Today’s walk was 26km across relatively flat open country. It was a nice change not having mountains to climb and not having to constantly watch my step and I found it quite meditative. It was really nice being able to get up a good pace too. There was a lot of grass and lots of trees and the ground was much less flat than I’d imagined. The path undulated up and down and wound round and round the various mounds. It was a really twisty turny track.
There weren’t really anywhere ideal spots for lunch so I stopped on the path. Other than that 25 minutes, I was on the move all day.
There were very few wild flowers and very little variation of terrain. In some areas there were more rocks and a little less grass, but that was about it. At the end of the day I caught up with Kate and Steve at the hikers camp. They both looked absolutely exhausted and had not enjoyed today. Kate especially found it long and boring. I can understand that even though I quite enjoyed it myself. I met Jubble and had a quick look at Simpsons Gap. It’s a permanent waterhole but clearly the water is low. In the gap there’s a rockslide down one of the sides where a colony of black footed rock wallabies lives. Jub was lucky enough to see one a bit earlier.
No camping allowed at Simpsons Gap, so we stayed at a caravan park in Alice Springs. I tell you what, we were all squashed in like sardines – I don’t reckon they could have fitted another spot in for a tent if they tried. But it was great having a hot shower, so no complaints. Spicy veggie soup for dinner was delicious followed by an early night.
Kerry's Hikes 
It looks like you have had a fantastic walk on the Larapinta – it was great to see the photos, they really took us back to our walk there last year. Looking forward to a celebratory dinner upon your return.
Nick
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