Day one (Mon, 19/10/2009)
I started hitching very early next morning because I really didn't want to risk missing any single car. So at 6:30, I was already thumbing on the road. I had to wait more then an hour before the first car passed by and it didn't stop! Bastard! And then another one and a few more! I felt really desperate and thought I would get stuck in that shithole for another day which would force me to take the other way (via Stuart Highway) to get to the ranges but then suddenly a car stopped! After 3,5 hours! And guess who was inside! Claudio & Antonella! I was so happy!
They were really great company and even though the road was pretty bad, it was a nice and very interesting ride. I was happy I manged to get a lift in the middle of outback! On unsealed road! Woo hoo! The desert was really beautiful - it doesn't look like typical desert (sand dunes etc.) - there is actually a lot of vegetation - bushes, even trees, spinifex grass - and heaps of termite mounds.
We visited Gosse Bluff - a huge crater made by a comet 140 mil. years ago - pretty interesting place although it was too hot to fully appreciate its beauty. Then they dropped me off on Namatjira Road at the turnoff to Redbank Gorge. After just a few minutes, I got another lift - directly to the Gorge.
I studied the tracks and decided to go to the gorge (short - 20-mins walk) and then climb up Mount Sonder. I wanted to sleep on top of the mountain and next day climb down and continue along the Larapinta Trail for a few days - until I'm fed up with it. Larapinta Trail is a long (230 km), pretty hard trail going through whole West Macdonell Ranges. Apparently it's incredibly beautiful. After hiking, I planned to get a lift to Alice Springs.
I went to the gorge and I found out I had a hole in my water canyster and I was slowly losing all my water. Damn! Being without water in the middle of nowhere is really dangerous so I asked the people that gave me a lift for some water and some empty bottles, which I could use instead of my canyster. Fortunately they had some spare ones, so I was saved for a while.
The Redbank Gorge is absolutely beautiful! There is a chain of 6 small ponds at the bottom (I didn't know there were so many of them when I was there) and if you dare swimming across all of them, you reach the end of the gorge. I swam across the first one - it's quite big and the water is not that cold. I also swam across the second one - it's much narrower (perhaps only 2 m wide) and the water there is way colder. The water in the third one was really yucky, so I just climbed over it because I was really really curious what was at the end. But I just reached another one with even yuckier, colder and darker water and since I was there on my own I decided to return. Too bad.
I started my ascent to the Mount Sonder at 5 pm. The signs advised to allow 4 hours (for 8 km) but I was pretty confident I could make it in 2. And I did - I reached the summit just after dusk! I was really happy but really tired too. I quickly pitched my tent (at a very small and rocky place), ate my sandwiches and crashed down.
Day two
Next morning, I took hundreds of pictures of sunrise, wrote some bullshit to the visitor book (a Czech couple signed there too just 2 days ago) and ran down the mountain (1,5 hours) to the beginning of section 11 of Larapinta Trail (Redbank Gorge to Finke River). The section was gonna be 26 km long and they advised to allow 2 days. I thought I could make it in 6 - 7 hours.
I had 3,5 litres of water and there were some water sources (with untreated water - but I had a bottle of water desinfection on me) along the way so I thought I'd be safe.
I started walking full of energy and soon finished the first half of the route. The walk wasn't that interesting - it mostly went at the bottom of a dry creek, full of sand and rocks, where air was really hot. I stopped at a place called Rocky Bar Gap and refilled my bottles with fresh water. The water was untreated so I put some desinfection in it. Unfortunately, the instructions on the desinfection bottle weren't readable anymore, so I didn't know right amount and desinfecting time. So I just poured a little to the bottle and waited around 5 mins. Then I drank it.
There was a lookout on the track and I reached the bottom of its hill soon. I started climbing up the slope when I realized it was not gonna be easy. For some reason, I felt incredibly weak, I got totally exhausted after every couple of steps and I felt really sick. I thought I might have got a bit dehydrated because it was around noon and it was damn hot there and I was saving my water because it turned out that I absolutely hadn't taken enough of it. Now I think I got sick from the untreated water. Someone told me that it takes 2 hours after applying the desinfection before the water is safe.
I decided to continue but it was a real torture - every 10 or 15 minutes I had to crash down on my backpack and try to catch a breath again. Every time I was lying on my backpack, I also fell asleep for a little while - totally exhausted. The problem also was that there were no shady places along the path because it was on a slope, so I was on direct midday sun all the time. I finally reached the top of the hill and looked forward to descend for a while - surprisingly enough, descending didn't exaust me at all. But I still had 10 km to go. I couldn't stop thinking of a big jug of beer.
After a good rest, I descended and continued towards Finke River. I thought it would be just a flat landscape but there was quite a lot of ascending too. Every time I saw a hill I wanted to cry - I was seriously afraid I wouldn't make it to the camp ground (water source). And if I hadn't made it, it would have been the end - I hadn't met anybody since I left Redbank Gorge and it was highly unlikely there would be anyone walking the trail. Most tourists just visit all the gorges accessible by car and that's it. Moreover I hadn't registered for the trail and nobody really knew where I was. I literally touched the bottom of my strenghts.
I eventually reached the campground (after I got a bit lost and almost missed the right way to it) with mouth and throat completely dry (I didn't have any water for the last 5 km). But I was sooooo happy! I knew I was safe - I reached the watersource, I had the desinfection and I knew that after a good rest I'd be able to move to civilization (which was only about 5 km away).
There was a big shelter with huge benches in the camp which I was really grateful for because I didn't have to pitch my tent. So I just desinfected enough water and prepared my mattress and sleeping bag, drank perhaps a litre of water, forced myself to eat a muesli bar (I wasn't hungry at all) to get some energy and fill up my stomach with something else than water and fell asleep.
I woke up when it was already dark. I drank more water and fell asleep again.
I woke up again, washed myself a bit (I was covered with a layer of salt from my sweat) and ate small dinner. Plus I drank more water - in total 3 liters that evening. I was still pretty sick and my muscles were sore but I already felt much better than when I arrived.
I went to sleep hoping I'd be ok next morning.
I must admit I totally underestimated hiking in Outback. Especially at the end of the season. It was incredibly valuable experience though! It's absolutely essential to take heaps of water and register at rangers rescue service (which is free of charge and you just have to tell your planned arrival date - if you don't arrive on time, they immediately start looking for you). It's also always better to walk with someone.
Pity I missed the season - it must be great to walk the whole Larapinta Trail in winter! It's reasonably challenging in beautiful, remote country and it can take up to 3 weeks. Maybe next time...
Day three
I got up feeling much better. I still felt a bit sick and weak - like with really low blood pressure but I decided to walk next section of Larapinta Trail - section 10 (Finke River to Ormiston Gorge). It was only 9 km and I was sure I could make it.
After a good breakfast and 1,5 liters of water I took off. It was a nice walk with yet another lookout and I even met 2 hikers walking in the opposite direction. I reached Ormiston Gorge after a couple of hours.
Ormiston Gorge is a beautiful big gorge with a big waterhole. There are a few great walks including a longer one that goes around Ormiston Pound. I just took Ghost Gum Walk - a short (but steep) walk to a wonderful lookout (I highly recommend it) and then went for a swim. It was lovely!
On the walk, I bumped into a french couple and started a conversation with them. After I found out they were heading to Alice Springs and wanted to visit a few more places along the way, I asked them for a lift. They were fine with that and I was really happy it all worked out so well - I was about to get to Alice soon and even see some more beautiful places! Awesome!
Funny enough, Francois and Virginie were on their honeymoon! I'm somehow lucky to be picked up with newly married couples, hehe. They were great company and I really enjoyed the time with them.
We visited Glen Helen Gorge, where I finally bought my beer. Delicious! The place was absolutely beautiful like all West Macdonell Ranges, again with a big waterhole and even a river! Unfortunately there was an accident that day - a young guy fell off a rock and hit himself to the head. He died a few hours later...
Next place we stopped by was Stanley Chasm. You have to pay $8 entrance fee but it's absolutely worth it! Interestingly enough, once you reach the end of the chasm, you can continue to the left, climb a bit, walk over a stairs-like tree and climb up through a hole and you'll end up in another gorge. It's a bit dangerous (rock and the tree are pretty slippery) and you shouldn't do it but there are no warning signs anywhere. Once you reach the next gorge, you can join Larapinta trail and walk back to the chasm along the trail, so you don't have to do the dangerous part again.
Our last stop was at Simpsons Gap - it's just a couple of kilometres far from Alice, so it's a pretty popular picnic spot for locals. Again, it's a beautiful gorge with a waterhole but unfortunately you can't swim there. Instead, you can enjoy observing rock walabies that are jumping on the slopes around.
Francois & Virginie dropped me off in the centre of Alice Springs, where I got picked up by my new CouchSurfing host, Daryl.
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