Day 11 – Mt Arden Sth to Dutchmans Hut – 27.44km

Total Distance – 221.6km

A Heysen Trail story

Well. Whomever left these two camp chairs in the hut. Bloody genius. I owe them a beer. Because these chairs have made my whole day better. Seriously.

I didn’t really enjoy today. Am I allowed to say that? Of course I am! And especially because it’s true. I found it a very, very tough day.

I just looked through my pictures, and they don’t do it justice! They depict soaring vistas, green paddocks, unusual mountains, tranquil rocky pools. And there was those things. But there was also rocks. Lots and lots and lots of rocks. I’ll be happy if I don’t see another creek bed again… for a couple of days at least!

The first goal of the day was to get to Eyre depot, around 12km away. All of it creek walking. By the time I got there, I felt like my whole body had taken a punch. It’s hard work keeping yourself from getting injured. Both ankles milli seconds away from serious sprains, multiple times; sticks that whack you in the face; sticks that strike at your feet fast as a snake trying to trip you up; poles that slip and slide and bang and crash; the heart in the mouth feeling of having just escaped injury time and time again. My heart might as well live in my mouth. It’s a jungle out there.

In hindsight, I should have planned to stay at Eyre depot. But there were multiple things keeping me going – I’d already booked my accommodation in Quorn and wanted a short run into town tomorrow, and, it was very windy at the campsite and I wasn’t sure my tent was up to it in it’s current state.

So I pressed on. This time a rocky fenceline walk. Same issues, different setting. The views were spectacular out across the plain, when the opportunity to look up presented itself.

Next a nice, little dirt track before suddenly being deposited back into the creek. More of this. Much more of this. And this time I was moving at snail pace with genuine fear that my ankles couldn’t handle many more unexpected twists. This section of the river also involved a lot of climbing and scrambling over large trees and rocky outcrops.

I found it very draining and struggled with keeping my spirits high. I made a very firm commitment to have a break every couple of hours, and that helped. Especially when sitting next to a slowly trickling waterfall.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours and hours and hours, a road appeared. And just like that, a fairly quick 5km into camp. When I say fast, it wasn’t really. Just quicker than I had been going. I limped into camp around 5.30pm.

But oh once again it is a little hut that lifts my spirits. There’s kangaroos galore in the yards outside. Electricity and a flushing toilet. A nice wide pad where I can bunk down for the night. And these chairs. These wonderful, wonderful chairs.

Today has definitely been a lesson as to what my physical limits are at the moment. I’m not quite ready for a 30km day with such high physicality as this yet. Patience young padawan. Patience. Got to remember the end goal.

And tomorrows goal. Which is consuming a big brekkie feast in Quorn. I reckon I can achieve that no worries. Ni night.