So, 3 Brazilians, a German, a Kiwi and a Canuck walk into the Tasmanian wilderness...

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What better way to spend a Christmas away from home than with 5 other displaced internationals. Back in September, the idea was brought up to hike the 82km (when all was said and done), overland track from Cradle Mountain to Lake Saint Claire through the guts of Tasmania. How could I resist!

I wasn't disappointed. We hiked anywhere from 9km to 21km per day from the 22-27th of December. Through the alpine (even getting snow on Christmas eve) and through the lower temperate Beech forests. Mother nature threw everything at us that she had: rain, snow, sleet, wind, sun and hail and I wasn't prepared for any of it. Being the naive Canadian (acclimatised to warm, sunny Brisbane) that I am, I thought, we'd have nothing but sun, well maybe a little cooler than Brisbane. So my 2 pairs of shorts went unworn and my 3/4 length pants kept me nice and cold! My rain jacket didn't serve me well, sitting on a hanger back in Brisbane. As I thought a plastic poncho for emergencies only would suffice. It turns out, we had 4 days of emergency...

The yucky weather did nothing to spoil our fun though. With playing word games, laughing at eachothers wipe-outs and observing the beautiful landscapes and wildlife along the walk, singing Christmas carols, playing Asshole (for which of course, I always was), and eating mashed potatoes from a package in the huts we kept smiles on our faces.

Although we didn't make friends with many of the other walkers (some thought we were a bit too rowdy - staying up until 9:00 and all)... we formed a great team, and what tour would be complete without a session of Kangaroo Court. We kept track of charges along the way - from bringing leaches into the hut to leaving behind granny gonch over the stove at one of the huts, when we got back to Hobart there were plenty of fines issued, and some big hangovers the next day! After returning to Hobart we seemed to time it just right landing at the start of the Taste of Tassie, food and wine festival and the completion of the Sydney to Hobart sailing race - so there was plenty going on. During the day a few of us ventured out to hike into Wineglass Bay (renowned for being among the top 10 beaches in the world). It was amazing, but after our seclusion in the mountains, we weren't prepared for the hordes of people.

I will never forget this Christmas, nor the crazy bunch I spent it with!

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Photos

Our crew
Day one, before the weather hit and while our legs were still fresh and our backs strong.

Bed on a bench
This is what happens when you sleep in past 5am. The huts fill up and your stuck sleeping on a bench in the kitchen...

Dessert!
Roasted marshmallows over the propane stove, mmmm.

Wineglass Bay
Swimming in the South Tasman Sea was pretty cold compared to the warm Queensland waters I'm used to.