Jay Creek – Simpsons Gap – Alice Springs

Up at 6am, as per usual. It was damp this morning. It was bloody cold overnight.

I had breakfast in the shelter (porridge, chocolate, hot chocolate). At 7:30 we started walking.

Kelvin, Dave and Stephen decided to climb Mount Lloyd. This was an off track walk. Sue and I decided that we would just follow the track.

The weather was wet the whole day. It wasn’t heavy rain, but it was enough to soak you over time. The air temperature was about 9°. It meant that we had to keep walking to keep ourselves warm.

The only times we stopped were for a brief nibble on some nuts and chocolate. Our first stop was at Mulga camp, after about 7 km of walking. It’s a bit desolate and burnt out after recent fires and not one of the most attractive camp sites on the Larapinta Track.

At each junction sign we left a message. It consisted of the letter “S“ and an arrow (although sometimes the “S” was back to front). This was to indicate to the other three exactly where we were. We were on the lookout for the letter “K”, which would’ve been left for us if Kelvin had come through first.

We reached camp after 26 km of walking at about 2:45 pm. It was time to have some hot chocolate and tea and to eat some lunch. Sue decided to settle in and got out of her wet clothes. I pitched my tent.

After my late lunch, I went for a walk to Simpsons Gap. It is a very impressive landform. It is larger and wider than the other gorges and chasms that we have visited earlier on this walk.

We did our final quiz before dinner with the help of a young bloke called Dan who was in the shelter with us.

Then an early bedtime and time to read a bit of a book. I was awake at midnight listening to the rain falling on my tent. I realised I didn’t fancy another damp day’s walking.

When I had breakfast at 6:30 on day 14 I asked Sue if she was thinking of catching a taxi to town. It didn’t take long for her to say that it sounded good and Dave quickly agreed. Kelvin said he would catch the taxi as well. The cold, wet weather had worn us down.

Stephen, however, decided to do the walk and set off at 7:35.

I pulled down my tent and packed up for the last time. Then I said goodbye to my staff which had served me so well for 5 days. 

Kelvin called the taxi, which arrived around 9:00, and whisked us into town. The taxi driver (Michelle) was very friendly. She gave her views on the social problems in Alice Springs. The local kids need someone to “grab them by the scruff of the neck”. The issues are tribal – for example, a youth stabbed to death recently followed by a reprisal maiming – so a single “Voice” won’t solve issues. Today’s problem children are from problem parents who abused alcohol and drugs before a crackdown 16 years ago.

So ended my Larapinta Track journey. I’m fine with not completing the last day – the weather was rotten and I can always do it another time. I finished with happy memories, good friends and plenty of photos.