Tuesday 6 to Sunday 10 July
It's had been a while since I last properly hiked. In fact,
I can't even remember the last time I carried a full hiking pack for
several days with food, water, tent, stove, sleeping bag etc. I'd
forgotten just how heavy it can be and where I can comfortably run 10km
in an hour it takes three times as long when you're lugging 12kg to 15kg
on your back.
Our group of about 30 Scout people left the Scout hall in
Alice on Tuesday morning. Our group was made up of people from 2/3
Lindfield, 1st Glossodia and West Pennant Hills Valley. Most of the
group were getting a bus transfer to Ormiston Gorge, however we left a
little earlier so we could stop in at Simpson's Gap, another spectacular
break in the red rock range, but this time in the West Macdonald
Ranges, not far out of Alice Springs.
Once we arrived at Ormiston camp ground we set up camp in the coach area and Ma Grylls and I went with the boys up to the Ghost Gum lookout. You walk up a winding path to overlook the Gorge where there is a lone Ghost Gum, it's white silhouette illuminated in the afternoon light against the red cliffs. As you come up the last few steps you look up and the immensity of the gorge takes your breath away. Blue sky, red towering cliffs, dotted with green from the recent rains, down to the white sand of the river bed, with dark pools of water. I thought Trephina Gorge was spectacular but the size of this is something else.
On the Wednesday morning we all put on our day packs and set out to walk the 7km around Ormiston Pound. First following the river, then up into the Hills to a lookout, giving a view east of the gorge along the Range. Then back down to the river to follow it through the bedrock confined gorge. A lot of the path is over a rocky scree of 800 million year old mudstone, limestone and dolomite, dotted with green spinifex. Once down along the river, there is more rock hopping and in parts it is tricky navigating the diagonally uplifted bedrock. The river exists in pools and then you reach a point where you can go no further because of the deep pool and the red cliffs on either side. We'd know this was coming from passing hikers but now we could hear the squeals of the people ahead of us as they forded the icy water, waist deep. Rex and Lloyd thought they might like a swim, however, changed their minds after putting a foot in and were carried across. The water was so cold it hurt but there was only one way, forward. After that experience, we were now luckily almost back to camp and I was very impressed how well Rex and Lloyd had walked all day as there has been quite a few hills. It was the perfect way to ease us all into the hike ahead.
Once we arrived at Ormiston camp ground we set up camp in the coach area and Ma Grylls and I went with the boys up to the Ghost Gum lookout. You walk up a winding path to overlook the Gorge where there is a lone Ghost Gum, it's white silhouette illuminated in the afternoon light against the red cliffs. As you come up the last few steps you look up and the immensity of the gorge takes your breath away. Blue sky, red towering cliffs, dotted with green from the recent rains, down to the white sand of the river bed, with dark pools of water. I thought Trephina Gorge was spectacular but the size of this is something else.
On the Wednesday morning we all put on our day packs and set out to walk the 7km around Ormiston Pound. First following the river, then up into the Hills to a lookout, giving a view east of the gorge along the Range. Then back down to the river to follow it through the bedrock confined gorge. A lot of the path is over a rocky scree of 800 million year old mudstone, limestone and dolomite, dotted with green spinifex. Once down along the river, there is more rock hopping and in parts it is tricky navigating the diagonally uplifted bedrock. The river exists in pools and then you reach a point where you can go no further because of the deep pool and the red cliffs on either side. We'd know this was coming from passing hikers but now we could hear the squeals of the people ahead of us as they forded the icy water, waist deep. Rex and Lloyd thought they might like a swim, however, changed their minds after putting a foot in and were carried across. The water was so cold it hurt but there was only one way, forward. After that experience, we were now luckily almost back to camp and I was very impressed how well Rex and Lloyd had walked all day as there has been quite a few hills. It was the perfect way to ease us all into the hike ahead.
Wednesday 7 - Sunday 11 July
The next few days we hiked west, sections 10 and 11. It was Scott's 10th birthday so after a morning tea of steamed chocolate cake made on the gas BBQ and being presented with the Birthday Wig of Happiness we were packs on and on our way. Evan took Rex and Lloyd with the camper trailer onto Redbank, our final destination and Scott and Beth hiked with me. The Larapinta trail took us over rocky hills, over sandy river beds, up a huge mountain which never seemed to end and almost broke us, through mallee scrub, all the while following the West Macdonald Range. We camped at Finke River, Rocky Bar Gap (with terrible sand flies) and finally at the end of three days of walking we made it to Redbank, where Evan had prepared for us a roast dinner cooked in 3 camp ovens on the camp fire. The meal was devoured.
The next few days we hiked west, sections 10 and 11. It was Scott's 10th birthday so after a morning tea of steamed chocolate cake made on the gas BBQ and being presented with the Birthday Wig of Happiness we were packs on and on our way. Evan took Rex and Lloyd with the camper trailer onto Redbank, our final destination and Scott and Beth hiked with me. The Larapinta trail took us over rocky hills, over sandy river beds, up a huge mountain which never seemed to end and almost broke us, through mallee scrub, all the while following the West Macdonald Range. We camped at Finke River, Rocky Bar Gap (with terrible sand flies) and finally at the end of three days of walking we made it to Redbank, where Evan had prepared for us a roast dinner cooked in 3 camp ovens on the camp fire. The meal was devoured.
For the final day, we were all up at 5am with head torches
on and stumbled up hill towards Orion to see the sunrise from Mt Sonder,
the highest mountain in the NT. We saw the sunrise just after 7am and
as the dawn light crept across the land, hills and rivers and ranges
were revealed far below. However, we still had another hour and a half
walking up hill until we reached the summit. We were so high up. The
land marks from the previous days were dwarfed below us and to the east
we could see where we had come, 60km to Ormiston Gorge. The two and a
half hours coming down hurt my knees but every time I looked up from my
feet there was that view. The perfect end to an amazing trail.
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