It was another cold morning when we awoke at Finke river but the sun was soon on us and we started warming up and even though we were still last to leave we had a system worked out whereby if we wanted to hurry we could. Instead we got packed up and then promptly sat down in our chairs and had a cup of tea and some muesli bars for breakfast. (Having muesli bars to break up the Radix dehydrated breakfasts which are already starting to taste the same)
Sitting and enjoying the view first thing in the morning was wonderful and even though we were a little sore from 3 days of hiking we were actually feeling really good. I have a broken blister on my heal which is more annoying than painful and Sarah has a couple of blisters on toes which are not worrying her too much. Our hopes are that the feet will harden up and we will be fine soon.
The walk today was only 9 km and mostly flat and to begin with the terrain was a little uninspiring but soon enough we were heading into an area of low hills which looked almost lush green from a distance due to the spinefex but as you got closer in looked a lot more sparse and rocky and dry. The backdrop to the hills were the mountain ranges that we were about to climb in the coming days.
It was certainly an easy day and the weather again was spectacular for hiking. Our original plan had been to spend two days at Ormiston Gorge to enjoy a rest and also to do a small walk around the Ormiston pound which is one of the sights out on the range accessible by road. Therefore accessible by campers and day trippers as well as hikers so the campsite is actually very large.
As we were hiking along we spent a lot of the day tossing up the idea of not spending two nights at Ormiston gorge. The first reason was we had found out there was to be a rain and wind storm coming in the next few days and if we stuck to our plan then we would be hiking a ridge top during the storm. The second reason was that there were a few hikers that warned us of a large school group who were also planning to stay the two nights there. But the main reason was that we didn’t really feel like we needed a rest and if we did want a rest then we would probably want it in a quieter spot further down the track.
So really when we arrived we thought we would quickly have a look around and head off. The campgrounds weren’t especially inspiring but we found one right at the edge and set of to the cafe where we had visions of all the delights we could treat ourselves to. Ham and cheese toastie was all that was on offer but boy it was pretty good and while we were eating we decided not to worry about the rain as the forecast wasn’t really that bad and the hike around the pound would be something pretty special and maybe a relaxing day would be nice so we decided to stay two nights.
Our afternoon was spent wandering around the campsite picking up our first food drop and leaving our rubbish in the box. Drop off number 1 was a success and also our plan of leaving a packet of chocolate digestive biscuits and four packets of salt and vinegar chips was definitely a good one. Though we are certainly still very much enjoying the hike I think little pre planned pick me ups are a great idea.
We were all camped fairly close to each other so we decided to have our dinner with everyone else in the shelter. Once our camp was ready for the night and in the last light of the day we all gathered to heat our water and fill our various pouches of food. Everyone comparing their dinners and swapping stories about the day and other hikes that have been enjoyed previously.
It was our last night with Jess and our family of 6 as they were all heading straight off the next day and so we would not see them again. Jess was just about instantly a lovely friend and hopefully we will see her again somewhere and I hope she enjoys the rest of the hike.
The family of 6 were also off ahead of us and were a very interesting group. The father of the group was 85% blind and while he was aided by the family I am sure it looked as though he was following using a couple of sticks to feel the very rocky terrain in front of him. While he took a little longer on the steep rocky downward sections he was travelling at just about the same speed as everyone else on the “flats”. Around camp as well you wouldn’t necessarily notice unless you looked for it. It was definitely very impressive to see. T