Ramble
Quest - Road Trip: Hartz and Field.
In Hobart, I meet two Israelis, Moran and Boaz, who are looking for people to share a rental car with them for a road trip. After talking with them for a short time I can immediately tell that we have vastly different travelling styles. One one thing they are only in Tasmania for four days! They know almost nothing about the place and are completely disorganized. They don't even have a bed for the night and this is difficult in Hobart because there is a big cricket match on.
Still, I find them unusually charming, almost child-like in the way they go about things, and I like the idea of a road trip. In any case, I try to help them out during the day, telling them about possible destinations and making suggestions for where to spend the night. We split up and arrange to meet in the evening at the Transit Center. I tell them I will only go it we can get five people to share the car.
I figure there isn't a good chance they will have time to both get a room and recruit two more people, but somehow they manage. The nice couple at the Transit Center takes pity on them and squeezes them in after a cancellation. They have three others signed up -- Kat (German), Joel (Queensland), and Takashi (Japan) -- and have even agreed on an itinerary. I'm impressed until I learn that they don't even know if we can fit six people into the rental car. I volunteer to be the first one to drop out if they don't have room. Well, Fate is certainly throwing my lot in with this motley crew because there is room in the rental car the next morning. After a slow start we're off, first to Hastings Cave in the far south. I don't know whose idea it was to go here, as it wasn't one of the places I discussed with Moran and Boaz, but I enjoyed it. Kat thought is was not nearly as good as a cave she saw in the north, but I'm always a sucker for a cave and had a good time in here. It is dolomite based rather than limestone, so it was different enough for me to be interesting. Hartz Mt. National Park is our next destination. We have a short hike in. Well, actually, the hike was short but it took some time because Moran and Boaz can be interminably slow. We setup camp near a crystal, clear alpine lake, full of cute little shrimp, and have dinner. Joel brought his guitar and he plays with Moran and Boaz. Kat and Takashi have to hike back to the car to sleep because they don't have tents, but the rest of us sleep outside, which turns out to be quite cold for all. Now, we've all firmly arranged to meet at the car at 8am. Fine and good, I'm up a half hour before dawn and at the top of Mt. Hartz in time for the sunrise at 6am. Fantastic! The only other people camping in the area, two Tasmanian hikers, join me at the top and offer breakfast. I need to decline in order to get out in time to meet everyone. I'm stunned to find Joel, Moran and Boaz all still fast asleep when I return to camp. It takes several shouts before I can actually get them to respond. I break camp and leave, threatening them to hurry. Well, of course they are all late, Moran and Boaz especially, but they claim they got lost! Hard to believe with most people but I believe them. It takes us so long to get out of there that I've just about had it with the group. Kat is also visibly fed up, but I'm really ready to throw in the towel. The plan is to pass through Hobart today, so it will be easy enough to pay for the time spent with the car and go my separate way. But somehow I change my mind on the road. You see I like these people, despite their frustrating habits. I also like their carefree attitude. Maybe I won't get to see as much as if I was on my own but I think this experience might be more valuable. So I stay, and ultimately, I'm glad I did. The next destination is Mt. Field NP. We hike to famed Russell Falls and then split up for short hikes around the huge swamp gums, the second tallest trees after the redwoods. This time Kat and Takashi get misplaced and we wait around for them, but now I don't mind, fully sensing the zamakibo of this road trip. We drive in as far as we can in Mt. Field and decide to wait until dark and then sleep in a day shelter there. A crazy plan, but it turns out to work. In the late afternoon, Boaz follows me on what I'm thinking will be a short hike, just up the Pandani Trail around Lake Dobson.
We both get caught up in the lure of the trail though and keep wanting to go just a bit farther. Eventually, despite the very late start, we see that the summit of Mt. Field West, the highest in the park, is within our grasp. I decide to go for it, which is actually rather foolhardy considering we're out of water and Boaz has never climbed a mountain before! He's quite game though and we make it! We're both rather surprised and overjoyed at our accomplishment. I got the sunrise on Mt. Hartz and the sunset on Mt. Field and had a great time listening to my companions sing and play the guitar late into the night.