Day 22 - Australian Alps Walking Track

Update photo of my right foot

Again last night I had to walk a while to get water, having to climb down amongst fallen trees and thick scrub to find a random little trickle of water.  After all the effort, it tastes like gold!

I'm now realising that I am within striking distance of Rumpff Saddle.  This makes me feel like I am home since Tim & I had hiked north from Red Jacket to Rumpff Saddle 2 years ago.  Todays goal are to get to Low Saddle and see how I feel when I get there.

So a pretty standard morning, waking at 5:40am and getting all packed up in about 30minutes.  I'm still enjoying my breakfasts.  Light & Tasty with water again this morning.  The Trail is easily identified adjacent to the camp site so I make quick work of making my way up Mt McDonald.  I heard last year that this area had had a lot of work done on it to clarify the trail so I was interested to see all the makers and the cairns everywhere.  The trail itself is non-existant so the cairns especially are the guides through to the summit and for that matter on the decent as well.  In relation to the descent, there were times where I disregarded the markers and just followed the ridge and without fail it always lead back to the trail just with less effort.  I must say trekking down off Mt McDonald was really enjoyable, I did spare a  though for north bound walkers as they would be spending hours steadily climbing.  Would be a hard day.

View while climbing Mt McDonald

Popping out of the trail at Mt Sunday rd Junction is exciting.  I know Low saddle is just around the corner and from Low Saddle I can take a crack at Rumpff Saddle.  Its really wind and warm so I have drank about 1.5 litres of water already and pretty happy to restock as last time we were at Rumpff Saddle we got water about 1km south of Rumpff which today would mean more walking.

Snake #3 - coming off Mt McDonald

I continue on to Low Saddle and to be honest I was really disgusted with the condition.  This is clearly a popular 4X4 spot as there is rubbish everywhere.  I was really shocked by it, the worst treatment of bush I have seen in 600km!  I am pretty hungry so I have lunch first before heading out to find water up the road.  I reflect for a while on all the preparations I had made for this trek.  For 6 months all i ate at work for linch was German Methwurst and Parmesian cheese.  Now, 22 days in i still love it.  Actually the meet tastes much nicer now, the texture has firmed up a little which I like more that the soft new version you get right out of the shops.  

Having ate lunch and relaxed for about 30 minutes in some shade I take off up Low Saddle Road to see about some water.  There was no clear trail junction so when i came across a massive tree that had fallen into the scrub it looked like an easy entry point.  this is really thick scrub so hard to move through.  I continued to seek out felled trees to walk along above the scrub which made it much easier going in the hot sun.  I did find a good source of flowing water and enjoyed a face wash as well.

Once I get back to Low Saddle I got what remained of John Chapman's book to see exactly what kms I had in store for me if I wanted to sleep at Rumpff Saddle.... 17kms, not a bad afternoon!  Now I know I have another food drop at Rumpff Saddle so I assess what I have a chuck a couple things out.  No packaging!  Just food!  Some wild pig is going to feed well off half a stick of Methwurst.

I really enjoy the trail linking Mt Sunday road to Mt Mckinty Road.  Its a really green well cut down scrub area which provides good cover from the sun.  It almost feels cool at time when the wind cuts through.

The next 12 kms are on Mt McKinty Road and there are very few junctions so I know for once on a 4X4 trail I can just put my head down and go for broke.  So I do.  That being said it is again so warm i am going through the water.  Some thing tells me however not to worry too much as this is a friday i will come across some 4X4 fellas who would no doubt shout me a drink.  I don't know why I felt that way...... inspired I guess.

About 6 kms down the road sure enough a 4X4 with 3 blokes are parked at the top of a very steep section of trail, working out their descent.  I shared my story with them before asking if they have any cold non-alcoholic drinks.  I am offered an ice cold can of Coke!  I drank it before he i finished my next sentence.  That was so good.  It was a real motivator.  I was refreshed and my insides are now full of cold liquid.  I took off down the trial expecting to see them shortly down the track.

I never saw them.  That soda also gave me a sugar rush.  I was hovering down the trail and frying down hills.  there is plenty of tree falls through this area but the trails have been remade to go around most of them so although making me go around everything there is little obstacles in my way.  Its about 4:30 now as i arrive at the junction with Middle Ridge Rd.  5kms to go.

I'm going to be at my food drop shortly & I am just pumping out the work.  Motivated, energised, focused.  I'm ready to finish the AAWT and fly to the finish line.

An hour later, down the Middle Ridge Road I arrive at Rumpff Saddle.  I sat down and didn't move for a half hour or so.  I was here.  2 years ago I sat here and wondered what it would like to be here again but this time on a grand adventure.  I am here! It feels awesome.  I reflect back to Tim.  I wish he was here to share this with me as this is his journey too.  I know I have been sitting still pondering for a while as large rabbits are starting to come out of the scrub and are hopping past just a half dozen metres away.

I am but a small creature!

I decide its time to set up camp, get the food drop out of the ground and go have a look for water.  I had fresh water in my food drop but was curious if I could find any in the area directly adjacent to the camp site just as a general interest for possible future trips.  Tonight felt like Christmas.  I sit in my tent going through my supply bucket picking what I should bring with me, how much extra food i should bring and how much to eat tonight.  I ate like it was christmas too.

I do notice a major issue.  To this point I have pretty much walked to the pace I wanted on any given day.  Now however that is all going to change.  Tomorrow is Saturday, and based on my 30 kms per day average I am less than 4 days from Walhalla.  The problem is that I am not mean to meet Megan at Mt Erica car park till Wednesday at noon which is about 5 days from now.  So I am going to have to slow down.

Day 21 - Australian Alps Walking track

Its 5:15am and I am standing here looking around.... where is it?  Is this a joke..... where has it all gone!

I have used so much of my hiking kit that I now look at my pack.... its empty.  I feel like I have lost stuff.  As I go through some mental checklists I realise that a) I have used a fair bit of medical supplied b) I have used most of my hand wash, toothpastes, toilet paper and the other personal maintenance gear c) I have also become really good at packing my tent and sleeping bag really tight, reducing their mass
d) I've not oversupplied myself with additional food at the last food drop e) I did send my extra batteries etc home with Tim a couple days back

I wish I could weigh my pack this morning, I have no doubt it would be somewhere in the vicinity of 12kg.

I woke about 5am looking out the massive windows of Vallejo Gunther.  I got moving pretty early as my energy levels were back and if the trail was going to give me any more surprises I wanted to have some time up my sleeve to make sure I met Megan on time at Mt Erica.

The other 500 or so people on the mountain were all still asleep as I make my way back towards Mt Howitt.  Its pretty wet this morning as it has rained fairly constant throughout the night and this morning has a light rain.  Just a little heavier than a wet fog.

From Mt Howitt, The Viking Centre of photo

I am really surprised how much better I feel.  Having had the afternoon off to rest my body and re-hydrate is paying off this morning.  The trail up to Mt Howitt is an open summit with a easily followed foot pad.  Despite the rain that is around I soak in a couple more glimpses at the Razor-Viking Wilderness range which bring back the memories of the past days.  I wouldn't have done those days any different, I learned so much about my ability.

HELLS WINDOW,  Mt Buller & Mt Stirling out of view behind my head!

It's fairly easy hiking this morning over Big Hill and Mt Magdala and by the time I get to the King Billy Junction I start to allow myself to think about actually finishing this journey.  I start to feel like I have achieved my goals.  Its still raining, but my joy has blinded me to its effect.  I steadily follow the trail across Brocks Rd towards Chesters Yard.

The weather is at times crazy.  Raining off and on just to frustrate me, I never know whether to have my jacket on or not.  And rarely to I guess right.  The sun comes through most of the hike across to Mt Clear but then as i am climbing Mt Clear the rain hits and my shirt gets soaked by this little rain cloud that I figured would just pass quickly.  I think it followed me like in the cartoons!  It was my own little weather system.   True to form as I summit Mt Clear, the sun glows through and for the next hour dries me out.

Next on the hit list is Square Top, which was frustrating also as I got caught up between the 2 possible trails and in the end just walked my own trail.  I think I am still recovering from the past couple days as I am starting to get a little tired and negative.  The following video you can tell I'm tired as the sentences  are a little disjointed and lacking vocabulary.

I arrived at camp around 4:30pm yet due to my lack of logic spent an hour trying to work out where to put my tent!  I was in bed by 7pm and slept like a rock.