Day 14 – Hermit’s Hideaway to Ormiston Gorge (Section 9 Larapinta)

 

Mt Sonder at dawn, from Hermit's hideaway

https://nt.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/tjoritja-west-macdonnell-national-park/larapinta-trail

https://nt.gov.au/_media/docs/parks/bushwalking-and-hiking/larapinta-trail/larapinta-trail-section-9-information-sheet-and-map.pdf

We were up at 5:45am.  Packing up was disrupted by watching the sun come across the landscape. It was beautiful!  We headed off just before 7:30am.  The walk along the ridgetop was technical and required attention to footing. The views were amazing, and Mt Sonder is becoming visually closer. The wind was strong and cold as we descended off the ridge line.

https://northernterritory.com/alice-springs-and-surrounds/see-and-do/mt-sonder-rutjupma

Given I am allergic to wattles - no wonder I am sneezing!

Once we were down off the hill, the walking was relatively easier, with less need to constantly watch where we were placing our feet. The country was mainly open with small patches of bushland. There was one area where we needed to cross a creek and had to find a significant detour due to water. 

Today’s walk felt much longer than the advertised distance. One reason it felt longer, was the section kilometre markers indicated we should have been there long before we were. Luckily, we saw a tour guide who let us know it was further than the signs were indicating.  Once we reached the Pound Walk, I thought we were almost there. The walk from this junction to the Kiosk was further than I expected.  I would suggest going to the Kiosk first as there are clearer directions from here to the walkers’ camp than staying on the track. The initial camping area we found did not appear to have a shelter, which seemed odd, but going any further involved what felt like walking through the glamping area. Thankfully a fellow hiker spotted us looking lost and directed us past the glamping area to the shelter – which is quite a distance from the Kiosk.

https://nt.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/tjoritja-west-macdonnell-national-park/ormiston-gorge

We arrived in camp at 1pm. I would not like to attempt section 9 in a single day – it would have been a very long day for me. We set up camp and collected our drop box. Then we headed over for a much-anticipated shower. I wear my hair in two braids when I hike and keep it in between showers. As a result, the ladies we were travelling in parallel with had only ever seen my hair this way. While I was waiting in the queue for the shower, I undid my braids and combed out my hair.  After eight days in a braid my hair now looked like I had been playing with the power points – my fellow ladies in the queue had had no idea I could achieve such a degree of frizz – now they know why I keep it braided.

We sorted our food for the last section of our trip and worked out what we had surplus of.  We then headed to the Kiosk for a hot bacon and egg roll, and to charge all our electronic devices. We spent the afternoon hanging out here with fellow hikers. There were several hikers in camp who were waiting for lifts out, having stopped their hike due to injuries, mainly knees and ankles.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Ormiston-Gorge-Kiosk-100054345468530/

Statistics

Hike Distance                 14.05km

Hike Time                        5h 1m

Ascent                              245.5m

Descent                           591.8m