We are forming a solid trio. The walk chronology typically progresses as follows:
The night before James and I petition leader to take the shortest supplied length. Leader sulks for three hours and then begins negotiating. All breaks and lunch are allocated by leader.
Wake up an hour before the hike and pack our bags. Lunch is prepared by our accommodation and all we need to do is pack it. James commences his first sunscreen of the day.
There is a drive to the start of the hike, supplied by our accommodation.
We have a chipper walk until the designated B1 (break one). Chats are plentiful.
Declan weedles a way into a side quest while James and I are feeling fresh.
By about 11.30am progress begins to slow as the sun heats up. It’s a continual decline in performance from this point on, where we have to motivate ourselves with the dwindling supply of treats in our packs.
Peak sun 2pm. Chats are non existent here. Pleading for sippy breaks hits its maximum. James is now glistening in the sun from his fifth sunscreen application.
Afternoon 3.30pm. Temperature cools slightly. All parties have a small amount of second wind, thanks to the concluding duration of the hike and cooler breeze. We commence kilometre by kilometre updates from the leader.
For those wondering how we win Caroline over.. On the drive to the hike in the morning with Dave, I express interest in stromatolites. Dave perks up. Would you believe Caroline, the natural charismatic leader that she is, has been studying to be a tour guide in stromatolites and her test is today as we walk?
At the end of the hike, we get picked up by BOTH Dave and Caroline. Caroline has passed her test. And takes us on an unplanned tour. We are her first ever stromatolite clients. For the hour drive back to the new accommodation all four of us are on a high. There are laughs. There are gasps. There are smiles. Until James asks about what SES rescues Dave has attended recently, which quickly gets very dark and involves a lot of death. Ra Ra Ra.
We are supplied with a dozen eggs. James and Declan refuse to let these prepaid eggs be left uneaten. They eat eight out of the twelve in one morning. I am nervous walking behind Declan today. He is very farty. CR. Dek insists on toad in the hole eggs. He tells me they reminded him of Grandma Pat. This is a big compliment. JRT.We have been christened the Dragonfly Trio by Dave from our first stay. This photo was made possible by James flirting with the National Parks lady trying to fix up the campsite. DW. Another normal conversation with a friendly parks worker. JRT. It was very windy at the top of the hill. The Cypress Pines (confusingly these are basically all natives and none are from Cypress) dot the landscape in the first part of the walk. It almost feels like a pine plantation they are so dense at times. DW.I am next to the glacier toe. This is where the glacier rubbed the ground in the Cryogenian before it warmed up. You can’t really see anything from this photo though. DW. Declan is mid-admonishment of James for peeing on the glacier. CR. Dek feels very strongly about respecting the glacier rock. Cait and I think he’s getting tired. JRTThe last part of today was fully exposed on the plains. Don’t tell James and Caitlin, but I am secretly glad we went for the shorter option today. DW.Lots of walking over and through dry riverbeds. It’s hard to imagine any water flowing through these at all. Trees line the banks though, promising some hint of moisture. Somewhere. DWThis is a golden spike. The geological demarcation between the Cryogenian and Ediacaran (I may have gotten these slightly off) ages. The lower dark rock was carried by glaciers and the upper light rock was carbonate based as the earth warmed 650 million years ago. DW. We nearly miss the tiny disc marker (barely visible in this pic). JRT.Whenever we pass one of these signs I feel like a badass. DWCaitlin next to her favourite multi-cellular organism (after me of course), Stromatolites. DW. This marks a big turning point in the stages of human life – the warming of the Caroline frost. CR.Caitlin is a simple woman with simple tastes. She just wants a luxury villa with world class views and a renowned restaurant dinner so she can finally relax and read her book. DW. Work hard, play hard. CR.James is unimpressed with our dinner outfits. I bought Declan this fishing shirt from Dave and Caroline’s pub, and we later learnt that one of Dave’s friends took the eagle photo. The image was also printed on a local’s coffin recently. CR.
Being first person to comment on the blog feels a bit stressful.
Are you guys the only people on this walk with Dave and Caroline
For today what was the length of the short walk versus the long walk.
My knowledge of geology is nonexistent. I had to google what stromatolites were.
Great group photo at the start. James flirting is paying dividends.
Declan wins best dinner outfit by far but Caitlin’s shoes look very comfy.
Dave would have been happy that he sold a shirt.
Is the pub busy with locals and how many people live in the town.
Have you seen many snakes.
Dave and Caroline didn’t do the hike with us. They drop us to the start and pick us up from the end of the day. I asked Caroline what her favourite part of the hike was, and she curtly told me “I don’t have time to go walking”, which was an effective way to shut down that discussion.
James jokes that the walk is a bit of lie. He thinks no one really does it and that it is just a marketing ploy to make the area look attractive to old people in caravans who like the idea of a hiking destination but can’t do a 30km walk each day.
We didn’t see anyone most days, with the exception of Day Four of walking, which was a round loop from Wilpena Pound Resort which is a pretty big commercial operations with a camp grounds, the glamping tents and a more traditional hotel room accommodation set up.
The short walk was 15km and the long one was 25km. As the day got hotter and hotter we were all, including Dec, very pleased we didn’t have to do the final 10km on the flats in the baking sun.
James flirting with all the country ladies does give great benefits to Dec and I. He is a born charmer.
The pub was not that busy, probably an average of four groups over two hours. Apparently Friday is locals night though. Maybe it goes off then. There are 40 people living in Blinman. Not sure if that counts a handful of backpackers that do odd jobs like work at the pub.
Amazingly no snakes (as of four days walking completed)!! This was a major stress for me pre-trip but so far has not been a proximate concern.
Being first person to comment on the blog feels a bit stressful.
Are you guys the only people on this walk with Dave and Caroline
For today what was the length of the short walk versus the long walk.
My knowledge of geology is nonexistent. I had to google what stromatolites were.
Great group photo at the start. James flirting is paying dividends.
Declan wins best dinner outfit by far but Caitlin’s shoes look very comfy.
Dave would have been happy that he sold a shirt.
Is the pub busy with locals and how many people live in the town.
Have you seen many snakes.
Dave and Caroline didn’t do the hike with us. They drop us to the start and pick us up from the end of the day. I asked Caroline what her favourite part of the hike was, and she curtly told me “I don’t have time to go walking”, which was an effective way to shut down that discussion.
James jokes that the walk is a bit of lie. He thinks no one really does it and that it is just a marketing ploy to make the area look attractive to old people in caravans who like the idea of a hiking destination but can’t do a 30km walk each day.
We didn’t see anyone most days, with the exception of Day Four of walking, which was a round loop from Wilpena Pound Resort which is a pretty big commercial operations with a camp grounds, the glamping tents and a more traditional hotel room accommodation set up.
The short walk was 15km and the long one was 25km. As the day got hotter and hotter we were all, including Dec, very pleased we didn’t have to do the final 10km on the flats in the baking sun.
James flirting with all the country ladies does give great benefits to Dec and I. He is a born charmer.
The pub was not that busy, probably an average of four groups over two hours. Apparently Friday is locals night though. Maybe it goes off then. There are 40 people living in Blinman. Not sure if that counts a handful of backpackers that do odd jobs like work at the pub.
Amazingly no snakes (as of four days walking completed)!! This was a major stress for me pre-trip but so far has not been a proximate concern.