Today is a welcome change as we plan to camp at Chalice Lake a second night and spend the day slack-packing! Yay! No camp pack up chores today and no carrying the full backpack! It's chilly once again in the morning but there is no rush so we wait to get up until the sun is over the ridges and shining on the tent. I can't believe the streak of fine weather we are having which has far exceeded my best hopes! In fact, it's so sunny during the day that we're both looking a bit weather beaten and I'm actually regretting that I did not bring along sun cream. We're going to climb Cathedral Mountain today and, if I'm up to it, perhaps visit the Twin Spires next door. After brekkie, we load up our summit bags which are ultralight nylon packs that squish down to a tennis ball size when empty; they aren't meant for carrying much but perfect for a summit climb; I borrowed mine from my friend Chris (thanks mate! 🙏) and I use it to carry a rain jacket, a water bottle, lunch and my plb. We wander around a bit through the rock shelves, bogs and scrub trying to find the trail before Greg discovers it. We're heading west towards a small lake called Tent Tarn. I had considered camping there one night but the allure of not having to break camp nixed that idea. The landscape up here is heavily glaciated remnants; I believe there were glaciers here only some 5,000 years ago so lots of exposed igneous rock surrounded by scrubby vegetation or open boggy terrain. There isn't a clear footpad trail everywhere and I quickly learn to track a trail through the scrub and to always look for rock cairns up on the rock shelves so I can stay on path. We cross a fast moving stream so I take the opportunity to have a big drink and refill my water bottle with the clear water. From here, it's a steady climb to Tent Tarn but not too difficult of a grade. Tent Tarn is a couple of pleasant looking shallow lakes surrounded by boggy shorelines. There are definitely campsites here but I much prefer our campsite back at the more scenic Chalice Lake. Once again, there are a number of footpads surrounding the tarns so it is a bit of a challenge to find the right trail outwards. From Tent Tarn, the trail onward become much more steep with frequent rock scrambling punctuated by scrub bush bashing as we start to ascend Cathedral Mountain. It's actually more of a slopping monocline than a mountain with a climbable slope from the east to the summit, but sharply falling away to the west into a cliff with hundreds of metres drop. This pretty much is a natural barrier between the Walls of Jerusalem park and the Cradle Mountain -St Clair park (and the Overland Track) further west - I believe there are only two joint trails (Never Never and Less Paddock). The trail now becomes a bit more challenging to follow up the rocks and I start worrying a bit that Greg will pull forward out of my sight and I'll end up following a false trail. Once again, the wide gap between Greg's and my aerobic fitness levels becomes readily apparent as Greg pulls far ahead of me since I frequently stop and bend over my poles to puff a bit and catch my breath! I observe later on my tracker that I slow to only 2 kph here which is quite slow for me. We're approaching what looks to be the summit but Greg (who has the map) assures me is only a false summit, with the true summit still further along. We reach the false summit which has expansive views in all directions. Looking west, I can see that we actually need to descend a bit before the final climb to the true summit of Cathedral Mountain. I'm feeling pretty beat after chasing after Greg for days now (plus my back is playing up with a bit of pain) so I'm tempted to stop right here, enjoy the views and end my day's climbing. I voice this to Greg but he talks me out of it as the true summit is not that far away. So, we clamber downwards in a big rock scramble and start climbing the true peak. The trail is marked with rock cairns but one must pay attention all the time to avoid going off trail. When I reach the summit rock cairn, the view is amazing and I'm glad that Greg cajoled me into continuing. The sheer several hundred metre drop along the cliffs to the west is breathtaking as we look down on forests and meadows far far below. It looks to be the perfect spot fo BASE jumping - not that I would ever be such a risk taker! We have lunch at the summit while enjoying the expansive views. I'm body tired with an achy back, so I decide to head down to camp. Greg, still full of energy, heads off laterally to explore the Twin Spires and Bishops Mitre. It's nice to be walking on my own as I get to set the pace that is comfortable for me; something I've done little of this hike. Without my expert navigator guide, I pay strict attention to the rock cairns and find myself following a different, but better trail down than the trail we took up. I take my time and stop whenever I loose sight of the trail as I can always eventually sight the next rock pile if I look carefully for them. In fact, the rock cairns are so helpful that I start adding a rock on top of each cairn as I pass by - my attempt at paying it forward. I come off the steeper and rocky slopes at Tent Tarn and follow a different but better path around the lakes than the one we took on the ascent. From here back to Chalice Lake I'm pretty much on the same trail. However, with my careful trail following, I skirt along a bog approaching Chalice Lake and then climb up a steep rock only to find our tent right in front of me! This morning we had no idea that the trail to Tent Tarn went literally through our campsite so we spent a half hour looking for it in the wrong place! It's sunny and warm, so I strip off and go for a swim in the chilly tarn adjacent to our campsite. I've carried a lightweight microfibre towel on this trip and it has come in handy for our daily swim. When I climb out of the water, clean and refreshed, I spread the towel out on a rock shelf and enjoy the warm late afternoon sun while I read an ebook on my phone. Ninety minutes later, Greg walks into camp. He explored all three additional peaks and raved about Bishop's Mitre which he felt was the outstanding feature of the day with steep drops on nearly all sides. We eat as much as we can for dinner as tomorrow we walk out. I certainly over carried on food as I just haven't had much of an appetite this walk - probably because I've been pushing myself a bit. After dinner, I dig a hole and bury some of the extra organic food (no wrappers) that I know I won't eat and don't feel like carrying out: my left-over half-block of cheese, several cups of dried rice Greg insisted I carry to extend our dehydrated meals (hah! The dehydrated meals are so large that I struggled to eat an unsupplemented one!), an emergency Ramon noodle, etc! Both a shameful waste and unnecessary pack weight! About as fas from a gold star carry (no food left when you walk out; eg perfectly planned) as I've ever come! Lesson to me not to be influenced by my hiking partner with different appetite/ intake needs. Much better to plan out food before shopping and then buy to plan with no "nice to haves!" Tonight there is a bit of a breeze and, unlike the mirror smooth lake last night, the water surface is choppy. We look for platypus trails in the water but see none that we can make out in the rippled water. I'm off to bed at dark once again although today was easy enough that I have the energy to read my ebook awhile before I let sleep take me. Carl / Pilgrim

Hiking/Backpacking

Tasmania, Walls Of Jerusalem

Tasmania, Australia

time : Mar 26, 2025 10:19 AM

duration : 5h 42m 27s

distance : 9.3 km

total_ascent : 400 m

highest_point : 1400 m

avg_speed : 2.1 km/h

user_id : gstreet

user_firstname : Carl

user_lastname : Greenstreet

Today is a welcome change as we plan to camp at Chalice Lake a second night and spend the day slack-packing! Yay! No camp pack up chores today and no carrying the full backpack! It's chilly once again in the morning but there is no rush so we wait to get up until the sun is over the ridges and shining on the tent. I can't believe the streak of fine weather we are having which has far exceeded my best hopes! In fact, it's so sunny during the day that we're both looking a bit weather beaten and I'm actually regretting that I did not bring along sun cream. We're going to climb Cathedral Mountain today and, if I'm up to it, perhaps visit the Twin Spires next door. After brekkie, we load up our summit bags which are ultralight nylon packs that squish down to a tennis ball size when empty; they aren't meant for carrying much but perfect for a summit climb; I borrowed mine from my friend Chris (thanks mate! 🙏) and I use it to carry a rain jacket, a water bottle, lunch and my plb. We wander around a bit through the rock shelves, bogs and scrub trying to find the trail before Greg discovers it. We're heading west towards a small lake called Tent Tarn. I had considered camping there one night but the allure of not having to break camp nixed that idea. The landscape up here is heavily glaciated remnants; I believe there were glaciers here only some 5,000 years ago so lots of exposed igneous rock surrounded by scrubby vegetation or open boggy terrain. There isn't a clear footpad trail everywhere and I quickly learn to track a trail through the scrub and to always look for rock cairns up on the rock shelves so I can stay on path. We cross a fast moving stream so I take the opportunity to have a big drink and refill my water bottle with the clear water. From here, it's a steady climb to Tent Tarn but not too difficult of a grade. Tent Tarn is a couple of pleasant looking shallow lakes surrounded by boggy shorelines. There are definitely campsites here but I much prefer our campsite back at the more scenic Chalice Lake. Once again, there are a number of footpads surrounding the tarns so it is a bit of a challenge to find the right trail outwards. From Tent Tarn, the trail onward become much more steep with frequent rock scrambling punctuated by scrub bush bashing as we start to ascend Cathedral Mountain. It's actually more of a slopping monocline than a mountain with a climbable slope from the east to the summit, but sharply falling away to the west into a cliff with hundreds of metres drop. This pretty much is a natural barrier between the Walls of Jerusalem park and the Cradle Mountain -St Clair park (and the Overland Track) further west - I believe there are only two joint trails (Never Never and Less Paddock). The trail now becomes a bit more challenging to follow up the rocks and I start worrying a bit that Greg will pull forward out of my sight and I'll end up following a false trail. Once again, the wide gap between Greg's and my aerobic fitness levels becomes readily apparent as Greg pulls far ahead of me since I frequently stop and bend over my poles to puff a bit and catch my breath! I observe later on my tracker that I slow to only 2 kph here which is quite slow for me. We're approaching what looks to be the summit but Greg (who has the map) assures me is only a false summit, with the true summit still further along. We reach the false summit which has expansive views in all directions. Looking west, I can see that we actually need to descend a bit before the final climb to the true summit of Cathedral Mountain. I'm feeling pretty beat after chasing after Greg for days now (plus my back is playing up with a bit of pain) so I'm tempted to stop right here, enjoy the views and end my day's climbing. I voice this to Greg but he talks me out of it as the true summit is not that far away. So, we clamber downwards in a big rock scramble and start climbing the true peak. The trail is marked with rock cairns but one must pay attention all the time to avoid going off trail. When I reach the summit rock cairn, the view is amazing and I'm glad that Greg cajoled me into continuing. The sheer several hundred metre drop along the cliffs to the west is breathtaking as we look down on forests and meadows far far below. It looks to be the perfect spot fo BASE jumping - not that I would ever be such a risk taker! We have lunch at the summit while enjoying the expansive views. I'm body tired with an achy back, so I decide to head down to camp. Greg, still full of energy, heads off laterally to explore the Twin Spires and Bishops Mitre. It's nice to be walking on my own as I get to set the pace that is comfortable for me; something I've done little of this hike. Without my expert navigator guide, I pay strict attention to the rock cairns and find myself following a different, but better trail down than the trail we took up. I take my time and stop whenever I loose sight of the trail as I can always eventually sight the next rock pile if I look carefully for them. In fact, the rock cairns are so helpful that I start adding a rock on top of each cairn as I pass by - my attempt at paying it forward. I come off the steeper and rocky slopes at Tent Tarn and follow a different but better path around the lakes than the one we took on the ascent. From here back to Chalice Lake I'm pretty much on the same trail. However, with my careful trail following, I skirt along a bog approaching Chalice Lake and then climb up a steep rock only to find our tent right in front of me! This morning we had no idea that the trail to Tent Tarn went literally through our campsite so we spent a half hour looking for it in the wrong place! It's sunny and warm, so I strip off and go for a swim in the chilly tarn adjacent to our campsite. I've carried a lightweight microfibre towel on this trip and it has come in handy for our daily swim. When I climb out of the water, clean and refreshed, I spread the towel out on a rock shelf and enjoy the warm late afternoon sun while I read an ebook on my phone. Ninety minutes later, Greg walks into camp. He explored all three additional peaks and raved about Bishop's Mitre which he felt was the outstanding feature of the day with steep drops on nearly all sides. We eat as much as we can for dinner as tomorrow we walk out. I certainly over carried on food as I just haven't had much of an appetite this walk - probably because I've been pushing myself a bit. After dinner, I dig a hole and bury some of the extra organic food (no wrappers) that I know I won't eat and don't feel like carrying out: my left-over half-block of cheese, several cups of dried rice Greg insisted I carry to extend our dehydrated meals (hah! The dehydrated meals are so large that I struggled to eat an unsupplemented one!), an emergency Ramon noodle, etc! Both a shameful waste and unnecessary pack weight! About as fas from a gold star carry (no food left when you walk out; eg perfectly planned) as I've ever come! Lesson to me not to be influenced by my hiking partner with different appetite/ intake needs. Much better to plan out food before shopping and then buy to plan with no "nice to haves!" Tonight there is a bit of a breeze and, unlike the mirror smooth lake last night, the water surface is choppy. We look for platypus trails in the water but see none that we can make out in the rippled water. I'm off to bed at dark once again although today was easy enough that I have the energy to read my ebook awhile before I let sleep take me. Carl / Pilgrim