Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

A forum for discussing the Australian Alps Walking Track. This is a 655 km long track from Walhalla (Vic) to Tharwa (ACT)

Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby AWTtrekker » Mon 22 May, 2017 9:55 pm

Not a very exciting post for some I know sorry but I am excited. The first food drop is in now in order to beat the winter road closures. I drove ten hours to make it happen but it has finally made it feel real and it was so nice to spend a couple of days up in the Vic high country after having been away from the area for many years. Coincidentally on the same night we stayed at Vallejo Gantner hut two battered looking fellows fell through the door right on dark soaking wet. They were five weeks in to the AAWT heading south, what are the chances!! They were soaked through and very cold so we got the hut fire going to dry some of their gear out and sat and had a great chinwag about the track and their experiences. At that moment I think they would have gladly walked out and jumped in our car for a lift to Licola but by the next morning they had their cheer back and were ready for another day on the trail. Turns out it was their second run at the trail having done the full length already only a couple of years ago.
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby Xplora » Tue 23 May, 2017 5:01 am

Names where John and Mat maybe? A couple of doctors from Melbourne? This is a great food drop location and a good place to take a rest day. I can understand your excitement. It is one of my most favoured places.
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby AWTtrekker » Tue 23 May, 2017 6:21 am

That was them, nice fellas. :)
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby Tortoise » Tue 23 May, 2017 10:20 am

AWTtrekker wrote:Not a very exciting post for some I know sorry but I am excited.

I'm excited for you! Brings back many memories - packing 2 weeks' worth of food on a friend's floor at 1 in the morning for our first big walk (we did sections of the AWT each year), battling heat and dehydration coming up from the Howqua, stumbling in to Mac Springs to be immediately offered a cup of lapsang souchong tea by a couple of kind bushwalkers (it will always have a special place on my palate). Despite all the challenges of that very hot, dry walk, I was absolutely hooked - on the area, and on walking in the mountains. :D
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby Xplora » Tue 23 May, 2017 11:46 am

It is good to hear how John and Mat are. They left us a couple of weeks ago around half way and were planning some challenging variations to the walk. We cooked for them 2 nights and they ate huge. Pleased to have helped them out. You are right. Very nice blokes and they were part of the volunteer group doing track work on the AAWT from Omeo Hwy to Mt. Wills.
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby AWTtrekker » Tue 23 May, 2017 7:55 pm

Yes they had mixed feelings I think about their variations to the route. Particularly a section I can't quite recall in the Bogong area which turned out to be a lot thicker and more challenging than they had expected.
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby Xplora » Wed 24 May, 2017 5:24 am

I did give them a gentle warning about doing Granny spur to Big River but Mat had done it before and felt they could manage it. Their plan included a number of stop overs under a hard roof (other than huts) starting at Thredbo then Glen Wills retreat, Bogong village and lastly Hotham. Glen Wills retreat is about the half way mark and a couple of km's off the track. If you spend a night there you can also leave your food drop with him.
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Re: Stage 1 complete, first food drop in!

Postby Bushwalker99 » Thu 25 May, 2017 5:58 pm

We met Matt and John several times when 5 of us were doing the AAWT from South to North in 2014. Had several shared camps and good times. Happy memories and great to see them out there again. We were able to help by taking out a couple of their empty food drop containers in NSW to save them a long drive from Melbourne after their walk to recover them. I recall that they had pretty heavy loads but they coped really well and lost a few kilos I reckon!
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