Fastpacking the Cooloola Great Walk in 2.5 Days
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- 2 years ago I hiked the CGW from South to North. After hurting my feet on day 1, they didn't really recover and I spent most of the rest of the trip pushing along with a sort of grim determination.
I decided that 'sometime' I'd come back and see if I could do it better. And now is that time. Going from North to South this time (so I could stay at my preferred campsites mostly) I ran/walked/shuffled my way from Rainbow Beach to Noosa North Short in 2.5 days - a combination of packing light and better fitness, I suppose.
I'm not saying that faster always equals better, but I do enjoy a challenge...
Great video! The Cooloola Great Walk has been on the to do list for a long time. I did part of it September last year from the Sands Landing at Lake Cootharaba, to Cooloola Sand Patch and return via the Beach. Had a great time and the wild flowers were amazing. One day I'll do the whole thing!
Outstanding effort mate. Well done. 😃
@@BlackshacksBushcraft thank you 🙏
Yeah, good one! I did it in 2 nights myself (aged 70). My plan was to do it in 1 night, but hit the high 30s crossing the Sandpatch and got a bit of heatstroke. Decided to stay the extra night ar Brahminy. Might try it as an overnighter next year, but definitely in winter.
Such a great adventure, fast timing, omg, and well done! Saw ur first video. Totally get the re-do. Thanks for sharing this. Lovely.
Thank you so much!
Hey mate how much water did you end up carrying between campsites?
1L (2x500m flasks) on the trail with me. Topped up at campsites and probably drank a full litre before heading off in the mornings.
Thanks for sharing your adventure Ben. Ive been thinking about doing this one solo, however the thought of 15-20km per day will mean a lot of down time at camp, which doesn't excite me. Shortening it to 2-3 nigths looks like it might be a much better option.
A few questions, if you don't mind:
1. How did you get from Tewantin to RB?
2. How much water did you carry?
3. Assuming you would have filled up with water at the camps, was there good supply and did you use a filter?
4. Would you recommend a first timer to take a bit more time to enjoy the experience?
5. T - RB or RB - T?
Thanks Ben
No problem!
1. I left my car at the national park office in Tewantin and got a lift to Noosa junction then took a greyhound bus up to RB (Friday night). I stayed in a hostel that night.
2. About 1.5L on me each time I left camp which was about right for the conditions at the time. If you leapfrog campsites you get to top it up at lunch time which is nice.
3. Yes both times I've done this walk the water tanks have been all good. A couple of times I drank it untreated and that was also fine (both trips).
4. Not really. I don't think you miss much by skipping Kauri camp. It's basically all rainforest until Littoria (assuming North > South) without much variation. Then you might as well skip Dutgee as it's a short day otherwise. The southern half of the trail is the nicest as far as views, interesting terrain etc. I actually feel like 2.5 / 3 days is about right for it assuming you don't mind doing the miles.
5. Definitely RB > T in my opinion.
@@TheAdventurousBen thanks for the info mate - greatly appreciated
What size fastpack did you use?
It’s the 30L
Awesome I'm looking at the new 40L. What tent/sleeping bag did you stuff into the 30L.
@@benchambers1974 I reckon the 40 would be the go for anything longer than this but the nice thing about these is the adaptability of the roll-top (can be larger or smaller depending on your load).
I’m using a Nemo Hornet 1p, Macpac firefly 200 and a half-sized thermarest.
Thanks Ben! I'm looking for a 40l pack that has a running vest style shoulder harness system. There's a few more on the market these days.