I wake up violently shivering inside an emergency bivvy bag. It’s the middle of the night, I am drenched in condensation and dew, freezing cold and everything hurts. I look across to see Ziggy in a similar predicament. How did I end up in this depraved situation? I did it voluntarily of course, this is our idea of ‘fun’.
We are 37 hours into a mega-mission supporting Piotr Babis and Simon Duke across the full Western Arthurs range. They are only part way through their journey to link the Eastern and Western Arthurs, Port Davey Track and South Coast track. This little supporting role turned into one of the most monumental adventures of my life. This is an attempt to distill the hardships we endured to complete the full Western Arthurs traverse in a little under 40 hours.
The “Arthurs” Reality Check: The Western Arthurs is a big, scary, dangerous undertaking. The weather can turn bad rapidly and there is much exposed scrambling. Do not replicate what we just did unless you are highly experienced, fit and ready to suffer.
The Master Plan
Piotr’s grand plan was to link the Eastern and Western Arthurs, Port Davey and South Coast track all together in one big push. Anyone who has ever set foot on this terrain knows how ludicrous the proposition is. But anyone that knows Piotr knows that he is a monster who is fully capable of such a feat. He recruited Simon Duke to accompany him the whole way then began looking for vulnerable naïve characters such as Ziggy and myself to join for sections as support.
I had a curiosity and desire to complete the full Western Arthurs Traverse from Lake Rosanne across. Having done the A-K traverse twice already (first time link, second time link) I was keen to level up and become a true knight of the West Arthur’s round table. I put forth my name to join and Ziggy quickly followed suit.
The challenging aspect of mission is working out on track meet ups and timing. Piotr was starting from Farm House Creek and doing the Eastern Arthurs first, Ziggy and I were starting from Scott’s Peak Dam and coming in along the plains. We needed a spot to meet and a time. It’s hard to plan these things when times and track conditions are unknown. We settled on a midnight meetup at the junction between the Eastern and Western Arthurs tracks. To help with logistics each group had satellite messaging devices.
This expedition was a true team effort. John Cannell joined the boys over the Eastern Arthurs. Ryan Slater was following them around trying to take photos and Ryder Jamson was waiting at the base of Moraine A ready to join them on the Port Davey track.
The Late Night Rendezvous
The boys embarked from Farmhouse Creek Track at 923am headed towards Federation Peak. Ziggy and I spent the morning at home preparing and watching the InReach tracker before finally leaving town at around midday. We drove out to Lake Pedder stopping only for chippies in New Norfolk. The day was heating up and when we arrived at the trailhead we were both in an afternoon slump. 3pm on a hot day after a long drive and chippies is not the ideal conditions to start a long run.
Despite our lack of motivation, we set off towards Junction Creek. Our packs heavily burdened with extra food for Simon and Piotr. We encountered many hikers, most of them commenting that we were travelling light. Some we stopped and explained ourselves to while others we passed without much chatter. Those who did stop struggled to comprehend what we were doing.
After explaining ourselves to a group, a girl remarked ‘there’s always someone more crazy than you’, and we agreed saying that Simon and Piotr are crazier than us. We turned left and continued along McKay’s track. As we finally warmed up we both gained more vitality and morale levels rose. We took our time knowing that we were most likely ahead of schedule.
As we passed seven mile creek I said ‘this is all uncharted territory for me now’, but I was wrong. After a while it felt like we were going the wrong way, we checked the map and realised we were on our way up Moraine K. We back tracked with out tails between our legs annoyed at the silly mistake.
We shot off a message to see where the others were at. The response shocked us, John replied saying the boys were just heading up to the Fedders summit and it was 8pm. Knowing that we were going to be waiting a long time Ziggy and I slowed the pace, there was no need to rush.
The sunset was spectacular and the hot day provided us with a mild evening. The warm evening temperatures were our saving grace. We reached the meetup point at around 10pm and opted to dirt nap on the ground while waiting. I put on all of my clothing and we draped Piotr’s emergency bothy over us. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable. We both slept fitfully. Then we started seeing headlights off in the distance and assumed the others were close. But it was another 3 hours from the first sighting of head lamps before they would arrive.
The distant headlamps messed with our sleep. We would wake up, assume the others were close but then fall asleep again. The cycle continued for hours till eventually we heard voices accompanying the head lamps and knew they were close.
It was surreal to see three characters emerge from the darkness to meet us at 3am in the morning in the middle of nowhere. Ziggy and I were wide awake after our nap and the excitement of a successful meetup.
Piotr, Simon and John were all in good spirits after a big day on the Eastern Arthurs. Ziggy and I met Simon for the first time on the Arthur plains at 3:00 a.m, what a way to meet someone. Every time I’ve been to the Western Arthur’s John Cannell has been out there too, but every time we’ve never quite crossed paths, so it was good to finally get to see him out and about with our adventures finally merging.
John was meant to come up to the Western Arthur’s with us, but he made the wise decision to continue along the plains citing that he thought he was slower than us and didn’t want to hold us back.
Entering the West Portal
We said farewell to John and continued along the dubious path towards Lake Roseanne. Within about 20 metres we’d lost the track. In the darkness we just headed it in the general direction and consulted the GPS to be sure we were going the right way. Every now and then would stumble on something that resembled a trail and then we’d lose it again and this continued for quite some time.
The dense scrub and navigational difficulties slowed us significantly. It was tougher than any of us had anticipated, but we continued to forge on. We closed in on lake Roseanne the only sign of it being the sound of frogs intensifying. Here we stopped to top up our water supplies not knowing when the next opportunity would come. The warm weather had given way to a cool misty mizzle that soaked us to the bone.
The dense scrub was starting to take its toll on our bodies and morale. I wasn’t wearing any form of leg protection at all. My lower limbs were fully exposed to the ravages of the scrub. Each individual brush doesn’t cause much damage but the cumulative effect of scraping your legs against these scratchy plants builds up to a point of intense pain. Then if the leg gets wet, the pain is torturous!
Piotr and Simon both had gaitors, but their upper knees were exposed. Both came up with experimental knee covers either using arm sleeves or buffs to protect them. The witching hours are hard at the best of times, let alone while freezing in the rain while battling relentless scrub. I brushed past a tree and heard a rip. My good raincoat now had a big hole in the shoulder. I was not loving it.
Approaching West Portal the rain subsided, clouds parted and we were granted one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen. The sense of awe was a much needed boost to lift our spirits and the sunlight needed to raise body temperatures. With the dawn of a new day I felt much happier and went through waves of good conversation getting to know Simon and chatting amongst the others.
The journey from West Portal across to Moraine K was long, arduous and frustrating. This section was far worse than any of us anticipated, eventually taking us 11 hours to do a little over 10km. I was already feeling immensely fatigued and we were still so far from the traditional K to A traverse of which I know is a massive challenge in intself.
Kappa Moraine Meltdown
We stopped at Lake Promontory for a water refill then bashed our way around the lake. I took a fall and when I got up I noticed my camera was gone. The loss hit me like a hurricane. I looked in the surrounding area but amongst the deep grass and scrub it seemed futile. But we continued to search. After a good 10 minutes I gave up hope. It had probably fallen off long ago and we didn’t have time to search for the needle in the haystack. Everyone commiserated me and I finally made the call that we should push on.
The loss hit me hard. After 30 hours without sleep I had the emotions of a toddler and I wanted to cry and give up. I continued on silently coming to terms with the loss, trying to use mental gymnastics to convince myself to move on from it, but I needed time to grieve. Not only had I lost my valuable camera but all the footage from the journey so far was gone.
At the Kappa Moraine track I stood looking down at my potential bailout option. The camera loss came at a bad time and it put my willpower to the test. I talked myself out of it by saying ‘you will be so disappointed in yourself later if you bail, you will regret it’. This was enough to kick myself into gear. I was still apprehensive about the enormity of the task that lay ahead but I mentally locked in and there was no looking back.
There is a short period of mobile phone reception near Scorpio, I used it to call Lauren. I needed to talk to someone I loved to help me through my rough patch. She was on her lunch break at work, cheerful and excited about our big mission. I told her of my struggles and she empathised but also implored me to keep on going and that we were doing so well. This chat and the time that had passed allowed me to slowly move my negative emotions and get focused again. A mega-traverse of some of Tasmania’s toughest terrain still lay ahead.
Kappa to Alpha
We still had so far to go but it was a glorious day so I was keen to make the most of it. I break the traverse into chunks between each campsite. First short, easy, leg was through to Haven Lake. We stopped for another water refill and tried our best not to put tadpoles in our flasks.
Next stop was high moor but first we had to contend with the Beggary Bumps. They are a relentless and ridiculous pathway over countless ups and downs that seem to go on forever. But I knew them well and knew to take them as they come.
My body was holding up quite well, legs feeling rock solid, but my gut was starting to falter. Closing in on 24 hours elapsed time on trails eating absolute high calorie garbage is not great for the gut microbiome. I was fantasising about a toilet visit at high moor. After finishing the bumps and clambouring up through tilted chasm I went on ahead desperately wanting relief at high moor.
We were lucky to find the high moor puddle slowly flowing, so we filled up but we all either treated or filtered the water to be safe. While waiting we chatted to hikers. Some of them already knew of our mission from my instagram reel. Piotr joked about starting a GoFundMe to get me a new camera. This joke lead to me explaining in detail to the hikers where I lost it so they could look for it for me.
They were incredibly friendly and generous donating us heaps of food. They said they’d over catered for bad weather and were happy to lighten their packs and feed us. The food was welcome and with full bellies we set back off hoping to reach Oberon before dark. Ryan Slater, our photographer, had been waiting at the top of Moraine A all day hoping to get photos of us in daylight. It was obvious to all that we were way too far behind for any daylight photography.
We continued making slow progress as sunset approached. Thankfully we squeezed through the hole down to Oberon and out of the dicey section to reach the lake right on sunset. It was truly majestic. I reveled in the beauty and the absurdity of being there at such a ridiculous time of the day with still so much mountain range to traverse. The sunset raised my spirits momentarily before heading into darkness for the second time. The climb out of Oberon was much steeper than I remember. Sleep deprivation was warping my reality.
At the saddle above Oberon we stopped briefly, Simon and Piotr immediately hit the deck for a micronap asking us to wake them when we were leaving. Unluckily for them we got moving about a minute later.
The trail condition is much better on this final section of the range but we could hardly make use of it. It was dark and we were all going into our second night of no sleep. At one stage I ended up out ahead. I took advantage of my headstart to have a dirt nap. I fell asleep and it was bliss. Then I woke and still there was no sign of the others. I got worried that I’d taken a wrong turn and was laying in the middle of nowhere. I was so paranoid that I backtracked till I could see the others were still on their way. My brain was turning into mush.
It seemed like Simon was struggling too, he was trailing behind and looking labored in his movements. I wondered about his ability to complete the whole mission. Then he burst into animated conversation telling Piotr of his strategy to ensure they were done in under 4 days, it had to be under 4 because it sounded better. While I thought he was struggling he was scheming. I was so impressed with his mental fortitude, never a word of complaint the whole day and soldiering on through the hardships. He signed up for this journey with little to no knowledge of the Tassie south west and was getting thrown in the deepest of ends.
Alpha Reset
Ziggy and I were getting a long way ahead of Piotr and Simon. I sat down to get something out of my bag and they caught back up. Piotr said, ‘what are you doing with that rat?’, I looked at my feet and there’s a little native rat creature (I suspect antechinus) scampering around. For some reason the little fluff ball loved me, probably because it can smell food in my pack. Either way the cuteness was a welcome distraction from the immense physical discomfort. Piotr suggested that Ziggy and I go on ahead and wait at the base on Moraine A.
When we finally reached the top of Moraine A it felt like another big milestone had been achieved. I was happy to be on the way down but it didn’t last long. My legs had been faring well all day but the steep descent makes me realise how ruined they were. It was absolute torture getting down the moraine. The most clunky running I have ever done. It felt like it goes on forever and we couldn’t see the bottom. I said to Ziggy, ‘if hell exists, this is what it would be like. A never-ending downhill on flogged out legs’.
We stopped intermittently to check the GPS map only to be disappointed at the slow progress. It was well past midnight and the struggle was real. We could look back and see the torches of Piotr and Simon trailing off behind us. Our only consolation was knowing we had less distance to travel than them.
When we finally arrived at the Moraine A campsite we found a tent. From within came the voice of Ryder saying hello. Ziggy and I had made the decision to stop for another dirt nap at this campsite. Neither of us had the motivation to push on in such a sleep deprived state. I was so relieved to reach a camp. But our camp situation was grim. I threw on a few layers then we both pulled out our emergency bivvy bags, the thick foil style ones.
We felt sorry for Ryder as we rummaged around like two creatures trying to get into a chip packet. John appeared from the bushes to check on us too. We chatted a little then laid ourselves down in our foil cocoons and for a brief period I felt content, cosy and relaxed. It was such a relief to be horizontal. We both fell asleep almost instantly.
The Death March Out
Two hours later we both awoke at same time, violently shivering, wet and uncomfortable. It was 4am, dark cold and dewy. Shortly after waking, John appeared out of nowhere to check on us. He told us that Simon has arrived, eaten and gone to sleep. The thought of continuing was so unappealing but it was our only option to warm up. So we made the unanimous decision to pack up and get going. John looking for a way to help remembered that he had a bag of salt and vinegar chips. We all tucked into them with vigour. John found some ziplocks and sent us on our way with a doggy bay of chips to carry. This early morning chip eating session was a trip highlight for me.
Fuelled with chips and a strong urge to warm up we set off on our final leg back to Junction Creek then onto the car. We started off surprisingly well, moving briskly and smoothly. But this didn’t last long. My upset stomach was causing me great discomfort with movement. We soon descended into zombie mode, stumbling along in a delirious state. At Junction Creek I visited the toilet, it only offered me temporary relief. 38 hours of high calorie food and jostling had churned my gut into a violent storm of bloating and discomfort.
After passing Junction creek campsite we had officially closed the loop. On the home stretch but still struggling immensely. Interestingly, as the sun rose and we got closer to the end we both regained some energy and optimism. On the final stretch of board walk we got back into a decent running pace. Ziggy even jokingly did strides and I followed. We were so elated to be close to ending the suffering. I actually changed my perspective and felt sad about it ending and savoured the final moments walking through the nicely graded trails in the forest at the end.
We got it done is just under 40 hours! It was 7am and we were in desperate need of sleep. Neither of us would have been safe to drive home. We decided to drive to Huon campground, pitch a tent and sleep for a few hours. Sitting in the car I felt like I was on a mild dose of psychedelics. I reversed the car into a shrub then struggled to drive the 300m down the road to the campground. Surprisingly, after 3 hours sleep we both woke up feeling markedly better. A swim in Lake Pedder was the final preparation for the drive home. We made it safely back that night after a compulsory stop at Westerway for icecream.
📋The Stats
| Dist | 89.28km |
| Elevation | 5282m |
| Total Time | 39:58:19 |
| Strava | Strava Activity |
Piotr’s Journey
Laying in bed that night, I pulled out my phone to see that Piotr, Simon and Ryder were still out on the Port Davey track. They hadn’t even reached the boat crossing. It blew my mind to think that they were still out there suffering. My mind continued to be blown the following day when I saw the dot continue and embark on the South Coast Track. I later found out that Simon bailed out at Melaleuca. He was mentally prepared to finish it but his body was struggling. He’d slowed down so much that he didn’t want to hold Piotr back from achieving a good time.
Ryder was planning to fastpack the south coast track. Simon bailing put him in a difficult situation. Sending Piotr out on his own is a fairly unsafe thing to do, so he valiantly stepped up and volunteered to finish the thing with Piotr. Backing up the port davey track with the south coast track is absolutely epic and his achievement needs to be highlighted!!
They embarked on the SCT on a very hot day. The forecast was to reach 30C. I had a day of semi-anxious dot watching, but I was pleased to see it keep moving slowly along the map. They were making good time considering the conditions. The following day I woke up to see notifications on Whatsapp, they got it done in the early hours of the morning. I was so stoked to see Piotr get it done and get it done in under 4 days!! The physical feat and mind boggling. Anyone who has walked these tracks would know how truly outrageous this achievement is.
Wrapping Up
That’s it for this post. Thanks for reading. If you want more information about the journey then you can listen to the Peak Pursuits Podcast episode featuring Piotr. I’ve embedded it below.
Piotr and I have been discussing making a short documentary about the journey. I am lacking some footage due to my lost camera but he captured heaps. If I can find the time and motivation there may be a follow up video to tell the full story. Thanks for reading!!
Joseph Nunn: An avid trail runner based in Hobart, Tasmania. He loves getting out for big days on the trails with mates or racing against them.
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What an achievement!
Loved reading this and seeing the photos.
Well fone
Well done. You’re def a full knight of the WAs now.
What an incredible experience and achievement by all of you. So much suffering but so much joy too, conquering your own parts of this brutal journey. Thanks for sharing. Hoping the camera turns up one day with a hiker or runner posting footage to social media in the hope of reuniting it with the owner and writing another chapter in this epic story.