Tuesday 23 August 2011

'Round the island in 8 days



Yesterday avo Pete and I returned from a week out in the field. Pete's job is to walk round the island every fortnight to make sure all the hunters and dog handlers are happy, to download their GPS points and other tasks. I used the opportunity to do a bit of a recce around the island, and also to spend time with Pete. 

The island is beautiful, it’s hard to pick favourite parts. I really liked running down the scree at Hurd Point, hanging out with the king penguins on the beach just outside of Green Gorge Hut, learning how to play cribbage from Nancye on Sunday (MIPEP team’s day off), helping Dean and Gary unpack one of the food pods at Bauer Bay, filming with Ben H and Pete K, watching elephant seal bulls fighting, looking down from the escarpment over Soucek Bay, walking over the ‘moonscape’ from Eitel Hut north to the Overland Track, the ice and snow on the way south, watching Paul (the head TASPAWS wildlife ranger) get an education by reading Zoo magazine, and the sense of achievement I felt returning home after walking up hills and down dales for approx 80 km in all conditions.




Waking up to a beautiful sunrise at Green Gorge Hut.


Technology in the field - Pete downloads Dana's waypoints


Pete overlooking Soucek Bay


Heading south


The last of the ice and snow


The ele seals are returning to breed


Me with the king penguin colony at Green Gorge


Before running down the scree at Hurd Point


Wheeeeee!


Pete found this wee fella while doing a poo on the beach at Hurd Point


Icy lake


Reviewing footage at Tiobunga Hut


Heading up into the hills after visiting Jack and Tony at Davis Point Hut


Before the liberation


Pete getting drinking water at the back of Green Gorge Hut


Eitel Hut, one of the notoriously weepy water tank huts


Me with ele seal remains


Eagle Cave lunch stop


Lunch stop on the Overland Track


Pete Jane and Lohy having lunch at Windy Ridge Hut

No comments:

Post a Comment