I love Rossiter’s Hut! You can’t believe how nice it is to crawl under a warm down quilt, fed and dry, and listen to the twin sounds of the rain sheeting on the roof just above my head and the fire crackling in the old stone fireplace. Today is going to be an easy day, a Nero, or near Zero - which is hiker-speak for little walking. I have ~13 kms to walk down into Tanunda where I have a sleek apartment booked out back of the Tanunda Hotel. It’s been a relatively easy walking week. I’ve earned a few trail names: pilgrim (my fav), lost boy, sheep dog and perhaps I should now add “slacker Carl.” Still, no rush this time and I will soon hit the big 30+ km days. I wake up to a bit of rain but it trails off by the time I get up at 7am. No need to hurry today. I check the gear and food bag I hung last night and no mice nibbled holes so I’m happy! I get the fire going again, have brekkie and then pack up. Last thing I do is clean the hut as well as I’m able. It was left very tidy by the previous occupants 🙏🙏 and I want to pay it forward. I start walking at 8am. It’s misty and damp. The hike starts off with almost the only climb of the day which gets my blood pumping and warms me up. Weather radar shows “popcorn” showers all around me - those isolated small rainstorms that look like popcorn kernels on the radar. I’m prepared for a shower but by good fortune, they all miss me. My pack is about as light as it gets. I’m heading into town with a “gold star” carry; basically I’ve estimated my food needs correctly and I did not carry any excess food other than a few snacks for tomorrow’s walk to Kapunda, where I will resupply. It’s taken me many weeks of walking last year to learn to bring exactly what I need and nothing more. Once I leave the pine plantation, the walk through Kaiserstuhl is lovely - misty trees and large boulders. You’ve probably figured out I love photography. I don’t carry my DSLR due to its huge weight, and I miss it, but my Iphone takes acceptable, but limiting, photos Photography is all about capturing the light. I’ve learned in landscape photography, you need to spend quite a bit of time outside to catch those special moments of light. Walking is a great way to do that and I’m always surprised when one of those magical moments hits. I leave Kaiserstuhl and follow dirt roads, then paddocks. As I cross the fields, I walk below the cloud ceiling and views to the horizon open up. It is actually turning nice! Walking through the taller wet grass, I soon have soaking wet feet again - the first in days. Soon, I’m on the flat listening to the jarring sounds of trucks, autos and people. I go to my favourite cafe, luck out and score one of the limited tables and have second brekkie. Afterwards, I stroll Tanunda before a noon checkin to my flash apartment. I do laundry, take a massive soak in the spa tub and now I’m just chillin. It’s a wonderfully slack day! Dinner tonight with an old friend and former colleague! Ah, the glamping life for me! Carl / Pilgrim ———- Weather: cool, foggy & damp with isolated showers, then fining up Calories burnt: 1228 (may have replaced them at 2nd brekky! 😀)

Hiking/Backpacking

South Australia, Heysen Trail

The Barossa Council, South Australia, Australia

time : Jul 2, 2020 8:10 AM

duration : 2h 48m 28s

distance : 12.4 km

total_ascent : 158 m

highest_point : 584 m

avg_speed : 4.5 km/h

user_id : gstreet

user_firstname : Carl

user_lastname : Greenstreet

I love Rossiter’s Hut! You can’t believe how nice it is to crawl under a warm down quilt, fed and dry, and listen to the twin sounds of the rain sheeting on the roof just above my head and the fire crackling in the old stone fireplace. Today is going to be an easy day, a Nero, or near Zero - which is hiker-speak for little walking. I have ~13 kms to walk down into Tanunda where I have a sleek apartment booked out back of the Tanunda Hotel. It’s been a relatively easy walking week. I’ve earned a few trail names: pilgrim (my fav), lost boy, sheep dog and perhaps I should now add “slacker Carl.” Still, no rush this time and I will soon hit the big 30+ km days. I wake up to a bit of rain but it trails off by the time I get up at 7am. No need to hurry today. I check the gear and food bag I hung last night and no mice nibbled holes so I’m happy! I get the fire going again, have brekkie and then pack up. Last thing I do is clean the hut as well as I’m able. It was left very tidy by the previous occupants 🙏🙏 and I want to pay it forward. I start walking at 8am. It’s misty and damp. The hike starts off with almost the only climb of the day which gets my blood pumping and warms me up. Weather radar shows “popcorn” showers all around me - those isolated small rainstorms that look like popcorn kernels on the radar. I’m prepared for a shower but by good fortune, they all miss me. My pack is about as light as it gets. I’m heading into town with a “gold star” carry; basically I’ve estimated my food needs correctly and I did not carry any excess food other than a few snacks for tomorrow’s walk to Kapunda, where I will resupply. It’s taken me many weeks of walking last year to learn to bring exactly what I need and nothing more. Once I leave the pine plantation, the walk through Kaiserstuhl is lovely - misty trees and large boulders. You’ve probably figured out I love photography. I don’t carry my DSLR due to its huge weight, and I miss it, but my Iphone takes acceptable, but limiting, photos Photography is all about capturing the light. I’ve learned in landscape photography, you need to spend quite a bit of time outside to catch those special moments of light. Walking is a great way to do that and I’m always surprised when one of those magical moments hits. I leave Kaiserstuhl and follow dirt roads, then paddocks. As I cross the fields, I walk below the cloud ceiling and views to the horizon open up. It is actually turning nice! Walking through the taller wet grass, I soon have soaking wet feet again - the first in days. Soon, I’m on the flat listening to the jarring sounds of trucks, autos and people. I go to my favourite cafe, luck out and score one of the limited tables and have second brekkie. Afterwards, I stroll Tanunda before a noon checkin to my flash apartment. I do laundry, take a massive soak in the spa tub and now I’m just chillin. It’s a wonderfully slack day! Dinner tonight with an old friend and former colleague! Ah, the glamping life for me! Carl / Pilgrim ———- Weather: cool, foggy & damp with isolated showers, then fining up Calories burnt: 1228 (may have replaced them at 2nd brekky! 😀)