So the rain began on our little adventure out at giraween national park, it was ominous with visibility very low and the rain unrelenting. Even as we arrive out our campsite we were faced with erecting the tent in the rain. However, quick hands make light work and in no time we had a fire up, sausages going and shelter for the night. All's good then ends with a suasage in my stomach.
The rain let off eventually and the morning was crisp and fantastic. I'm glad i got up and got out to watch the sun rise over the land, a bit of a stroll and a bit of quiet time really sets the mood. Girraween is a awesome area with stark granite always around the corner littering the landscape sometimes and imposing on others. I say sunrises aren't worth it but the stillness just as the sun brings light to the land is surely precious.
It was destined to be a roller coaster ride though, The next 12-14 hours would bring many emotions but as we packed up camp we were just happy that the rain had let off and we were set for a great day. So off we marched into the bush.
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then we stopped, then we started again, but then we stopped again and started, and jolted up a peak then down a peak, then there were rocks to jump on, water breaks and sneaking water into random cups. Oh the hilarity we had even, it was 11 and we had only made 4kms of which 1.5km was on the trail. There was no way we were going to make it all the way to bald rock today but big deal right? there'll be creeks to stop at. No probs.
The landscape was quite amazing it would be forest then granite slopes, hiking up over mt norman and back over the ridge. We picked up a few injuries on the way though, N's ankle started playing up and my left ITB started getting tight and restrictive. Solider ON though, just looking at the landscape it draws me deeper and deeper.
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Speaking of drawing me in, the granite creates little outcrops which years of erosion has formed giant boulders with tiny squeeze gaps in them, forming tiny nooks and crannies that are just asking to be explored and so i obliged, crawling on hands and knees leaping from top to top. With the pack off i forget the tightness in the thigh and wile away the time finding the next crook.
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Certainly the time did wile away, because before you know it the sun was setting over the tree tops and the light was fading. We were still 3-4km from our new target campsite but we were on the fire trail and making good time. As the sunsets we arrive at the creek crossing. It seems we have made an error, no running water just a dank stagnant pool. That's not as we planned. A quick camp committee was formed, who wants to drink the water? noone. k, to the next creek! what else could we do? The sun had set behind the hills leaving us only teasing glimpses of light and warmth. It was going to be a long night i thought to myself.
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It was quite the irony that it was raining so heavily as we began our journey and here we are trudging thru the darkness trying to find a hint of running water but it wasn't to be. After disappointment upon disappointment we were unable to find adequate water sources that we could camp by and get a fire going, and by gosh did we need a fire. It's not kosher but team morale was low and the fire really helped. So we dreged up the local waterhole and filtered and boiled it for food. The water was dodgy but nothing a boil shouldnt knock out *fingers crossed* On top of that, a meticulously cooked pasta in red sauce really hit the spot. Who said camp food tastes bad? a bit of water flour butter and milk powder goes a long way. I supplemented it with my own pasta in avocado sauce which was another treat. However, this would all pale in comparison to what we would be treated to on our final night, if we made camp without ED ( you can guess what that is)
Dehydration can do funny things to people, make us say funny things and take some strange risks. Here you see a double hammock setup, like mobile bunk beds. Seems like a great idea, who would have thought that you could run out trees in a national park. Yet we did, out of the 4 hammockers, we have two sharing a tree, one slung under a dead tree and me bivvying on the ground. But it was a bright day and a good day! with a cup of dank coffee and a steamed muffin, ahhh it twas a good brekky! to the underground creek!
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After that roller coaster ride, people were quite happy to strike it back to the cars and have a bit of a chill out and so we made it back to camp at 10. A quick loop in 24hrs, we were beat, bushed and buggered. Into the easy chairs and the beers came out over a friendly competitive game of badminton. But no we couldnt come out all this way and just sit at camp can we? no we are burly men of the bush! We found the biggest rock we could find and climbed that. Once we were at the top fo that, we found the biggest rock on the peak of that and climbed it all the way to the summit of the Pyramids.
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last but not least was the most stellar camp dinner that man (me) has had in a national park cooked by resident bush chef D.
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Gear that worked:
walking sticks with tarp for shelter, not leaving home without these ever.
camp muffin for the morning,
camelbak is still a winner
converse as walking shoes, a little sore on the last day.
water is awesome, lack of water is less.
Gear that didnt:
hammock without trees.
gaiters were useless
Problems
water purification system
a ground sheet
a way to hang my bag on the hammock line so it doesnt get damp on the floor.
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