Today was an early start as I tried to get away at 7:00am and ended up leaving not long after. One hiker headed off before me and another after. A much cooler night last night and when I woke up I had ice on the roof of the tent inner from my breath. My hands were freezing as I packed my tent away but that didn’t last long. I did however have a good night sleep, in blocks as usual, because I was in my sleeping bag for over 10 hours.
Another great day as far as weather is concerned which looks like continuing for the next week. And still not hot – while I don’t know what the actual temperatures until I get to Wilpena Pound, it’s definitely under 20 degrees Celcius.
I started the day with a walk up a hill and then made my way around the adjacent hills and valleys. The trail is so narrow in places that I had one tracking pole down the slope and one up because they won’t fit on the trail. In a couple of places I wouldn’t have wanted to slip as there was a drop off that would have resulted in serious damage if you went over. Eventually this narrow track descended down into a creek bed which I followed for a while before heading back up the hill again through the sparse bushland.
Once I cleared the hills it was walking through the Ilkara-Flinders Nationl Park which also included passing the Ediacaran Global boundary which is a geologically significant location. From there it was lunch at the Tremont Campsite where I came across two cyclists riding the Mawson Trail. One thing worth noting is that the signage changes in the national park and while it’s a bit understated, it still works.
This pattern continued on for the day until I eventually came out onto hard packed road before walking about 1km to Yanyanna Hut. I don’t know what it is about me but I keep being asked by drivers if I need a lift or some water. It happened on the Bibbulmun and now the Heysen!
As far as wildlife goes another emu and other assorted birds, oh and a small lizard but nothing else. Flora wise the plants are heading towards flowering but apart from the ever present Hop Bushes, there aren’t a lot of other flowers out although it won’t be too long.
I made it into Yanyanna Hut just on 4:00pm and given the distance my travelling speed is now 3.2 km per hour. Slow compared to what I used to do and slower than others on the track but I expect this to pick up as my fitness improves and I lose some weight.
Yanyanna Hut is a simple metal shed with a wooden platform outside where we all cooked dinner. All three of us slept inside which meant that we didn’t have to pack up a wet tent the next day. We all took precautions with our packs/food just in case rodents were around but the only one I saw was out in the fields.
Another early night after a warm meal!
One thing that I do on my long distance hikes is share my location through Garmin Mapshare. Through this online map you will be able to see where I am, with a time delay built in, and how I’m progressing. If you are out on-trail and have internet access to be able to use this map, say hi if I’m nearby. The farther apart the pins, the faster I am moving! In addition if you zoom in you can see the terrain from close up however it doesn’t really reflect the lush state of this area at this stage. On occasion I am taking a rest day so if I don’t appear to be moving then that’s where I’ll be.
You can see where I’m at via the following link:
https://aus-share.explore.garmin.com/HeysentrailAH
If you have any questions about my journey drop me an email at info@australianhiker.com.au and I will reply when I can within the whims of the internet signal which will be erratic on the northern end of the trail so it may be several days before I can respond.
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