I’ve created two routes for the AAWT that can be loaded into one’s GPS app of choice; one that describes the route more or less along official lines and the other that captures all the side trips suggested by Chapman. I’ve also finished re-doing my GPS waypoints for the walk (all 399 of them!), based on my own experience from last year and Chapman’s notes. This includes all the huts and campsites along the way, water sources both reliable and intermittent, some points of interest, and turnoffs that are easy to miss. In reviewing my GPS track of the walk from last year, there were more than a few places where I had my head down and walked past the turn. Coming down off Mt McDonald’s eastern spur in particular seems to trip nearly everyone up. I also route through Black River, which Chapman describes as a leech-infested overgrown wade, but which had been recently cleared when I went through.
Depending on your GPS app and settings, my waypoints may display with icons; a water drop for water locations, a tent for campsites etc. Further information, such as water reliability, is contained in their titles.
I made these for myself but I make them available to any who are interested, though they are not to be considered a replacement for Chapman’s guidebook or knowledge of the track. They can be downloaded via the links above or found on the Resources page.
As for GPS apps, there has been a lot of consternation from users of GaiaGPS on the app’s Reddit page about recent developments. It was acquired by OutsideOnline.com a year or two ago, and they’ve recently started trying to shoehorn social media aspects into the app, despite a long laundry list of outstanding bugs that their time and effort would be better spent addressing, and with some alarming new bugs popping up in recent updates. I no longer recommend the app (certainly not at full price, though I’m grandfathered at $20 a year which is fine, I guess) but I don’t really know what to suggest as an alternative. I’m looking around. GoatMaps (made by some Gaia founders) is in beta testing and looks promising, though it’s still quite rough. Let me know in the comments what you use.
I’m itching to start putting food drops together, which is only scuppered by the inconvenient fact that much of it would be past its best-before date by the time I start walking next year.
I’ve also taken delivery of a large quantity of fabric from Ripstop by the Roll and MYOG Australia, and 940g of 850fp hyperdry down. Just as soon as I find some time (and steel myself for the messy job of working with down), I’m looking forward to making a new set of quilts for my hammock, and some other gear.
