Armed with snowshoes and some warm gear we set our eyes on the summit of Mt Jagungal, or the big J. Covered in snow this time of the year it proved to be quite the adventure even before we put our packs on.

One of the big attractions of Jagungal is just how remote it is (well compared to many other walks and peaks). Access is long in any direction and made even more difficult in winter when the road from Khancoban to Cabramurra is closed and along with it a bunch of access points like Round Mountain and the track to Wheelers hut. This left two options for access either the East from Nimmo Plain or the west from Everard's Flat Fire Trail and through Pretty Plain hut.

Pressed for time we wanted to give the summit our best shot so we decided to access the area from Nimmo Plain on the East side. This is the closest to the big J, but still left us with one big question. How far up Nimmo Road (also known as Cesjacks Road) towards the park boundary and Cesjacks hut would we be able to get?

Snow levels could affect our start point as much as 10km. Also we would need to contend with a possible muddy road that is 4wd access only and swollen spring rivers and creeks with a pretend 4WD (a Subaru Forester). We would have to cross the bulls peaks river twice and the Gungarlin once (there is a small bridge over this).

Noted on some cross country ski forums the access could be quite difficult with all sorts of reports coming from 2wd cars making it in through to restrictions on access when wet. There also were some questions about legally using this road to access the park boundary through private property. It seems some of the local owners have had problems with some four wheel drivers tearing up the road when wet and so have put up strict signs. The best I could find out was that we were allowed to use the road as it's a public right of way. We also wanted to make sure that we respected the land owners and didn't damage the road so as to keep this access point open to bushwalker and skiers in the future.

Driving in late at night and we found the bridge over the Gungarlin and proceeded towards Cesjacks hut. When we came across the first river crossing I stripped down and waded the river, it was about knee deep. Wishing I had my Land Rover Defender instead of the Subaru Forester I slipped it into low range and drove across with a little too big of a bow wave - ok so it went up the wind screen. Hey, I'm used to slightly bigger four wheel drives with square fronts! Excited we keep driving up the track to see how far we could get when we came across the second crossing. This one was a lot wider and so still in my undies I waded this one. It was above my knees. Sense probably should can cut in here, but it didn't. Just how much could the forester swim? My biggest worry was the car floating enough to loose traction. With 3 6 foot guys and their packs loaded with winter camping toys we had the ballast we needed to get across. We hit the river a bit slower than last time, but the low range in the Forrester isn't so low and I didn't want to stall it with the water more than half way up the doors. I lost sight as the headlights went under water and had a complete loose of senses. Were we still moving? Shane yelled to go left and I saw the grass from the far bank quickly approaching me and swung around just in time to miss the star picket. Safely across we all breathed a sense of releif and let the water drain from the car. It needed a fresh water bath.

On our way back we made a makeshift tarp out of our gaiters to help keep the water out of the engine bay - seems to work a treat.

The track proved to be easy until we hit a deep snow drift which we couldn't get through now matter how many times we tried to. This would be our camp for the night. We were close to the park boundary below the final steep section of track which we found out the next day had a lot more snow and a large fallen tree across it.

In one of those beautiful moments where time doesn't seem to exist I was exploring a button grass plain in Tasmania when I spotted a large black tiger snake. He was baking in the sun trying to warm up. Both shocked I resisted the urge to jump back and just stood still. In a split second I did a quick mental risk assessment and was glad for the extra protection that gaiters offered me in this situation.

My uses for Gaiters

Gaiters are helpful in adventurous situations more than just keeping grass seeds out of your socks.

Mud may be used to clean your wife's face when she heads to the beautician but my legs don't really need a mud bath. Gaiters help keep deep mud out of the tops of your shoes and socks keeping your feet dry (well at least dryer depending on your choice of footwear). For most hikes in Tasmania I highly recommend wearing gaiters to help keep the mud out.

Scrub can easily scratch you legs like a feral cat or shred your hiking pants. Thorny bushes and most of the Aussie scrub are great at this. Canvas gaiters give you line of defence especially helpful with walking off track.

Weather protection is one of the least known uses for gaiters but simply put there's nothing like walking in shorts and gaiters in all but winter (snow) conditions. Whether it's protecting your legs from wind, sun or rain I like my gaiters. However be careful when walking through long wet grass that your gaiters don't just funnel the water down your legs and into your socks.

Snow is never really kept out of your boots by those cuffs at the bottom of your over pants. They just don't work too well. Gaiters are the perfect way to transition from shoes/boots to over pants and keep the snow out.

Snakes can hopefully be kept at bay. The theory (though fortunately untested by me) is that a venomous snake which strikes will only pierce the canvas and release it's venom inside the canvas but outside your skin. Snakes with smaller fangs may not being able to pierce the tightly woven canvas.

Why I chose the Sea to Summit Quagmire Canvas gaiters

Canvas over breathable
Ok so those fancy eVent or Gore Tex gaiters are easy for a young pimple faced teenager to sell to you. They're more expensive and they breath so they must be better right? Well no that's not right. If you only want to use them in snow conditions go with the eVent ones (eVent is better that Gore Tex). But if you want something for use in other conditions go with the Canvas option. They'll wear a lot better and there are ways to help them to breath in warmer weather (see tips below).

High over low
Unless you want to mow your lawn then you want gaiters that come up just under your knee. This offers more protection for minimal weight and heat retention.

Thin Canvas over light nylon or heavy canvas
The Sea to Summit quagmire's have a lighter canvas compared to my previous Wilderness Equipment gaiters (which lasted 14 years). Generally I want my kit to be lighter so I'm trying these out now. I'm pretty sure they'll do well especially due to the extra protection on the inside of ankles where my previous gaiters wore our due to rubbing.

Thick rubber underfoot strap over bungee cord
I've found that bungee cord just doesn't last under your foot. When stepping on rocks it get cut and breaks very quickly. I've been using some 3 mm spectra line previously, but the strap is definitely a good move forward.

Using with minimalist footwear

Finding gaiters to fit my normal hiking shoes (innov-8 X-talon 190's) is hard. Previously my WE gaiters didn't fit well as the bottom section was too large causing the back of the gaiter to fall over the back. With the quagmire gaiter I will be able to tighten the strap and pull the gaiter down on to of the shoe but because the foot section is smaller it won't fall off the back. I may have to modify the front hook which attaches to the laces and move it back up into the hook and loop.

Tips

• Make sure your gaiters are tight over the shoe to prevent mud/snow etc from coming up from the bottom
• Leave the top open when it's not raining for extra ventilation
• For quick access in the morning you can leave you gaiters attached to you boots when you take them off