Day 18 – Grey’s Hut to Melrose – 12.11km

Total Distance – 315.9km

A Heysen Trail Story

Life’s funny isn’t it. Not 5 minutes after I finished my last post, I heard an enthusiastic “Hello! You must be Mel!”. I turned around…and two hikers. I couldn’t believe my eyes. And thought, rather embarrassingly, about my tent already set up inside the hut. I hadn’t been expecting company!

Enter Cath and Greg. A couple of born and bred Adelaidarians. Also aiming to complete the whole trail. And the funny thing is, they’ve been just behind me the whole time! Here I was feeling like a bubble unto myself. Destined to just drift through the trail on my own. Yet these two were right there. Just a small step behind. They started the day after me. And caught me because they didn’t stealth camp. I admire them for that. What an epic day they must have had..

So, instead of biding my own time, it was discussions about the trail, gear, jobs (or lack of them), futures, Covid and all manner of items. Turns out we have very similar “philosophies” when it comes to hiking. Which is nice.

For me, this was really the lift I needed. I like being alone. But I also like people. And this meeting couldn’t have come at a better moment. An example of “the trail always provides” perhaps? Maybe not for them…maybe they were enjoying hiking alone. But for me, definitely. And, they didn’t have a problem with my tent being set up inside. And, when Greg revealed in the morning that there had, in fact, been plenty of mice scurrying about, I couldn’t have been more grateful. And impressed.

I had hoped for a nice, flat start to the walk. This was not to be. Just a couple of minutes after starting, I looked at the track and uttered out loud and in disbelief “Whhaaaatttt??”

Straight down. Steep as you like. I could see Greg and Cath on the other side trudging steeply uphill. Wow. This meant business. And on you go.

It wasn’t too bad actually. A nice brisk morning. The bushland teaming with life. Before long I had reached the Mt Remarkable track sign. And not long after that, the summit itself. And oh, what a view! Not. There actually wasn’t a view. Some nice tables, but that’s about it. I snapped a photo, ate some snacks in the sunshine, and prepared for the last few kilometers into town.

How I enjoyed the walk down though. There’s always a special feeling when you are heading into town. Excited anticipation. Especially if you’re going to get there early. Which I was.

Now the views came. Glimpses of Melrose and the surrounding countryside, all overlaid by the rough scree stone tracks. A nice, gentle downhill. Just perfect.

Soon enough, town. My room at the Mt Remarkable Hotel is…quaint. But has everything I need, and for $70 bucks, a bargain. Just a couple of doors down, the grocery store. Just a couple of doors the other way, the Laundromat. Both chores are out of the way quickly and I can relax.

Or, I could. If I didn’t have my MSR tent problem. Firstly, the part that was sent was wrong. It’s not going to fix the problem. Secondly, I have been told once again that a new pole is out of the question. Even though I now have two problem pieces. Thirdly, another round of re-measuring and sending emails, all of which takes up my precious town relaxation time. They were unable to respond to my question regarding why this problem with the pole had now occured repeatedly. They are a pain in my arse.

I’m now at the pub for dinner. It’s a chilly night outside, but the fire is blazing and raucous good humour can be heard throughout the facility. Seems a really friendly place. And I’m about to down a Supreme Pizza. All to myself. And not feel a single feeling of guilt about it. At all. I’ve earnt this. Definitely.