Section 2: “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes”.

Section 2 from Hawker to Quorn has been equal parts challenging and stunning. We have spent the last five days in some truly wild places, traversing narrow and rocky creek beds, spectacular gorges, stony plains and wind swept ridge tops.

Our days have taken on a rhythm of eating, hiking and sleeping. We are covering distances of over 30km and building the conditioning necessary for Section 3 and beyond.

Without a doubt this is the hardest hiking I have ever done. The trail through the Flinders Ranges is rugged and uncompromising.

It demands constant attention lest one missteps in a rocky creek bed or stone field or slips on a ridge line where the rocks jut diagonally upward.

Moving through the Flinders Ranges, my respect for the traditional owners and white explorers has deepened considerably. The wildness and emptiness of this country is daunting and it cannot be traversed without water. It is one thing to hike a well-established trail with mapping technology on one’s mobile phone, it is another entirely to understand the land in a way which enables survival.

We are guided by trail signs or ‘blazes’ which taken together form an imaginary ribbon threading through the landscape. The effort required to blaze the Heysen Trail would have been massive and the work done to maintain it is an enormous credit to the Friends of the Heysen. They are not always easy to find but they make for a fun game of hide and seek.

This section has seen us camping for the most part and making camp after a full days hike is it’s own kind of fun. I’m not so much falling asleep as passing into unconsciousness as soon as I’m tucked away in my sleeping bag.

Highlights in this section include: spectacular ridge lines and meeting Dan, a fellow hiker and new friend on Day 7; huge cliff faces with kangaroos grazing underneath and meeting a big group of section hikers on Day 8 (including my trail doppelgänger); the gruelling climb to the top of Mt Adern along with views of the ranges that stretched to the horizon on Day 9; the deep gorges and beautiful cliff faces running beneath Mount White on Day 10 - along with a stay at Dutchman’s Hut with its electricity, kettle and flushing toilets; and the mercifully short walk into Quorn on Day 11.

There are animals everywhere - we regularly see kangaroos and emus. We’ve also spotted what I think was a shingle back lizard, many birds and a tiny black snake which was sunning itself on the trail.

My favourite were the hawks who have made their nests in the cliff faces and who screeched at and circled high above us as we stomped our way underneath.

We’re now having a scheduled rest day in Quorn giving us time to recuperate, clean, check over our gear and resupply before striking out for Crystal Brook.

I cannot recommend Elizabeth House Backpackers and Hostel in Quorn highly enough. Kylie is a warm and gracious host and the accomodation is exceptional.

My feet are much better, some new blisters and some well-formed callouses and, while my remnant covid niggles away from time to time, I can feel myself getting fitter and stronger.

I’ve managed to acquire a tiny hole in my air mattress which will need to be fixed before heading onward but my gear is otherwise holding up well. I feel the same way about this hole as I do about mice in huts.

I have also come to deeply dislike dehydrated meals which is a little problematic given how many more I am required to eat. I do concede that what they lack in culinary inspiration they make up for in fuel efficiency.

The constant exercise is doing wonders for my blood sugar levels and I’ve adjusted my insulin regime to accomodate my new levels of exercise.

Sim is doing well despite some niggles and takes each day with his customary stoicism and positivity. We very much enjoyed our parmy and beers at the pub tonight.

My new shoes were waiting for me when I arrived and should make daily life much easier. A hot tip - don’t wear goretex shoes in the desert. It’s a rookie move.

Section 3 has us climbing Mt Remarkable and pulling some long days but i know we are up to the challenge. Things are gradually becoming less remote and we will be either staying i or passing through towns with greater frequency.

I’ve seen a truly beautiful part of the world out here and while every day demands something from you, it also rewards you in abundance for your efforts.