Australian Hiker

We both get a good nights sleep less than 10 metres from the Micalong Creek.  This creek is bigger than many rivers that I’ve seen and I try to search the dim dark recesses of my mind for my geography lessons about what defines a river but fail. It appears it’s gone the way of calculus and trigonometry.

As we pack, our fellow camper Sarah and her dog Bella are up and about so after we have eaten we go and say hello. Sarah is kind enough to talk with us for the podcast and tells us this trail is one of the only ones in Australia that allows dogs (but not in all sections). So Sarah is hiking with Bella where she can and a family member will pick her up for sections where dogs aren’t allowed. It’s interesting to hear Sarah talk as she is a vet and lets Bella set the pace. They’re carrying two first aid kits, one for her and one for Bella.

We finish packing and press on. The plan is to reach the Thomas Boyd Track Head but we know that doing so will depend on the terrain. If need be we will stop early.

We reach the first campsite in good time before lunch despite a diversion due to a destroyed bridge which requires us to get wet feet so we stopped for an early morning tea. The middle of the day gives us a false sense of hope that the ups and downs have finished. After making good time we hit the hills again, by this stage we have entered Kosciusko National Park and again the terrain changes but it’s feels for both of us very familiar and provides a feeling of being home.

We foolishly think that our current pace we will get us to the Thomas Boyd Track Head at around 5.30-6.00pm but then we get the hills again. And by hills I mean serious hills. Mainly down hill to start with, which my knees hate, but also with some steep treacherous sections, many of which require negotiating around blackberries, wombat holes, and tree falls. Lots of trees falls. And then it’s up again on a gradient of about 1:3.

There aren’t any options for stopping early due to private land so our only choice is to press on. We arrive at the campsite at 8.00pm for our hardest day of the trip so far. We are both stuffed. I’ll never start a hike this unfit ever again! Having said that this trail continues to be the most physically demanding we have ever done.

We eat dinner and set up camp and by the time we get to bed it’s 10.00pm which is the latest finish to a hike I’ve ever had. I’m definitely looking forward to a good night sleep.

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