Day 1 of our Overland Track winter crossing

Hiking, Overland Track, Tasmania, Trail Journal

Through snow, wind, and frozen streams, the wild beauty of Cradle Mountain made every exhausting step unforgettable.

Waldheim Chalet to Waterfall Valley Hut (5.5 hrs, 10.4 km)

We left Cradle Mountain Discovery Park at 8am and bee-lined it to the Waldheim Chalet parking area to beat the shuttle bus service.

The shuttle runs from 8:30am, after which time private vehicles aren’t permitted use the road.

A misty rain had set in, so we donned our wet-weather gear — complete with yellow rubber kicthen gloves. I’d somehow managed to pack two left-hand gloves! (FML)

The boardwalk was covered in snow — a fresh dump from earlier that day.

Within 30 minutes, we entered a rainforest landscape, with a beautiful flowing stream fed by several cascading waterfalls, before reemerging back onto the snowy plateau.

Wombat droppings featured prominently on the boardwalk, though we didn’t spot any wombats today.

From beside the still dark waters of Dove Lake, we climbed high up to Marion’s Lookout, scaling the last six metres with the help of a chain.

At the top, we were greeted by three hikers who were packing it in, after spending their first night on trail in an emergency shelter due to strong icy winds and low visibility. We swallowed deeply and continued.

From here, Cradle Mountain emerged high above the snow-covered range, with the glistening Cradle Lake at her feet.

We tramped through long stretches of icy slush and struggled to keep our balance on thin stretches of snow-covered boardwalk, sinking into knee-high soft snow at times.

After a brief morning tea break at the small Kitchen Hut emergency shelter, where we returned a lost furnace to a grateful owner, we soldiered on through increasing winds over the tree-covered range.

It resembled scenes from an American Christmas film, with pine trees sprinkled in white snow.

The gnarly peak of Barn Bluff appeared ahead as we made our way slowly through frosty pools of water and muddy sludge.

We passed around 20 northbound hikers from Ronny Creek on our way.

The last two hours were a tough grind, with slippery rocks and snow-covered boards sending us tumbling a few times.

We made our way down a steep waterfall-like pathway to the aptly named Waterfall Valley Hut — an exciting sight to behold!

A large wooden structure with a spacious gas-heated communal area and three bunk rooms fitted with 30-plus bunks awaited us. Having the warmth and comfort of this beautiful hut in such a wild and woolly landscape felt truly special.

The communal area buzzed with stories and hissing cookpots of around 20 hikers. Dozens of damp shoes lay before the heater, while socks were draped over it to dry.

An early night tonight — bedtime at 6:30pm.