It was raining a bit this morning so we decided to head to Alice Springs to top up our supplies and get more fuel. This may in fact may be the most disjointed hike of the full Larapinta Trail anyone has done!The wind last night was insane – felt and sounded like our tent might get ripped away. Bizarrely it was really warm though with no need for sleeping bags. Funny to think that two nights ago it was 1 degree and we were sleeping in full cold weather kit.It was such a great idea of Jubble’s to camp at Ormiston Gorge with its hot shower and for him to pick me up and drop me back at Finke River. We’ve decided to stay here for the next four nights and travel to and from each hiking section. And the surprise bonus is mobile coverage! I didn’t even bother turning my phone off flight mode. It was Jubble who realised this morning we had full 3G! So spoilt being able to communicate with people, research, answer those questions that come up that only Google can answer.After the supermarket, petrol station and a delicious lunch and coffee, we headed back to Ormiston Gorge and a walk around Ormiston Pound. What a stunning walk. I learnt from Google (thanks mobile coverage) that a pound is a ring of mountains. We started off through Ormiston Gorge going clockwise past the waterhole where there were a few people soaking up the rays on the sand next to the water. Bizarrely apparently at times there is so much water in this waterhole that the only way past it is to wade or sometimes swim across. I saw a photo of one guy washing through, waist deep holding his backpack above his head! From there we made our way along the rocky middle of the gorge. The colours of the rocks are amazing – predominantly purple even though the rocks towering above are mainly burnt orange – but with huge variety of colours – purple, blue, red, brown, green, white. Absolutely stunning.
Ormiston River (I would love to see it with water) turned from rocky ground to sand and then back to rocks again before the trail climbed out of the riverbed up into the pound. The walk then followed a well defined trail around the western side of the pound. The track is so thoughtfully and beautifully constructed as with the rest of the Larapinta Trail I’ve seen so far. It’s made from local materials, follows a really thoughtful path to make the most of the various views and is beautifully constructed. As with every walk, it’s worth stopping and looking behind you every so often to capture the amazing views unfolding behind you. It amazes me how quickly the land changes – from dirt to rocks to shale, crossing a line where clearly a bushfire had got to and stopped, turning a corner to find a patch of wildflowers. So beautiful.
At the end of the walk we came across the two hikers I met yesterday and stopped for a chat. They seem lovely and people you’d like to keep meeting along the way. We may both end up hiking the section to Serpentine Chalet Dam the day after tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll meet again.After kind of warmish showers, Jubbie made delicious spicy vegetable and black bean soup and we just chilled at our campsite enjoying the mobile coverage – Jubbie catching up on all crazy things Donald Trump and me blogging (note to self, photos don’t upload well over 3G!), definition searching and randomly wandering around the interwebs. Before bed we spread out the tarp and lay down for some star gazing. The night sky out here is oh so beautiful. I think we even saw some of the Milky Way clouds.
Kerry's Hikes 