Larapinta 7. Dawdle One and Dawdle Two

 

'How I wished I could fly through this canyon'

 

I had only left the campsite for ten minutes when I heard voices coming from behind me. There they were - Dawdle One and Dawdle Two, close together, in perfect harmony, streaming past me. If they were dawdling I must have come to a grinding halt. "Ok, you fellas are definitely way fast? Dawdling my backside", I called out something to that effect. They soon disappeared into the scrub ahead. 

Sunday 17 July 2016

Section 8: Serpentine Chalet Dam to Serpentine Gorge

Section 8 is a 13.4km section of the trail.

It has exhilarating views of the high quartzite ridgelines typical of the West MacDonnell Ranges, including Haasts Bluff and Mt Zeil, which is the highest point in the Northern Territory (NT).

Then came the sudden, craziest left hand turn straight up the mountain.  The twists and turns are so unpredictable it has become the norm to be surprised. In the distance I could see the duo gliding in unison up the barren hill. Having the two dawdlers to aim for spurred me on to pump the heart into gear. Up the top of the ridge at the Counts Point turnoff, Ron and Geoff stood there laughing and commented that I didn’t do too badly even though I was 15 years younger.

The idea came to me then to start a retreat for exhausted, nutty world-cup rogainers. It would entail, for these point-seeking addicts, to attend classes of nature appreciation and relaxation. 

 

Chill!!!

 

Both the dawdlers did not have to be convinced to take the turn to the lookout. I was told it was one of the highlights of the Larapinta trail and it certainly did not disappoint. We sat down for half an hour soaking in the warm sun eating our snacks, talking about the psychads in the crevasses, the rippled fossils in the rocks which indicate that all we were looking at was covered by ocean long ago. In my memory I cannot remember ever sitting anywhere more beautiful than Counts Point in Australia. The view to the West was of the huge, half-pipe I had so struggled  with the day before. Again, Mount Sonder - the Eifel Tower of the Larapinta (you can see it from anywhere), popped her head up majestically as ever in behind the almost unnatural straight lines of the West MacDonnell Ranges. How I wished I could fly through this canyon.
 

Looking West from Counts Point - Mount Sonder: now way in the distance

 

The way down wasn’t great for my knee and I had developed a special limp-walk, where I throw my foot forward, land it straight and try to roll over it. This technique seemed to work for around fifty metres after which a nice painful twitch goes through the whole leg as I go through my knee. “It is all good mate!! Only another hundred and fifty kilometres to go.” I told myself.  In my disastrous mathematical brain that works out to be just 7500 twitches to go before completion of the Larapinta Trail.

The magic view East as the track traverses over the ridge
before plunging down to Serpentine Gorge

Somehow Rod and Geoff ended up behind me and told me later how they tracked my every footstep, relived with me where I got lost and located the spot where I went for a wee in the bush. Hilarious, if not a little weird, but very astute tracking. The pair proved very entertaining and we spent the night in the Serpentine Gorge Hut together talking about travelling and our adventures in Papua New Guinea. You could tell they were great mates as they had been rogaining partners for 40 years.
 



Serpentine Gorge through the reddish setting of my camera

Months later I am Googling the Rogaining World Championship and found out the boys had won in 2016. On their club website of Eureka I found the following




Geoff and Ron receiving their trophy (photo courtesy of Google)

Eureka’s Rod Gray and Geoff Lawford contested the 24-hour 2016 World Rogaining Championships near Alice Springs over the weekend, and have come away with 2900 points and the Gold in the Men’s Senior Veterans class, and 18th place in the overall results. Their course took them bush for 67.7 km, in a gruelling 23 hours, 30 minutes and 50 seconds in the unique and harsh terrain of the Red Centre.  From Facebook reports, they have come away with very nice ancient-McDonnell-Ranges-rock trophies, and legs full of savage spinifex spines!  Well done Rod and Geoff!!

Digging a little deeper it even became more impressive. This is victory number five as World Champs. They didn't brag even a single time. Well done boys!!!

 

This year's trophy I suspect Ron and Geoff would have received
(photo courtesy of the WRC website) 

 

Grey Bits

 
The name of the orienteering game Rogaine comes from its three inventors of Melbourne University RODNEY GAIL and NEIL.




A White Ghost Gum growing out the side of the hill next to Serpentine Dam

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