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Trip planning is a very important part of your adventure and can take up a lot of your time. Sometimes it can take up all of your time.
For the actual rules for Peak Bagging in Tasmania, check out Wildtiger. It has great photos too, to spare you the effort of actually having to climb mountains. For those like myself, who are less fit or less energetically inclined, I can thoroughly recommend Peter Zund and Heather Ashton’s definitive Slothbagger’s Guide to Tasmania, which they have kindly allowed me to share with you here.
As Peter and Heather write, “This guide has been developed to encourage members to enjoy some of the less active destinations in the state. Points can be claimed for the same destinations as many times as you wish. Destinations have been awarded points according to the following principles:”
- A: level of inactivity
- B: ease of access
- C: level of enjoyment
Things which will earn you Slothbagger points
- Federation Peak as seen from the car park on Mt. Wellington. (10 points)
- Reading bushwalking guide books in preference to going on bushwalks. (10 points)
- Getting comfortable in front of a fire with a coffee table book about Tasmania’s brilliant wild areas. (8 points)
- Visiting Launceston Cataract Gorge café via the MTA bus and cable car. (8 points)
- Viewing a nature program on television. (7 points)
- Staying home to watch the cricket or footy. (7 points)
- Staying in the lodge at Cradle and driving to Lake Dove to take a photo. (6 points)
- Cape Pillar as seen from Palmers Lookout. (5 points)
- Membership of a bushwalking club. (5 points)
- Planning walking routes but never actually going on them. (5 points)
- Barn Bluff as seen from Black Bluff Range lookout on the link road. (4 points)
- Driving to the top of Mt. Barrow. (4 points)
- Driving to the top of Mt. Wellington. (4 points)
- Buying all the latest gear but not actually using it more than once. (Now you’re a gear freak!) (2 points)
- Electing to stay in the tent rather than “bag a peak” in foul weather. (2 points)
- Spending three nights at Lake Tahune and never climbing Frenchman’s Cap. (2 points)
- Regularly frequenting Paddy Palin to “sus” out the latest gear. “We’re not insinuating you’re a gear freak though!” (1 point)
- Yearly subscription to WILD magazine. (1 point)
- Going to within 1m of the summit of any mountain. (1 point)
- Visiting the same mountain more than once in preference to going somewhere worth more points. (1 point)
- Going on a guide walk with “Cradle Huts” guided walks. (1 point)
Owning the right gear is terribly important, but be warned you lose points if it actually looks as if you have used it more than once.
Activities which will cost you Slothbagger points
- Attending more than 2 walks per year. (-2 points)
- Climbing peaks which have points accredited to them by the “Peak Baggers Guide” minus the points allocated to them by the other guide. (-1 point)
- Keeping up with the movements of the TIGER walker. (-1 point)
- Owning gear which looks used. (-10 points)
What kind of Slothbagger are you? Add up your points:
- Downright Active: < 50
- Member of Sloth Brigade: 50–99
- Dishonourable Sloth Bagger: 100–199
- Honourable Sloth Bagger: 200–299
- Sloth Bagger Extraordinaire: 300–499
- Sloth Bagger Supreme: 500+
Brought to you by Peter Zund and Heather Ashcroft.
Happy Sloth Bagging Everyone!
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