Writing the old ways

"Stories, like paths, relate in two senses: they recount and they connect...As the pen rises from the page between words, so the walker's feet rise and fall between paces...so writing and wayfaring are continuous activities..." p. 105

Just finished reading this book in which the author walks and sails through parts of Britain, Spain and Palestine, but mostly Britain, following old historical path ways. There are a lot of books around that are about walking but they are not really about walking. They are about wandering and wondering and writing and wisdom.

I do find walking to be very meditative, especially if I am walking alone. Thoughts, ideas, lines of prose and poetry and even solutions to problems can come while walking. The steady physical rhythm of walking seems to calm the thinking processes as the mind falls into the rhythm of the walking, and begins subconsciously to process thoughts into coherence. Walking is the way humans are designed to move through the world. It seems to be a very natural way of being.

Day 6 - The last walk

Pete, Loretta and I were here the week before on the Wayoutback camping tour. Annabelle had decided she did not want to take us on the full circuit walk due to a waist deep water crossing. Oscar, Aran and Shannon did not spare us this week.

 



Like last week, the weather was perfect and we stopped at the lookout over the Pound first.

 

Then we continued through a small valley and out through the bare hills.

We emerge on to the floor of the pound and meandered across it.

We crossed the rocky and sandy river bed twice.

This is my "Albert Namatjira" painting. http://aboriginalart.com.au/gallery/albert_namatjira.html
Albert Namatjira was a  Aboriginal artist who painted in watercolour in western style and became very famous during the mid-twentieth century. His father was born near Ormiston Gorge and Albert lived all his life in this area.

Entering Ormiston Gorge, we navigated our way over many rocks interspersed by sandy beaches around water holes. We marvelled at the high red cliffs, white ghost gums growing out of the rock in a number of places, and the deep purple coloured rocks on the bed of the gorge, worn smooth by the flow of water after rains.

Then we reached the water crossing which was indeed waist deep. Some of our group stripped off down to their undies. Others, including me, opted for modesty and went in fully clothed. We all took our boots off to walk across the sandy bottom. The water was cold as first but quickly felt pleasantly cool.

Loretta's face says it all about the initial cold shock of the water, but she went right back in to stand in the water to take photos.

Aran was Regina's knight in shining armour as he carried her across.

One final full group photo at the Ormiston Gorge lookout.

 

Pete and Loretta looking pleased with themselves.

Me and my 50 year old little brother - the instigator and inspiration for this wonderful experience in central Australia.

The 'famous five' - Marie, Mick, me, Peter and Loretta.

 

After lunch and a real coffee from the kiosk at Ormiston Gorge, we were delivered back to our hotels in Alice Springs. I luxuriated in the shower, washing our the red dust and using copious amounts of shampoo and conditioner. We all met up again for drinks and dinner at Montes and the Overlander restaurant. Great night out to finish off a great week of fun and friendship, and walking in the wildness of the Australian outback.

 

Now - to plan the next wayward wander....where to next?

Day 5 - Trickery in the darkness

Somewhere, out there, invisible, hidden in the seemingly impenetrable darkness, lies a monster.

 I am struck by the thought that we have all paid good money to be woken at one am on a cold winter's night/morning, dragged out of warm sleeping bags to plunge in to this strange darkness. We can only see two to three metres ahead in the circles of light formed by our headlamps. Our guides try to keep us close together like processional caterpillars as they lead us over eight km of rough rocky mostly "up" track. We near the top of Mt Sonder at first light and within a few minutes, the sun bursts over the horizon. We have already redressed in all our layers of clothing removed during the exertion of the climb. I have seven layers on my body and two on my legs. The coffee poured warm from the guide's large thermos goes cold very quickly while I am taking photos.

Mt Sonder's pyramid shaped shadow falls across the plain and up in to the sky.

Oscar must love his job! (That is the 'villian' on the left in brown) What other 21 year old gets to drag people of their parents' age, out of bed before sunrise and order them to do things when they are half asleep? (I hear all you younger readers going "Pay back!! Mum and Dad!")

 

 

 

 

 

 On the walk back down Mt Sonder, the guides allow us to spread out. We can now see the views we had missed out on during the ascent.

 

Walking down is a totally different experience to walking up. We can see the steep drop off the escarpment which we had walked along the edge of, in the darkness, totally unaware of its existence.

 

They say Mt Sonder, when viewed from a distance, looks like a pregnant woman lying down on her back. We had climbed all the way up her stomach to the top of her left breast. It is apparent that our guides have tricked up in to climbing her, by starting the walk in darkness. She is one tough lady and some of us would have chickened out if we'd been able to see her from the bottom.

But we all made it to the top, and completed the return trip in seven hours, apparently the fastest group Oscar has taken up her.

However, there was some serious nanny napping of the sandy beach of the Finke River, both before and after the sumptuous brunch cooked up for us by Shannon, Aran and Oscar.

I will admit that I too enjoyed a nap lying flat on my back on the sand, using my pack as a pillow, after soothing my feet with a paddle in the river. It was heavenly.

 

 

Bare feet in cold water on the sandy river bed was gave our feet the best massage.

Waiting for brunch - the full fried eggs, bacon, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, crumpets and toast. It might have been lunch time, about one pm by this time, but who cares, best brunch ever!

Where is Ralph? We could always, always hear Ralph talking, non stop...except now - his batteries finally ran out and needed a recharge.

Last supper - damper, roast lamb, pumpkin, zuchinni, sweet potatoes baked in foil
                      apple crumble
There was no late night partying for our last evening of the trip. Unlike on the first week's camping trip, when guide Annabelle had to be 'Mum' and tell us to go to bed, we were all too tired. It was all over by 8.30! It was a long day and we are not young!

 

Day 4 part 2 - Almost 360 degree views, no doors and a cute helicopter pilot

After lunch near the Ochre Pits, we were driven to Glen Helen resort for a relaxing drink, shower, swim in the gorge or helicopter ride. You could choose to do whatever took your fancy. Loretta and I fancied the helicopter ride with the cute young pilot. I took 87 photos in 20 minutes. Here a just a few:

Loretta taking off - just a little bit excited!

Glen Helen resort. The gorge is in the dip to the left of the horizon.

That is my foot and there were no doors on the helicopter. Nothing between me and our friends down on the sand below in Glen Helen Gorge. (see previous post "Symphony in the outback" for a description of sunrise standing on this beach)

Lots more photos - go to youtube  and search for "Larapinta heli ride" for a slideshow of the ride:

http://youtu.be/JhnsQqv38kk

 

Day 4 - A morning of curvy and colourful rocks

A short walk from our camp brought us to the concrete Serpentine Dam, constructed in the 1950s to store water for a nearby resort/tourist stop. It is no longer used as the resort closed in the 1960s and all that remains of it are some concrete foundations.

Ralph and Mick in the dam. Not a lot of water at the moment.

A little further along the trail - Inarlanga Pass and it's amazingly curved rock layers

Aran and Pete on a curve smoothed by water which flows over it after rain.

Out in to the open again with big views

Natural rock walls jut up out of the ground in numerous locations. They almost look manmade (by a Mexican - almost expected to see a man in a sombrero with a donkey) but are caused by erosion of softer rocks from around layers of hard rock which have been tipped vertical by geologic orogeny activity.

 

 More ripple stone from the bottom of the sea.

By lunch time we reached the Ochre Pits.

It is illegal to touch these colourful cliffs. There is a $5000 fine if you touch them. They are sacred to the Aboriginals and have numerous ceremonial, medicinal and practical uses.

We interrupted a Cleo magazine fashion shoot.

After lunch we were driven to Glen Helen Resort, one of our camp site during the first week's camping tour. But that is the next post's story.

Day 3 - Serpentine Gorge to Counts Point - BIG views

Day 3 began with a gentle stroll in to Serpentine Gorge

 

The five friends: Loretta, Peter, Marie, Mick and Jill

Wildflowers, many and varied and so pretty were a real feature today on the long walk up and up to Counts Point. Have a look at the wildflowers tab at the top of the blog to see more wildflower photos.

We had a long walk along a ridge with views on all sides.

The rippled stone in the foreground below is natural. We saw similar stone several times. It is caused by water flowing over silt on the bottom of the sea which covered the area prior to the orogeny.

 Pete and the view west from the top of Counts Point.

 More views from Counts Point

We ate lunch under a couple of small stunted trees near the summit and then it was a long rocky walk down to the valley floor to find our new camp for the next three nights.

Vegetable curry with coconut rice
Mini pavlovas