SOLO HIKED 160KM IN 8 DAYS: Port Davey Track (Part 1)

15-02-2022 to 22-02-2022
Solo hiked Port Davey and South Coast Track in South West Tasmania. A 160km hike completed over 8 days with many challenges undertaken!
Highlights:
✅ Port Davey track 70km 🥾
✅ South Coast track 85km 🥾
✅ Boat/swim crossings x2 🛶 🏊‍♀️ (don’t know
how to row a boat) 🙈
✅ 6000m+ ascent ⛰
✅ Stove-less
✅ Rat crawling into my tent through the night 🐀
✅ Swimming two hours in the ocean 🌊
✅ Snakes x4 🐍
✅ Vertically doggy paddling with a 18kg+ pack
✅ Rain, hail and shine 🌞 🌧 💨
✅ Blood, sweat and tears 🩸 😅 💧

[@Mark_Jacobson81]

Huge respect Imogen, solo must have been daunting. Really felt for you with the boating incident 😳. You should be super proud of this hike, took a lot of courage! Im also in Tassie and see tiger snakes all the time in summer and even though I'm not scared of them they do get the heart racing when you come across them. Pretty sure someone got airlifted out last year from a snake bite, that long grass is not exactly comforting lol

[@bladesepicadventures7165]

Oh my heck!!! What an absolute trooper!! That was hardcore. It looked like a beast of a hike!! Well done 👍

[@fina2860]

WOW - top marks for perseverance and stamina. As a concession to my age at the time (63) I did the Port Davey Track in a guided group. Two experienced 20 something year old guides but they had not done the track before. Lost the track in the same places you did and they really had to work hard with the boats. At least the track was not too muddy for you. Wet and often a real mud slog for us but a fantastic walk.

[@HelenBeeee]

Long pants are recommended those snakes can be aggressive not to mention the ticks not a great idea to hike in bike shorts…great effort though and you learn as you go along 👍😎

[@carolestephens2929]

Love your videos Imogen, keeping it real seeing the struggles of hiking. Great job 😊

[@ImogenBall]

Thanks Carole! That’s for sure…definitely my most challenging hike 😁

[@rebekahritchie9012]

I feel like someone needs to go through and seriously fix the track up! It’s waiting for someone to get seriously injured or lost! Your very brave doing this by yourself!

[@emmatrevena3408]

It's nice you showed the good and bad times, especially with the boat situation. Helps others know what to be prepared for! Hope youre knees are healing

[@ImogenBall]

Thanks so much for watching! Yesss they are heaps better, back on feet running again! 😁

[@outandabout_oz]

nice one, I am bit late to the hike, enjoyed the video though, hope you get back out again soon. Good luck with your adventures, subbed ✌🏻

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you!!! Hope to soon 😁

[@Kranebitter81]

Well done that girl

[@timfarness9949]

You are a lady of strength and skills.

[@Wello26]

Watching this for the second time. I really enjoy your presentation style, pretty honest about how hard some days can be in the bush. How did your tent perform for the trip? Would you recommend it?

[@ianmeganwhittington1380]

Hi Imogen. Enjoyed that, especially the mud. I soloed the Port Davey Track thirty five years ago and limped into Melaleuca with a collapsed arch. Since had corrective surgery. Deny King was still alive then and his daughter Janet Fenton and family were there. I fortunately had a food drop waiting as I had intended going out to South West Cape. I stayed there four days and flew out with the Fentons. What a blessing hanging out with them and Deny. The good news is that next week at the tender age of seventy three I'm heading back down the Port Davey track with a buddy. So looking forward to doing it again; hence viewing your video for an update on the track. Fortunately the snakes will be in bed but the mud will still be there. Well done on your walk. You toughed it out. Happy trails. Ian

[@ImogenBall]

Amazing Ian!!! Hope you have a fabulous trip!!! Good luck : )

[@ianmeganwhittington7635]

@@ImogenBall Hi Imogen, Flew out from Melaleuca yesterday after seven days of rain, hail and impassable creeks around Spring River. Held up for two days. Tracks mostly bogs. You have my full admiration achieving that. At seventy three no more of that for me. Regards, Ian

[@ImogenBall]

@@ianmeganwhittington7635 Hi Ian, full admiration to you completing the hike this time of year! Amazing 🤩

[@iwona5214]

Amazing video, Imogen! I am full of admiration for your stamina, bush orientation and reporting. Thanks to you I have a much better understanding of the track and its environment. I really enjoyed your authentic and honest personal account of the impact of solo trekking on your body and mind. You rock!

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you so much Iwona!!! I’m glad you got something out of it 😁

[@georgeryan3310]

You are one awesome young lady,and it,s good to be able to see the true nature and difficulties that one might encounter,and i have to say that i would never of expected for their to be boats left to assist you with crossing the river.you would,nt get that in England.Cheers Imogen,you have quiet a magical persona and it,s a pleasure watching your videos.

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you so much once again for watching and the lovely comments! Will definitely have to put England on my to do list for future hiking trips!!

[@jaymiddleton772]

What a nightmare hike! Honestly just expected this one to have some sort of some blair witch ending the way it was going!

[@ImogenBall]

Haha thank goodness there wasn’t! It was a nightmare but also has been my favourite 😁

[@weerahk]

you are AMAZING :O

[@Daryl465]

Hi nice video I hope you had a Personal Locator Beacons with you

[@garyburgess4464]

Nice work 👍 well done

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you!!

[@NL-hu2ud]

Not that I know what you do for work, but I watched this thinking my God the stories you could tell when you return to work after your hikes! I didn't get the boat thing. So you had to row the boat but then take it back? I was trying to understand what happened there. Watching these as I edit photos, gets me across the line lol

[@neilfindlay2233]

you need to make sure that there is at least one boat on each side of the crossing

[@alyce6835]

Wow! Thank you for posting this, you are so incredibly resilient, and bounced back on day four after the terrible time with the boat. Did you ever feel scared at night time being isolated out there?

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you so much for watching! Actually so tired each night from hiking all day. I had no energy to be scared. haha

[@smily2208]

Awesome video looking at doing the same walk whereabouts did you get your information for for the port Davies ie campsites thanks.

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you! I did most of my planning through purchasing the offical map of southwest Tasmania hikes. Which has all the camp sites and walking notes included : ))

[@mickdodd8538]

great solo effort on this 1 ,brave girl doing solo in tas, AAA+ from a taswejian

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you so much! I originally am a Taswejian too 😁

[@mickdodd8538]

@@ImogenBall arrr i was wondering of your page here with amount of tassy content ,,keep up the good work and take some gloves ,cheerz

[@stephenmiller5004]

You walk fast,...do you actually get to see the terrain around you or is just the next step in front?

[@ImogenBall]

Surprisingly enough walking 8 days in nature by yourself gives you plenty of time for appreciating the scenery!

[@zjerry8112]

just have to login to give a thumb up. talking about girl power, you are walking it

[@ImogenBall]

Thank you so much for the kind words!!