Day 3 of our Overland Track winter crossing

Hiking, Overland Track, Tasmania, Trail Journal

We woke to fresh snow, frozen taps and fierce winds, tackling our biggest day yet as we crossed wild plains and forests to New Pelion Hut.

Windemere Hut to New Pelion Hut (5.45 hrs, 16km)

We woke just before 6am to a landscape transformed by snow.

Yesterday, the only snow to be viewed was at the peak of a far mountain. Overnight, between 5 and 10cm of snow hit the ground.

The taps on the water tanks at Windemere Hut had frozen over, so many hikers resorted to melting ice on their Butane cookers.

We were fortunate to have replenished our supplies last night.

It felt like armouring for battle as we put on our micro spikes and gaiters, zipped up our rain jackets, and filled our pockets with snacks.

As snow continued to fall, we fare-welled our fellow hut companions and set off for what was going to be our biggest day yet – 16km of snow covered landscapes.

We were joined by a solo hiker, Cassy, who was keen for strength in numbers.

The scenery was spectacular. Snow so white it strained our eyes covered every bit of earth and vegetation before us.

The wooden track was disguised by snow, so we walked on carefully, trying not to fall off the planks into icy waters.

We braced ourselves, digging our poles into the ground and shielding our faces on the open plain as strong wind gusts sent us stumbling.

The trail became difficult to follow on the plain, with snow poles laying on the ground or their orange markers coated in ice.

It felt absolutely wild up high on the range as ice blasted any exposed skin – our eyes and cheeks.

We were relieved when the trail led us into a magical snow coated forest.

With trees sheltering us from the wind, it was an opportunity to have a snack and replenish our energy levels.

After heading back out onto the plain where the winds remained fierce and snow continued to blast through the sky, the trail lowered in elevation to around 600m and we entered a damp rainforest where we walked along an endless stream.

We passed several large waterfalls and balanced on rocks and tree roots as we navigated shin deep puddles.

With energy levels dipping, we pushed our way through the overgrown path, wet icy branches whipping and brushing our sides.

As the sun emerged, melting snow dripped from the thick trees.

With over an hour of walking left, our rain gear had become saturated, clothes damp, skin cold and the only dry part of our bodies was our feet, shielded by waterproof socks!

We arrived at New Pelion Hut at around 1pm, having walked for just over 5.5 hours. We were greeted by the couple we ride shared with to the start of the track.

A bunch of dads and teenage boys we’d been hut hopping with for the past two nights also joined us.

And we all set to work on drying our wet gear around the small heater, which needed to be reignited every 13 minutes, just as the flame began to extinguish (no later – or a complex process involving the pilot light would ensue). We took turns keeping the gas heater cranked.