Bye bye lovely apartment in Thredbo. About a km after setting off along Cascades Trail from near Dead Horse Gap, I realised I’d forgotten my stick. I’ve grown very attached to it and couldn’t imagine continuing without it. I messaged Jub who came straight back and alas, no stick in the car. He went off to see if I’d left it at Dead Horse Gap.
I was low on energy for most of the day. I struggled to get back into my hiking groove and wondered why I was doing this, will I really make it the rest of the way. But all you need to do is take the first step and keep on putting one foot in front of the other and you get where you’re going. It was a markedly different trail today – clearly defined management track the whole way. Part way along I met a family of three and we walked to Cascades Hut together. The conversation was a nice distraction from my own head. Today on the trail was the first evidence of big brumby numbers for the first time in days. They obviously don’t go right up into the high country.
I left the three at Cascades Hut and continued on towards Tin Mine Huts. The landscape changed markedly. There has been huge clearance of all the fire damaged trees and it felt like I was walking through a logging area for much of the next section. Interesting sign saying don’t sit, stand, camp or park in the area due to high risk of falling trees!
After lunch the landscape changed again. It was very green with large patches of ferns and flowers. Along the way a NSW RFS truck drove up behind me. They were heading to my destination doing fire prevention work. Whenever anyone asks me how I’m managing logistics, I tell them how lucky I am that my husband is meeting me along the way and he’s my mobile food drops and chief company keeper. It’s a bit like the hiking equivalent of glamping but carrying a heavy pack and eating dehydrated food!
A few kms from the hut I met the RFS guys again, coming back down the track after they’d cleared the area around the hut. At the same time I saw their truck coming around a corner, l heard a massive honk and what I thought was a brumby running through the bushes. Scared the hell out of me. Apparently it was a deer – he called it a samba and they honk to scare off potential attackers like me – mission accomplished. The huts and surrounding area are gorgeous, perfect for camping. There were already three people here when I arrived and I was thankful for the company.
After setting up my tent and eating split pea soup for dinner, I joined Laura, Phil and Tom in the large hut. They do a lot of hiking and two of them have done AAWT. It was interesting hearing their stories. I’m definitely not looking forward to Morasses Creek! We did some crosswords and had an early night. Apparently brumbies were running around the area last night close to their tents. Not sure if it was full moon or a regular occurrence. I hope they know how to avoid tents!
Day 16: Dead Horse Gap to Tin Mines Hut 13/12/19
Kerry's Hikes 