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| Mount Townsend and Colo River from T3 look out |
While preparing for my first solo hike this year a friend suggested I start keeping more detailed trip notes to share with other people about the hikes we take. So this is the first trip I'm going to share in detail here and hopefully one of many, many more.
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| T3 look out towards Colo Meroo |
I usually hike with friends and family but I've wanted to do a solo trip for a long time now. Finally, the stars aligned and I got to spend 3 solid days hiking near the Colo River in NSW. It has long been one of my favourite locations to hike with people of all ages since there are so many different level trails to take. But more on some of those in another post! This weekend I decided to tackle the T3 trail from Mountain Lagoon to the Tootie Creek Junction. Below are the official Bushwalking NSW track details.
| Time: | 4 hrs |
| Distance: | 6km |
| Fitness: | M |
| Skill: | EM |
| Ascent: | 500m |
| Maps: | LPI Mountain Lagoon 9031-3S 1:25000 |
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| Colo River rapids at Tootie Creek Junction |
I have done this trail before with a friend when I was much less fit... We completed the T3-Colo Meroo-Mailes Ridge Loop together over two massive days. This time however, I decided to take it a bit easier on my first solo trip and only take the T3 trail to the junction then explore up the river by boat for a day.
This was a long trip to prepare for. So I'll split the preparation into categories.
Gear Prep!
Always my first priority when hiking or camping is selecting my gear. I have loads of different bits for loads of different outdoor situations. For this trip, I needed to pack as light as possible to reduce my regular base weight to allow for the boat. The essential categories I use to pack are below with more details about the specifics I used for this trip.
Shelter
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| First night shelter set-up |
Pros: Lightweight, more compact
Cons: potentially catastrophic... cold?
Sleep
Most important. But due to the pack weight restriction for the boat, I also had to ditch my favourite self-inflating hiking mat. And my bigger sleeping bag. To keep my weight as low as possible I packed an ultra-light sleeping bag comfort rated to +7.5c, plus a cotton sleeping bag liner. As my own splurge, I added a large inflatable pillow. My plan was to use the inflatable boat as a kind of ground- protection.
Pros: less than half my usual base weight for sleeping gear!
Cons: no ground protection, cold...?
Cooking
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| Optimus Crux Lite stove with Terra Solo cookset, plus wind shield |
I always pack my trusty stainless steel cup and this time I grabbed a set of ultra-light cutlery. I did bring along a food thermos. And a new liquid thermos bottle I picked up. Suitable for both hot and cold liquids.
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| Food kit |
Pros: stove boils up to 400mls in about 5 mins flat, ultra-light, compact, fuel doesn't freeze!
Cons: stove ... I have none. This set up has never failed me.
Pack
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| Osprey pack at camp |
Pros: Great design and balance, comfort usually good, water bladder pocket, big hip pockets
Cons: I've found the hip straps bruise my hips sometimes. Also, I can't access any of the external pockets with the pack on.. possibly because I'm short, but I can't reach any of them!
Boat
Based on previous experience with this trail and the fact that I wanted to do some exploring, I decided to take a small inflatable boat. It was a cheap one I picked up from Big W at Christmas for around $20-$30. It carries up to 180lbs. Came with 2 paddles and a hand pump.
Pros: I get to go rafting!
Cons: It weighs a tonne
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| Small inflatable boat |
Pros: I get to go rafting!
Cons: It weighs a tonne
Extras
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| Solo first aid |
Food Prep!
Food is the second most important thing to consider when hiking. Water is the first. I have a removable bladder in my pack plus the thermos bottle. The bladder is 1.5L and the bottle is 500ml. I carried the thermos in empty and full on day trips.
As always I packed about 3 times as much food as I could potentially eat. Because it's just what I do. I do a basic meal plan then bulk each day out with snacks and fresh stuff. Since I was gone 3 days I had 3 separate bags for each day's meals.
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| So much food! |
Breakfast
Day 2: homemade granola w skim milk
Day 3: blueberry instant porridge w skim milk
Lunch
Day 1: Crispbreads, Gouda/Edam/Cream cheese, salami stick, hummus
Day 2: Crispbreads, Gouda/Edam/Cream cheese, salami stick, hummus
Day 3: Crispbreads, Gouda/Edam/Cream cheese, salami stick, hummus
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| Frozen dinners, lunch and snacks |
Dinner
Day 1: Frozen Satay chicken w cous cous
Day 2: Frozen Butter chicken w cous cous
Dessert
Day 1: steamed golden syrup pudding with custard
Day 2: steamed chocolate pudding with custard
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| Pudding by the fire |
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| Night 2 pudding with warm custard |
Snacks
Tea, coffee bags, vanilla syrup ;), energy bars, minties, Vegemite bagel bites, "Shelby's Famous Trail Mix", instant soup mix, chocolate bars, 6 pack mini bread rolls, butter and other odds and ends!
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| Lunch day 2 |
Trip Prep!
Despite what some people think, a whole lot of planning goes into each hike.
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| Sketch map |
Research
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| left or right..? |
I use the official site as reference. But they can be wrong...
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| T3 Track sign |
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| I guess it's this way..? |
Physical
My physical prep usually involves making sure I don't have any injuries or illnesses and that I'm generally fit enough to accomplish a trail the level I'm doing. This track is listed with 'M' fitness level recommended. I think I'm at 'M' fitness level at the moment... so all good! It's also officially listed as an Easy/Moderate track. I would personally bump it into the Moderate category, but rating isn't a science and no one asked me.
Trip Journal!
If you're still reading, we're getting to the good parts now- how everything came together on the trip!
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| Mt Townsend, in the far, far distance! |
Gear
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| Night 1 shelter |
Night one I slept on the boat as some kind of protection from the ground. It wasn't my best nights sleep. I had slept better on the bare sand before. So the second night I used the boat as a side wall for the shelter and slept in a hole in the sand. Way more comfortable. Much less slippage!
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| Night 2 shelter |
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| Night 2 shelter set up |
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| Dinner by the fire |
The pack did all the things I expected it to do. But also bruised both my hips. Which I wasn't really expecting to the degree I experienced, but it was tolerable. I admittedly was way over-weight for my body weight but... a girl's gotta eat!
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| Lunch break on the Colo River |
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| Break for lunch on the Colo River |
Thankfully the Colo River was kind; I only had a brief 100m walk on *mostly* solid sand! The rest of the adventure was fairly smooth paddling up river towards Bob Turner's. I hadn't been on the water since I last did this track. And I had two people then. But I modified the cheap plastic paddles into one, which honestly could have been a little longer! But it served its purpose. And, thankfully, was more compact, because I couldn't get the handles apart again to fit back in my pack! So I carried the pole out as a walking stick and stowed it in the walking stick loops built into my pack.
As far as other bits of gear went, I didn't take much. Or need to use much. The bandana was really quite useful for so many things so I was glad I grabbed it.
As far as other bits of gear went, I didn't take much. Or need to use much. The bandana was really quite useful for so many things so I was glad I grabbed it.
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| Chilling on the trail |
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| Coffee time |
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| Yes I can actually do this on my own |
Food
Hiking food is never as easy as it seems. Though Colo River provides endless water for all your cooking needs. I over-pack because experience tells me I might be ravenous. Or have zero appetite. Also healthy eating... not this weekend! The trip wasn't long enough to have to worry much about nutrition. Most the food was zero hassle, I ate what I wanted when I wanted. Having the bread rolls and instant soup was great! Also those steamed puddings were worth their weight! So good late at nights!
I don't recommend the coffee bags I used. But they have a stronger one I'll get next time. If that fails I'll try two bags!
I accidentally took the wrong food thermos and didn't use it anyway. I didn't necessarily have to eat meals that needed long hydration. Or travel far from water. Or fuel. So it wasn't necessary in the end. The water thermos I trialled for the first time. It kept cold perfectly. I carried it in empty inside my pack and used it around camp and for day trips. I hated that it didn't have a clip or any way to attach.
I don't recommend the coffee bags I used. But they have a stronger one I'll get next time. If that fails I'll try two bags!
I accidentally took the wrong food thermos and didn't use it anyway. I didn't necessarily have to eat meals that needed long hydration. Or travel far from water. Or fuel. So it wasn't necessary in the end. The water thermos I trialled for the first time. It kept cold perfectly. I carried it in empty inside my pack and used it around camp and for day trips. I hated that it didn't have a clip or any way to attach.
Trip
The T3 is quite a challenging trail. It is steep! Going down with a full pack was a challenge all its own. Going back up presented less challenge because for once my height worked in my favour, climbing is easy for me. I made sure I was at camp by 3pm both days to have time to set up and eat before dark.
The first night was mostly recovery from the first day. I spent 12 hours in my shelter eating, drinking, sleeping, watching Netflix and feeding the fire! Day two I was mostly recovered, despite some intense muscle soreness and stiffness when I finally got out of my sleeping bag at 9am!
The day on the water was loads of fun. Finding my balance and navigating submerged rocks and sticks.
Day 3 was packing camp and climbing out. I was regretting my day on the water... not because it was hard work... But carrying the boat out was! Ordinarily I wouldn't have taken a boat. But this was an experience I wanted to make the most of.
The day on the water was loads of fun. Finding my balance and navigating submerged rocks and sticks.
Trip Feedback!
There is actually much more I could say about this trip. It was full of adventure and solitude and peace and hard work. If I did it again I wouldn't take the boat. But it is a lovely spot to spend a day or two. There's no doubt of that. The trail is fun and interesting and the views are out of this world. The water is Crystal clear and cold as ice this time of year. And really unpleasant to walk in, but the view from the boat wasn't that bad.
If there are any questions or comments leave them below. If I can answer them I will try!
If there are any questions or comments leave them below. If I can answer them I will try!
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