Day 50 – Norton Summit to Bridgewater – 31.75km

Total Distance – 907km

A Heysen Trail Story

“Hike Your Own Hike” or HYOH is basically the mantra of this sport. Such as there is one. It means be you. Hike the way you want to. Don’t be swayed by the crowds. This is YOUR walk…so enjoy it your way.

And today I do. I have a confession to make. I “slack-packed” it today. To the uninitiated, this means carrying a lighter load. A day pack, rather than your full kit. For some thru-hike purists, this is a “no no”. Enough to make the thru-hike invalid.

So I did put a lot of thought into this. And in the end, I decided to HMOH (hike my own hike). My reasons: 1. I’m back at the same accommodation I was at last night; 2. I’m feeling pretty knackered, both physically and mentally; 3. If I was cunning enough to set it up so I could slack-pack it (so cunning I could put a tail on it and call it a weasel….(thanks dad)), then why not? It absolutely did not make sense to me to pack up all my stuff this morning, just to come back to the same place. So slack-pack I did.

And I loved it! Honestly, if you are someone that’s not so “pure”, doing a days slack-pack on the trail is something I would really encourage. The feeling of flying. The feeling of fitness and speed. The feeling of freedom. It’s exhilarating. And fun.

I passed Cath and Greg. They had stayed at the one accommodation option near Norton Summit and had all their gear. I told them to close their eyes as I passed. It was so good to see them. Even if it was probably rather painful for them to see me!

The track was lovely. Primarily through a series of conservation reserves. I powered up and down the hills, and arrived at Mt Lofty just before lunch.

The view over Adelaide was expansive, though unfortunately, very hazy. Again, it was a time to reflect on the achievements. The distances travelled. The single-mindedness of it all. The amazement that I’m doing it. That I’ve done it. And mostly under my own steam and gumption. It’s an incredible feeling.

I go into the cafe with the intention of lunch and receive some news from home. Nanna is rallying. The antibiotics are doing their job. Her situation has improved immensely. Again, I’m amazed. What resilience from this legend of a lady. On a whim I order a glass of Prosecco. My first glass of sparkling for over 6 months. If this isn’t a reason for celebrating, I don’t know what is.

Now whether it was the result of bad signage, or, the glass of Prosecco we’ll never know. But straight after lunch I went the wrong way. Down, down, down the wrong track and upon realising, back up, up, and up again. The effervescent effect of the bubbly had definitely worn off by then. Definitely.

I took the long way round to Bridgewater through the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden. Brilliantly coloured plants and bleak looking wintery trees bereft of all greenery.

It ended up being a really long day, making me very grateful that I had decided to slack-pack. I picked up my new stove, tent pegs and supplies for the next 6 days.

The 900km mark was reached today. Unbelievable. This story is starting to come to a close. It’s an eerie feeling. And a propulsion to enjoy every moment as fully as I can. Right to the end.