Day 19: Horrocks Pass to campsite past Stony Creek via Willmington 24km

Getting up in the morning there was a light mist in the air but the wind was still blowing strong. As I had walked so far I had only 15 or 16 kilometres till the next scheduled stop I decided to bypass into Wilmington for a breakfast. So It was a quick pack-up and head up to the road. Wilmington is 3.5 kilometres down the road off trail. As I walked in I was worried there was no cafe. There was a closed pizzeria and a lolly shop that had chips but finally I came across the cafe. They had bacon and eggs for $9 and with a fire going and out of the wind, it was a wonderful hour spent. 

After some breakfast it was another 3 kilometres back to the trail and then up to Stony Creek campsite. I tasted the water in the tank and it tasted like something was dead in the tank. I still had a fair it of water and even though it didn't quite work out last night I decided to push on further and see what comes up. 

I only went about 4 kilometres further but ended up following a creek away from the track to come across a flat sheltered spot. The wind was still howling across the top but I only felt it as a stiff breeze occasionally when the bigger gusts went through. 

The trick in picking a spot was to make sure I was far enough away from those widow makers falling. I did send Belinda a quick text to enquire about the amount of rain expected as I was on the bend of a creek fed by those deep gorge creeks In the end it was enough rain to give it a bit of flow.