Knowing that I had less than 20km to walk today I took my time leaving Spalding. I had to swap my pack over from my daypack to my multi-day pack, and actually brought both of my larger packs with me as I wasn’t sure if I’d fit everything in the smaller of the two. Luckily I managed to squeeze it all in, and after taking a photo of the pub that was so hospitable I was off at 0950. It felt strange having the larger pack on after the treat of a day pack! And of course I was now hiking solo after waving Annette off last night. The first few km’s ticked by uneventfully until I came to a section where I inadvertently interpreted the sign incorrectly and took myself on a little adventure trying to find the next trail marker. Very frustrating indeed, as according to my online GPS map I was directly on the HT, and yet I most definitely was not! It took me about 45 minutes of walking, map checking, reading the terrain etc and I eventually swallowed my frustration and did the sensible thing by retracing my steps until I found the last trail marker and ignored the map and went a different way. The high grass made it difficult to see the trail at times but I would like to put on the record that the map here is incorrect! Anyway after finally getting back on trail I went at a decent clip, not only because I wanted I make up that time I spent going around marker hunting, but because it was very flat and most importantly because I had a rendezvous with some friends of a friend of my mother! Somehow word got to Lyn and Glenn that their friends friends daughter was walking through their property and they extended a very generous offer of dinner and a bed for the night. I gratefully accepted and therefore I didn’t want to inconvenience them my having to change our plans. I soon picked up the Bundaleer channel again and went at a good pace. Now, I have read and heard people complain that the mid-North section of the Heysen Trail is boring. I don’t see it that way. As I was walking along I was struck by the thought that I was getting everything I wanted to out of this hike. I was outside, it was a lovely day, I was surrounded by green rolling hills and healthy crops, I was able to hear myself think and disconnect- from everyday life, from the responsibilities I usually have, from looking after anyone other than myself, from my job, from my Uni studies…everything! My only complaint was that I got the theme song from Rocky in my head 🤭 Anyway those were some of my thoughts as I walked by the Channel. I was able to recognize the amazing engineering feat that the Channel is, I paid my respects to those who died during its construction and I was grateful for the trail next to it that was flat and free of tall grass and therefore not worrying me about stepping on a snake. I met Glenn at the weir - in the end I got there about 30 minutes before he drove up so I had time to take my shoes off and air my feet, have a drink and snack, and enjoy the solitude

Hiking/Backpacking

South Australia, Australia

time : Sep 28, 2022 9:49 AM

duration : 5h 28m 36s

distance : 21.7 km

total_ascent : 236 m

highest_point : 310 m

avg_speed : 4.5 km/h

user_id : sarahc

user_firstname : Sarah

user_lastname : C

Knowing that I had less than 20km to walk today I took my time leaving Spalding. I had to swap my pack over from my daypack to my multi-day pack, and actually brought both of my larger packs with me as I wasn’t sure if I’d fit everything in the smaller of the two. Luckily I managed to squeeze it all in, and after taking a photo of the pub that was so hospitable I was off at 0950. It felt strange having the larger pack on after the treat of a day pack! And of course I was now hiking solo after waving Annette off last night. The first few km’s ticked by uneventfully until I came to a section where I inadvertently interpreted the sign incorrectly and took myself on a little adventure trying to find the next trail marker. Very frustrating indeed, as according to my online GPS map I was directly on the HT, and yet I most definitely was not! It took me about 45 minutes of walking, map checking, reading the terrain etc and I eventually swallowed my frustration and did the sensible thing by retracing my steps until I found the last trail marker and ignored the map and went a different way. The high grass made it difficult to see the trail at times but I would like to put on the record that the map here is incorrect! Anyway after finally getting back on trail I went at a decent clip, not only because I wanted I make up that time I spent going around marker hunting, but because it was very flat and most importantly because I had a rendezvous with some friends of a friend of my mother! Somehow word got to Lyn and Glenn that their friends friends daughter was walking through their property and they extended a very generous offer of dinner and a bed for the night. I gratefully accepted and therefore I didn’t want to inconvenience them my having to change our plans. I soon picked up the Bundaleer channel again and went at a good pace. Now, I have read and heard people complain that the mid-North section of the Heysen Trail is boring. I don’t see it that way. As I was walking along I was struck by the thought that I was getting everything I wanted to out of this hike. I was outside, it was a lovely day, I was surrounded by green rolling hills and healthy crops, I was able to hear myself think and disconnect- from everyday life, from the responsibilities I usually have, from looking after anyone other than myself, from my job, from my Uni studies…everything! My only complaint was that I got the theme song from Rocky in my head 🤭 Anyway those were some of my thoughts as I walked by the Channel. I was able to recognize the amazing engineering feat that the Channel is, I paid my respects to those who died during its construction and I was grateful for the trail next to it that was flat and free of tall grass and therefore not worrying me about stepping on a snake. I met Glenn at the weir - in the end I got there about 30 minutes before he drove up so I had time to take my shoes off and air my feet, have a drink and snack, and enjoy the solitude