It was so lovely being able to see the stars last night. Equally, it was so lovely not waking up to see a dingo looking through the fly net. By the time I’d left Camp Jubbie and had a chat with Sim and Kyle at the hikers camp it was 9am. The first couple of kms were flat, dirt, lovely along a wide creek. So nice to just wander along with few rocks under foot. I met Walter along the way. He’d camped last night at Brinkley Bluff, apparently a very windy night. He recommended a couple of hikes including Carnarvon Gorge and the hike from Rainbow Beach through Sandy National Park. Across the creek the trail climbed quite steeply all the way up to a rocky saddle. It was pretty cool being able to look back through the valley I’d just walked along, all the way back to where our campsite would have been. Maybe if I’d squinted I could have seen our car still there.
From the rocky and windy saddle, the path switchbacked down into a lovely little gully with lots of vegetation including the relict ferns.
After that little gully the path climbed steeply all the way up to Brinkley Bluff. It was a tough climb, starting with a scramble up a rocky gully between switchbacks for those among us who lost the path! The switchbacks were sharp and steep. It was great looking back to the saddle I’d climbed up and through and down into the valley. As I climbed higher, I lost sight of the saddle. It was certainly a tough slog up to the summit. But oh how worth it. It might have been my favourite summit of the trip. Fantastic views, lots of great camping options, mobile coverage (!), and the perfect rock to sit on for lunch! I met Steve and Kate up there and had a quick chat before they headed off towards Standley Chasm.
After lunch with the most amazing view I had a fantastic hike along the ridgeline. I fell in love with hiking along ridgelines in the alps and love it even more more. Walking along, at the top of the world, views all around, seeing the path you’re going to follow when you look out at a mountain range. I met a few people along the way and stopped for chats. It was a good couple of kms along the ridge before heading down and then very very steeply up to a saddle (Reveal Saddle – very aptly named for those hiking eat to west because that’s the point at which you see the range heading up to Brinkley Bluff for the first time), then up and over to a long valley with the trail winding its way towards Standley Chasm.
At the bottom of the valley I loved looking back and seeing where I’d come from. The valley joined yet another long, rocky gorge. I made my way along the rocky bottom, swapping from side to side, looking for the best path, and came out very surprisingly on a road. It’s really the first time the path has abruptly met a road. The path followed the road 700m to Standley Chasm. A lot of hikers love this stop because there’s a cafe with burgers and cold drinks. The camping is fairly average, being a small strip of grass on the side of the road. At least there are showers. Jubbie wasn’t at the car when I arrived – he’d gone off to meet me down a different path that’s apparently also marked as the Larapinta Trail!
We headed into Alice Springs and stayed at the same motel again. After showers we headed to the pub for dinner (steamed veggies and chips for me) and music bingo. Two rounds, 80s and 90s. I won two prizes totalling three drinks and had a lovely time singing along to all the tunes!
Kerry's Hikes 