However he had concerns about the growing trend of walkers relying on GPS over compasses, and encouraged aspiring walkers to join bushwalking clubs to meet those with experience.

Bill Wilkinson wrote The Abels in 1994, featuring details of Tasmania's 158 mountains above 1100 metres - later 159 mountains in the second edition - and believed the recent retrieval of walkers would not slow the record numbers of people visiting Tasmania's wilderness.

Related: Launceston Bushwalking Club: Be prepared, no matter the time of year

A Western Australian father and daughter were retrieved from Pelion Hut, a Victorian man spent 10 days in icy conditions near Mount Culvier and a Friends School group was evacuated from Cradle Mountain, among others.

Mr Wilkinson said the weather conditions were not unprecedented, and it was not uncommon for bushwalkers to find themselves in tricky situations that required knowledge and skill to circumvent.

"These things do happen, but because other walkers are there and they tell you their story, it doesn't always end up in the news," he said.

"The main thing is that people have to build up expertise. If you're feeling uncomfortable, turn back.

"In the past, everything we did was with a compass and you'd pay close attention to ridges, vegetation and rock structure. People tend to use GPS now, and if you're in dense forest and thick scrub it's not going to work for a while."

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Sales of his book have risen in recent years, suggesting more people are visiting the Tasmanian wilderness.

Mr Wilkinson promoted "bushwalking in awareness", where those in nature could sense and respond to changing conditions using their instincts, provided they were thoroughly prepared.

"One of the goods things about being in nature is that your sensitivities tend to rise up," he said.

"It puts you in tune with your inner self. You get inklings, you notice if a storm is coming, you know to get the tent up.

"It involves just being aware, looking at how the weather is developing, if there's heavy cloud moving in."

The Tasmanian bush is considered denser and rockier than conditions found on the mainland, with conditions becoming more difficult the further west and south a walker travels.

Simon Kendrick, of the Pandani Bushwalking Club, said the scale of the operation required to retrieve walkers had been overstated, and an English walker at Waterfall Valley appeared to be the only person in serious danger.

He hoped the events of the past week did not result in knee-jerk reactions from authorities, as the issues that arose were a result of inexperience from walkers.

"You've got to be prepared to turn back, or totally change plans," Mr Kendrick said.

"With the Friends School group, the teachers would have come through training and they spend a lot of time in preparation for these walks, coming up with Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and so on."

He said the groups and individuals who were caught in the conditions were, on the whole, as prepared as possible.

"It's not the environment or weather that's dangerous. It's a lack of experience, understanding of the area and poor gear choices," Mr Kendrick said.

"The WA father and daughter were well-equipped. The school knew where the children were and what they were doing all the time.

"From all accounts, as far as gear, they had all the correct gear and were well experienced."