Friday 18 June 2022
Mulga Camp to Simpsons Gap – Section 2 Pt 2
Distance 17.07km
Moving time 4;02
Track time 5:03
Temp 3′- about 25 with a nice breeze
Up 255m Down 307m

Last night we had Mice visit us around the tent. Very annoying. We also heard dingoes howling in the Distance. David heard them in the distance and then as they continued to get closer, then very nearby and then as they went away. I listened for about 30 mins but didn’t realise the change of Distance. It was amazing. We emitted a nice morning chatting to our neighbours. Amelia Nikles-Ralph is a young girl who left school last year and is a photographer, she is a friend of Krystle Wright – photographer who we met last year at Richmond photographing a rodeo. Apparently we need to check our their instagram pages. Amelia is carrying about 20kg pack. She is 2 days in and raises she needs to dump some stuff but like everyone on the trail, it is too late.
We set off at about 9.20 and walked the undulating mostly even ground trail for 7km to Bond Gap. This was a wildlife refuge. It was a beautiful paid with fish in the pond. It was quite picturesque. Unfortunately the peacefulness was interrupted by a tour group having lunch which was a shame. The good thing was they have us their leftover salad from their lunch which we carefully transported to camp. Tomatoes cucumber, carrot, capsicum and avocado. What a treat to share with Jim and Liza tonight.
We continued on from Bond Gap after lunch towards Simpson Gap. The trail went through acacia woodland again continuing the same as this morning. The last few km seemed to go on forever. North, south, east and west, wriggling through the area we weren’t sure which direction we were going to enter the gap. Front door, back door or side door. It was a lot of ins and outs, and roundabouts. David routed the trail at the 8km mark and in a straight line it was only 5km. A definite indication of the meandering trail. We met a family of 3 and Sb additional couple from Kangaroo Valley at camp this afternoon. They are doing the last 2 sections in 2 days. That’s 50km. We will continue on our program of 4 days trying to avoid injury at this late stage of the game. Before dinner we went down to Simpsons Gap which was very beautiful. We missed the best light as we had a chat with a young man and lady who are running the trail except for the 4-5 sections where there is no access for their support car. They will hike this part. They intend to run Section 2 and 3 tomorrow. They are in for a surprise as Section 3 will be very difficult after already running 26 km of Section 2 first. We then headed down to Simpson Gap and David’s managed to spot a black footed rock Wallaby. They are very tiny.
We then headed back to camp for our dinner with added vegetables. What a treat. We also were given a pre dinner treat of baked Pea crisps. Very yummy.
It is supposed to be warm tonight and there is some cloud so I hopefully won’t be cold tonight. We hit the sack at 7pm. It is going to be a long night.

Friday 17 June 2022
Jay Creek to Mulga Camp – Section 2 Part 1
Distance 10.19km
Moving time 2:22
Track time 3:14
Temp 2′- about 25
Up 170m Down 202m

“Section 2  is an undulating walk which passes through acacia woodland found around Simpsons Gap. The walk traverses areas away from public roads giving it a more remote and challenging feel. The various gaps along the way make for good rest stops. Grade: 4 – moderate to difficult. Long distance with some steep ascents. Walk through the home of the few brushtail possum colonies in Central Australia. Explore a landscape of rock outcrops over 2 billion years old. Allow 2 days to complete this 26.2km section”

The stars last night were magnificent. The mice a little annoying as they scurried around our tent throughout the night. It is the first time I have seen them near the tent.
Well my words of wisdom for today is “Never trust the weather man”. Our forecast of between 7-25′ for the next 5 days was WRONG! After such a balmy night at Standley Chasm we were treated to a very cold night of 2′. I wasn’t prepared, I left my polar fleece in my back pack hanging in the shelter and left the door open to the tent. I had a lovely sleep until midnight and then was cold until I noticed David’s puffer jacket lying in the tent at about 4pm. I draped it over me and put mine on and managed a couple more hours sleep. I won’t fall for the weather forecast again.
We set off at about 10am on the 10km trail for today. We are grateful for the rest day today. The terrain was quite straight forward most of the way just a single flat  trail with a few rocky sections, a couple of creek crossings but minimal impact on our tired bodies. Yesterday’s hike was a tough grind with great rewards but the 500+ downhill had a big impact on your legs.
We enjoyed a break at Spring Gap Waterhole and then had lunch at Mulga Camp. An early stop for us but we have 3 more days of 15+ km so an easy afternoon it is. We joined Liza at Mulga Camp and Jim came in a bit later. Penny and Eric moved on further as they fly out on 20th. We only passed 4 people heading west and were passed by a man heading east. So it has been a quiet day on the trail. We were thinking it might be hectic tomorrow night as we stop at the trail head between Section 1 and 2, it is Saturday and we think there will be lots of people starting their hike from Alice on a Saturday and do section 1 in one hit out. Anyway only time will tell. As we walked today we passed a few small hills and lots of different shrubs and trees. It was pretty much the same most of the way. We saw a few birds – zebra finches, spinifex pigeons and a few cow pads. There was a little shade and a nice breeze which made for very comfortable walking on a relatively easy terrain. Although David would have liked to walk a few more kms today we enjoyed a quiet hour or two just lying in our tent and resting. It was very nice to just down tools and rest.
We met a young girl heading west and 2 young guys heading east at camp tonight along with Jim and Liza. We had a civilised dinner at one of the few picnic table and benches on the trail. It is always nice to sit properly on these rare occasions. Eek we are definitely on the count down now. Only 3 more days of hiking to go!

Thursday 16 June 2022
Standley Chasm to Jay Creek – Section 3
Distance 15.39km
Moving time 5:59
Track time 7:37
Temp 11′- 25
Up 726m Down 719m

What a big day!
We set off at 8.50am and arrived at Jay Creek at 4.30pm. We had short breaks as we knew the terrain was tough and we hadn’t walked 15km for a few days.
The initial climb out of Standby Chasm was straight up 130m elevation over 1km. Some steps, lots of rock hopping and just up, up and up. I used my hiking poles for the first time and I think it helped a lot. Then we went straight back down, then up and then down again. After the initial up I packed away my poles but wished I hadn’t as the next couple of inclines I really noticed how much they stopped your glutes from burning. Over the next km we went up another 170m. It was a tough slog mostly climbing up rock steps ledges and big boulders. The first 3 elevations were only over 2.5km so they were very tough. We then descended 120m over the next 2.5km into the Gorge. The toughest climb came next 300m elevation over 1.5km. Up, up and up some more. This first 7 km took us 4 hours. We then enjoyed lunch with the most spectacular view. After lunch we walked along the ridge top over difficult rocky terrain but the views were amazing. We enjoyed the view walking along the ridge for about 30 mins. Then we went down down down over very rocky, tricky terrain, I had a couple of slips today but didn’t hit the deck thankfully. The views as we headed down were spectacular as well. We descended 300m in 50 mins over 2km with very few switch backs. It was very rocky with lots of loose rocks. We then followed an undulating smoother track for a few km. When we got to the 3km mark again the trail through us a few wobblies. A steep incline, followed by creek bed where we passed a a waterhole and Gorge and then lastly 1.5km of soft sand. By this stage I was wrecked. I did the Cliff Young shuffle to camp, it felt like the last km took me an hour. It was a tough day with very rewarding scenery. A few birds and bigger lizards, some new flowers and beautiful blue skies. The weather was pretty good and great for walking. We don’t have too far to go now. Section 2 which is 26km and Section 1 which is 24km. We will probably do this over 4 days. We enjoyed camp with Rebecca, Liza, Jim, Penny and Eric. This was our main camp buddies over the last 10 days. It had been quite lovely to get to know everyone a little better. The sunset tonight was quite spectacular and the stars are so bright tonight. We are lying in bed watching the stars from our tent. Boy are we the lucky ones.

Wednesday 15 June 2022
Brinkley Bluff to Standley Chasm – Section 4 Part 2
Distance 10.22km
Moving time 3:24
Track time 3:54
Temp 7′- 25
Up 134m Down 577m

We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and moonset this morning. It was amazing. The red in the sky is so vibrant in the outback. We then stayed up and got organised almost early. Getting away about 8.45am. Yay team! We were still the last to leave camp but that is par for the course.
The first part of the day was a slow decline across the Ridge line. It was like walking down a dinosaurs back bone over the jagged shale. It was tricky underfoot but the views on either side were amazing. We had one nasty incline which was a very steep up section over a very short distance. This brought us to Reveal Saddle at about the 5km mark where we enjoyed a chat with a 14 day E2E tour guide. They are always happy to share their knowledge. Today was the section where a couple of mulga snakes have been seen over the last couple of days so David led most of the way with his eagle eyes. We continued down again for another couple of km along rocky track and then at the 3km to home mark we hit a creek bed and we followed this all the way to Standley Chasm. This is very tiring as the rocks move underfoot the whole way. We arrived at camp at about 1.45pm and after pitching our tent we enjoyed a burger, wedges and smoothie. Then a lovely shower, with average water pressure but hot water which was fantastic. I also washed our socks which were getting a bit hard after 14 days continuous wearing. David saw an unusual gecko which was camera shy, we also saw some spinifex pigeons, ring necked parrots and a flock of budgies. The trail head camps are very social, we met many new people this afternoon. I think there is about 24 people or more at this camp. We met up with Jim who got a $750 lift from Rocky Gully to here a few days ago with a buggered foot. He is going to try to finish the trail from here tomorrow. It is a hive of activity as everyone has a food drop to organise and reshuffle in their bags ready for tomorrows hike. Liza is still here with us and Penny and Eric moved on to Millers Flat this afternoon. I muffed our food supply, only did 4 days food for 5 days hiking. Oops! Lucky we had a bought lunch and meat/salad pack for dinner. We were going to buy breakie but have decided to have muesli bar and apple and try to get away a bit earlier as we have a 6.5 hr day tomorrow.

Tuesday 14 June 2022
4/5 Junction to Brinkley Bluff – Section 4 Part 1
Distance 7.87km
Moving time 2:26
Track time 3:28
Temp 3′- 25
Up 607m Down 95m

“Section 4 – follows the high quartzite ridges of the Chewings Range and although graded difficult will reward walkers with breathtaking views in all directions. The trail follows the river valley from Birthday Waterhole to Mintbush Spring, then enters Stuart’s Pass, an upper branch of the Hugh River, then down a little to Rocky left before steeply ascending Brinkley Bluff.”

Today was going to be tough. We have a short distance with a huge elevation. We set off at about 10am on the undulating first four kilometres. Then it was time to go up. Over the next 2km we climbed 280m in elevation. This was on switch backs, over rocks and a constant up up, and up. This took us through Stuart’s Pass which was a continuous climb up. We saw many different flowers today and also walked through another burnt section. We then descended 66m over the next km to Rocky Cleft which was an amazing view point through jagged rocks. But the tough bit about that was we then had to ascend 283m over the next 1.3km. It was a tough climb which was along switchbacks, as well as some tricky rock faces. David was in his element and climbed quickly considering he was carrying 5 litres of water again. Lucky we were down to 2 days of food. I had 3 litres today so it was also a bit heavy. I just had to dig deep and walk on and on and on. We arrived at the top at about 1.30. I was hot, sweaty and puffed but the view was worth it. We had spectacular views in all directions. We just enjoyed the views all afternoon. We had a walk out to the point, a chat with our fellow hikers – Liza, Penny and Eric, plus another 4 hikers from last night – all heading on our same itinerary. A bit later a young girl arrived plus just before sunset a lady from Umina Surf Club (Suzanne) and her niece arrived. She had decided not to wear her toe socks this time and was regretting this decision as she could feel blisters developing. David hasn’t worn his yet. She had only been on the track 5 days with 12 to go, so David have her his toe socks. Paying it forward as everyone on the track seems to do. Always looking out for your fellow hikers. The camaraderie is fantastic. We watched a beautiful sunset and moonrise at the million start restaurant at the top of Brinkley Bluff (elevation 1209m) and marvelled at how lucky we all are to experience the wonders of this trail.

Monday 13 June 2022
Fringe Lily Creek to 4/5 Junction – Section 5 Part 2
Distance 8.86km
Moving time 3:28
Track time 5:12
Temp 3′- 23
Up 413m Down 470m

4/5 Junction to Birthday Waterhole return
2.5km

I had a shocking sleep last night, I thought I would try not using the sitpads under my hip. Silly me! I woke with a freezing hip during the night and struggled to get warm. Fringe Lily was a beautiful camp spot at 800m elevation but very chilly. Our campsite was the best, as it got the sun first. Still didn’t leave till 2nd last but that is ok.
We left camp and started climbing straight away. Up 200m elevation over 2km. It was a brutal start to the day. Lucky it was switch backs or it would have been a lot worse. The view at the top was spectacular from where we had come and also where we were going. We then climbed the Razorback Ridge. This was a spectacular cliff of razor edged rocks. It was magnificent but it was tough, another 100m elevation over the next km. We then headed down some switchbacks to Windy Saddle. We passed some flowers but it still had some challenging rocky sections. We continued down Rocky Talus, then through Spencer Gorge which was through the river bed and was boulder hopping the whole way. There were some tricky big boulders to negotiate, as well with some big drops, one we had to remove our packs and pass them down. Then back up another 50m elevation, followed by the last 2 km of pleasant track walking. We moved well throughout the day and our moving time was very fast but our track time was quite long as we enjoyed lots of the views and had quite a few stops. We arrived at 4/5 Junction camp at about 2.30pm.
We found a nice little camp near the shelter, setup the tent and headed for Birthday Waterhole for a swim and muscle ice bath. It was very cold yet again but invigorating for my tired muscles. David once again stood ankle deep for a few minutes. Too cold for him. We then walked back to camp for dinner. There were about 10 people in camp again tonight. Sadly we are on the count down now. Tonight is our 11th sleep on the track and we have six more to go. Today was another favourite for David, the track was tricky, steep and a little challenging with the most spectacular views. The next couple of days should be the same. What an amazing adventure!

Sunday 12 June 2022
Hugh Gorge to Fringe Lily Creek – Section 5 Part 1
Distance 9.3km
Moving time 3:03
Track time 4:42
Temp 2′- maybe 19
Up 236m Down 166m

“Section 5 is definitely one of the most visually spectacular and best sections of the entire Larapinta Trail. The entire section offers great views, particularly between Linear Valley and Hugh Gorge. It is also one of the most difficult sections involving ridgetop walking, steep climbs, clambering over dry river beds and boulders, negotiating waterholes and snaking through thick vegetation and thick river debris in narrow gorge areas.

Walkers should allow sufficient time to enjoy this rugged and spectacular section. The trail follows natural watercourses and it may be necessary to negotiate pools of water within Hugh Gorge. Allow two days to comfortably complete this section.

The reddish-orange walls of High Gorge contrast sharply with the bleached and water-0worn boulders of the watercourse. Ant surface oxides which form on the rocks are quickly dissolved and washed away each time the river flows.”

Today is going to be a fun day albeit harder because we have to carry 2 days water. I have 3 litres and David’s has 5 litres (Thanks DB). David has been waiting for the next 4 or 5 days from the start. Thankfully it is a beautiful sunny day as we have to go swimming today and we had a few spots of rain for about an hour last night. After a very social morning with our camp friends. The 2 young girls are on their way from Melbourne to Darwin for work, one is a nurse and the other will be working as an OT with special needs children in a school environment. Life is a great adventure. We had a chat with the Terrigal couple (Troy and Amanda – parents to young children 8 and 10) who feel privileged to get this opportunity. The husband said they have spoken to each other more in the last 5 days than they have for the last year. He is really happy to be doing this.
We hit the trail at 10am. It is a short distance today. Only 7.3km with a trail time of 4.5 hours. It is our type of hiking today. Creek beds of rocks big and small, boulder hopping, navigating up and down rocks, then a swim in freezing water, passing packs up an enormous boulder. The views of the escarpment in the Gorge were spectacular. David managed to only get up to his knees wet and climbed up a log which I held firm for him (my arms deep in the water hehe!). Then I walked back and forth with the packs and passed them up to him. His was so heavy (maybe 17kg) with the extra water as we have a dry camp tonight. Then I dived into the water and swam around the boulder. The cold water took my breath away. Liza floated her pack around instead. Another couple did the same as us, and Penny and Eric swam around. We then all got dressed and sat in the sun for lunch. What a glorious life we all have. Feeling very lucky.

After lunch we headed further into the Gorge on cold wobbly legs and walked up through Pocket Valley. We spoke with a Day pack group guide who told us he had seen 2 mulga snakes in the last 2 days so we will keep our eyes open extra wide. As we continued David was very lucky to see 2 dingoes on the creek bed in front of him, as I came towards him they walked up the ridge but I was still lucky to see them before they walked away. They were very healthy looking animals. We then climbed up a steep incline to Rocky Saddle. The views from the saddle were spectacular in both directions and the photos do not do the view justice. As we walked down from the saddle we saw the most amazing view, the valley was dotted with grey and green spinifex. It was a long walk through rocky beds but we walk well through this type of terrain. We continued for a while longer and arrived at Fringe Lily camp at 2.40pm. Following a sign made with rocks, we walked to the water pool at the end of the creek to watch the change of colours as the sun goes down. It was very pretty. We found a lovely camp that had sun warmth until 5.30pm which is fantastic. We have a great setup routine now which goes very smoothly. We have 8 in camp with us tonight – Penny and Eric, Liza, Saskia a young solo girl (E2W), a young couple (E2W) and us. The sites are well spread out. We only passed about 4 or 5 E2W bound hikers today plus a day pack group of about 7.
We are in bed again before 7pm as there is no shelter to gather at to chat. Also no water or toilet but that’s all part of the fun.

Tonight DBs shin is a mess. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Saturday 11 June 2022
Rocky Gully to Hugh Gorge – Section 6 Part 2
Distance 15.1km
Moving time 3:46
Track time 5:18
Temp 6′- 13
Up 315m Down 318m
FB – 2 bandaids

We had a great nights sleep last night which was fantastic. We woke to an overcast day with a strong cold wind which continued all day. It was cloudy and windy and cold all day. The second day we have hiked in our polar fleece, and first time in gloves and beanie. This morning we enjoyed a lovely breakfast chat with Steve, Mary-Anne and Fiona, and Linda. Steve and Dave had a good surf chat and I talked with MaryAnne and Fiona. Steve and Mary-Anne’s daughter Tracey (37) was a professional dance. First on Princess cruises for 6 years then Moulin Rouge for 18 months, then back on the cruise ships again. Anyway it was a lovely morning but cold and windy. We headed off about 9am. It was cloudy, cold and windy most of the day. We both hiked with our polar fleece all day. Gloves were on and off and David wore his beanie most of the day. We walked over the last 2 days from the Heavitree Range across the Alice Valley to the Chewings Range. It was very similar terrain and views but has been quite an easy couple of days. Only a couple of small hills each day with undulating pathways, a bit rocky in sections. As today progressed the rocks started to get big and more boulder like. After the first 30 mins of walking the underside of my right forefoot was very tender and bruised, so I stopped and padded it with a couple of bandaids. Then was just more particular with foot placement and it was good for the rest of the day. David’s ankle was a lot better today and he went without tape based on advice from Ben, a Physio who camped with us last night. He said DB looked like he was walking ok so should try not to tape it. His left quad and hip were also a lot better today. We are really happy with how we are going considering Dave’s mishap. The next couple of days are tricky scrambling, short distance but long hours. We are really looking forward to the next couple of sections as the views and challenges are meant to be great. We passed about 8 hikers on the trail today and were the first to camp. All afternoon people arrived. 2 couples (1 from Terrigal), 1 solo girl (Brie), then in the late afternoon 2 girls and a guy – all from the east. Then from the west – Liza had done a 29km day after her rest day at Ellery North and Penny (43) and Eric (53) caught up with us and also had come from a Ellery North. They all had some interesting stories, some in better shape than others. But David was in his element. I left him up talking because I was too cold to stay up any longer. He just loves hearing their stories. We didn’t pass any Daypackers today.

Friday 10 June 2022
Ellery Creek North to Rocky Gully – Section 6 Part 1
Distance 13.6km
Moving time 3:35
Track time 4:57
Temp -1′- don’t know’
Up 327m Down 216m

“Section 6 is the longest section of the Larapinta Trail, but much of the trail winds up, around and over undulating and boring terrain for no particular reason (David’s words exactly). That said, it is a pleasant walk across Alice Valley and a welcoming change after the rugged mountainous terrain of S5. Excellent walk for bird watching. Rocky Gully is a nice half way campsite.”

What a spacious beautiful camp on the river bed at Ellery Creek North. We both had a pretty good sleep. Enjoyed a gorgeous sunrise and breakfast in the river bed. A bit of a chat and we got away at about 10.04am. We had a very chatty morning on the trail. We passed about 10 through hikers and 10 day packers in the first 5km which with all the talking took us about 2 hours. Very slow. The going was pretty easy up and down slightly undulating pathways. The last 3km was a few bigger hills and it got rockier with lots of quartz on the path as well. It was a pretty good day. Slow in total time for the distance but lots of rest time talking. We walked through the Alice Valley from the Heavitree Range towards the Chewings Range. On to Hugh Gorge tomorrow. We have a couple of groups of 3 plus a solo lady at camp. So not too busy tonight.

David has improved today.
– Right Ankle good
– Left Quad minor issues
– Hips good.
The wonder Physio cream and sticky tape are working wonders. David is looking forward to the tougher stuff in the next few days, today was a bit same same for him but I still love it.

We met some youngsters (mid 20s) at Rocky Gully today who have been on the trail from east to west for 7 days, going hard right from the start. Unfortunately they are all struggling with blister issues, lost toe nails and are leaving the trail tomorrow. They are very sad and were asking advice as to how to overcome this. It is such a shame.

We shared a round table dinner without the table with some interesting people. A couple and a female friend of theirs and a solo lady. They were all our age and a bit older. Once we got talking about travels and other hikes, life etc we found out we shared more common interests. The guy was Steve McBean who came 2nd to Guy Leech in the 1st ever Coolangatta Gold race after the movie. He was also Lenny Cooks nemesis. It was interesting conversation and a great night that ended at 6.30pm as the sun set and everyone went to bed. We are still going strong and looking forward to the next 10 days.

Thursday 09 June 2022
Serpentine Gorge to Ellery Creek North – Section 7
Distance 12.4km
Moving time 2:56
Track time 3:16
Temp 3′- maybe 17′
Up 197m Down 242m

Section 7 takes walkers through the Heavitree Range to enjoy expansive views across the Alice Valley to the north. The gently undulating terrain means this section can be easily completed in one day.

Today was quite an easy day except for the extra weight of 7 days food. My pack was about 13.5kg and 17kg for David. We needed to get away early so we could make use of the afternoon sun for charging purposes. But yet again we were last to leave at 9.33am. We started with a little uphill climb and a rocky section, with another climb and scramble then the next 6 or so km was undulating and quite pedestrian. It was nice to be able to walk it out without so much concentration. It was a beautiful walk through the Heavitree range with views of the Alice Valley. It was lovely to get to camp early in time for lunch. We managed to recharge and then I had a swim in the Gorge, it was freezing but invigorating for all my body. It was very cold. David lasted about 3 mins with his ankle in. He managed really well today and his ankle is not too sore tonight. He has a sore hip and his left knee is sore from protecting the right ankle yesterday. All in all a good result. I thought we might be back at Alice having a 5 day rest for David to recover. We met some more lovely people at Ellery Creek North camp today. A group of 4 young girls, a solo boy, a solo girl, a lady our age (Liza) and a couple and 1 friend. Plus a couple on the trail today. A great day also rejuvenating for our legs as it wasn’t too arduous.

Total walked so far 115.75km