Up and Over

   

With the time change, it is hard to get any good mileage in during the week.  It is dark by 5:30 p.m. which doesn't leave much time for anything after work. I was able to get out a little early and sneak in a quick hike up Red Butte.  It was just me and the dogs. Chasing the daylight.

Red Butte Loop

 

Another go to hike for us is the Red Butte Loop. It is a quick 2 mile loop on the lower trail and return on the upper trail.  This is a nice hike for after work since it is close and quick.  We can usually do it in less than an hour.  This is probably the last after work hike for us this year. Daylight savings starts next week and it will be dark by 5:30 p.m.  We are enjoying a particularly warm fall this year and tonight was a beautiful evening for a hike.

Trailhead Elevation: 4,990 ft
Upper Loop Elevation:  5,490 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 500 ft
Total Distance:  2 miles
Total Time: 1 hour

Desolation Trail

 

Fall has arrived.  It was a crisp and cool afternoon. Great weather for a hike.  Seems that a lot of other people were thinking the same thing.  For our second hike of the weekend we did the Desolation Trail  in Millcreek Canyon. We made it to the overlook just as the sun decided to make its appearance.  A great reward for our efforts.  It took us about an hour and a half to get to the overlook with a lot of stopping and starting with the dogs and plenty of people out on the trail.  Total time on the trail was about 3 hours. Another great day.  Home in time to watch the Green Bay Packers play the night game.

Trailhead Elevation:  5,785 ft
Overlook Elevation:  7,024 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  1,239 ft
Total Distance:  5 miles
Total Time:  3 hours

Up and Over

Today we hiked our favorite go-to hike in the foothills.  We call it the "up and over" because we go up one canyon, over the ridge, and down the otherside.  Mary says it is a "short but meaningful hike." This describes it perfectly as it starts out flat, has some good hill climbing, some steep downhill, and ends with more flat. Today we did it in about two and a half hours.






Trailhead Elevation:  4,990 ft
Peak Elevation:  6,348 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  1,358 ft
Total Distance:  4 miles
Total Time:  2.20 hours

Rattlesnake Gulch to Church Fork

For another training hike with some elevation gain, we hiked up Rattlesnake Gulch to the Church Fork trail crossing in Millcreek Canyon.  It was another great fall day and the trail was well used.  I didn't carry my pack on this one so it was a pretty easy day.

Trailhead Elevation:  5,322 ft
High Point Elevation:  5,960 ft
Total Elevation:  638 ft
Total Miles:  5.5 miles
Total Time:  2.5 hours

North Fork Trail

Fall is a beautiful time in Utah.  For a training hike we did the North Fork Trail in the Uintas.  It is a nice hike because it is fairly flat and might mirror some of the early days of the Overland Track.  While the North Fork Trail from Mirror Lake Highway to the river crossing is only 2 miles, we added on another mile up the trail to Marjorie Lake.  It was hunting season, so we had to turn around before we got too far into the back country.




Trailhead Elevation:  7,560 ft
High Point Elevation:  7,710 ft
Total Elevation Gain:  150 ft
Total Miles:  6 miles
Total Time:  2.5 hours

Boots

 

I decided to stick with the full leather boots I bought a few years ago to climb Kilimanjaro. They worked well for that trek with no blisters or complaints.  I tried on a few boots at REI to see if I could find a lighter boot, but nothing really compared to the Zamberlans.  So, I'm taking my Zamberlan 310 Skill GT boots.  They weigh about 3 lbs for the pair which is pretty light for leather boots.  I bought new laces, new memory foam insoles, and had a local shoe shop repair a tear in the tongue.  Since the weather in Tasmania can be pretty wet, I re-water proofed the boots with Zamberlan Hydrobloc Cream, and sealed the seams with Shoe Goo.  They look almost as good as new.  Almost.  Anyway, the repairs and maintenance were a lot cheaper than new boots.  I bought most of the supplies directly from Zamberlan on their US website at:

www.zamberlanusa.com

Tasmanian Walking Company

Choosing a tour operator for the Overland Track is a lot easier than other adventures.  When planning for Kilimanjaro or Annapurna, you have to choose from hundreds of tour operators at vastly differing price ranges.  For the Overland Track, if you want a guided trek with the ideal arrangement of sleeping in warm lodges along the way, there is really only one choice - Cradle Mountain Huts / Tasmanian Walking Co.  The TMC is the only tour operator with private lodges to sleep in each night and fresh cooked meals for breakfast and dinner.  Unable to carry the necessary weight for self-sustained backpacking treks myself, TMC makes the trip an attainable reality for me.  Here is their website: 

http://www.cradlehuts.com.au/

Aboriginal Tasmanians

Tasmania was first inhabited by Tasmanian Aborigines who inhabited the area prior to the creation of the island. The indiginous population dwindled through colonization of the island and the introduction of infectious diseases, war, intermarriage and relocation. This is a photo of the last 4 full-blooded Tasmanian Aborigines taken around 1860. The last to survive is seated on the far right.  Her name was Truganini (1812-1876).

Tasmania

Tasmania is an island state of the Commonwealth of Australia located 150 miles south of the Australian continent and separated from the larger land mass by the Bass Strait.  Tasmania was cut off from the mainland Australia about 10,000 years ago by rising sea levels.  The island has almost half a million residents many of whom live in the State capital of Hobart.  Nearly half of the island is preserved in nature preserves, national parks or World Heritage Sites.  Tasmania is the 26th largest island containing nearly 25,000 square miles.  The island is named after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who made the first reported european siting of the island in 1642.