15 Mar 2011

13 km Hike

I could see my breath in the campervan this morning.  This is not good.  Better than saying I could see my breath in the TENT this morning.  But still not ideal.  Last night we were shorted again on a power site, this time not of our doing.  Who knew it was a holiday (Labor Day) weekend in Tasmania, leaving little room at the Inn?  So we did without our new-found precious power, meaning we did without any form of heat source save for our sleeping bags.  Mine is only rated to 25 degrees F.  The evening temperatures here have been hovering around 37 degrees F.  This should leave me a 12 degree cushion but somehow I don’t think the math is working out quite right, for it feels more like I’m 12 degrees in the hole.  This has resulted in another Emergency Situation in which we have been reduced to unfurling, unzipping, and blech, partially covering our clean, well-cared for bags with the old-school, who-knows-where-it’s-been bag supplied with Charlie.  Fungus or frostbite, take your pick.

The weather has shifted today, clouds rolling in to mostly cover what had been our blue blue skies.  This did not deter us from our day-hike plans, the 13 km Shadow Lake Circuit.  Actually, we did detour from our original plans, the 18 km circuit to Mt. Rufus, but when one isn’t “feeling” the trail, it’s good to go with one’s gut and change plans.  The mountain landscape reminded me of the Sandia range near Albuquerque, New Mexico, a mix of rocky outcroppings and scrubby green flora.  And the lowland landscape made us both think of Africa.  Not that either one of us has been to Africa, but there was something about the trees that suggested Safari.

In fact, our Tasmania trip so far seems to be all about the trees, particularly if one is to look at what we have the most photos of.  Trees, trees, trees.  I’m even dressed like a tree, a Christmas tree really, with my brown trunk and green and red foliage.  Gina Bamboo Buscarello might be nicknamed after a tree but I know how to dress the part.