Down Under Treks

Brinkley Bluff Sunrise

Up before dawn with most people to see the sunrise from Brinkley Bluff, again pictures are worth a thousand words.

After the impressive sunrise I headed off for the relatively short 9km walk to Birthday Waterhole via Section 4/5 Junction. Given my slow packing up others had pushed on before me so I descended down to Rocky Cleft a far steeper descent that the climb up to the summit – one of the climbs that makes from West to East harder than the East to West direction. The 1.6km hike down to Rocky Cleft was a real test of the knees and hips zig-zagging down while making sure I didn’t fall or slip. After to Rocky Cleft it was another 2.8km to Stuart’s Pass a nice camp site on a creek bed and where I had to dig a hole for a bathroom break – given that was virtually impossible on the summit due to the rocks.

Passing Mintbrush Spring, an amazing location of ecology not found on other parts of the trail.

I arrived at 4/5 Junction around 12pm had lunch while charging my phone using the solar USB charging of the shelter. Here I found out Katrina had fallen a short distance beyond 4/5 Junction and found day trippers at Birthday Waterhole to take her back to Alice Springs for medical treatment leaving her hiking poles at the shelter. Another couple from Brinkley headed off to try and make Fringe Lily Creek today.

After the break I headed the extra 900m to Birthday Waterhole my camp site for the night. Here I ran into a Joe from England who now lives in Sydney, Bondi of course, who’d been at Jay Creek, Standley Chasm and Brinkley Bluff and set up my tent in a shady spot next to him away from the 4WD drive campers.

Time for a dip in the waterhole, washing my shirt and underwear. The rest of the afternoon was spent just enjoying the surroundings, listening to the birds and relaxing as the sun set behind us lighting up the rock faces in an amazing red colour and formations. So peaceful.

Several other walkers arrived at Birthday Waterhole including a “glamping” group of day walkers – where you only carried a small day pack and someone else hauled tents and food to each camp site. An easier way to complete the trail.

I now realised my error from all the way back in Alice Springs – I’d miss packed my Standley Chasm food drop there was only 6 days worth of food not 7. This meant I was missing an entire days food plus I’d left extra food at Standley so I was in a bit of a bind. I checked my packing list and it definitely said 7 days in the Standley box I’m just an idiot who can’t count. So now I had to shuffle things around and turn 4 days of food into 5 days worth.

As it happened I hadn’t had my Radix breakfast on Brinkley Bluff so that gave me an extra breakfast. I then decided I’d split one of my Strive meals over 2 days – Mexican Beef Rice at Hugh Gorge and Chocolate Pudding the next night at Ellery Creek North not really enough calories but later the next day I would be at Serpentine Gorge food drop and could re-feed. It was only a 12km walk from Ellery Creek to the food drop so I could get there around lunch time. I also rationed my walking snacks a bit so I’d have food across both days.