Black Dog Blues Trekkin'

04/08/2022

Day 16 in beast hiker training, a no- holds-barred gauntlet today and I pushed it to the limit and beyond till I had nothing left!

I found that the inclines weren't as breath taking as this time last week, got some great rhythm going and started small jogging bursts through different sections.

Started at The Springs upper car park, took Pinnacle track to Organ Pipes and went from The Chalet down Hunter's Track which was different going down than coming up, it's incredibly steep! From cabin junction I followed North South Track back to The Springs and voila it was done and dusted 🥳

Overall this hike really upped the ante and although I wanted to complete it in 2 hours (half the time from the guide) I still shaved it by 100 minutes! Loved this one 🤘😎🤘

02/08/2022

Day 14 of going beast mode!

The best hike I've ever been on, maybe it was the ❄️❄️❄️ I've never been on the Zig Zag track before and what better way to break it with the thick, velvety and fluffy ❄️❄️❄️ I felt so blessed to be the 3rd person to be walking the track, felt untouched in many ways going up to the pinnacle, the snow hadn't begun to melt then and was so beautiful 😍❤️😍

I will never hesitate to hike in the snow, it's a magical and surreal experience 💖💖💖

Hope you enjoy today's journey as much as I did 🤘❤️🤘

01/08/2022

01/08/2022

Say NO to having a cable car on Kunanyi! Destroying natural beauty so lazy people don't have to walk up the mountain, the thrill of hiking over Mt Wellington is sublime and unreal, so many animals I see when I'm up there may disappear if this goes ahead. It's wrong on every level. It CAN NOT happen. Have a read and help out if you can ❤️

01/08/2022

Day 13 of getting into beast mode! Very special bucket list hike today up the Ice House Track ❄️🥶🤘 was wet, slippery and snowing up the top! It was a fantastic fun adventure, on the descent the snow became a little heavier and I loved every moment 🥳

28/07/2022

Day 9 of getting into Beast Mode! The only way to condition yourself for hiking up mountains is to hike up mountains! I knew eventually I would need to endure the pain of hiking up slippery, crooked and undulating terrain and today was the day 😳 don't regret it at all, can only become stronger and more fit to do harder trails 🤘😎🤘

4km of straight up and down in 69 minutes was an excellent effort, didn't think it would be that quick and I had many breathers along the climb to The Springs!

Another enjoyable hike today 🤘😎👌

27/07/2022

8th day of walking, hitting it harder to reach my goal of getting onto those tough mountain hikes!

Thundered the Pipeline trail from Fern Tree and went 30 minutes one way and then smashed it hard back to the car. I have set a new personal best today of 6.81 km in an hour! Personal best on the pipeline, when I was more fit was just under 5 km! I am so proud of this effort, bodies getting back into beast mode quicker than I thought 😲

Really great belter today 🤘😎👌

Paddies - 🦘🦘🦘

25/07/2022

Hello Trekker's,

I've been absent for a few months now and haven't been walking/hiking until last Tuesday! The engine is getting warm again and I'm building my fitness back up to hit those badass mountain trails 😎

Today started at The Springs and went on a new trail which was amazing, was a good up and down hike and pushed it to an hour 🙂

Huge clouds through Hobart today 🤯

09/03/2022

Today's walk was really good, thought I'd only be traveling a trail I'd been on before only to find I'd be on new ground which was awesome 🙂 saw so many 🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘 and maybe a few kangaroos 😊 anyone else keen for this one start from Chimney Pot road carpark and head towards Waterworks Reserve 😎

07/03/2022

Today's little heart starter was on the Organ Pipes Track, followed to Sawmill Track junction and then had to turn back as helicopters are flying bags of rocks over that area for the Zig Zag, be aware of this if you're planning to walk this track today 🤘😎🤘

Not trying to go far right now, building the stamina up for that big hike down the track 🥳🥳🥳

07/03/2022

Yesterday's hike on the mountain was refreshing and much needed, had been away from the ol' girl for too long and forgotten how connected I am to her when I'm within her magical beauty 🏔️🌄❤️

17/01/2022

Good afternoon BDBT peeps, went on some new trails this morning on Mount Wellington and as always was amazed by the scenery 🤩

Started on the Fern Glade Track and followed that to Pinnacle Road, jumped onto Woods Track and checked out O'Gradys Falls. At this point I began my return to car following Bracken Fire Trail and then Fingerpost Track back to Huon Road, last leg on the Pipeline Track, a very refreshing hike and had a nice balance of ups and downs 😎

11/01/2022

Happy New Year everyone, 2022 has begun and this is my first hike and as always I seem to pick trails that are challenging and intense (is there any other way I'd have it? NO!) so today's choice to kick off 2022 was Mountain River Trail 😜

This trails 5.6km one way and the majority of it is straight up with 2 sections that are flat, definitely not for those who don't like steep hills, aren't fit or haven't hiked for awhile, I'd say ascent would rival going up to Cathedral Rock. Although it's an uphill battle it's worth it for views of Trestle Mountain and Collins Bonnet both of which make up parts of the Sleeping Beauty 😍

I thoroughly enjoyed this doozy today and this is a great entry to check out the other mountains up the top on East West Track 🥳

Saw 3 🐍 s today, first on descent which was about a metre long (possibly a Tiger) 2nd was a little one near the entrance and I almost stepped on it as it slithered away, 3rd was on dirt road as I was driving to Huon Highway and was over a metre long, definitely a Tiger. Also saw an echidna on way out plus 2 Paddy Melons on the trail 😍

20/12/2021

Afternoon BDB Trekkers 😃 this mornings hike started out on Milles track and headed towards the Disappearing Tarn which was empty, went up the potato field a little and then crossed over it following the trail to Wellington Falls. The winds today were really strong and luckily I was covered by trees for most of the hike so I didn’t get blown away. Upon reaching the track to Falls I took a left and headed toward Pipeline track, I decided to make a loop circuit back to car as the descent to Falls was so steep I wasn’t keen to hike back up it. Pipeline track was incredibly dry today, all the falls I saw last time I hiked it were dry. The quicker way back to Milles track was going on Snake Plains track which was really steep initially before coming out on an open plain filled with purple and white flowers, definitely a highlight of todays hike 😊 Upon rejoining the Milles track it was a cruising time back to the car 🥳 highly enjoyed this one, was a lot of fun and saw more of the beautiful Mount Wellington 😃 all in all near 20 km in 4.5 hours is an excellent achievement 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

09/12/2021

Back in the saddle after my encounter yesterday, took the North South Track from the Springs and followed it to the end 😃 9.5 kms one way and it’s a fairly easy hike on the way but on return it’s a little more hard going. I found this hike to be really fun 😜 saw a few Paddy Melons too 🦘

08/12/2021

Early bird gets the 🪱 early rise hiker gets the 🐍

This morning I attempted Collins Bonnet via Big Bend Trail, 6 degrees when I left the car and intentionally wanted to do this hike in cooler weather as I knew the Collins Bonnet trail was narrow and plenty of scrub encroachment so you can’t see the slithering locals! Unfortunately for me I crossed paths with one of the reptilian locals and it put an abrupt end to my hike. I was incredibly lucky that when I was rock hopping I saw the little fella (about a metre long) in my right peripheral and locked up instantly to see it slither off into the scrub, I backed it up slowly and waited a few minutes before proceeding forward with extreme caution, as I moved past where we had our first dance I could see my new found friend was nestled in some rocks a metre or so in front of me, it got wind of my presence and snapped it’s head around quicker than I could say “F**K!” and came at me, I know you’re not meant to move in a moment like this but I’d already made the little fella mad and I wasn’t hanging around to see what it had to say so I also did a quick turn and rock hopped it out of there until I was far enough away to look back and see it had stopped the chase!! My first encounter with a snake here while hiking and although I tried to avoid this by choosing a cooler day it wasn’t to be. There have been reports of Tiger snakes everywhere at the moment so be prepared if you’re heading out on the trails.

Apart from the 🐍 encounter it was a beautiful hike and although I didn’t get to the end I still ogled over the mountain candy 💪🏻🥳🤘🏻

07/12/2021

Today’s hike started on Lenah Valley Fire Trail and then headed up the mountain on Old Hobartian Trail, crossed over the North South Track which goes over the Newtown Rivulet, a moderately steep incline for most of the way 😜 I finished up at the Lost World turnoff before returning to the car 😁 really enjoyed this one, got the heart pumping and I’ve now walked all of the Old Hobartian Track (2 different hikes) 🥳🥳🥳 the overhanging rock faces were a highlight 🤩🤩🤩

05/12/2021

Made a little circuit starting from Jackson’s Bend, been wanting to check this track out for a while now and I wasn’t disappointed at all! There’s some massive trees along this track, it’s like coming across planes that crashed years ago and are now ghosts of the mountain. Took the Bracken Fire Trail and then hit Shoobridge Connector into Fern Tree, followed Pipeline track and saw a few rabbits and a small Paddy Melon who let me get really close and then realised I was there, gone in a flash! The Aqueduct in this area was super cool 🤩 crossed back over Huon Rd and took the S56 back to the car via some forgotten tracks 🥾 🚶‍♂️ a really good one today, nice easy hike to warm the legs up for something bigger tomorrow 💪🏻🥳🤘🏻

02/12/2021

Today’s little venture was down at Coningham, I took the cliffs track down to Legacy Bay and then spiced things up by going along the rocky shoreline which had so many cool rocks and weathered boulders from the water 🤩 thought I’d sneak this little banger in before the rains roll in!!

30/11/2021

Today’s epic hike started from the Springs on the North South Track, cruised along to cabin junction (saw a few sights I hadn’t seen before) then jumped onto Hunter’s Track to head up the mountain, this track is very challenging and has spectacular views of the Derwent River. Met a group of hikers coming up the Old Hobartian Trail from Lenah Valley and had a brief chat about trails and found out there’s a Hobart Walking Club!

The next leg was to take the Old Hobartian Track towards the Lost World, from research I’d read that this track isn’t written about often but is well worth the adventure if you’re keen to take the plunge. From the beginning the track goes straight down on a steep angle, it’s very narrow and there’s plenty of foliage encroaching onto trail. The waterfall was an added bonus that I wasn’t expecting ☺️ not far from falls is the turn off to the Lost World.

The Lost World was mind blowing 🤯 I wasn’t experienced enough to do this part of the hike but I took this gargantuan dinosaur by it’s chomping jaws and went hard. There’s nothing easy about this hike, when you think it’s calming the farm it’s only lining up another 10 curve balls to fire at you. There’s a huge section of Boulder scrambling, the boulders start to stack up and you’re climbing the face of mountain. I tried to take as many pics of these sections as possible to give you all an idea of what you’re in for if you ever decide to take it on. I’d say the halfway point is when you’re on the Lost World plateau and looking up at the face of mountain (selfie pic) it becomes a little bit hairy from this point, navigating over massive boulders, staying clear of the hidden chasms around the track. The cairns markers aren’t very visible and you need to look for them, without the cairns you could end up in a lot of strife. This hike was meant to take 45 mins (to the Lost World) from the beginning and I think my time was closer to 80 mins, I took my time and navigated as self reliantly as possible. All in all this is now the most challenging hike I’ve done, it was incredible and I’d do it again. To do the Lost World in reverse would require some guidance on how to traverse down the rocks as there’s some sections that were extremely tough to do going up and I kept thinking I couldn’t imagine going down 😳😵‍💫😵🤯

Upon coming out at the Big Bend car park I took Pinnacle Road all the way back to the Springs car which I wasn’t too keen about as it’s a busy road but my phone battery was heading to dead and the Lost World cooked my legs lol

This was a ripper circuit clocking in at 14.4 kms at 4 hours 38 mins 🥳 this concludes my last hike for November and in total I’ve done 91 km 💪🏻🥳🤘🏻

29/11/2021

Good afternoon BDB Trekkers 🙂

Today’s hike was from Big Bend Trail to the East West Track, this was a beautiful trail with some extremely hard sections (outlined in map pix) but well worth it for some beautiful Bush and amazing views 🤩

There’s also trails to Collins Bonnet and Tom Thumb 🤩

This hike took 2 hours 20 minutes return and 8.85 kms 🙂

26/11/2021

Checked out the Chimney Pot Hill trails 2 days ago, after driving past them repeatedly (other hikes up the mountain) I was keen to see what they had to offer. I covered most of them without doing too many loops 🤣 ventured off a little to the Ridgeway Reservoir which has the same colour as the Tarn. Really good trails to smash out a few kms and get the heart pumping 🙂 there were some challenging ascents and descents on these trails 😎

23/11/2021

Small hike this morning, I wanted to do Mt Montagu but unfortunately Pinnacle Road was closed for maintenance 😑 ended up going on the Pillinger Track for a 150 metres and then jumped onto Silver Falls track. A really good little hike, slight elevations here and there, some sections were really muddy but doable. Silver Falls look amazing 🤩 I went on Reid’s track for a little bit and followed Silver Falls track back to Middle Track which is a fairly testing trail (a lot of rocks and mud) and looped back around to the car 😃

17/11/2021

Afternoon to all you BDB Trekkers 🙂

This mornings hike was the longest one I may have done in my lifetime, a 21.6 km return In just under 5 hours. A fair way although it didn’t feel that long while on the trail.

The goal of today’s hike was to see Mt Wellington Falls, I’ve read many reviews from others who have trekked it and apart from the beautiful views there is one other common factor, it’s easily a half day venture and to be prepared for anything and everything.

I started on the Pipeline track (entrance off Huon road) and walked up a 200 metre elevation to the first junction where you can take track back to Fern tree (90 minutes one way) or go left and head towards Mt Wellington Falls (2 hours 40 minutes one way) This track is flat for near the whole way, there’s many other falls to be seen along the way and it’s a really great walk for 6.5 km until you reach the track to take you to the Falls lookout (40 minutes one way) there’s an initial elevation before reaching the ridge and the rest of track is gradual ups and downs. Was also great seeing remnants of the snow we had on Monday. Upon reaching the lookout junction it’s a 5 minute scramble over some boulders going down a little and then you take a seat on the bench and admire the falls 🙂 of course I wasn’t fully satisfied with that view and ventured back to lookout junction and made my way onto Milles/Springs track, this isn’t for the faint of heart and requires Boulder scrambling, navigating on your own as there’s no clear track or cairns markers, once over the boulders there’s a clay track down to the top of falls. Highly challenging as the rocks were still wet from the rains we’ve had and moss isn’t exactly user friendly when wet 🤣

All in all this is a long walk and I highly recommend it, if you’re not up for the falls lookout section it’s still a fantastic hike along the pipeline track and plenty of views and falls to be seen 🥳

16/11/2021

A clue as to which trail I’m hiking today 🥳

16/11/2021

It’s been over a week since I’ve been on the mountain, weathers been a little wet, windy and snowy, even this morning was a little wet and snowy but I was determined to get out for a little moment 🙂

Started out at The Springs and took the North South Track, it’s an up and down trail which isn’t to hard on the body or feet. Took a turn onto Shoobridge Trail and saw the Octopus Tree, the pics do not do this marvel of nature justice! Also looks like a hand from the sky holding the massive Boulder to the ground. I continued along the trail and for the most part it was fairly flat but there were random stones to walk over and more challenging in the wet, eventually I came back to the road and followed another trail back up to the North South Track. Finished at the car park where I did a quick lap of the Exhibition Gardens circuit and took in the cloudy views from the lookout. On the way home I went via Huon road and came across two awesome waterfalls 🌊🌊

All in all I it was an excellent short banger today, 4.1kms in 56 minutes 🙂

05/11/2021

Walking to Pinnacle was challenging and so much fun, getting used to Boulder scrambling and creeping closer to ridges for those epic mind blowing views 🤯 definitely wasn’t feeling as freaked out about it today, think feeling vulnerable but comfortable is a happy medium 😃 I didn’t realise how far away the pinnacle was from where I started, went over the hill, then another hill and another haha was amazed to see snow still on the mountain (left my mark 🤪) I stopped so many times at different elevations and took many panographs, the higher you go the more everything opens up (pics don’t do the view justice)

From the top I walked down Pinnacle road to the Panorama track (been eyeing it off 😝) a 30 minute obstacle course over boulders, downhill creek beds and other obstacles (wetland tracks) before meeting back with Pinnacle road.

The final stretch of this epic trek was from The Chalet on the Organ Pipes track, been hanging to do this one for a while and wasn’t disappointed at all! This tracks packing some awesome character and personality, man made cobble stone paths being a huge oh yeah! A little steep to begin with before coming out onto a flat ridge which gradually goes up and down, the views of the Derwent River and surrounding areas (North Hobart) are exhilarating! Eventually the track descends and continues to do so until you hit the bottom, was trippy seeing people climbing the front of pinnacle, no way I’d ever consider that 🤨

Today couldn’t have been any better, the weather was everything I could have asked for and very little wind which made it easier to get some of those hairy screamer snaps 🤪

05/11/2021

Start of the Ice House track is straight up for about 550 metres and it flattens for a moment before going up till the first Boulder clearing, met some cool folks at this point and had some chats about tracks I’d walked and ones I should check out, great meeting other hikers and sharing your adventures. From that clearing it was more hard steps to the top of the first ridge before making a detour to see Smiths Monument, without the cairns markers one could easily become lost in this area, many boulders to climb over and wetlands adding some spice to the challenge, was great doing this small stint off the track. Where the monument sits is exactly where Smith died, very surreal and to think how it would have been back in the 1800’s with no GPS, cairns markers or any form of direction, would be easy to become lost and perish in the wilderness. It was quicker to get back to the junction for heading up to the pinnacle than getting to the monument, not sure how that works 🤣

05/11/2021

G’day trekkers 😃

I went on another epic hike today, there’s 5 days of rain coming and I wanted to get a belter in before it gets here 🥳

I took the Ice House Track first, checked out Smith’s Monument, climbed up to the Pinnacle before making my descent down Panorama track and the final stretch from The Chalet to Springs car park 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Will cover the sections in a few posts 🙂