Saturday 2 September 2023
South Coast Track, Tasmania
Loading up an A frame pack with a weeks worth of flour, a change of socks and swimmers plus towel was about the sum of my trekking preparation once upon a time. Not so today. The pack was unpacked and checked then repacked – and of course is now not as tight as it was before hand. The back up head torch was not working today, but was a week ago. Off to get another. Minor oversights like a toothbrush were rectified. Lighters, not allowed on the flight down here are purchased as a back up to the wet weather matches we picked up yesterday. Food was double checked. All okay. No more purchases there. An additional 150 merino long sleeve was probably not necessary but it was the right price on sale and just might be appreciated on a cold wet day next week. All up we feel like we have got everything squared away so we settled into a long walk around town, ate ice cream and topped up with a very good biryani at the top end of Elizabeth Street (India Culture) before walking back to our digs via the waterfront. In between times we have checked the isobaric weather forecast (the Bureau still produces these!) and can see our first couple of days should be dry but three or more days thereafter wet. Hardly surprising. Now we just want to get onto the track. There is only so much preparation and checking and rechecking that can be done, or needs to be done. Impatient now.
