Day 5: Rest day at Wilpena

I was camped in the tent on another very cold night. Gloves were on with everything else except socks. But I did get up at 6.30am in the dark and put on my wet gear. The pants are stylish but are cold to wear being virtually plastic and the hardshell jacket is a good windbreak and a help when you are not bare chested but i had to have everything else in the wash. 


Jumped out of bed put the washing on and then race back to get back into the sleeping bag. It was then I realised I could still have worn the puffy as I can not wash that properly here. The detergent I used is shavings of soap that I carry. Its Lush something or rather. Shampoo or something. Shaved it finely with my knife and it worked OK. 

Not much else to do the rest of the day with time spent redoing my packing and packaging the food for the next leg. A couple of adjustments to he menu to keep the weight down. I was booked into a room for the second night. It had a bath in the room which I used for a couple of hours. 


A few massages using magnesium cream and then dinner at the bistro. Recharge all the electronics which was better than hanging around the toilets. Packing heavy for tomorrow with a new food pack and 5.5 litres of water. Planning to dry camp on the top of the range for the night hopeful to catch a decent sundown over the pound.

Day 4: Yanyanna Hut to Wilpena Pound 21.98km

The day started early after an afternoon off I was feeling ok and ready for the walk. However after the first couple of hills I could feel my legs weren't up for it. This has happened before but not as quick in the walk. I believe it has more to do with fuel for the muscle. I haven't been eating a great deal as I just don't feel like it. But I have enough energy store around my gut to get me halfway to Cape Jervis. I think its just a matter of forcing the body to dip into those stores which it wants to protect. So onward I push. 

The country is more open with a piney (fine leaf) tree with the larger gums in the gorges and river beds. Same thing I suppose. So up and over and through a range (ABC) I think and then followed a dirt track along a river. This last 8-10 kilometres is what had me flagging along. 

The track dips in and out of gullies. Nice steep dips that test the legs on every climb out. I planned to stop every hour but it got shorter than that as I just stopped when I didn't feel like going. I have normally saved the chocolate bar for when I get to camp but today I planned a reward when I reached the end of that track and turned a hard right for the last 3-4 kilometres into Wilpena. It was a welcome break and a fast acting fuel up for the final push. 

The track follows through more of the pine forests and the track is much more used by Mountain Bikes being so close to the pound. I knew I was getting fairly close when I passed three older couples out for a stroll although it ended up they were about 2.5 kilometres out. Why were these old farts so far from their caravan. Then I smelt BBQ. That was about 1.5kilometres out. Amazing I could smell cooking from so far away. Its when I had to line up at the counter you really smell yourself standing with other people. 


Got some vague directions to a camp spot then headed in and found a spare spot that broke another tent peg trying to drive it into the ground. Hot Shower.... what a luxury. Couldn't work out how to make it feel like a soak but I smelled fresh and clean. The little towel I have will take a day to dry. Quiet campsite which is a bonus. 

The blokes next door snore so I am in good company. Another cold night coming I am trying to read and the one hand is holding the Kindle and I put a glove on it to try and keep it warm and it does not seem to be working. Looks like I sleep as a fire brigade horse tonight.

 

Day 3: Middlesight to Yanyanna Hut 8.57km

I guess that answers that. I can play music through the speakers as well as type. 

Was a windy night. Very glad to have a bunk in the cabin. I didn't think I had too much trouble sleeping but I didn't get out of bed till after 7am. Very cool morning I wore my shirt and rain hard shell to keep warm. Not that cold I needed the merino undershirt. 


Overcast day to start out. The country through here is very open with a lot of gullies. The country seems very much shaped by water with not much of it hanging about. A lot of kangaroos and emus. The kangaroos range in colour from reds to a grey and white colour. They are a bit wary as I think some culling gets done here with a lot of corpses along the tracks which wouldn't see a lot of wheeled traffic. There is a sign on the huts that says they do spotlight for feral animals and don't be alarmed by rifle shots in the night. Not many feral corpses. The emus are very wary and run off when they catch sight of me. That was until I sat down for breakfast and a whole family wandered up. 


The walk was only 8.5 kilometres but it was the plan to sit out the afternoon and give the feet and other stuff a going over. This particular hut had a steady parade of tourists coming up for a walk as it's about 80 metres from the road.
There are no bunks here and I wasn't going to set up on the floor so I found a nice spot for the tent and spent the afternoon there. Still windy and I have been tasting dust all afternoon. 



Read a bit of the Kindle and have been playing music. Very relaxing. 22 kilometres tomorrow to Wilpena Camp Ground. First of the civilisation drops. Might get to talk to the family and upload a little of the trip.

Day 2: Pigeon Bore to Middlesight Hut 22km

Last night was cold. The sleeping arrangement was used in full. Early in the morning I had to put a puffy jacket on. Unusually my feet were very cold so socks were the first thing to go on then the beanie then the jacket. Wouldn't want it to get much colder I have very few clothes left to add. 



Tonight I have arrived at a hut. It has 4 bunk beds and as of darkness arriving no one else has arrived. Very pleased with the hut as the wind is blowing a gale and the area is very exposed. Don't know where I would go to put up a tent. 
The walk was slow today. I was stopping to look at all the interpretive signs and there were some detours to look up creeks. 

After the Aroona ruins the Heysen signs were a bit lax and so I looked at the map and followed a trail. Apparently I should have followed a road. The trail was much more interesting and when it met back up with the road I was going the wrong way on the Heysen. Powered up a couple of hills only to realise I was nearly back at the Aroona Campsite. So around and back down and up the real hill that seemed to go on and on. Especially after I had used my energy on the wrong hill. It was one of those that you think you have reached the top only for the trail to turn and climb the next ridge. Eventually got to the top to magnificent view. Pretty much down hill for the rest of the day. 


About 3 o'clock I realised I had better hot foot it along as I had 9 kilometres to go. So many geological signs to read and I had to power past a lot. Finally met some people at the Trezonna Camp area but you have to book on line and pay $9. 3 more kilometres on is the hut which is free to walkers and mountain bikers. Over all about a 2 kilometre day. The legs are feeling it but that was the plan. 
The strange thing is the feet. I am wearing the same boots I did the cape to cape but they feel a little tight and my small toes are not happy. The only difference is my inner sock on he cape to cape was not an Injini sock which I have on now. Maybe with the tape and the extra between the toes the two socks are two much. Might drop to just the Injini socks tomorrow. Short day tomorrow which was planned so I can rest up the afternoon and deal with those niggles before they turn major.Overall the body is doing what I expect. No injuries or strains.

Day 1 Parachilna Trail Head to Pigeon Bore 13.38 km

Today was going to be the first day on the trail. Having spent all week dropping resupply boxes and trying to work out where and when I will be it was all over. I woke up at 4.30am and realised I hadn't done a full packing of my pack. We had checked off the list of items as on this trip I am on my own. So I jumped out of bed and packed the pack as if I was going. It felt very heavy. I then taped my toes with fixomull as a blister preventative and then went back to bed.

The pack is heavier than normal as I am carrying about 6 litres of water. The general consensus was the water at Pigeon Bore is not the best tasting and the northern tanks aren't always full. This proved to be the case at the trailhead and the hiker camp with no water available.

It is the end of school holidays and there was a lot of traffic up here as we arrived. Said goodbye to Belinda and Isabelle who then had to drive 6 hours back to Adelaide (to a nice hotel bed though).

The walk starts by following the Parachilna Gorge and the track winds through the creek and up the banks climbing steadily from about 250 m above sea level to about 590m over about 10 kilometres. It am taking it easy over the first couple of weeks to get the body into rhythm. This section of the Flinders is what interests me most and I want to see it and enjoy it. Hopefully the body doesn't take too long to get into line.

Isabelle was down with a cold for a couple of days and I was hoping not to pick it up. Arrived at Pigeon Bore fairly early in he afternoon and then relaxed and cooked dinner. Sweet curry tonight. It was good. Compliments to the chef. Still didn't eat as much as I allowed which seems to be the way in the beginnings of the walk. Had a breakfast wrap in Hawker before we left and a Muesli bar on the walk in. I get the feeling I am going to have excess food in the first couple of weeks. Very chilly as the sun goes down. Had a wash and sitting in bed . Will be a long night but I have the kindle. Short walk tomorrow to Middlesight Hut.