Living In Freycinet National Park

Heading into the slower winter travel season with the international borders still shut we got the idea to look for underused vacation rentals to rent. What we didn’t anticipate was to find one that was INSIDE a national park.

Freycinet National Park is one of the most visited parks in Tasmania. Home to the iconic Wineglass Bay and a network of trails crisscrossing the peninsula, we’ll have plenty to do right out our front door. Or maybe not do. Our rustic vacation home has a deck in the treetops overlooking Coles Bay. An ideal place to sit and relax. 

If living at the trailhead to all the trails on the peninsula isn't enough, there is also a small private beach for residents. And our rental comes with two kayaks. Also, a few small wallabies living outside 😍 Unbelievable. 

Mount Field National Park Weekend

One thing I love about Tasmania (and New Zealand for that matter) is the walking club culture. The vibe is similar to a casual community or church potluck, except with a bunch of hikers. Like the community potluck, the makeup of these groups spans all ages and abilities. 

From my experience, these types of large tent groups are rare in the US. Meetups have a similar openness but are too decentralized to achieve a strong community vibe. More formal groups often are hyper-focused on a specific activity, age group, or cause. Maybe it’s just like that in the midwest though 🤷.

Over the weekend, we went to Mount Field National Park with the Hobart Walking Club. The club has been around since 1929 and has over 800 members. Almost every weekend there is at least one trip planned. Each is organized by a leader and assigned a difficulty rating.

Our trip is an induction weekend for newcomers. There are day hikes each day and the best part is we get to stay at the private club hut near Mt Dobson. The hut has been mostly unchanged since the 1960s due to park regulations limiting the types of repairs the club can do. 

The first day we did an out and back hike to the Tarn Shelf to get views and see the alpine Fagus (beech family) bushes changing color for the autumn. 

The trail starts with a steep climb past the ski area and onto a ridge. After that, it’s a mix of walking on boardwalk and trails with expansive views into the wild, untamed western side of Tasmania. The changing color adds a pop to the scenery but compared to autumn in the deciduous forests of Wisconsin, it’s a bit of a letdown. 

The next day, after an evening cozying up next to the woodstove and talking with the other club members, we set off on a longer hike to Lake Webster & Lake Fenton. A short car shuttle is needed for this hike, but well worth it. These tracks are less traveled, through thick forest and underbrush. The going is slow, but it gives us a chance to chat as we go along.

About 4 miles in we find a pleasant spot to take a break near an open field. All seems fine for the first 5 minutes until an itching sensation hits our feet. Leeches! We pack up and get out there fast. Overall only 1 or 2 bites in the group, nothing like my trip to Ben Nevis years ago.

Near the trailhead, we find a rockier spot (not leech territory) to sit and look over the lake. On the way out of the park, we take the quick 10 min walk to Russell Falls before heading home.

Links:

Urban Hiking Kunanyi / Mt Wellington

Hobart is my favorite city in Australia. I love the weather, I love the walkability. Best of all it has a mountain you can summit from downtown. We didn’t go all the way to the summit of Kunanyi/Mt Wellington but we did manage to do an epic day hike right out the door of our Airbnb.

The first stop with any urban adventure is coffee. Ginger Brown was highly recommended by our friends and did not disappoint. Excellent coffee and cake. Full of caffeine and sugar we start our 2,000ft climb along the Hobart Rivulet. The well-manicured trail slowly gives way to a more rugged and rocky path as we climb higher.

At Junction Cabin we start our loop to see the Octopus Tree, Sphinx Rock, and head past the Lost Freight Cafe - a cafe in a shipping container. The Octopus Tree does look like an Octopus, Sphinx Rock is more of a stretch. The trail is mostly forested but we have occasional views of the city and harbor below. The skies are crystal clear and we can see for miles. 

We head down a fire road on the way downhill, much faster than the climb up. In the evening light wallaby’s start to bounce across the trail. Back in the city, we pass the Cascade Brewery. Tempting but we’re both wiped. The couch sounds a lot better!

If you go:

A Pandemic Escape

Surprise, I’m down under! 

With the ability to work remotely and facing a long, lonely covid winter it seemed like the best option to make it down here for a bonus summer… and maybe longer?

On a bus to an unknown location

Do we tip the army for the concierge service?

It still feels a bit unreal that I’m here. Flights were near impossible to get. Australia is only allowing citizens and their spouses in (I’m lucky to be the latter). Upon arrival, we were whisked away by the army straight into hotel quarantine. They deposited us and our bags into a hotel room and said “see you in two weeks.”

For the next two weeks, the only time we were allowed to open the door to our tiny hotel room was when food was dropped at our door. At first, we tried daily exercises (running laps around the room, pushups) but then abandoned that for laying in bed. Honestly, it was good we both had work to keep us occupied. 

Feeding time at the zoo

Thru-hiker sink laundry skills coming in handy

It seems there is still a world out there

Good views though

Finally, two weeks passed and we were let out into the world. And what a world it is. Australia has had almost no COVID cases for the last 6 months. With the border shut, life has resumed to pre-covid normality. No masks, no distancing. I’m hugging people and going to crowded indoor spaces. It took a while to process and feel ok with this sudden change. But now it seems normal. 

We’ve been staying in North Adelaide, just steps from the parklands, the enormous green spaces that ring Adelaide’s downtown. For a city that (much to my dismay) sprawls in every direction, having abundant nature around is a very welcome sight. 

Inviting…

The River Torrens Linear Trail cuts through the heart of the parklands spanning 35km from the hills to the coast. On the coastal side, it connects to the 70km Coast Park Path. On the hills side, it connects to countless hiking options. For urban walkers it’s a true paradise. 

After a tumultuous 2020, I’m thankful to start 2021 off with a more sedate (and sunny!) atmosphere exploring all these new trails.

Links:

Ice Age Trail (IAT) - Merrimac Segment

On the border of Devil’s Lake State Park sits a quiet section of the Ice Age Trail in the Merrimac Preserve. This section is 3.5 miles each way through oak savannah with views of the Baraboo Bluffs in the distance. In total, the Merrimac Preserve has ~10 miles of trail giving you many loop options. The few people and wide trails make this a favorite of mine for trail running.

Today I did an out and back parking at the IAT Merrimac Trailhead with my turnaround point at the IAT Roznos Meadows Trailhead. The Merrimac TH is almost always a better parking option. It’s less crowded and you don’t need a state park sticker.

For the first of November, the weather is surprisingly warm and sunny. The hike begins by walking through thick oak and hickory forest. After 1.5 miles you pop out into a meadow and cross a road getting good views of the bluffs. A bit past the trail junction, there is a warming hut for snowshoe and cross-country skiers. 

The rest of the trail is more open, with a boardwalk crossing a swamp and then back into the oak savannah. Roznos Meadows is surprisingly crowded today with cars parked along the shoulder of the road. The hikers must be heading into Devil’s Lake State Park because we’ve only seen a handful in the preserve. 

We turn around here and head back. Just before reaching the car, we are treated to a small garter snake sunning itself.  

Links:

6 Days in the Pecos Wilderness

It’s been a year since I’ve been backpacking. A whole year. 😢

With the pandemic and being extremely busy at work, backpacking in 2020 seemed like a lost cause. Then my friend, Eric, texted a fully worked-out route in the Pecos Wilderness . All I needed to do was show up. After a bit of juggling, I managed to get the time off. Away I went!

Our route was a touch over 36 miles. Lots of high elevation ridgewalking, views, and alpine lakes. Perfect! In total, our trip was 6 days with a rest day in the middle. The pace was great for the shorter and cooler days at the end of September. Plenty of time to rest and soak in the views. And for Eric’s 9-year-old canine Daisy to hike with us.

The night before we started we camped at Jack’s Creek Campground. An excellent jumping-off point .5 miles from the trailhead. It had been two years since I saw Eric, but pulling into the campground his old familiar Tarptent was easy to spot amongst all the RV setups.

The first day began with a climb and leveled once we were up on the ridge. The ridge was mostly through active grazing land at the start with our first views. Then it changed to an aspen forest before dropping into the Pecos River valley. Right before the descent, there was a spectacular cliff viewpoint. This would make a great dry camp, but we pushed on a little further.

On day 2, we continued our hike up the Pecos River. The hiking was mostly through the forest. Pecos Falls served as a scenic spot for lunch. As we climbed higher along the Valdez Trail, the weather turned to drizzle with thunderstorms in the distance. Around dinner, there was a quick break in the weather allowing us to set up camp and shovel down some food before the next round.

The next morning we woke up to a magical (and extremely cold) frost inside and outside of our tents. We decided to break camp as fast as possible and high tail it to the ridgeline for breakfast in the sun. The rest of the day was entirely along the ridgeline with phenomenal panoramic views in every direction. There was a mix of trail and cross country travel, but it was easy to navigate. We ended the day at Truchas Lake, which we had all to ourselves.

The clear alpine lake was a perfect spot for a rest day. We spend the morning basking in the sun around the lake, reading and watching the world go by. In the afternoon, we explored the upper lake and boulder field. Chirping pikas and marmots were busy preparing for the nearing winter. The weather was stunningly warm for late September.

Day 5, back on the trail. Another sunny day almost entirely of ridgewalking and 360-degree views. We found a stunning spot in the sun and out of the wind for a 2+ hour siesta. Dropping off the ridge, we camped at Pecos Baldy Lake with views of East Pecos Baldy.

On day 6, we did a morning summit of East Pecos Baldy, about 1,000ft above the lake. Then back to camp for lunch. It’s another stunning late September day. The aspens' full yellow foliage is on display. We get to the car in the late afternoon, sip a post-hike beer, recap the trip, and part ways.

Overall I'd highly recommend this route. I enjoyed going counterclockwise to warm up my legs through the forested section and get the spectacular ridgewalking in the second half of the trip. However, either direction works. Best to tailor your trip to time the ridge walking with the clearest weather window for the views. At 36.5 miles you certainly could do it faster if you don’t have a full week. Many thanks to Eric for planning and getting me back out there. And to Daisy who was the best hiker in the group!

If you go:

Sneaky Wisconsin River Camp

It’s been a sedate summer. Most of the camping trips we had planned have been postponed. While it’s nice to focus on staying close to home the vibrate neighborhood festivals that make Madison so fun in the summer have been cancelled. To add to it, K and I both got new jobs at the end of June. With lack of other things to do we’ve thrown ourselves into them and barely taken a day off. 

Realizing it had been over a month since we slept in a tent - a crime in the summer, right? - we decided we needed to do something about it. Even if it was just for a night. So we took a short drive to the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. 

The LWR is the longest free-flowing stretch of river in the Midwest, 92 miles long. Leave No Trace camping is allowed on the sandbars. Most people access it by boat, but there are a few spots that you can park and walk a couple hundred yards to some great camping spots. We chose a spot near Arena, WI about an hour from Madison.

In total we were probably at this spot only about 14 hours. But it was a great recharge with great swimming, beaching and a spectacular sunset. 

If you go:

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/lands/lowerwisconsin

Madeline Island Lockdown Escape

How’s everyone holding up out there? It seems trivial to post about what I’m doing when so many are suffering, but I’ll give it a shot.

First off, I’m grateful all my friends and family are safe. There are a few silver linings to living in lockdown. My garden is looking fantastic. I’m caught up on all the shows I wanted to watch. 

But I’m going stir crazy. No friends and limiting my adventures hyper-locally is getting dull. With summer is going into full swing I figured/hoped a weekend camping trip is an ok socially distanced activity. 

If you pretend both the air and water temperature are 20 degrees warmer, Madeline Island can feel almost like you are somewhere tropical. The azure blue water of Lake Superior and sandy beaches certainly look the part.

Our pandemic splurge was a set of paddle boards. Big Bay Town Park was a nice spot to play with them. Lake Superior was calm and we played with them on the gentle waves. The next day we took them out on Big Bay Lagoon which was even better. The water was glass like and there were a number of nooks to check out.

There isn’t a lot of hiking in either Big Bay Town Park or the adjacent Big Bay State Park. But the roughly 1.5 mile boardwalk trail connecting the two parks is a nice stroll between the bay and the lagoon.

On our way home Lake Superior was again very calm and we took the paddle boards out to the sea caves in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It was an amazing trip, but I was too scared to bring my phone out on the open water. Sadly, no photos.

If you go:

Waterfall Gully & Mt Lofty Hike

Adelaide’s a hot, dry city, but the hills offer respite on a sweltering day. And the aptly named Waterfall Gully offers waterfalls tucked in amongst the greenery. It’s part of a larger trail network that weaves through the Adelaide hills.

For this hike we started at Measday’s Lookout and hiked down the second and first falls. After that we steeply climbed up to Castle Rock and got a nice view down the valley. Then we worked our way past Cleland Wildlife Park and up to the summit of Mt Lofty.

It was hot out and we appreciated grabbing a cold drink at the full service cafe at the Mt Lofty lookout. Sadly the views from the top were hazy. The way down was through shaded gum trees with occasional views of the city and ocean below. Overall a fun 5.75 mile hike and I’d certainly love to come back and hike the other trails in the area.

If you go:

Beach Camping - Innes National Park

It’s the first time we’ve been back in Australia in over 3 years. Amazing how time flies. After a winter chock full of cross country skiing, landing in the summer sun of Australia is a jarring (but very welcome!) switch. Especially since the first thing we’re doing is a family beach camping trip.

South Australia’s beaches are stunning. Given the huge size of the state and small population you don’t have to go very far to get a beach entirely to yourself. Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park is roughly 3 hours from Adelaide and loaded with such beaches. And don’t forget the wildlife! There were resident kangaroos at the campground and an emu family roaming the beach.

Camping with the in-laws is a bit different than my normal set up, but we certainly don’t lack for creature comforts.

And if you’re wondering if this car can tow all of this, it can. It did however get a flat tire and the battery died twice. But we eventually made it, set up camp, and had a wonderful few days of exploring the beaches and tide pools.