I slept much better, however woke at 6.00AM and failed to get back to sleep. No rain, thank goodness.
As the previous day, most walkers were up, and dressed and no pyjamas or Lyra once again, just the flurry of breakfast and lunch preparation, for the day's walk.
 |
| Kelly Hut |
It's a long drive for the A walkers, who have the climb, going out, and a long drive home for the B walkers, who have the descent.
The A walkers have a long hard climb, that's why it's the A walk, but more of that later.
I am taking my car today, and Chris will bring it back. So we head off and about 20km into the drive we come across two cyclists bending over a third cyclist who has come off his bike. He is shivering and looking quite distressed. His complexion is sallow and he complains of a sore left shoulder where he hit the ground, and a sore chest. He also has multiple abrasions and scrapes.
A quick examination reveals very little in the way of any obvious breaks, however my concern is his pain on breathing. They have no support vehicle immediately available, so we bundle him into the car and I take him back to Falls Creek's medical centre-it's not open! He is training for the Falls Creek Triathlon and I think his Triathlon is over, I suspect he may have fractured some ribs.
We transfer him to the coach's vehicle, and I guess he's taken down to Mount Beauty for better assessment there.
I then return to the others who are waiting where the biker fell and we continue on to the start point of the walk at Shannonvale. We are by this time about an hour behind time.
The Kelly Hut Track climbs from about 825 metres to about 1800 metres, so it's all up, and up, and up for the next two hours.
We almost complete our climb and are met by the B walkers who, untrammelled by cyclists are about an hour further on than us, of course coming the other way.
Once the track flattens out, it is a spur trail to Kelly's Hut, a rather dilapidated old hut, with paradoxically a electric light switch. There is no power of course, as it's miles from anywhere. Eve had a fruity as the hut was quite a way off our course, and involved a climb out. "It's just another f...ing hut".
 |
| Fitzgeralds Hut |
Fitzgeralds Hut is quite new, 1991, as it had to be replaced after a school group inadvertently set fire to the old hut! It's a pretty good hut, built out of old railway sleepers, with a nice stone fireplace and bunks. It is however only an emergency shelter.
From there it's a slight climb out onto a plain from which we can see the Bogon High Plains. We then tramp for about 5 km, crossing the Australian Alpine Walking Track and back to the cars. My feet are ready for a stop at this stage, they hurt.
It's been quite a warm day and I find I have consumed about 2.5 litres of my 3 litre Camelback.
Back at base, it's the usual shower and change. I decide to go and see if I can find how the cyclist got on. There was no-one at their lodgings so I don't know. Perhaps tomorrow.
At the evening briefing we learn about tomorrow's walk, which is a circuit and doesn't sound too demanding. It's the Mount Arthur circuit, that doesn't, by the look of the map.
It doesn't look like it circuits the mountain, just passes to one side. What's in a name?
The weather is supposed to be good until Sunday, our rest day, when all hell breaks loose, rain and thunder and lightening. Mount Bogong doesn't look an option.
Dinner is risotto with salad by Hilary. I thought she was cooking Rice-a-riso!!
For those that want to check out today's walk click the link below.
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1407317&code=28fddb24cad1a14a3b4c127ea3df51be
No comments:
Post a Comment