Section 3: Every Day Is Leg Day

This section was a tough one. The days featured far more climbing and descending than previous and we additionally increased the daily distance averages. I could see the fatigue accumulating in both of us, but every day we were back for more.

The change of scenery happened surprisingly quickly - dry and dusty reds became verdant green meadows. The fauna shifted too, no more emus, kangaroo numbers gradually reduced and sheep numbers increased.

We walked through multiple fantastic conservation parks with dense native scrub and saw much more thriving flora than previous sections.

The undulating mountains slowly became smaller and the alien environment became more similar to the native scrub I'm used to from around Adelaide.

On the last day we hit some great milestones - 400km walked, 19 days on trail and we have walked the length of the Flinders Ranges!

Let's play a game of Where's Dave? to understand the scale. This was on the way to Mt Remarkable summit and he really is in there!

Day 13

I started the day with a glorious breakfast of papaya, caramelised fig yoghurt and smoked kippers. We left Quorn early knowing we had a big day.

Dark clouds loomed and our bearing was roughly towards the middle of a large rainbow. We were lucky not to be rained on, it felt like the clouds parted for us.

We had a fast and flat walk following the railway line. One section warned of a resident bull camel which we were glad not to make the acquaintance of!

Pichi Richi park had us climb a stony single track up to a ridge line. It was hard work but gave lovely views, I especially liked the pink granite.

The final section of the day was Mt Brown. It's a lovely conservation park that reminded me of Morialta outside of Adelaide. I walked the valley to a cacophony of kookaburras and made the slow climb up to the peak. Near the top the weather set in with dense fog, chill winds and the heaviest rain so far. I didn't bother to climb to lookout as visibility was about 50m.

The descent was hard. Wet slippery stones and poor visibility made it tricky to spot the trail. FarOut was great to keep us on track. We walked through meadows made eery by the fog to arrive at Catninga Shed exhausted.

It looks like a basic hunting lodge and gave us welcome respite from the wild weather overnight. We made a fire to dry ourselves out, had dinner and crashed very early.

Day 14

The morning was freezing! The wind howled overnight and it rained constantly, we were grateful to have shelter. Moisture hung in the air, we were basically walking through clouds.

On top of that a frigid wind blew. It took quite a while to warm up, and I had layered almost all the clothes I packed. My rain and wind shell performed admirably.

Once I'd gotten over the cold and wet it was a really nice morning walking of rolling lush green meadows in a dreamlike fog. There was a lot of incidental climbing and descent.

We met a northbound end to end walker named Matt. He was on day 37 and in good spirits despite what sounded like a rough time with injuries. It was too cold and windy for a long chat so we continued with good wishes.

We stopped for lunch at Hawks Nest, an exposed shelter on top of a bare hilltop that reminded me of a gigantic version of Brown Hill. It was a lovely afternoon walk with the sun warming us up and many kangaroos.

Our trail followed the road to Wilmington, then we walked access tracks under massive transmission lines. We got to the Stony Creek track which was muddy and ripped up by 4x4s, and finally made camp. The spot was lush and green and unsurprisingly next to a stony creek bed.

Day 15

I woke knowing it would be a remarkable day. Today should be the last of the big climbs for this section. It had rained all night and the campsite looked even greener from above.

The day started with a vigorous climb up a single track. It was steep but a nice trail with much vegetation.

It wasn't long until we entered the Mt Remarkable conservation park. This was full of life, many kangaroos with joeys and frequent kookaburra laughter.

We walked on access tracks which were easy and nice underfoot, although there were some steep climbs.

At one point we were meant to follow a creek bed, however it was full of water and fast flowing and there wasn't room to walk. We adapted by cutting along the ridge lines and swapping sides where we could. It was slow going and sketchy at times due to the steepness and wet.

We had lunch at the lovely Gray's Hut. It had a bench to sit and overlooked a huge green pasture. Then followed a steep descent to the valley and the climb of Mt Remarkable. As I climbed I saw my first fox of the trip, running low out of the bushes, tan with a white tipped tail.

There was a nice flowing waterfall in the valley, and the trail was blocked by many fallen trees, meaning more detours. Once past those the climb was pleasant.

The descent to Melrose was a tough one. There were huge sections of scree - stones similar in size to those used in railway lines. They were hard on the feet and ankles and demanded a lot of attention.

Melrose was a welcome sight, we'd been 3 days from a town but it felt like a full week with all the exertion!

We had dinner with Lachlan, a friend of Dave. His wife was away, so he cleaned the house and took their 3 boys on a road trip - genius!

Day 16

I could feel the debt of the last few days. For the first time I had blisters forming, a consequence of the fatigued and harsh descent in wet socks from the day before. Lucky we planned a short day in anticipation.

We ate a hearty breakfast at Cafe 54 and set off. Melrose is a lovely town and I hope to come back. We passed an old brewery that looked beautiful and worth a visit, then headed out along a road.

Soon we left the road to walk through pastures, which would be much of the day. It was raining and the wet grass meant wet feet and socks, although the soft ground was welcome.

There were a couple of bluestone cottage ruins among the lush green fields which I thought looked perfect for a puzzle image.

Late in the day I saw a huge and muscular kangaroo close to the trail moving in a strange way on it's front legs. I realised a back leg was injured and dangling. It was distressed not being able to get away from me but not aggressive. I was saddened by what this terrible injury probably meant for the poor feller.

I arrived at Murray Town mid afternoon and Dave had already negotiated with the caretaker Tom to stay in a shed. There was a big storm forecast overnight and our luck held once again to have a roof over our heads.

Sabine from Diabetes SA and her partner Nick had organised to meet us. They'd been to Whyalla diving with the cuttlefish and offered to cook for us as support. What a meal it was! Sabine produced a spectacular charcuterie board and made a campfire pot roast of chicken, greek lamb loaded with veg.

Nick is practically an action hero - an army nurse, scuba diver, sailor, parasailer among other things. It was a great night of food, conversation, wine and warmth and we were so grateful.

Day 17

We had a long day ahead and needed to start early. Sabine and Nick insisted on sending us off with a cooked breakfast. While we packed Sabine made bacon, eggs and garlic mushrooms.

The storm had passed overnight, we left with full bellies into a sunny morning. The first half of the day had us walking dirt roads through pastoral land.

There were many picturesque moments, I was particularly taken by a cottage ruin in a a green field, white almond petals dropping in the soft breeze like snow.

We made great time in the morning and took a long and lazy lunch with shoes off in the sun.

The afternoon was hard. Everything hurt, my feet and back particularly.

The trail took us through several different beautiful conservation parks. Many wildflowers in yellow, red and purple and thick scrub full of flowering wattle. At times there was a strong smell of nectar in the air and the buzz of bees.

Camp was a solemn affair. I set up my tent in tough and rocky ground, did my jobs, spoke to the kids and was in bed by 7. The sunset was spectacular, we could see the ocean and Port Pirie.

Day 18

I had an amazing sleep, I was out solid for at least 10 hours. It was a shorter day so we took our time, it was nice to enjoy the sunrise and not rush.

We set off on the Go Kart Track. It takes its name from generous locals who have set up off-road go karts, free for Heysen Trail walkers.

Dave and I suited up, stowed our packs and took off in a blaze. The undulating track flew by, and despite our best manouevering no one could take a clear lead. We finished at Beetaloo shelter in a dead heat. We arrived by chance on a festival day, with food trucks, craft beers and a local band.

No wait, that was me fantasising. We walked all day again.

The trail was rolling and wide access roads. There were some hard climbs but we were trending downwards as the Flinders Ranges come to an end.

We had spectacular views of Pt Pirie, and the trail took us past a restricted area with an enormous radio tower.

We arrived at camp a bit earlier in today, giving me a chance to build a campfire and have a pot wash next to the warmth which was a treat.

After dinner I think on it being the last night in the Flinders. In some ways it feels I've been out here for months, and another piece of me can't believe this part is already almost over.

Day 19

Today was a very early start. We had about 30kms to Crystal Brook and needed as much time as possible to do town jobs - washing, shopping and resupply. It was quite warm so I packed up and ate breakfast watching the sunrise.

I was treated to a live bout of kangaroo UFC, a pair duked it out over several rounds. It seems like a friendly match, there wasn't a lot of big kicks and they and the spectators ate grass together afterwards.

The morning offered nice walking and the kms rolled past - well packed dirt road is a lovely surface to walk on. We passed many lovely fields and some tougher dry weather only roads where the clay builds up into very heavy shoes.

I ate lunch at a nice shelter with a bench, arriving just in time to see the Indian Pacific train roll past with quite a few passenger cars.

The final section was Bowman Park, a lovely and lush park with a great looking hut for overnight hikers.

At Crystal Brook I dropped in to Little Edon for a fresh juice and was offered an infrared sauna! This was too good to refuse, I had a lovely time alternating my feet in ice and the 60 degree timber sauna.

We had a lovely dinner with Dave's parents in law Dave and Jan. We heard about some of their adventures in the Flinders earlier in life. Big respect, they did it harder than us in many ways.

Next entry - Section 4: We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends