Total Distance – 359km
A Heysen Trail Story
What a chilly one it was last night! I awoke this morning with ice on the tent and the landscape shrouded in a ground based mist. The pack-up must still occur. So freezing hands it is.
It was a long day today comparatively. It all started out well enough. Fairly flat road walking in between farm buildings. The highlight for me was seeing this beautiful tree in blossom. It’s spent flower petals glistening on the road like thousands of fish scales. I’m not sure what it is…an apple blossom? Cherry? Something else? Enlighten me somebody will you? There was quite a number of them along the track
At around the halfway point the track left the road and wound through what appeared to be a plantation of some sort. Dead tree carcasses everywhere. I wonder what happens to them all…Chipped or something? Or do they just stay there, eventually rotting away? It all seemed a bit…wasteful.
With 8km to go, things become more serious. Now we are in proper hill climbing territory. I spy a track right up on top of a ridge in the distance and think to myself “Ummm. Do we really have to go up that?”.
We didn’t. We went up a little bush track instead. But we did cross that path eventually. Up and up, higher and higher. And then a view! The town of Port Pirie off to the right adorned by a haze of blue water and green plains. A set of mountains off in the far distance. On the right, what else but Mt Remarkable. There, but definitely diminishing, the further I move from it.
So it was great views. But it needed to be, because a long day ending in long uphills is really tough on the body. I can definitely feel my fitness levels have improved out of sight. But it’s still really hard on the feet in particular. I must admit to staggering up the final hill to the uplifting beat of “99 Luft Balloons”. Hey, it got me there ok!
It’s not a great campsite after a tiring day. No table, toilet or anywhere to sit comfortably. But it may have the ultimate sunset going for it. Right out over the peninsular. It’s looking promising at this stage. Only another hour or so until I find out. Which means it must be time for dinner….
Nice sunset! I reckon it is a peach tree, but botany is not my strong suit. Good to know your poor little body is toughening up for the long haul. Go Lin!
It’s definitely a stone fruit of some sort, but looks like white blossoms? So a plum?? Or possibly a cherry?? Very pretty! There is an old nursery off to the side of your main trail marked on the map, so those trees must be escapees!
Very sad, that photo of the abandoned dead pines. Why bother planting a softwood forest if you’re not going to use it all??
Cherry 🍒 is my bet! Keep on keeping on!! 🇳🇫👍