Larapinta 11: Decomposing Bodies.



Climb it, say G'day to the stone-man. He is waiting

This Larapinta trail is a magnificent achievement for the people that built it. Full acknowledgement has to go to all the volunteers, contractors, and parks and wildlife staff involved since its inception in 2006. I found the quality of the signage excellent; it is hard to get lost if you are not subconsciously ignoring important blue triangles through exhaustion. Maybe a couple of times I told myself that I just new better than any map or sign. Believe me, on every such occasion, I wanted to kick myself up the backside as hard as I could.

 

 

Friday 22 July 2016
 

Amazing thinly sliced rocks

 

Section 4:  Birthday Waterhole to Standley Chasm

Section 4 is a 17.7km section. You will need to camp overnight to finish the section.

The trail follows the high quartzite ridges of the Chewings Range to the summit of Brinkley Bluff, where you will be rewarded with breathtaking views in all directions.



Breathtaking

Steeply descending from the Bluff, the trail enters Stuart's Pass, an upper branch of the Hugh River. It then follows this river valley to Birthday Waterhole.
 

Information taken from the government website.

Going up Brinkley Bluff was a pleasure due to the rebuilding of the track. It was soft underfoot, went up as gently as it could and avoided major dramatic rock confrontations. Nevertheless, you still have to get up there.

I caught up with the Victorians, who weren't looking at all victorious; half way up the hill. Together we had morning tea next to a hidden waterhole among a beautiful crop of psychads. We were all buzzing from the climb and the chat was humorous and welcoming. Sometimes, things just take a little time. I guess not everyday a tall bloke, like me, all smelling of ol’ sweaty spice, chin bumfluff  and that hollowed-out look, barges into the place you planned to sleep. I can imagine a bit of trepidation. ’What if he’s got an axe?’

  

 

I challenged myself and pushed myself up the remaining, steepest part of the hill where I sat down for the infamous pasta and coffee meal. One by one, the east-coasters arrived in varying states of exhaustion; each spending a bit of time chatting to me as they sat down to recover from the climb.
 




One of the many varieties of butterflies on this track

Brinkley Bluff is another spot where I have serious regret about not staying overnight as the government website suggests. It is one of the highest points in the area and has killer, surrounding views. My lawyer (who you will meet later today) told me he spent the night up here all by himself with millions of stars. He said he laid on his back, being able to see our galaxy stretch out in front of him while watching countless shooting stars.

A sign of life. Airplanes in the red centre have very small jet-streams due to the lack of moisture in the air

 

Again, the lack of water made me decide to walk on. I followed the contour of the stunning ridge gently down. Dear reader, my apologies for repeating myself but the view from up there was a cracker and is locked into my memory forever.

 



The view from Brinkley Bluff of the ridge looking east towards Standley Chasm

Long ago, before people there was the DREAMTIME.  

A giant caterpillar or Yiperinye came up,

came up from underneath the earth at Mount Zeil, 

crawled across the land

leaving behind Tjuritja

the West MacDonnell Ranges

and disappeared at

Alice Springs

 

This story was told by Lofty Katakarinja, a story passed

 on to him by song and dance over many generations.

Some of the earliest drawings of man; the caterpillar stripes at Emily Gap

I was unjustifiably irate when, to top the day off, the track lead through a messy creek bed for two kilometres. My feet feeling, despite the engineered, rear-end cushioning like someone had stuck them in a blender. Suddenly, the sign appeared, joyously, announcing that Standley Chasm would only be another seven hundred metres. Walking that last stretch over a flat, bitumised road is a strange sensation after braving chunky rocks for so long - the sound of cars overwhelming after the soft sounds of nature.
 

Signs of better things to come

I set up camp next to the car park at the chasm and could only muster a lamely limp to the toilet block as everything hurt that late afternoon. On my way there a jovial gentleman with a semi-grey beard who sat writing in his diary and noted the state I was in. He told me he was struggling with the trail so much, he was surprised nobody had found his decomposing corps on the side of the track. I told him I wasn't far off laying down next to him.

Instantly we talked about the moving community on the Larapinta trail. There was the fast talking/walking Douglas; the fantastic four including the girl with one thong; and many more to chat about. I told my lawyer about Roz and John and the Melbournian hikers he was yet to meet.

 

We were invited to join a Polish family around a bon-fire they had set up. No longer surprised to hear they were in this area to compete in the World Rogaining Championship as a family. It was a revitalizing night full of laughs that went on till way after my dreamtime. Nine thirty???

 



The Yeperenye caterpillar, photo courtesy of Word press

Grey Bits

 

There is an informative government website that will tell you many great stories, ancient history and more about the West MacDonnell's including Lofty's tail   http://www.nt.gov.au/westmacs/stories/culture/all/175

 



I suspect this is a Dusky Grass Wren found in the creek bed
before the chasm. Let me know if this is not the DGW 

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