Perry's Blog

Perry wrote:

It rained on and off all night and the morning dawned grey. Lying in the tent with the pitter-patter on the fly we discussed how we would break camp and keep everything dry (especially the tent).

We got dressed and packed up everything inside the tent. Unfortunately we couldn't put our boots on as they were down at the toilet, then took everything down to the toilet. Then we managed to separate the poles from the tent and keep the fly up, which enabled us to pack the tent away in the dry. The fly we just rolled up wet and strapped to the outside of the pack. We also dried all the bags as we put them into the packs: I think we got a good result, which would have been very difficult without the shelter of the toilet.

The only thing we forgot to do was to have breakfast in the dry under the fly - so we ate our muesli standing in the rain (the long drop was just a little too smelly to eat by). Then there was nothing more to do than to leave!

I had never bush walked in the rain before (not being from New Zealand), so I was quite excited by the prospect - to put our new rain jackets to the test, as well as my pack's rain cover.

Proper gaiters would be a good idea - the sock guards we're using are really only made for solid particles (dust, grass, etc).

Sandi wrote:

Anyway, then the last day dawning with a steady patter of rain on the tent so we did this amazing thing packing up everything inside, getting dressed, taking everything out, then undoing the text from underneath the fly and packing it completely dry still and then P walking underneath the fly to shelter. Great design. Wasn't sure of the best orientation to use of tent on the landforms for water flow, but whatever, it worked, not a deluge in rain. It sure was easier not having to pack the packs inside the tent or the shelter them there, that would've been more problematic.

Breakfast was muesli just standing in the rain, no cup of tea seemed too difficult to kindle a now very cold fire, in the rain.

7:49am Leave Camp
Perry wrote:

We marched off up the road hand-in-hand, me feeling quite jubilant and excited about the rain. I'm not sure Sandi was feeling the same.

In the tent we wondered about and thanked God for the treats of the day. We had our first just up the road. A flock of lyre birds up a tree (what's the group term for lyre birds? Pack?): all making that high pitched whistle, then they 'flew' off - the first couple of wing beats looked good, then gravity took over. It was very chook-like. Then sort of flew-walked up trees to give them a platform, then took off.

We made good pace along the road and reached the first lookout quite quickly. There seemed to be a school group there having camped the night, in the middle of breakfast. The bacon and eggs smell felt a little 'unfair'. Great view over the Hunter Valley.

After the first lookout the track seemed to road-hop its way along the escarpment - the ups and downs every increasing in height and steepness. The creeks were clear and running and we wondered if that was the result of last night's rain?

Sandi wrote;

We set off in rain coats and good spirits. First surprise of the day very early: small group of lyre birds up in the trees and then flying tails all spread! Wonderful, I had no idea they had any propensity for flight, be it all limited.

It happened too quickly to get a photo unfortunately.

Sandi wrote:

Reached first lookout very quickly and a large group of secondary school students were there with camp kitchen etc. Felt very alien. Used toilet. Views great, misty and moisty. Rain already eased.

Not exactly sure who or what the group were, but their breakfast smells were very enticing. We therefore didn't torture ourselves too long and headed off again. The rain had basically stopped now.

Sandi wrote:

Next lookout again not far and easy walking, great views, we pressed on for Heaton Lookout and plunged off fire trails/roads onto a bush track. Very straight forward initially but steep in parts. Then into an area of rock formation that was spectacular and much more rain forest that I was expecting, and even an orchid high in a tree with sprays of flowers. Thrilling.

Perry wrote:

We'd taken our jackets off in one of the breaks in rain, and walked in shirts regardless of the showers, it was too humid/warm for the jackets anyway. Some of the slopes ere unbelievably steep, and in the wet, felt a little tricky, so we went slowly. There were some slopes I ended up doing more than once, after sliding back down to the bottom again.

This part's rating of medium to hard was petty right: some of it was damn hard.

The track eventually worked its way into an amazing section that seemed to be cut out of the escarpment/cliff. Very thin little track, big drop, slippery rocks and mud, lots of fun. At one point I was negotiating a tricky little part and a vine slipped up my face and grabbed my nose and pulled my head around, almost over balancing me over the edge. What a rush of adrenalin!! I'm sure my pack is not over 20kg any more, but it sure can tip the balance.

Perry wrote:

Found a nice little spot for morning tea and a wee rest on some thickly lichened rocks. Couldn't get a GPS reading because we were halfway down a cliff.

Saw some flowering orchids up a tree.

Then we descended into leech heaven. Couldn't worry too much, but every 100 metres or so, we'd have to stop and scrape them off our boots and guards. All I could think was how grateful I was that they didn't climb trees!

Sandi wrote:

Wandered along, quite precipitous at times. Stopped for morning tea and a good thing we did because we then entered into leech heaven and I felt quite pursued, stopping every 5 to 10 minutes to scrape the leeches off the boots. Thank goodness for good boots. I felt like I couldn't relax and was hurrying and I couldn't stop (very glad we'd had morning tea when we did). P had it worse than me in that my passage alerted them and then they all went for him. Hence an area of bush went almost unnoticed because of them.

I was so relieved to break out of there and scrape off the obvious. Another small creek down and up and we emerged at Heaton Lookout. Then a full boots off extra brought many to light, some attached through the socks and P treated them to salt without mercy.

11:49am Lunch - Heaton Lookout
Perry wrote:

When we finally got to Heaton Lookout - pretty exhausted - we did a full and thorough de-leech taking our boots and socks off. Thankfully each of us only had one that had got into the socks and our blood. Took absolute delight in dropping these horrid carnivorous slugs into their own little salt pit and see how they liked having their life's juices sucked out; or alternatively, tearing them end from end between my fingernails.

Failed with our firelighting today, so just had bread and vegemite and no hot tea (which we were looking forward to). We think the bread had fermented too: we'd bought a Vogel's because of the body and flavour and it stayed soft and moist all week, but now was extra yeasty!

Time to go and walk the last 4kms - putting my boots on discovered some leeches I'd missed! They are the most single minded little creatures: scrape them off your boot and if you don't move off straight away they'll climb straight back on!!

Sandi wrote:

Made an attempt to light a fire for the much desired cup of tea, but the rubber much too light and wood very wet, matches hopeless!!! Tried a few times, but gave up, must get thicker rubber, very disappointing.

Dry for lunch at least. Vogel bread delicious but seemed very yeasty, think it was fermenting.

The view would have been awesome if we could have seen it, but as it was it was a complete white-out! Only one other car came in whilst we were there: we probably looked a sight!

Re-packed the packs again, put the boots on for the last time and headed off: excited to be finishing, sad that we're finishing

1:10am Leave Lunch
Sandi wrote:

Pressed on, P at very fast pace on road, clay sticking to boots quite horrid; he sticked it off. I was concerned we were on the right road then reached the top and radio tower.

Very rapid descent but not a difficult one despite being very steep and warnings everywhere because it had handrails and steps at parts.

I was tense and lost the plot with P making a joke which spoilt that last descent which really was much better than I could've imagined.

I am thrilled by a last flowering orchid right next to the track on our final descent. Simply gorgeous and like a special last treat saved to the very end by an exceedingly gracious God. It was one of the strappy grass-like leafed orchids often in trees and with a flower spike just smothered in those oily looking greenish flowers. Sensational.

The last part of the walk we could feel civilisation wrapping itself around us as we descended. It wasn't nice. The road was very clear, and made me realise that we hadn't heard so much traffic noise in a long time! And then, all of a sudden, we were standing on the edge of the road trying not to get run over!

2:43pm Heaton Gap

Perry wrote:

Brisk walk up to Mt Heaton, then the descent to Heaton Gap. Very steep descent: glad about the handrails.

I made an unfortunate joke about doing the walk the other way around next time which upset Sandi.

Falling down the steps at the bottom and onto the road and the finish was odd, funny. Sat for a long time at the picnic shelters and SMS'd the boys. Took the boots off for the last time (checked for leeches)... and just sat.

Then we went into the cafe and had a vitamin C drink, ice-creams, coffees and a big pot of tea, after which Gayle arrived to take us back to their place.

Sandi wrote:

Heaton Gap: a great place to stop with outside covered picnic shelters and then a surprisingly excellent tea for two, vitamin C drinks also consumed, a coffee and a boys and berries cone.

Gayle contacted and tea just finished as she arrived.

And that is the end of our last day of walking, where we only walked 14.3 kms at an average rate of 2.6km/h.

At Gayle and Paul's we washed all our clothes (which didn't seem to make too much difference to the clothes) had a lovely long hot shower, and really did feel clean. Added our last journal entry for the trip and drank lots of cups of tea.

We talked Gayle and Paul into going out to dinner at the local Thai restaurant. We had to borrow some clothes, as although they'd gone through the washer, they still smelt (unbelievable!). I only just passed muster, as Paul is quite a deal shorter than me.

Great night out, great treat! And just awesome to think we're going back to a bed with clean sheets (and we are not going to ruin them)!

Tomorrow we're off back home again: reality has an odd sensation at the moment.