Day: |
002 |
Date: |
Sunday, 4 May 1986 |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
20.7 |
Daily Other Miles |
0 |
Total
AT Miles: |
28.4 |
Total All Miles |
31.7 |
Weather: |
Warm and sunny with a cool breeze. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Eggs and muesli. Lunch:
Biscuits and peanut butter. Date roll. Scroggin (gorp).
Dinner: Macaroni cheese and instant pudding. |
Aches: |
Little and big toes on right foot. Chafing
on lower back. |
Animals Seen: |
Chipmunks and grasshoppers. |
People Seen: |
Approx. 100 |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
Didn’t sleep that well. Woken by soldiers
on manoeuvres several times. Up at 6am. Several platoons passed
through while we were having breakfast and packing up. I left at
8am on a nice day. My old aches returned immediately, despite
careful doctoring of feet. Pressed on walking an hour and stopping
for 10 minutes. Saw more soldiers and lots of helicopters, but not
many other people. Pleasant hiking apart from fatigue and sore
spots. Mainly travelling on a ridge with occasional good
views. The country was mainly light forest with some undergrowth,
new green leaves and occasional beautiful blossoms, particularly
some orange ones. There were also blue wildflowers. Thought I
might aim for Neels Gap but by lunchtime at Woody Gap National
Forest picnic ground I had decided it would be too far and decided
to stop soon after 5:30pm when I found a good spot. The picnic area
was crowded with people having picnic Sunday lunches on a lovely
day. I pressed on through leafy glades and along ridges with good
views. Saw a number of day hikers, including one couple
passionately embracing on the Trail. I decided to aim for Slaughter
Gap for the night but the creek just before the Gap was dry. When I
arrived at the Gap it was already occupied by a couple. Dave was
about 35 years old and slightly intellectually handicapped, and his
wife, Jean, was about 10 years older. Both were very religious and
obviously poor – orange pickers from Haines City, Florida. Dave was
very helpful getting me water and building me a fire. His pack,
adapted from a fruit-picker’s basket, weighed 75
pounds. Nevertheless, I was a little nervous camping with this odd
couple. I slept in the tent for the first time and found it very
small. Inside it was very difficult to manoeuvre – what will it be
like in the rain? Went to bed at 9:45pm, though it was too dark to
do anything after 9pm. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
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Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|