - Retakunna Hut to Fortescue Bay
There's a BBQ at the end of the track ... steaks and beer ... just a thought. There are also showers in case you feel like one.

Free Capes Track

First of all the current Three Capes Track is false advertising: Cape Raoul is still missing in the itinerary. As of end of 2018 the tracks around there have been upgraded which means you can do it as a day-walk however the huts haven't been constructed yet. From what I gathered the development of this section is still on the cards. For now it's a day hike which you can just google > here's a tour-description on the Alpine Club Portal.

3CT development map from 2012

That's one cape down, on to the next one. If you google Cape Pillar and camping you'll get a bunch of conflicting information. This is what's actually happening:

Yes you can go camping,
No, nobody forces you to do one of the paid trips
Yes you can camp in other spots than the Wughalee Falls. Just get in touch with the rangers.

So there is free version of the Three Capes Track which can be done in two to three days using the Wughalee Falls Campsite. This is an easy hike which let's you experience one of Tasmania's crown jewels without forking out a lot of cash AND big plus: You can pick a good weather window! Now you can do this as one epic day however this is more of a trailrun than a hike. Maybe if you want to take it all in, this is not the best choice.

Two-Day option:

Go to the campsite first, drop your packs, do Cape Pillar and return to the camp for the night. The next day do Cape Hauy and return to Fortescue Bay

Three-Day option:

Go to the campsite and stay the night. On day two travel light, do Cape Pillar and come back to camp for the second night. The next day do Cape Hauy and return to Fortescue Bay

My recommendation is to do it in three days and load up on good food > you don't have to carry it far anyway and if you suffer from FOMO because you'll miss day one and two of the 3CT, don't beat yourself up. Day one is barely worth mentioning (4km) and day two isn't that great compared to what you're doing. However there is an option to access these parts of the track as well, if you're really keen.

You'll find the complete description including a GPS file on Alpenvereinaktiv:

Free Two Capes Track.

... and here are some pics from our trip.

Enjoy & Cheers
Philipp

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Tuesday, 26 September 2017

A Magic Place in France

Have you ever heard of the Chartreuse Mountains? Yeah me neither. Although you really should have! It is literally one of those hidden gems on the planet. If you're into hiking, it's honestly rather difficult to have a bad time in the French Prealps or Alps. Seriously: Everything looks unbelievable cute, people are super-friendly and then of course there's that thing about french pastry, croissants, pain au chocolat, wine, cheese, ... It's fucking civilised!

Anna jumping the arch

Did I mention that the landscape is also fairly stunning? Ooops sorry but you probably already looked at the picture. This is an arch called "La Tour Percée" and with 32m it's the biggest natural arch in the European Alps. If that's not enough, the sucker is also a double arch. I know it's a bit over the top but this is how it rolls.

Why haven't I heard about this?!?

Good question! Because you can't see that thing neither from the village below nor from the ridge-line above. It is obscured by sitting in a bowl and was vastly unknown until 2005 the local mountaineer Pascal Sombardier made it know to a wider audience while researching unique destinations in the area. Believe it or not but the existence of "The Pierced Tower" has not been recorded before that. Everyone shrugged when Pascal was asking the local mountaineering community about the arch. Although twelve years have passed, La Tour Percée remains widely off the grid and doesn't appear in any major guidebooks.

Where is it?

Once you know this thing exists, it's actually quite easy to find. You can just park your car in the little village of St Michel and then take a leisurely walk up some forest roads and hiking tracks. The last bit gets a bit sketchy but thanks to modern technology (GPS) even that isn't really a challenge. In all honesty a bit of climbing is involved and although it's only something like a very easy four metre pitch, it's not the greatest idea doing that without a rope. The consequences of falling are most likely fatal: if you miss the ledge, you're adding 30m of "air-time" and the rocks show some signs of holds snapping off.

However if you do make it, you'll be rewarded with stunning and bizarre rock formations. This is hands down one of the best day-hikes I've ever done and it gets right up there with the Routeburn Track in NZ (although that's not a day-hike). Just make sure you're not up there in foul weather otherwise the panorama will be a bit sad.

Now off to France > You'll love it ❤️🇫🇷
Cheers :)
Philipp

Location: Just north of Grenoble
Coordinates: N 45° 22.141' E 005° 54.253'
Accommodation: Camping Martinière
Parking: St Michel