Stacks Bluff
07.10.2017
With a last minute decision made to hike up Stacks Bluff, Jack and I headed off from Hobart with Brodie and Madeleine early on Saturday morning. As we got closer, we caught glimpses of Stacks Bluff and Ben Lomond and although the start of the trail was quite hard to find, we managed to find the sign marking the start of the walk (after almost forgetting to bring our lunch). With the day already starting to warm up under a cloudless sky, we made our way through the bush to reach the scree field below the walls of dolerite that towered above. It was a long way up climbing and scrambling over rocks but eventually we reached the plateau above and could see Tranquil Tarn glistening below us.
We made our way along the plateau, following the cairns as best as we could and enjoying the flat walk, eventually reaching the climb up to Stacks Bluff. We could see the summit, but decided to take a small detour and find somewhere to stop and rest to eat our lunch. As we sat and ate, enjoying the view looking out towards The Hazards, we spotted some Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles soaring hit above us, and we watched as they disappeared behind the cliffs and waited to spot them again. After lunch we headed up to the summit and enjoyed the view looking the other way towards Mount Barrow. As we made our way back we took plenty of breaks on the way down the rocks, stopping to enjoy the view (and rest sore feet).
Back at the car it was definitely a nice relief to take our shoes off after a long walk. We planned to camp the night at Griffin Camping Area, only 40 minutes away. On arriving at the campground the light was beginning to fade so we made our campfire and settled in for the night with some food and drinks, music and of course marshmallows!
The next day Brodie and Madeleine headed home after breakfast, and we decided to drive up Ben Lomond and have a look around before heading home, We haven't spent much time in that area before so it was nice to drive down some new roads. There was still a bit of snow left up on Ben Lomond and we wandered around the ski area and empty lodges, before heading home.
