Trekking in Tasmania

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Headed even further down under to Tasmania for a weekend of more walking than I ever imagined. On our first full day we walked around Dove Lake which is at the bottom of Cradle Mountain. It rained off and on all day but when it stopped gorgeous rainbows stretched out across the water, making the downpours worth it. Around lunch time the rain had let up so our guide suggested we stray from the path to go check out a perched glacier lake. The way to get there consisted of a make-shift staircase made out of tree roots and slippery rocks. After about 20 minutes of whinging, we finally found the lake, and it was amazing. We had all nestled into the gravel to enjoy our lunches when an ominous green-gray cloud rolled in over the mountain. I had barely gotten my salami sandwich back into its baggy before the cloud began to pelt us with hail. We had to pull out our best Indiana Jones moves in order to make it back down the mountain before our path turned into a slip-n-slide.

The next day we climbed to the summit of Cradle Mountain, about 6,000 feet up. I think it is one of the coolest things I have done in Australia, probably because there were many instances when I thought I might die but, luckily, didn't😊 The climb consisted of massive rocks protruding from the side of the mountain and there wasn't a path to follow, just poles drilled into the rocks to act as a rough guide. After about two hours of hauling myself up and over rock after rock, we finally reached the summit. The view was amazing, too.

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Photos

Weindorf's Forest
One of the oldest forests in the world. We strolled through here before we headed to Dove Lake.

Perched Lake
This is where we got pelted with hail

walking in the woods
we had to walk on these planks to be sure we didn't destroy the delicate flora

The Boulder Field
This was the halfway point where our guide told us we should turn around if we don't think we can do it. All of these rocks were just resting on one another...not the most secure thing

Where we have to go
We had to climb over this ridge, down the other side, and up another ridge to reach the summit

Winded
My friend Holly kept my spirits up by constantly shouting "I Love Rock!" to keep us motivated. Hilarious