I woke to a condensation-free tent – an absolute rarity – at around 6am and hit the trail at 7.30am. Conditions were good, with no fog obscuring my view, or rain.

The first section of trail felt like a bizarre form of wilderness hurdles, requiring me to pull myself over one huge fallen tree after the other. It would be fair to say that I hurdled over an estimated 30 trees on my upwards climb, with the morning sun glowing through the trees behind me.

As the climb to Mount Despair (2,224m) intensified, the trail wound its way over, around and in-between large rounded slabs of rocky earth. I walked with caution so as not to slip on it’s smooth slippery surface.

The trail was relatively easy to follow despite minimal track markers, owing to it being a wilderness zone.

After making my way down to Catherine Saddle, the trail joined an old 4WD track which stayed high on the range and wound its way through the tree tops to Camp Creek, where I defrosted in the sun and stopped for a break.

It was then that the mountain hop began in earnest, taking me up and over Mount Speculation (1,666m), Mt Buggery (1,608m) and the Crosscut Saw (1,708m). The views from Mt Speculation were incredible, with a sea of mountains visible from every angle. Some fine tent sites were also available.

From here the descent was steep, then rose fast, and before too long I was stopping for lunch on Mt Buggery. Here, in the company of around 30 Year 9 students from Timberwood Essendon Grammar, I dried out my socks in the sun, charged my phone on solar and called Jane.

It was nice chatting with the kids who quizzed me about my journey. One of the teachers had undertaken the AAWT some 10 years earlier and published a book. Another teacher kindly gifted me an orange.

From Mt Buggery, I traversed the insanely beautiful Crosscut Saw – a two-kilometre or so sharp and rocky ridgeline that cuts its way through the surrounding mountain ranges, and offering incredible 360 degree views of rolling tree-lined slopes. It felt wild being up there, where only the eagles soared.

By 4pm I had arrived at Vallejo Gantner Hut – a wooden a-framed structure set amongst beautiful gums. The Year 9 kids rolled in shortly after. I spent the evening in the hut, enjoying dinner, chatting with a couple of hikers aged in their 20s and drying my shoes and socks before the fire.

It was a very frosty night with clear skies and the brightest stars, so I was grateful for the warmth of the hut.