Heysen Trail, South Australia
Mount Barker District Council, South Australia, Australia
time : May 23, 2019 8:04 AM
duration : 7h 41m 4s
distance : 31.8 km
total_ascent : 480 m
highest_point : 370 m
avg_speed : 4.7 km/h
user_id : gstreet
user_firstname : Carl
user_lastname : Greenstreet
I’m getting accustomed to ~30km days. I find the distance hard in that the last 10 k’s or so are when my body is aching the most but the distance suits me. I’ve found I’m not one who likes sitting around camp as I get cold and bored. When I walk 30 or so kilometres, I get to camp late afternoon and just have time for camp chores and dinner before dark. Then I lie snuggled in my quilt and write my trail journal (for me as much as for you, dear reader) and then an early sleep. I haven’t yet slept deeply but more toss and turn in little catnaps, perhaps due to the trauma I’m subjecting my body to. It will be interesting to see if I adapt and sleep deeply.
I woke to a cold morning and tent fly dripping with condensation although inner layer very dry. Thank you Briony for strongly recommending a double wall tent! I stripped down to my walking gear once camp was broke (“Be bold, start cold” as the wisdom says) and was warm from activity within 40 mins.
The walk was part of the trail that I had covered in the 100 km Trailwalker nearly two decades ago. It brought back lots of memories. The recently logged forests back then felt like an apocalyptic hell but they’ve now regrown into towering forests. I alternated between pine forest and classic Adelaide Hills grasslands and towering gums for what seemed like ages.
Then I moved into the scrubby section along the historic Jupiter Creek goldfields. Interesting but not that pretty. I came across a guy fossicking with a metal detector. I wanted to have a chat with him about what he finds but he wasn’t interested in stopping for me.
My body seemed to really ache this arvo so I tried distracting myself with podcasts for the first time ever. Worked pretty well but still a slog.
My friends Bruce & Isabel walked out to meet me from Mylor and walked in with me the last hour. It was bloody fantastic to have company after a solo week. Thanks, gang! They also gave me a welcome lift home from Mylor.
Wonderful to be home and see Lisa and Drew! I treated myself to soaking in a hot bath, pizza and some wine. I’m ahead of plan by two days so I’ll slow up and enjoy basing from home for a few days. The next two days will be easy slackpacking walks (day pack walks of ~15km) followed by a “zero” no walking rest day.
There is no place like home! ❤️❤️