My actual itinerary for the trail differed to my planned on due to a number of factors:
Several factors caused my actual itinerary to differ from the planned one:
- Conversations with Larapinta Trail Trek Support, the team managing my food drops and transfers (more on them later).
- Interactions with other hikers, such as deciding not to stay at Waterfall Gorge or Mt Giles Lookout and instead opting for Hermits Hideaway (not on major maps).
- Water availability and weather conditions, for instance, shortening Day 7 due to a high of 29°C while crossing Razorback Ridge.
I have updated the Distance and Elevation columns to reflect the data captured on my Garmin watch, showing the actual distances and total elevation changes. Unfortunately, I don’t have complete data for Day 1 as I forgot to turn on my watch tracking until partway through the day.
| Day | Section | Start | End | Distance | Elevation Up/Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alice Springs – Telegraph Station | Simpsons Gap (Via Wallaby Gap Scorpion Pool & Fairy Spring) | 23.4kms | 739m / 744m |
| 2 | 2 | Simpsons Gap | Mulga Camp | 16.3km | 377m / 301m |
| 3 | 2 | Mulga Camp | Jay Creek (via Bond Gap) | 9.5kms | 225m / 176m |
| 4 | 3 | Jay Creek | Standley Chasm (via Low Route & Millers Flat) | 14.6km | 616m / 589m |
| 5 | 4 | Standley Chasm | Brinkley Bluff | 10.4km | 658m / 224m |
| 6 | 4 | Brinkley Bluff | Birthday Waterhole | 7.9km | 104m / 598m |
| 7 | 5 | Birthday Waterhole | Fringe Lily Creek | 9.2km | 545m / 440m |
| 8 | 5 | Fringe Lily Creek | Hugh Gorge (Via Upper Hugh Gorge) | 10.1km | 211m / 264m |
| 9 | 6 | Hugh Gorge | Rocky Gully | 15.5km | 389m / 385m |
| 10 | 6 | Rocky Gully | Ellery Creek North | 13.7km | 329m / 417m |
| 11 | 7 | Ellery Creek North | Serpentine Gorge Campsite | 12.5km | 317m / 246m |
| 12 | 8 | Serpentine Gorge Campsite | Serpentine Chalet Dam (Via Counts Point) | 16km | 632m / 565m |
| 13 | 9 | Serpentine Chalet Dam | Hermits Hideaway | 17km | 697m / 501m |
| 14 | 9 | Hermits Hideaway | Ormiston Gorge | 13.8km | 259m / 618m |
| 15 | 10 | Ormiston Gorge | Finke River | 8.9km | 224m / 264m |
| 16 | 11 | Finke River | Rocky Bar Gap | 15.5km | 477m / 444m |
| 17 | 11 | Rocky Bar Gap | Redbank Gorge | 11.2km | 198m / 185m |
| 18 | 12 | Redbank Gorge | Mt Sonder (Return) | 15.6km | 870m / 870m |
Down Under Treks 