Date: 18/12
Well they weren't kidding. The trail did get a lot more challenging today, and I did some damage to my Snickers supply at dinner.
As usual, my early start meant a lot of kangaroos:
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| Roos in the Mist |
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| How many roos can you see? |
At one point, I felt like I was back in Tennessee on the AT.
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| Déjà vu |
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| The original roos. |
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Most of the walking was steep descents and then steep ascents. The rewards were non-stop though. Every point I climbed over offered stunning coastal views, and every descent yielded beautiful rainforest like growth and beaches.
Some of the wildlife was exciting, in the sense that I almost stepped on what appeared to be a mulga snake, which is odd because they aren't typical this far south. Just another Queenslander escaping the humidity for a holiday on the south coast I guess. Still, nothing gets your heart pumping faster than one of Australia's native people-killers rearing up into a strike position. I looked into its eyes and there was nothing but darkness there. I guess I backed off far enough to make it happy though, since it eventually just slithered its little soul-less self across the path and out of (my) harm's way.
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"Please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me"
(looking closer, I think it's an Eastern Brown) |
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| There were also some more benign encounters. |
The rest of the day was less eventful. I managed to hit Wreck Beach just after low tide which meant I could explore it a bit. The ruined anchors and machinery from destroyed ships are a nice reminder of why I don't fuck with the ocean. I made sure to get past any narrow bits long before the tides rolled in and made camp around 5pm.
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| Pretty sure this one didn't actually land like this. |
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| I swear I'm not just downloading Google Images. |
Devil's Kitchen Campground should be renamed Dunnyview, because the toilet block has an absolutely stunning view. If there had been a decent sunset, this is where I would have come to see it. Sadly the clouds ruined my sunset once again, but not before I snapped some beautiful shots of Wreck Beach in the golden light.
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| 'Waiter, could you seat me near a window?" |
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| "Will this do?" |
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| Once again, looking away from the sunset paid off. |
Final day tomorrow, which means both the 12 Apostles, and a meal that isn't made of wraps or ramen. To the finish!
