All things are ready,
William Shakespeare.
if our mind be so.
The Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) is a logistical* as well as a physical challenge. I started planning, cooking, dehydrating, vacuum-sealing, purchasing and researching 6 months before undertaking the walk.
Finally the day arrived and I loaded the Tangerine Dream (my Subaru XV) with six food drops and the gear I would be taking on the walk.
I would spend around 23 hours driving 1500kms over the next 3 days before starting the actual walk.
My sons accompanied me on the drive from Sydney to Gundagai where we lunched and parted company. They went on to their homes in Melbourne. I continued to Kiandra and Dead Horse Gap (near Thredbo) where I hid my first two food drops.
There were three brumbies snorting around the site of my food drop at Dead Horse Gap, still very much alive.
Each food drop contained 6 days’ food, fresh clothes, and fresh water. They also contained maps and track notes for the upcoming week’s walking.
My first night was spent camped at the Tom Groggin campsite, popular for car campers and kangaroos alike.
Next morning I continued driving. I could see the Main Range to the east, which I would be walking through in a month’s time.
I drove on through Corryong to Benambra, leaving my third food drop near where the AAWT crosses the road. I stopped at Omeo for lunch and a visit to the “comfort station”.
From there I drove to Mt Hotham and on to The Twins, where I camped for the night and hid another food drop. Nearby was the site of the St Bernard Hospice, marked by this memorial.
More driving the next day, along a variety of dirt and paved country roads. I walked in to Macalister Springs and visited the Vallejo Gantner Hut, where I hid a food drop nearby.
I had a quick walk around the area to get some views of Mt Howitt, the Crosscut Saw and the Viking, which I would be walking through in less than a fortnight.
Then I spent another afternoon driving, through Licola and up towards Mt Skene, the site of my final food drop and my camp for the night.
* Not everyone needs to undertake the same logistical preparations that I did. I met one crazy young German en route who had no food drops and ate a single meal per day. He carried an ancient pack. He was built like a Clydesdale. However, his pre-walk training included 8,000km Germany to Spain and the 3,000km Te Araroa Track in New Zealand. I reckon he probably made it to the finish on strength and willpower.
