Nicola Hart

To say it was spectacularly beautiful and constantly changing is to underestimate the experience. I was lucky enough to complete the walk with a close friend Michelle.

The tour consisted of 10 walkers and 2 awesome tour guides Will and Vito.

We had a great first day managing to get everyone to the top of Cradle Mountain. The views took my breath away and the inner child was released rock climbing to the summit. The climbing was incredibly challenging but a huge amount of fun.

Day 2 as predicted we had snow, and a lot of it. The Pine Forest Moor, was made even more beautiful with snow everywhere and snow falling throughout the day.

The highlight was 2 mountains in one day. We managed to climb Pelion East and Mount Ossa in the snow. While at times I doubted myself and it was an incredibly challenging climb the support and encouragement from Will and the other 2 walkers meant we made it to the top, to enjoy some well deserved chocolate. Once at the top the vistas were spectacular and I could have stayed there a few more hours.

The old forest was magical and we decided to walk this individually taking in the incredible beauty and serenity. It was an hour of meditation in nature. The waterfalls were another highlight and due to the large amount of rain were pretty and full.

A first for me was sleeping under the stars. It was an incredibly clear night with a full moon, so spent many hours watching the sky.

The last day continued to surprise and walking through Eucalypt forests was a huge contrast from the earlier days. I have to admit there were a few tree hugs that went on! Once at Lake St Clair a few of us opted to jump in the refreshing water. It was the true feeling of being alive and energised.

Vito and Will made the walk enjoyable pointing out plants, flowers and history as well as the wildlife. They were a great team and worked well together, including preparing the most delicious dinners, with fresh herbs from their parents garden. Nothing was too much for them, and even though we did have some extreme conditions they made everyone feel safe.

The huts in the evening were a lot of fun, and each person brought something different to the group, especially once the wine was flowing. We also discovered a group breakfast of Vegemite and Baked beans.

I am inspired to climb many more mountains and to see a lot more of Tasmania. The true beauty of nature is in it's purest here.

Anyone contemplating this walk, I say do it! you only live once, and this will create lifelong memories.

Looking forward to booking in more walks with Tasmania Walking co.