It was a warm Sunday in late March, we had been looking all week for a day walk that would be both rewarding and scenic. Mt King William 1 did not disappoint in either aspect.
We left Hobart around six in the morning and headed towards Lake St Clair, a couple of hours driving and we passed the turn off to the lake and continued briefly to the turn off. A short section of gravel road later and we parked the car near the boom gate, retrieved our day packs and set off along the fire trail towards our objective.
The cool of the morning had not quite left the forest and button grass yet and the walking was easy which made progress quick and enjoyable. As you walk along the fire trail you begin to gradually ascend and with the increase in perspective the views begin to open up. Mt King William reveals itself in the distance and you begin to see the trail ahead.
The fire trail continues into the foothills of the mountain and it is here that the fire trail is left and walking on a typical track begins.
Almost in stark contrast to the gentle fire trail of the initial portion, this white sign signals the start of the trail and where the real uphill begins. Right off the bat the incline increases as you make your way through a slightly overgrown trail, still easy to follow, just watch your head as you high step on the rocks, I knocked my head a few times.
By this stage the heat had landed and the breeze we needed was on the other side of the ridge, we could feel it every now and then when the track hit the ridge, we would stop to appreciate the relief before heading back into the heat.
We continued upwards and eventually left the tree line and stayed in the breeze (much to our relief). We needed to stop a few times just to let ourselves cool down even with the breeze the uphill in the heat left us both quite warm.
Just before the summit you reach a helipad and a couple of small buildings. The summit is only a few meters away and after the obligatory touch of the trig point we found a sheltered spot for some lunch and a cup of coffee. We descended the same route and after a short drive to Derwent Bridge we found a nice spot in the river for a short swim to de-grime and headed to the pub for a celebratory drink and then began the two and a half hour drive back to Hobart.
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Adventure by Mark 
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