Tuesday, May 24, 2016 - 0.65 km Not much to say about today's walk, it being a whopping 0.65 km to the HT's northern terminus at Parachilna Gorge Road. My ride was due to arrive in the late afternoon, so I climbed some hills and lingered in my camping area before walking to the trailhead. …
Category: Heysen Trail
The Heysen 20: Almost There
Monday, May 23, 2016 - 17.91 km https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49460341271/in/dateposted-public/ Beautiful views of the Heysen Range today. The trail was mostly double or single track and often formed from ruddy crushed/compacted shale, which I love as a walking surface since it's smooth and looks awesome. It also doesn't show the trail, but getting to this point and …
The Heysen 19: Carnage
Sunday, May 22, 2016 - 15.75 km Due to early starts on the HT, I've been wondering why I always got moving so late on the Arizona Trail. Today's frigid morning was a reminder. The AZT was fricking cold in the mornings, and today I huddled inside my sleeping bag until the sun rose high …
The Heysen 18: Moon River
Saturday, May 21, 2016 - 8.56 km Easy day today. 9 km all on dirt roads, except where the Heysen took a shortcut across a stream (apparently needing to fill some kind of stream-walking quota). Open scenery with ranges in the background. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49459878723/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49460563287/in/dateposted-public/ Emu tracks I arrived at Middlesight Water Hut shortly after noon …
The Heysen 17: Spiders!
Friday, May 20, 2016 - 21.98 km Despite having 22 kilometres to walk today, I didn't leave early, knowing that the HT would be on named trails and road all the way to the next campsite. My logic regarding the former was that 'if it's named, it can't be a dodgy Heysen non-trail'. Spoiler: Indeed …
The Heysen 16: Day Hiking
Thursday, May 19, 2016 Today I climbed Mt. Ohlssen-Bagge in a day hike from the caravan park. Somehow I failed to get a decent photo for this entry, but I swear there was a good view of Wilpena Pound. I swear it! https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49459881833/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49459880648/in/dateposted-public/ In the evening, an Aussie couple invited me over to their …
The Heysen 15: Pound
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 Wilpena Pound is a natural amplitheatre formed from two mountain ranges. Unfortunately Bridle Gap had no views and nothing is visible from inside the forested pound, so I haven't gotten a good idea yet of its shape. I hope to get a view on a day hike tomorrow. Today was a …
The Heysen 14: Easy Walking?!
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 - 10.4 km I packed up my tent as soon as I woke up this morning, but lingered at Bridle Gap trying to inspire myself to eat breakfast. I'm feeling less sick now, but haven't had an appetite since Mayo Hut. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49461708296/in/dateposted-public/ When I finally got on the trail, man was …
The Heysen 13: SINGLE TRACK
Monday, May 16, 2016 - 20 km The Heysen made me happy today with an entire morning of single track! The trail wasn't always well-defined and I lost it a few times, but I wasn't stream-following, so I'm a happy camper (clearly that expression originated with someone being overjoyed by an absence of stream-following). A …
The Heysen 12: Mernmerna & Slaty
Sunday, May 15, 2016 - 16.99 km I slept badly last night due to paranoia about mice/sleeping bag/tetanus shots - seeing a mouse scurrying down my bunk certainly didn't help - and woke feeling weak and nauseous this morning. Unsure whether it's because of the lack of sleep or something else. Maybe I need a …
The Heysen 11: Back to the Trail
Saturday, May 14, 2016 - 20 km Leaving Hawker this morning, I returned to the Heysen via a ~6 km highway walk. It was pleasanter than your average highway walk, with minimal traffic and a flat gravel shoulder of 1-1.5 metres lining the road. Roadkill was scattered around generously though and I could have lived …
The Heysen 10: Rest Day #2
Friday, May 13, 2016 As the only tenter, I attracted attention and a couple invited me over to talk this morning. They turned out to be trail angels, generously giving me a spare headnet and pen, buying me dinner and offering to drive me to Quorn to get a gas canister (I refused the last). …
The Heysen 9: In Town
Thursday, May 12, 2016 I decided to rest for two days in Hawker. Despite being a tiny town with a population of around 300 people, Hawker contains a police station and hospital... not to jinx future hikers by mentioning that. The biggest tourist attraction is a panoramic painting of the view from St. Mary's Peak …
The Heysen 8: Back to Civilization
Wednesday, May 11, 2016 - 9.84 km https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49460270468/in/dateposted-public/ My original plan for today was to hike from Mt. Elm Campsite to Jarvis Hill Trailhead, then begin the next section of the HT along Yourambulla Ridge before entering Hawker for resupply/rest via the next exit point. That plan was based on the fact that I wanted …
The Heysen 7: Historical Fences
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 - 16.14 km The weather improved overnight and the sky was clear in the morning. Today's hiking was a mix of roadwalking, fence-walking (am I confusing people with this term? Maybe I should say fence-following), and a small amount of cross-country probably following some historical fence. A higher elevation section before …
The Heysen 6: HGTTG
Monday, May 09, 2016 - 19.03 km Today's weather was the same as yesterday's, but the walk was less exposed and didn't present much difficulty other than the mud. A tiny bit of single track (rare!), preceded fence-walking and roadwalking through hilly country. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49459828903/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49460972117/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49460739216/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49459830893/in/dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49459831108/in/dateposted-public/ Calabrinda Creek Campsite was bizarrely located on …
The Heysen 5: Safety Pins
Sunday, May 08, 2016 - 22.05 km I woke up at 10:00 PM, 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, and rain was pouring down every time. My tent floor soaked through beneath my air mattress, but nothing else got wet. The downpour continued through breakfast and I knew that today's walking would involve exposure in traversing …
The Heysen 4: Mapfail
Saturday, May 07, 2016 - 11.87 km I only hiked 11.87 km today... and it was exhausting. Let me start by explaining something about the HT maps: the HT is represented by a thick blue line transposed over another line showing you whether the route uses 4wd track, road, walking trail or no path at …
The Heysen 3: Flies
Friday, May 06, 2016 - 16.22 km Some excerpts from today's journal notes: 'Terrible flies, shouldn't they land on animal crap somewhere, failure as flies''Flies terrible!!! 100 at once. Piggyback on backpack.''Flies miserable. Almost insufferable but haven't committed suicide.''Flies inside tent - happy to be two centimetres from eyes until made to be two centimetres …
The Heysen 2: Day 1
Thursday, May 05, 2016 - 17.86 km I left the pub around 7:00 this morning, realized after walking several blocks that I still had my room key, and scurried back to slip it under the locked door. I chose to view this incident as 'Discovered mistake so quickly! 🙂 ' rather than 'Blatant incompetence before …
BANE OF THE TRAIL 