A day for going over gear, repacking food, and making adjustments. I waxed my boots, patched the hole in my food bag, decided which food to pack and which to leave, and did innumerable little chores for the section ahead. I went through everything and tried to find stuff I could send home. I cut another strap off my backpack that hasn’t been used. I’m heavily tossing up whether to send my trekking pole home.
I’m sending the Aeropress home. It makes a nice cup of coffee, but it’s a lot of fiddling for cold morning fingers and the extra weight isn’t worth the improvement over instant. I don’t even want to know what I paid for a baby sized jar of Nescafe from The General.
I’m also sending the compass home. I’ll keep my paper maps, just in case, but I can manage without it. For the vast majority of the track, the guidebook is perfectly fine. GPS helps when needed, and if I run into power troubles I’m sure I’ll manage to muddle through with paper and my ability to discern north through a combination of dowsing and the casting of knuckle bones.
The split water bladder is being replaced with a softdrink bottle. Not nearly as packable, but practically indestructible.
I’m swapping my tarp out for a smaller, lighter one of my own creation. The big one I’ve been using is made of sil-nylon and tends to soak up water, which I then have to carry during the day. Sil-poly on the other hand sheds water with a vigorous shake. I’m just going to have to trust my own handiwork.
I’m feeling much restored after just one day here, and though I could happily start walking again tomorrow, the extra day off my feet will give them more time to get back to fighting fit.
I’ve got decisions to make regarding side trips and deviations. Some are looking like they’ll be closed due to aerial brumby culling. I think I’ll skip the Coberas and The Pilot. I’ll do the Main Range and the Kerries/Gungarton if possible/allowed. Probably I’ll skip Mount Jagungal. The main question on my mind at the moment is whether to do Quartz Ridge up to Mount Bogong or not. I’d be lying if I said the road so far hasn’t been tough, but I’ve found it rewarding every time I’ve chosen to go over a peak rather than around it.
Matt headed off after lunch. I may or may not run into him again. Rod is planning to walk straight past Hotham without stopping, so there’s a good chance I’ll overtake him again in a few days.
