Down Under Treks

I woke at 7.15am after sleeping poorly with sore hips resulting in me waking up every couple of hours, this would continue every night of the trip.

When I got up most people had either left or about to leave another trend as those only with 14 days on the trail were always pushing on hard. Very glad for my more relaxed plan.

First stop was a trip to Simpsons Gap, my first real experience of the massive rock walls surrounding waterholes. So impressive and so nice to be alone in such an peaceful but amazing place – the tourists were yet to arrive. A nice calming way to start day 2 on the trail.

After playing tourist I packed up and started relatively late at 10.20am for the 10km walk to Mulga Camp, breaking up the 26.2km length of Section 2 in to two easier days vs my original plan to go straight from Simpsons Gap to Jay Creek.

About 5km out of Simpsons Gap I got the first of a couple of major frights of the trip. Stretched out across the track was the largest snake I have seen in the wild. Snakes are one of my biggest fears and on day two. The picture below doesn’t do the snake justice, it’s head was in the grass on the right and you can see the end of it in the grass on the left. Mr Snake was sound asleep in the sun and in no rush to move out of my way.

Everything I’ve read about snakes is once they hear humans they tend to disappear quickly as they as basically “scared cats” so I made a lot of noise to wake him, taking over 5 minutes. Bad move. On waking Mr Snake didn’t leave instead started to move towards me through the grass! Time to get out of the way as I wasn’t going to be a snake bite victim on day two. Backing up the snake came to a stop on the path again right where I had been standing. After a few more minutes the snake sort of disappeared into the rocks on the right hand side, I say sort of as I could clearly still see the snake looking right at me. After a few more minutes of us in a in a “stand off” I decided time to dash past.

I had expected snakes to be sound asleep in the middle of winter but it seem this was a misguided expectation. Soon after passing the snake, about 500m, I came across a lady walking West to East so warned her about my close encounter. Like me her biggest fear was also snakes, so she put on her large Sea to Summit gaiters (which I didn’t bring as snakes are asleep). She was almost at the end and had seen no other snakes – phew!

It was at this point I found the second “mistake” in my itinerary the walk to Mulga Camp was 15.6kms not 10km, so about 50% more. The “mistake” was the order I’d place the kms in my spreadsheet with the first numbers being the second leg and the second numbers for the first leg.

=9.8+15.6

Over the course of the rest of the walk to Mulga Camp I chatted with a few others going West to East and of course no one had seen any snakes, so maybe I was just lucky.

Lunch was had sitting in a creek bed near the side track to Bond Gap. I wasn’t too hungry which I put down to the Radix Ultra Breakfast containing 800 calories, downed a portion of Electrolytes as per the suggestions from LTTS. It was here the first hot spot on my feet appeared, band aid out to cover it. I also looked for my water purification tablets and couldn’t find them anywhere… I know I packed them but just where, decided to sort that out at camp.

Walking in the afternoon sun was a lot hotter than I had expected even after being warned about this. Today only had a top of 19c, this mean the up coming days of high 20’s would be an experience.

With the last 2km of the 15.6km being hard mentally, it’s only day 2, I arrived at Mulga Camp at 3.30pm. Unlike Simpsons Gap there this wasn’t a trail head so no shelter only water, picnic table and a toilet, the essentials. Also unlike Simpsons Gap there was no one else around.

After setting up camp another couple arrived, Helen and Geoff, who were in the last few days of a 23 day trek on the trail – finally someone sensible not rushing. We had a good chat over dinner and it was pleasant to hear they hadn’t seen any snakes either.

Overall day 2 wasn’t exactly as I expected but at the same time it was exactly as LTTS has explained – first 3 days are about settling in and finding your rhythm.