It takes a village to climb 158 Abels.

Indulge us as we acknowledge some special people who helped make it happen. Plus a Q&A and some insight into what's next.

Just a few days before the planned trip, a Bushwalker’s Weather Alert was issued for snow down to 600m. Not unusual for springtime in Tassie but it would certainly test our resolve on our visit to The Cheyne Range!

As we loaded up the Mazda at the ungodly hour of 4:45am, the last-minute weather changing gods were threatening to rain on our parade again! Bugger it, we thought. Who cares if we get wet?! What’s the worst that can happen? Well The Hippogriff was waiting…

It was time to summit the remaining Eldons Range Abel on our list - Eldon Peak. Back in January 2023 we had completed an out-and-back traverse of most of the Eldon Range. Whilst a ‘full traverse’ sees walkers enter the range at Eldon Peak and head east, a lack of available days had us instead venturing in via The Little Eldons.

Misery loves company and Bender - who’d previously summited both peaks back in 2021 - had mentioned more than a few times that Mount Nereus was a pretty tough place to reach. We had planned on summiting Macs Mountain on the way to Mount Nereus, but for reasons that will become apparent it would not be summited until the next morning - some 26 hours after leaving camp!

Misery loves company and Bender - who’d previously summited both peaks back in 2021 - had mentioned more than a few times that Mount Nereus was a pretty tough place to reach. We had planned on summiting Macs Mountain on the way to Mount Nereus, but for reasons that will become apparent it would not be summited until the next morning - some 26 hours after leaving camp!

The Eldons are no place for the inexperienced, those not confident in navigation or that don’t relish lugging heavy packs up and down over steep, scrubby terrain for hours on end! But for all its difficulties, of which there are many, it is an immensely beautiful part of the world.

As I sit to write this trip report, I am at a loss as to where to begin, for this (mis)adventure was a fairly miserable affair. This trip walked a very, very fine line between adventure and stupidity. I will let you decide which side of the line the trip landed. We hope you enjoy the Namaste Needles more than we did!

Horror stories abound within the bushwalking community of a scrubby fortress protecting Mount Sorell’s sheer steep climbs that go on and on… and on and on! Well, dear reader, I can say firsthand that most of the stories are indeed quite true.

With Bender having already climbed Mount Bobs with a mate the previous year, it was time for me to visit this scrubby little mountain. It is said that it takes longer to reach Lake Sydney then it does to climb the mountain itself. I can 100% confirm this is true!

What a way to celebrate the last year in my forties! A rarely visited peak, new friends, old friends, sunny skies and conversations about riding gigantic prehistoric wombats, Never Ending Story-style. Mount Proteus how delightful you are!

We begin our adventure to Camp Hill from the summit of Rocky Hill. The wind was whipping around us as we stood looking to our west, discussing where we might breach Camp Hill’s notorious scrubby guard.

A place where you stand 1000m above sea level, as fossils once covered by the ocean crunch under your feet. Or weave through ancient forests with trees that have existed untouched for thousands of years. Maybe you even see the sky catch on fire and be reminded of your own insignificance in the world as we know it. Visit the Little Eldons.

COVID-19 has meant lots of time to catch up on trip reports! Please enjoy blog posts for Mount Oakleigh, King William I, Snowy South, Wylds Crag, St Valentines Peak, Wentworth Hills, Mount Thetis, Mount Wedge.

I should start by saying that when I first sat down in front of my computer to write this blog, I had no idea HOW to tell the story of our Pokana Peak adventure… or should I say, misadventure…

With plans to traverse the Southern Ranges yet again tossed aside because of typical south-west Tasmanian weather (!) we settled on a shorter adventure closer to home. Whilst the weather still wasn’t great around the Du Cane Range, it was decidedly better than further south, and we’d have more sheltered options within the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. We turned our attention to Horizontal Hill, Mount Gould and The Guardians.

After summiting Horizontal Hill the previous day, we now set out sights on Mount Gould. Our plans to high camp on the Gould Plateau had been scuttled by an incoming storm. So instead of a short day trip to the Mount Gould summit, we would have a lengthy day walk all the way from Nichols Junction. And as we were going as far as Mount Gould, why not toss in The Guardians too? As it turned out, we’d just continue on and do the entire circuit! Gluttons we are, gluttons for punishment that is.

Fresh (or more accurately, not so fresh) from summiting Mount Gould, we set our sights upon The Guardians. This essay continues on from the Mount Gould essay and begins from the small saddle below The Minotaur. We were a little weary, our bodies were overheating from bright, sunny conditions and we were in search of water…

It’s fair to say that for most Abel baggers - whether they want to admit it or not - Federation Peak is the proverbial elephant in the room. Sheer vertical walls of quartzite surround all sides of her peak. Mountaineering legend has it that Sir Edmund Hillary declared Federation Peak as Australia's only ‘real mountain’.

We have seen some pretty spectacular places in Tasmania over the years, and the Mount Anne Circuit is no exception. In fact, in places it hands-down trumps other Tasmanian wilderness areas for breathtaking views.

With an up and coming trip to Federation Peak planned for a few weeks down the track, we decided to head off along the Mount Anne Circuit as a practice for all things “scary”.

We climbed Mount Sarah Jane as part of our three day Mount Anne Circuit trip. For that reason this essay will begin at the cairn that marks the junction where you leave the Mount Anne Circuit and head up to Mount Sarah Jane. From the track junction to the summit is less than 800m over easy to scramble rocks

See what goes into my day pack.

Mt. Ida's sharp dolerite point stands guard over the ancient rainforest below that line the shores of Ida Bay and Lake St. Clair. There is no better place to sit overlooking the unapologetic beauty that time, nature and glacial forces have combined to create.

Mount Pelion West is whispered about in bushwalking circles for the tasks she throws at those that dare climb onto her dolerite strewn back. The whispers of dauntingly deep crevasses and boulders the size of buses are all true. The often spoken words that she should be respected and not underestimated are also true.

The Eldons are no place for the inexperienced, those not confident in navigation or that don’t relish lugging heavy packs up and down over steep, scrubby terrain for hours on end! But for all its difficulties, of which there are many, it is an immensely beautiful part of the world.

As I sit to write this trip report, I am at a loss as to where to begin, for this (mis)adventure was a fairly miserable affair. This trip walked a very, very fine line between adventure and stupidity. I will let you decide which side of the line the trip landed. We hope you enjoy the Namaste Needles more than we did!

Horror stories abound within the bushwalking community of a scrubby fortress protecting Mount Sorell’s sheer steep climbs that go on and on… and on and on! Well, dear reader, I can say firsthand that most of the stories are indeed quite true.

With Bender having already climbed Mount Bobs with a mate the previous year, it was time for me to visit this scrubby little mountain. It is said that it takes longer to reach Lake Sydney then it does to climb the mountain itself. I can 100% confirm this is true!

What a way to celebrate the last year in my forties! A rarely visited peak, new friends, old friends, sunny skies and conversations about riding gigantic prehistoric wombats, Never Ending Story-style. Mount Proteus how delightful you are!

We begin our adventure to Camp Hill from the summit of Rocky Hill. The wind was whipping around us as we stood looking to our west, discussing where we might breach Camp Hill’s notorious scrubby guard.

A place where you stand 1000m above sea level, as fossils once covered by the ocean crunch under your feet. Or weave through ancient forests with trees that have existed untouched for thousands of years. Maybe you even see the sky catch on fire and be reminded of your own insignificance in the world as we know it. Visit the Little Eldons.

COVID-19 has meant lots of time to catch up on trip reports! Please enjoy blog posts for Mount Oakleigh, King William I, Snowy South, Wylds Crag, St Valentines Peak, Wentworth Hills, Mount Thetis, Mount Wedge.

I should start by saying that when I first sat down in front of my computer to write this blog, I had no idea HOW to tell the story of our Pokana Peak adventure… or should I say, misadventure…

With plans to traverse the Southern Ranges yet again tossed aside because of typical south-west Tasmanian weather (!) we settled on a shorter adventure closer to home. Whilst the weather still wasn’t great around the Du Cane Range, it was decidedly better than further south, and we’d have more sheltered options within the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. We turned our attention to Horizontal Hill, Mount Gould and The Guardians.

After summiting Horizontal Hill the previous day, we now set out sights on Mount Gould. Our plans to high camp on the Gould Plateau had been scuttled by an incoming storm. So instead of a short day trip to the Mount Gould summit, we would have a lengthy day walk all the way from Nichols Junction. And as we were going as far as Mount Gould, why not toss in The Guardians too? As it turned out, we’d just continue on and do the entire circuit! Gluttons we are, gluttons for punishment that is.

Fresh (or more accurately, not so fresh) from summiting Mount Gould, we set our sights upon The Guardians. This essay continues on from the Mount Gould essay and begins from the small saddle below The Minotaur. We were a little weary, our bodies were overheating from bright, sunny conditions and we were in search of water…

It’s fair to say that for most Abel baggers - whether they want to admit it or not - Federation Peak is the proverbial elephant in the room. Sheer vertical walls of quartzite surround all sides of her peak. Mountaineering legend has it that Sir Edmund Hillary declared Federation Peak as Australia's only ‘real mountain’.

We have seen some pretty spectacular places in Tasmania over the years, and the Mount Anne Circuit is no exception. In fact, in places it hands-down trumps other Tasmanian wilderness areas for breathtaking views.

With an up and coming trip to Federation Peak planned for a few weeks down the track, we decided to head off along the Mount Anne Circuit as a practice for all things “scary”.

We climbed Mount Sarah Jane as part of our three day Mount Anne Circuit trip. For that reason this essay will begin at the cairn that marks the junction where you leave the Mount Anne Circuit and head up to Mount Sarah Jane. From the track junction to the summit is less than 800m over easy to scramble rocks

See what goes into my day pack.

Mt. Ida's sharp dolerite point stands guard over the ancient rainforest below that line the shores of Ida Bay and Lake St. Clair. There is no better place to sit overlooking the unapologetic beauty that time, nature and glacial forces have combined to create.

Mount Pelion West is whispered about in bushwalking circles for the tasks she throws at those that dare climb onto her dolerite strewn back. The whispers of dauntingly deep crevasses and boulders the size of buses are all true. The often spoken words that she should be respected and not underestimated are also true.