A New Dictionary

Day One: Rode on a jet boat up the Dart river. It was fun! We did five 360 spins. We got dropped off at the mouth of the Beans Burn and started walking at 11:10am. There were 8 people in our party: 4 Davidsons, Penny (who used to be in Dad's adventure racing team), Charles (her husband), Emily (15), and James (14) Webster. Penny had a 25kg pack, but she was still the fastest! The first day was mainly walking through beech forest on a marked track following the Beans Burn. At the end was a bit of rock hopping, then walking through tussock.We reached the rock bivvy at 7:05pm after 8 hours of tramping.
The rock bivvy was a few massive boulders resting on each other; the resulting gaps made fine beds and had been strewn with dead tussock leaves. There was room to stand up, and people had built walls out of stones to keep the worst of the wind out. Only Emily, James, Dad, and I slept in the bivvy, but we probably all could have fitted in.

Day Two: At 9:30am we left camp and for about 45 minutes headed up the true left of the Beans Burn to the bottom of Fohn Saddle, which was our first Pass. The first section of the steep 500m climb up to Fohn Saddle was up a dry creekbed. When we left the creekbed we were on tussock and it was just an (un)steady plod upwards. The last few minutes were over bare rocks. On reaching Fohn Saddle, Dad scouted for a route to the campsite while we had lunch and a rest. The walk from Fohn Saddle to Fohn Lake was quite easy; up the ridge a little, then sidling under some bluffs and down to the lake. We camped on a gravel stream delta on the east side of the lake. Arrived at 4pm after 6 1/2 hours of tramping. One satisfying thing about our campsite was the total absence of sandflies!

Day Three: Got up early as this was the longest day, and the forecast was for rain. Left camp at 7:45 am. Dropped down onto the Olivine Plateau (which is only relatively flat) and travelled up until we reached Fiery Creek. Fiery Col is unusual - on half is composed of the usual grey rocks while the other half is composed of striking orange rock, with a very definite join in the middle. The climb up to Fiery Col [2nd Pass] was a steady (steepish) gradient. At the top we donned crampons to descend a short patch of snow. From there to the swampy Cow Saddle [3rd Pass] was just down hill over rocks and tussock. We felt a few spots of rain while at Cow Saddle, and the clouds looked ominous, so we carried on. We clambered down to Hidden Falls Creek which we followed on the true right. Crossed over and found a track leading to the campsite, which was a grass clearing in the trees. Dad, Angela, and I arrived after 10 1/2 hours; Mum, Penny, and James arrived after 11 hours; and Emily and Charles arrived after 12 hours! The rain set in for good at 9:15pm.

Day Four: Stayed in bed until after 9:00am because it was raining. Eventually packed up and left at 1pm. It stopped raining not long after we started. We managed to locate the track through the bush up to Park Pass [4th Pass], which at first was reasonably flat but soon became very steep. We were in the cloud for the last bit up the tussock and down the other side. This was our shortest day, as after only 4 hrs we reached the rock bivvy. It was a massive boulder with a smooth overhang on one side, and a rock wall surrounding the flat sleeping area.

Day Five: The four who slept in tents were frozen overnight, while the four who slept in the open were toasty and warm. There was a cold wind and a little bit of drizzle around. At 9:40am we headed off down the track, crossing a couple of freezing streams almost immediately. We climbed over a bushy knob before descending down to the Rock Burn river flats. The rest of the day was just across river flats and through undulating sections of bush. Reached the campsite at 1:30pm. We set up camp and then we kids (eventually) got a roaring fire going. The rest of the day was spent tending the fire and relaxing. Bed at 10:00pm

Day Six: Got up at 7am. Mum had ice on her gaiters. We resurrected the fire and huddled round it to warm up. On the march at 8:45am. More river flats before the ascension began – gradually at first, but steadily getting steeper. After a 450m climb we reached the boggy Sugarloaf Pass (5th pass) overlooking the mouth of the Dart River. Angela went exploring up a hill while I had lunch and waited for the others. Dad raced down to the Route Burn so he could catch the shuttle back to Glenorchy to pick up our car. Angela went with him and it took them only 47 minutes to descend 700 vertical meters in 4 kilometers with big packs on! The rest of us followed down the knee-jarring track at varying speeds. Eventually reached the Route Burn track (footpath!), and it was only a few minutes to the car park. I arrived at 3:15pm after 2 ½ hours of torturous descent. Dad arrived in the car just before I got back. Sadly, that was the end of our tramp.


Here is a map of the 5 Pass trip which our family did in January.


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