The clouds lifted like a curtain while I was on the summit of Barn Bluff to reveal Lake Will, 500 metres below me.
I had a quiet night listening to the nocturnal creatures scurrying in and around the hut. Morning dawned a little misty although I was hoping that it would start to lift. To get the heart started this morning I had a steepish climb up onto Cradle Cirque, the track up here is probably one of the rougher sections of track around the Cradle Mountain area I'm thinking. Reaching Cradle Cirque I joined the Overland Track and headed off towards the Barn Bluff turn off.
I've just arrived onto Cradle Cirque and joined the Overland Track.
Once at the turn off I had to decide whether to climb Barn Bluff or not as the mist was still hanging around, however once again I decided to roll the dice and hoped that it may burn off during the climb. This time I got lucky, I was about 100 metres up the 400 metre climb when I heard voices getting closer and then out of the mist two girls appeared, Jess and Julie had been to the top and informed me that the summit was indeed above the cloud. I moved reasonably fast up the cairned track as I'd stashed my pack back at the Waterfall Valley Track junction so it wasn't long before I came out above the cloud. As I climbed above the cloud the view was superb, I hurried through the cliff line now convinced that my good luck would run out and the cloud would come in again. The view from the top of Barn Bluff included Cradle Mountain, Mt Ossa, and Mt Pelion West, all seemingly floating on a sea of cloud. Underneath me to the south Lake Will was slowly revealing itself as the cloud slowly lifted.
The climb up Barn Bluff is a little scrambly in spots.
From the summit of Barn Bluff I was above the clouds this morning.
Lake Will
Cradle Mountain from Barn Bluff.
Mt Ossa and Mt Pelion West from Barn Bluff.
I stayed up on the summit of Barn Bluff for around an hour this morning trying to burn the view into my memory... eventually all good things come to an end though and I had to leave the summit. Climbing down through the cliff lines I retrieved my pack and then made my way to Waterfall Valley for a late lunch. Lunch was enjoyed sitting on the helipad at the Waterfall Valley Hut, talking to the volunteer hut wardens whom I had met on Cradle Cirque in the mist earlier in the day. As I was now on the Overland Track I assumed I would be sharing the huts with plenty of other walkers and they confirmed that there would be around 10 people at Windermere Hut that night.
Lake Will
This was one of those moments that has stayed with me.
Heading back along the Barn Bluff summit ridge.
Fury Gorge from Barn Bluff.
Barn Bluff
Barn Bluff
There are plenty of cairns marking the route off Barn Bluff.
The view back towards Cradle Mountain as I descended Barn Bluff.
The afternoon was spent ambling across to Lake Windermere and Windermere Hut with a now almost traditional stop at Lake Holmes for a drink and a bite to eat. The walk is almost flat and is an easy 2-3 hours, a lot of it on duck boards. When Lake Windermere came into view, with its little island and small beach, I figured that it was worth a stop although a swim was out of the question this afternoon. Leaving the small rocky beach on Lake Windermere I shuffled away from the lake up into the snow gums soon arriving at Windermere Hut.
Waterfall Valley
Waterfall Valley - as the name suggests if you don't mind exploring off piste you can find a lot of waterfalls down there.
Stopping for smoko at the Lake Will turn off.
Lake Holmes
Lake Holmes
After I claimed a bunk in the bunk room, I boiled up some water and had a hot chocolate and settled in to watch my fellow walkers arrive. This was the first night of the walk (and indeed my preceding walk along the Penguin Cradle Trail) that I had other walkers for company. Windermere Hut sleeps about 24 people so there was plenty of room for everybody tonight. I always carry a book on these long walks however I normally find that sharing a hut is so sociable that I rarely get any time to read, and indeed that was the case tonight as I spent hours curing the ills of the world with Sirus (the track worker that I'd met yesterday over at Scott Kilvert).
Lake Will is glinting in the afternoon sun. It's an exposed section of the Overland Track between Waterfall Valley and Lake Windermere.
Lake Windermere has just come into view.
Lake Windermere
The Dirt.
I walked around 18 kilometres and climbed around 750 metres on what I'd call a medium grade days walking. Over the two days of my Overland Track adventure so far I've walked around 25 kilometres and climbed 1010 metres. Camping today was available at Waterfall Valley Hut and I believe there is a site out at Lake Will, although check on the legality of that one maybe. Once off Cradle Cirque water is pretty easy to find. The side trip I did out to Barn Bluff is a little harder than the Overland Track sections of this walk and it requires some easy scrambling. I was using the House of Chapmans notes and maps out of their Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair & Walls of Jerusalem National Parks book.
Relevant Posts.
Lake Windermere - it was a little too cold for a swim this afternoon.
Windermere Hut is up in the trees a little distance from the lake.
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