Larapinta Trail round-up

Tough, is the one word description of the last 14 days walking the Larapinta Trail.

I will go back and fill in the days from my notes scribbled in the trail, so this is just to provide an overview.

We walked every day, totaling 250km over the two weeks. A couple of the days were nothing short of brutal, but most were fine. The countryside was stunning and we ended up with a real sense of the wonder of central Australia. The dust is firmly ingrained in our pores, the spinifex spines are embedded in our hands, and our muscles are still feeling the mountain climbs and descents.

Two weeks living in small tents, sleeping on swags, with trees for toilets and all at temperatures hovering around zero in the night have taken a bit of a toll. On the other hand, the cool nights made for amazing night skies and glorious sunrises and sunsets. Swims in the gorges were refreshing and helped retain some sense of cleanliness.

We started out with a group of 8 but only 6 of us made it to the end on the top of Mount Sonder. Nice people and good hiking companions.

We have a real sense of achievement finishing the trail. But I have to say we are also pretty pleased to be back in a world of heating, showers and real coffee.

Today we are sitting about and relaxing in Alice Springs before we fly to Darwin this evening.