Day 2 Scott Kilvert Hut to Windermere Hut
We were aware of a bad weather coming
so I persuaded Eddie to sleep inside the hut.
It could have hit us in the middle of night.
The whole day felt like 'the calm before the storm' in my mind.
Scott Kilvert Hut was a small two-story more like emergency hut.
There was no one when we arrived there.
All hikers of the previous day left except dust and silence.
We spent most of the afternoon outside on the wooden tent platform
under the warm sun having afternoon tea with coffee.
We cooked our dinner there too.
Funny but I liked the toilett there(???) as it was brand new,
it smelled more like strong fresh wood inside.
As it got dark mountain temperature dropped quickly and
we were bitten by insects.
We spread our sleeping bags upstairs on the barren wooden floor
(there was no bunk )side by side near the wall.
Sleep didn't come easily.
Other hikers tossed and turned just like me
and when they did they made unbearable big noises
for impossibly long minutes.
Again and again...the whole night.
Their sleeping mats must have been something wrong.
I truly wanted to know what brand they were using.
I heard rain started falling on the roof at dawn.
I saw people who slept in the tents were
having a hard time to pack wet and heavier tents in the morning.
We glumly prepared ourselves with the total rain gears including
beanies and two gloves(wool inside, waterproof outside)for the day.
We started climbing up the hill and the rain was soon turning to sleet.
Hiking in the blizzard was a grim fact but
I couldn't help noticing it's beautiful and surreal.
After an hour or so we got out of a steep uphill track to join main Overland Track.
Suze pointed a fork on the ridge where a signage showed straight to Waterfall Hut
and right to Barn Bluff.
Eddie was heading to Barn Buff without him realizing it last time.
Wind was blowing from west(my right hand side)to east almost 90 degrees
with such a force.
White wet snow hit our right side of face horizontally which was so painful.
Everybody had hoods up and faltered
on the narrow duck board fighting with this strong wind.
We couldn’t take any photo of this day unfortunately.
Instead it was imprinted in my memory.
Soon we saw Waterfall Valley Hut on our right hand side
when Eddie decided to go first by almost running
to make sure we could sleep in the hut.
Despite his monstrously big and tall red bag precariously on his back
I saw him disappear from my view in no time.
Previously day 2 was a short day from Waterfall Valley to Windermere Lake.
But this time we walked from Scott Kilvert adding extra one and half hours.
So it seemed longer than before.
But we made it 4 hours without any break which was a great accomplishment.
By the time I reached Windermere Lake
Eddie came running to me, shouldered my pack instantly
when I realized all the toils for day 2 was done.
We were among very early people.
I was relieved our hiking boots and gloves were still dry inside.
Gradually hikers started arriving continuously....
including hikers straight from Roney Creek.
Soon the small hut was terribly crowded with people and all the wet gears.
Windows were white foggy with all these people’s breaths and heats from cooking gases.
Some late people had to sleep under the kitchen tables just like we did on our first day in 2015.
Also some people still pitched their tents outside on that kind of harsh weather.
I admired them with dread thinking them real hikers.
We went to bed after a long afternoon inside stuffy hut.
Unfortunately sleep did not come to me easily again.
Presumably it was past midnight when I heard a very weak alarm from somewhere.
I did not think it’s from near me but suddenly Eddie got up trying to locate something
(his mobile phone I learned later) inside his huge pack.
He was rummaging on and on to no avail by which he woke up almost every one.
(No one was saying anything, but I felt that.)
(It seemed they were awake holding their breaths.)
Finally Suze had enough to sit up from her upper bunk
and stepped down to whisper to him about which I didn’t hear.
Next moment a man sleeping in the opposite bunk from us took the action
realising it was actually his phone.
Oh my god!!!!!!
Suze was enraged that all other people thought it was Eddie’s phone.
(Why in the world he was looking for his phone?
He said he knew he switched it off but just in case!!!)
She was not happy with this man's reluctant apology later either.
But he seemed like a very sweet and polite person to me
considering later 4 days' interaction with him.
Day 3 Windermere Hut to New Pelion Hut
To our disappointment rain didn't stop over the night.
In fact the whole day we had rain again
which made our walking shoes,gloves and clothes almost wet
at the end of our hike.
We had waterproof liners inside our packs to keep contents dry but
I was envious people covered their packs outside too.
Our backpacks were terribly wet and heavy
with two long days’ exposure to rain.
On top of that we found Suze’s inner liner was faulty
which made her sleeping bag partially wet.
She was very cranky with that which was understandable.
Previously day 3 was a scenic day with a little long walks.
With rain all day this time we noticed somewhat different kind of beauty.
At least we came down into lower part of terrains
we missed harshier weather that could have hit over 1000 meters areas.
One stage Eddie pointed me to look at the hikers
far away ahead of us.
Them walking in this beautiful but harsh environment with high tall backpacks were just beautiful as well.
And we were very proud of being just like them in the part of the nature then.
We were passing the wet button grass fields backdropped with
varieties of different vegetaions.
It was one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen.
Soon I was by myself following Eddie
in the forest and I lost sense of orientation.
I walked back and forth to figure out where I was.
I panicked why I was confused
even it was for a short time.
Finally I was heading in the right direction and
Eddie was anxiously waiting for me.
I should have paid more attention to where I was headed
instead of blindly following him.
Afterward Eddie tried to walk with me until almost the end but he soon disappeared again.
I found a red backpack in front of me soon but it was
not Eddie but one female hiker who was trying to listen to frogs
from the tall dense bush next to the track.
She was a solo hiker who seemed like a true nature lover.
I saw her trying to see rare birds or animals during the hikes many times.
Also I found her spending more time on her interests rather than rushing to each day’s
allocated walks.
After a brief chat to her
I kept on walking to arrive at New Pelion Hut.
I saw Eddie run to take the opposite way.
(I thought he saw me and he was going that way for some weird reason.)
I turned into left towards the hut building when I saw Eddie run back
to the track from I came without seeing me.
By then I realize he came for me.
Stupid of me, what else?
I yelled at him but he disappeared like a wind.
Suze showed her annoyance why I didn't follow him quickly.
It happened so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to take action.
A few minutes later the frog lady came arriving to tell me Eddie just running past her
without asking her any thing.
I felt really guilty now and couldn't go inside.
Suze now calmed down,urged me to come inside to change and settle.
(I find it very funny while I'm writing this incident now...hahaha)
Luckily Eddie came back soon after.
To my worried and guilty face
he said very pleasantly it was good for him to do more exercise(????).
What a person he is!!!!!!
I loved coziness of our sleeping quarters of the hut that night.
I slept very well finally that night.
New Pelion hut had separate bunk rooms
and a very spacious and logically designed kitchen
where there were enough tables with chairs
for every body.
We were able to spend the whole afternoon until bed time very comfortably.
To be continued!