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That night I was suddenly woken by
a blood-curdling scream of a child. I opened the tent noisily and looked around
for a small person in trouble or maybe even Azaria Chamberlain. Nothing!!
Sometime later I heard the sound and
felt the vibrations of a heavy hooved animal.
Fearing for my own safety in my tent I lay nailed to the ground, holding
my breath with the headline running through my head "Hiker Trampled by Bull" until the sound disappeared in the distance. Pheeww!!!
Much later on, during one of my visits to Desert Park, (only twenty kilometres from where I was lying), I was told the nocturnal bush-stone curlew or bush thick-knee screams out like a child in distress. A good explanation for the spine-chilling sound I heard. I also learnt at the park that the curlew (see photo above) freezes and stands completely still, relying on its camouflage, when it feels threatened. In the vain of "I am not really here you know" or "I am really a tree".
As for the hooved experience, we are now walking close to cattle stations and judging by the shit on the track it spells only one thing. Welcome to civilization!
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| Walking the planes towards Simpsons Gap |
I barely wrote any notes on the track
for this day. Sometimes, someone can say something to you, maybe a well-meant criticism, a flapped-out comment or a joke that skirts around the edge of a hard truth. A throw-away comment, that has a profound effect on your state of mind.
I don’t understand how the brain
fabricates this gnawing negativity that appears to be stuck on repeat. The whole
day was spent looking inward, trying to iron out the character flaws that may
annoy someone else enough to mention them to you. Then the questions came in my
head: Who the hell are you to tell me that? What is your problem? In true 'poor
me' style, unjustifiable rage wells up.
Out on the Larapinta I just limped along the small winding track trying to find a seed of reassurance or a little inner pep-talk that appears in my grey matter like magic - but it just didn't.
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| A colourful Spinifex Pigeon |
Everything is hunky dory right?
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| The rock walls of Simpsons Gap |
I chatted with Grant over a cuppa when late in the afternoon, completely exhausted, my lawyer
stumbled into the hut. My mood was slowly released from the heavy veil of
depression by the same species that unintentionally triggered it.
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| Simpsons Gap |
When it was dark and the air had changed to a light, biting chill my lawyer decided to lay down on his back between the hut and the toilet in the dirt for a spot of star gazing. After the initial "I am not laying down there" feeling, both Grant and I relented and took a spot either side of the notary.
It was incredible.
Here we were - three lone dingos of
the Larapinta Trail – laying on our backs covered in dust - holding hands (only joking) - galaxy stretched out in front of us with
glorious clarity – space junk passing by rapidly – tail trailing shooting stars
lighting up the black amphitheatre disappearing in a flash – infinite stars, planets and space – a world so much bigger than us.
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| A "grand design" galaxy like ours called M81. Photo courtesy of National Geographic |
The night sky provided a shimmer of light.
Grey Bits
The photo of the Chamberlain bird or curlew was taken at the amazing bird show at Desert Park. If you like birds 'this' is the place to hang out. www.alicespringsdesertpark.com.au
I have absolutely no cure for the Black Dog and do not profess to be an expert on the subject. This time I just waited it out and the company of others seemed to help. I know many people suffer from depression. If you feel the need to talk to anyone, Google 'depression' and you will find many agencies that could help out. Here is one of them; click on this link www.blackdoginstitute.org.au
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| Section 2 done. One to come |
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