Kaua'i, Hawaii - September 2013

Kaua'i was our second Hawaiian stop on our cruise to Hawaii and around the South Pacific a couple of years ago. Kaua'i is probably most famous for being the place where Jurassic Park was filmed and we were going to head out the Na Pali Cliffs which was the actual location for the movies. For me though it was the sheer grandeur of the coastline and the wildlife under the water that I wanted to see. At the same time I wanted to get a bit of a lay of the land because its also the site of a walk that I want to do one day, the awesome Kalalau Trail, a three or four day return walk that traverses long sections of the cliffs before dropping down to idyllic beaches, my kind of trek!

The Na Pali Cliffs.

We docked at Lihu'e on Nawiliwili Bay on a beautiful day, the entrance to the port had us passing close to the scenic golf course that lined the bay on one side, everything looked perfectly manicured and impossibly neat. Once off the boat we met our guide for the day and piled into a mini van for the drive half way across the island to Port Allen, where we boarded our much smaller boat for our cruise around to the Na Pali Cliffs. Leaving the small harbour we were immediately thrown around in the swell as we headed west and then north around the sand dunes that house the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Facility, you don't see that every day in Australia!

We were joined by some Spinner Dolphins on our zodiac trip. 

The water looked very inviting.

Slowly we turned to the North East and the huge Na Pali Cliffs started to loom above us. My words can't really do this scene justice it has to be seen to be believed, the cliffs rise abruptly 100's of metres above the beautiful blue water, the faces of the cliffs fluted where eons of water have eroded them. Every so often we would pass by secluded beaches that were the sole preserve of sea kayakers or intrepid walkers, the beaches were backed by lush green valleys that inevitably had a picturesque waterfall cascading down from the top of the cliffs. Some of the punters on board were getting a bit sea sick in with the swell but luckily Sam and I were going OK, I think the fact that we had so much to look at to take our mind off any queasy feeling in our stomach helped, as well as the coastal cliffs to admire we were also visited by a pod of dolphins that stopped to check us out for awhile.

Its hard to get a good photo while being tossed around on the zodiac.

Every now and again there was a break in the cliffs, this is why I would love to walk The Kalalau Trail.

Eventually we anchored beneath the towering cliffs and it was time to go snorkelling. While the water was pretty deep, probably in the 3 to 4 metres range, the visibility was so good that we didn't need to be able to dive all the way to the bottom to check out the fish and the hard corals. We had to be a little careful not to get to far in towards the shore in case you got caught in the shore break, getting smashed onto the rocks that lined the cliffs wasn't something that I wanted to experience. This was different to any snorkelling that we had done before, we'd definitely never snorkelled in such a heavy swell and it was slightly strange to be floating 4 metres above the coral one minute and then as we dropped into the trough of the wave we'd only be a metre or two above the ocean floor, before once again rising as we floated over the crest of another wave.

Time to go snorkelling.

There was some coral but it you had to be a good swimmer to dive down and get close.

We were fairly close to the base of the huge cliffs so had to be careful not to get swept up in the shore break.

After a couple of hours of snorkelling in this stunning location it was eventually time to start the fairly long journey back to Lihu'e. It was on this leg of the trip, as we passed by the missile facility that we had a very memorable wildlife encounter. Whilst ploughing through the swell the captain spotted a highly endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, it was lazing about on the surface eating a butterfly fish. The Hawaiian Monk Seal is the only true seal that stays in tropical waters all year, and there are now thought to be only 1100 of them left in the wild, so we were very lucky to see one. After the excitement of the seal the rest of the journey back to the ship was fairly uneventful by comparison. Re boarding the ship we headed to our usual spot and settled in to enjoy the beautiful scenery as we sailed out of Nawiliwili Bay, the cliffs and mountains slowly receding into the ocean along with the setting sun.

The last of the Na Pali Cliffs on our way back.

The sand dunes are part of The Barking Sands Missile Facility, not something you see much in Australia!

The critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, the yellow thing is a Butterfly Fish it was eating.

Yeah, another photo of a seal.

The Dirt.
We did this cruise with Princess Cruises who seem to provide a level of service that both Sam and I can live with! If your interested in some more information on Hawaiian Monk Seal check out this site it explains more about their plight. We organised the cruise along the Na Pali Cliffs from the ship but there appears to be a multitude of companies running excursions along this wild coastline, it really is a very spectacular place and shouldn't be missed if your in the area.
If I've piqued your interest and your considering having ago at the Kalalau Trail then you need to check out the Na Pali Coast State Park site.

The mountainous hinterland behind Nawiliwili Bay.

Sailing away from Lihu'e.

The cliffs to the south of Nawiliwili Bay.

Another fairly average sunset over the South Pacific!

The Larapinta Trail - July 2007

Well I've got a touch of man flu this weekend so I didn't do a walk on Saturday, instead I went back through the feral archives and dug out some slightly ordinary photos I took on the Larapinta Trail back in 2007. Looking at the shots that I took the obvious thing, apart from appearing to have sunscreen on the lens, was how much camera technology has improved in the last eight years.  It looks like I'll have to revisit what I consider to be one of the best multi day walks in Australia if I want some decent photos of it on my blog. This will also be my biggest post ever if I can get everything uploaded, that's a result of the length of the walk more than anything else, this is why I now post my multi day trips on my crazy guy journals as they read like a magazine so I can basically write up one day per page. I'd attempted this walk the year before in April and had to pull the pin because it was too hot, hitching back into Alice Springs from Ormiston Gorge. On this walk I was walking later in the year so hopefully it would be cooler, I also did a few more food drops so that I wasn't carrying so much weight, and I left the tent at home and used a bivvy bag, once again to save some weight. The plan was for Sam to climb Mount Sonder with me on the first day and then return to Alice Springs airport and leave the troopy in the car park and fly home, I would meanwhile meander my way back into town in a week or two and pick up the troopy and drive home, all sounds pretty simple if you say it quickly.

Sam was with me on the climb to Mt Sonder on the first day.

Day 1    Redbank Gorge to Mount Sonder return             16 kilometres             710 metres ascent
Last time I climbed Mount Sonder I did it on my own, this time Sam decided to climb with me. The climb up is pretty easy, well as easy as a 700 metre climb in the desert can be. With only day packs we made good time climbing steeply initially onto the main ridge and then climbing more gently along the ridge towards the distant summit. The good thing with walking in the desert is the views that you get from the high ridges, today was no exception and we enjoyed the unfolding panorama as we climbed.  The climb is fairly relentless except for a spot about five kilometres in where we had to make a short descent down to bypass some cliffs. We had lunch on the tourist summit of Mount Sonder, looking across the deep saddle to the true summit probably only three hundred metres away as the crow flies. The return walk back to Redbank Gorge was equally uneventful, and we completed an easy first day of my walk on the Larapinta by early afternoon.

That's the real summit of Mt Sonder behind me.

Day 2   Glen Helen       30 km        46 km total    380 m ascent       1090 m total ascent
Saying goodbye to Sam I was suddenly alone in the desert, I stood for awhile and watched the dust thrown up by the troopy drift away in the wind, then turned and grabbed my pack and set off on my days walk to Glen Helen Resort. I'd booked a room there tonight so I was having a fairly soft introduction to the Larapinta on this occasion, I still had to walk 30 kilometres to get there though so it wouldn't be an easy day. The walk initially is easy as I followed the base of the Mt Sonder ascent ridge all the way to Rocky Bar Gap. Filling up my water bottles at the tank at Rocky Bar Gap I then passed through the range to the north side and started to climb towards the imaginatively named Rocky Bar Lookout. This climb doesn't look much on paper but really took it out of me last time, today was no different and I was glad to reach the summit and have a bit of a break. I could see Glen Helen in the distance a long way away, as it was mid afternoon in the middle of winter I didn't have a lot of daylight left so I pushed on down across the wide Mereenie Valley towards my nights accommodation. After crossing Davenport Creek at the bottom of the descent from the lookout I soon met the link track to Glen Helen, all that I had to do now was to follow the pad along bedside the Finke River all the way to the resort, at one spot the route climbed and passed through a window in a rocky rib that was blocking my way along the river. About an hour before dark I checked into my room, stripping off I enjoyed a hot shower and then headed to the bar for a drink and my last good meal for awhile, managing to get a call through to Melbourne I was relieved to know that Sam was home safely.

Having a break at Rocky Bar lookout or as it was named then Hill Top lookout, luckily I had on my winter coat to keep warm:)

Passing through the 'Window In The Rock' heading to Glen Helen which is at the gap in the ranges in the distance.

Day 3  Giles Lookout     27 km      73 km total     520 m ascent       1610 m total ascent
I woke up a bit stiff after yesterdays effort, but after a hot shower (my last for quite a few days) and a hot cooked breakfast (same as above) I was ready to hit the trail. Initially today I retraced yesterdays route back to the Glen Helen Junction, once back on the main track I struck out towards Ormiston Gorge, the Larapinta through here hasn't got any big climbs but has a continuous series of small ones which after awhile start to take there toll. By the time I arrived at the kiosk at the Ormiston Pound visitor centre in the early afternoon I was feeling pretty tired. Grabbing a couple of hamburgers and a coke I sat down to do some carbo loading, chatting to the day visitors who always seem amazed that anyone would actually walk for days. After scoffing my face with junk food it was time to head off into the desert again, after my reasonably soft start to the trail I was now heading onto the longest section without facilities or water, with no permanent water until I would get to Serpentine Chalet Dam, 27 kilometres away. This was the section that stopped me last year in the heat, so it was with some trepidation that I headed out of Ormiston Gorge up the soft sand of Ormiston Creek. Spotting the familiar blue triangle I left the creek and followed the base of the Heavitree Range for the next couple of hours on a bit of an undulating track. Late afternoon found me well into my climb up onto the crest of the Heavitree Range where I was hoping to find a suitable spot to bivvy for the night, the views from the top of the Heavitree Range in the late afternoon light were stunning. Passing one sheltered camp spot in a small copse of trees I got to Giles Lookout, and on finding some ground reasonably clear of stones decided that this was where I'd spend the night, the view of the stars around me from my bivvy bag that night was unforgettable.

The Larapinta snaking through the foothills of the Heavitree Range on the way to Ormiston Gorge.

My bivvy at Giles Lookout, Mt Sonder in the distance.

Day 4   Serpentine Gorge 30 km    103 km total    620 m ascent      2230 m total ascent
My night on the Heavitree Range was cold and clear, climbing out of my bivvy next morning it was a matter of wearing everything I was carrying to keep warm while I made breakfast. First up today I dropped down a steep and loose section of track into Waterfall Gorge where the track climbed and by-passed some small waterfalls before eventually the country opened out into a long valley which the Larapinta faithfully followed all morning. In the early afternoon I arrived at Inarlanga Pass, the spot where I'd pass through a gorge in the Heavitree Range onto the south side of the range. Inarlanga Pass provided for some rough walking and a little scrambling as I made my way over and around some house sized rocks, with some almost permanent water present there was also a few cycads in the damper shadier spots. Picking up some water at the tank at Serpentine Chalet Dam I used the chance to drop my pack for awhile a make a side trip upstream to check out the old dam, there was some water here but it was very festy I wouldn't even dip my toe in it let alone swim, or drink from it. Heading off in the middle of the afternoon I was hoping to bivvy on top of the Heavitree Range again tonight, however after climbing onto the top of the range in the late afternoon I noticed straight way that it was covered in sharp rocks, hmmm. After taking in the view from the impressive Counts Point I set off along the ridge in the late afternoon sun, all the way along the crest I was hoping to find a spot clear of sharp rocks but by the time I got to the end of the ridge it was starting to get dark and I still hadn't found a small clear spot, so on went the headlamp and I dropped off the Heavitree Range by head torch, arriving at Serpentine Gorge camp well after the sun had gone down, along with the temperature.

Looking back to Mt Sonder and the start of the walk.

And then looking the other way towards Alice Springs.

Waterfall Gorge

My last good view of Mt Sonder in the distance.

I tracked up this valley for most of the morning.

Inarlanga Pass.

Serpentine Chalet Dam, no swimming here though, the water was very festy!

Looking into the late afternoon sun from Counts Point.

The Chewings Range in the distance, I'd start my journey across the Alice Valley to them tomorrow. 

Probably the most famous lookout on the Larapinta, it seems to feature in all the articles and TV shows about the trail.

Late afternoon walking on the top of the Heavitree Range.

Day 5   Rocky Gully      29 km     132 km total        390 m ascent     2620 m total ascent
Waking up a bit stiff and sore at Serpentine Gorge camp I slowly emerged from my bivvy bag, blinking into the morning sun. In theory today looked a little easier, initially I was aiming for Ellery Creek Big Hole.This section of the Larapinta Trail parallels Larapinta Drive all the way to Ellery Creek, I'd driven this bit of road numerous times so wasn't anticipating any problems today. What I didn't realise was that the trail builders were obviously pissed when they mapped out this section, every hill no matter how big or small was climbed, sometimes the track almost doubled back on itself just to climb another 15 metre hill. By the time I arrived at my food drop at Ellery Creek Big Hole I was pretty well stuffed, however after a quick dip in the waterhole, a change of clothes and some sweet treats from my food drop I was ready to go again. Leaving Ellery Creek Big Hole the trail follows the base of the Heavitree Range for another couple of kilometres before climbing over a saddle on the range and leaving the Heavitree Range for the last time, I now struck out across the wide Alice Valley. That afternoon I followed a meandering course to the Rocky Gully camp, the track crossing low hills interspersed with sandy plains covered in spinifex, arriving at the rough Rocky Gully camp about an hour before dusk meant that I had plenty of time to relax a bit tonight and do a bit of reading.

Today appeared pretty easy on the map, I tracked along beside the range before crossing a gap, but the trail seemed to climb every bit of elevation it cold find.

Having a break on the trig at Trig Point.

The Alice Valley with the Chewings Range in the distance.

Crossing the Alice Valley towards Rocky Gully, I'm pretty happy as I picked up some clean clothes and had a quick swim at Ellery Creek Big Hole earlier in the day.

Day 6 Fringe Lily Creek   25 km    157 km total      370 m ascent     2990 m total ascent
Leaving Rocky Gully this morning I continued my undulating journey across the Alice Valley, from the higher spots on this mornings walk I could see the Chewings Range and the large opening of Hugh Gorge inching closer. By early afternoon I was slowly making my way into Hugh Gorge, this was the roughest walking so far on the trip. The Larapinta through Hugh Gorge is unmarked and unformed, being hemmed in by towering red walls there was little chance of getting lost though, the main issue with the lack of a formed track was the need to bypass a couple of waterholes that were blocking the gorge which involved a bit of relatively easy scrambling. Eventually I spied a blue arrow that marked my exit point out of Hugh Gorge into a side gorge at Hugh Junction, the side gorge was also untracked for awhile but as the creek climbed a bit towards Rocky Saddle I started to pick up a bit of a pad. The view from Rocky Saddle down the Linear Valley towards Fringe Lily Creek was quite spectacular, since entering Hugh Gorge earlier today I had been emersed in some stunningly rugged country. Descending off Rocky Saddle I once again found myself creek bed walking the rest of the way to Fringe Lily Creek. I arrived at Fringe Lily Creek with at least two hours of daylight left but as it didn't look like there'd be any flat, stone free bivvy sites in my near future I decided that the sandy bed of Fringe Lilly Creek would be my best option for the night.

The moon over Hugh Gorge.

Hugh Gorge in the late afternoon sun.

The route up Hugh Gorge close to where I would turn into a side gorge at the imaginatively titled Hugh Gorge Junction.

Looking down the valley that I followed to Fringe Lily Creek, that's the Razorback Ridge on the skyline - tomorrows adventure.

My bivvy in the creek bed near Fringe Lily Creek.

Day 7 Brinkley Bluff     16 km   173 km total    940 m ascent       3930 m total ascent
My morning started with a heart pumping climb up onto Razorback Ridge which as the name implies provided for great walking and views along the knife edged ridge. Sections of this ridge were extremely acute and I found myself scrambling along some fairly airy sections. All too soon my traverse of the Razorback Ridge finished and after passing through Windy Saddle I dropped into an unnamed gully which led me down towards Spencer Gorge. Once again this was stunning walking through a rugged and wild landscape, the whole section down and then through Spencer Gorge was basically off track creek bed walking, there was no chance of getting off route however as it was with Hugh Gorge the giant red walls hemmed me in. Breaking out of the cool confines of the gorge into the bright sun was a bit of a shock and had me marvelling once again how quick the terrain could change on this walk as I trudged along towards my food drop at Birthday Waterhole. By the time I'd walked the sandy link track to Birthday Waterhole I was happy to reclaim my food drop and relax for awhile, soaking my sore feet in the water while enjoying a few treats that I'd left in my food drop. After a bit of a relaxing break it was time to fill up my water bottles and head off towards tonights dry camp on Brinkley Bluff. For most of my walk to Brinkley Bluff this afternoon the summit was in view, the ominous cliffs just got bigger and higher the closer I got before eventually I left the sandy creek flats that I'd been walking along and started to climb. This was the most sustained and steep climb on the Larapinta so far, I thought that I was doing pretty good when the track suddenly started to descend equally steeply to the top lip of a dry waterfall at Rocky Cleft, a wild and beautiful place, but it meant that I once again had to reclaim the lost height, by the time I got to the summit of Brinkley Bluff I was almost scrambling and was happy to top out on the small flat on the summit. I found a nice spot with a little shelter for my bivvy bag and stove and then settled in for the remainder of the afternoon, as night fell I was treated to the surrounding ranges turning blood red before the stars came out and blanketed the land, it was a fitting end to a superb days walking.

Stopping to get some air in my lungs and get a photo back from where I've come, on the climb up Razorback Ridge.

Descending down a rough gully towards Spencer Gorge.

Rocky Talus marks the start of my route through Spencer Gorge.

Enjoying the shade in Spencer Gorge.

Not much shade here, walking up the wide valley towards tonight's camp on top of Brinkley Bluff, its looking like a steep climb.

Looking back to the west on my climb up Brinkley Bluff.

The view from Rocky Cleft, my photo doesn't do it justice.

Late afternoon from Brinkley Bluff.

Spinifex on the summit of Brinkley Bluff.

My bivvy on Brinkley Bluff, I've certainly had worse views from my accommodation.

Looking east from Brinkley Bluff at sunset.

The summit cairn is almost glowing.

Day 8 Tangentyere Junction  20 km   193 km total    680 m ascent      4610 m total ascent
It was a cold night under a million stars in my bivvy bag on top of Brinkley Bluff, but its one that still brings a smile to my face eight years later. Packing up this morning the stunning walking continued for a couple of hours as I made my way along the top of the Chewings Range towards Reveal Saddle and then Bridal Path Lookout. From the lookout I started my long descent down to Standley Chasm, initially on a track before I dropped into a creek which I basically followed until I hit the access road for Standley Chasm. Standley Chasm is privately owned and caters for the bus loads of tourists who show up each day at mid day to see the chasm, I'd been to the spectacular chasm many times so instead of following all the clean smelling tourists I headed straight to the kiosk for a hamburger or two washed down by a orange juice. After absolutely gorging myself for an hour it was time to shoulder my pack again and head off, the Larapinta leaving Standley Chasm climbs and descends a couple of short but very steep hills before descending into another rough creek bed. The creek bed walking then continues all the way to Millers Flat, on the way I had to scramble down a couple of waterfalls and also passed a couple of semi perminent springs. Leaving Millers Flat the scrambling continued as I climbed up the steep Mesic Gully to Lorettas Lookout on the top of the Chewings Range again, the top of the range gave me a panoramic view over the extensive plains to the north out towards the Tanami Desert, in the fore ground I could see the buildings from the Hamilton Downs Youth Camp and in the distance to the east I was lucky enough to see the silvery sliver of the Ghan tracking north on its journey to Darwin. It was late afternoon when I once again descended of the Chewings Range, I was banking on finding a flat spot to bivvy on at the bottom of the descent near Tangentyere Junction and after dropping off the track into a creek that's indeed what I found and I spent another great night in my bivvy drifting of to sleep under a million stars.

Sunrise from Brinkley Bluff.

The author wearing almost every bit of clothing that I was carrying at sunrise on Brinkley Bluff.

Heading down towards Stanley Chasm.

Bridal Path Lookout.

Looking back to Standley Chasm on my climb out.

Looking pretty pleased with myself after picking up some more clothes and a couple of hamburgers at Standley Chasm, not sure about this experienced and prepared walkers thing though!

The Larapinta descending from Gastrolobium Saddle .

Late afternoon walking on the high route above Tangentyere Junction.

Day 9   Wallaby Gap     40 km     233 km total       400 m ascent     5010 m total ascent
A glance at the kilometre figure above will you give something of an idea about todays walk, I basically ticked off some fairly easy k's. The highlight of the day occurred just after leaving my dusty camp near Tangentyere Junction and that was the beautiful Fish Hole, a permanent waterhole in a gorge in the Chewings Range, I now cut through to the north side of the range and for the first time on the walk had no mountains to the north of me. Stopping to refill my water bottle at Jay Creek I sat for awhile and gazed northwards across the spinifex covered plains that stretch to the Tamini Desert and contemplated what a bloody big country Australia is, imagining myself trying to survive off the land like our indigenous brothers and sisters did. The rest of the day found me making my way east through relatively flat land on a good track towards Simpsons Gap where I arrived in the mid afternoon. Sitting for awhile at Simpson Gap I had to decide whether to push on a bit or stop here a bit earlier than I would of preferred, being very keen to finish the walk early tomorrow I shouldered my pack again and set off in the late afternoon light. The next section over to Wallaby Gap had a bit more climbing than I was expecting and combined with the distance that I had walked today I was a very tired walker when I arrived just after dark at the camp site. The advantage of my late afternoon stroll though was the views that I got of the surrounding ranges as the setting sun turned them blood red. I rolled my bivvy bag out that night on a picnic bench and drifted off to sleep quickly.

The mountains are getting smaller now that I'm getting close to Alice Springs, this was taken on the climb out of Simpson Gap.

My last full day on the Larapinta and the sunset didn't disappoint! 

I slept well that night after my 40 kilometre day.

Day 10  Alice Springs    14 km     247 km total      210 m ascent    5220 m total ascent
On my last day on the Larapinta I woke up stiff and sore, after yesterdays epic today promised an easier finish to the walk however. Today started with another ridge walk as I made my way to the top of Euro Ridge, from the top of Euro Ridge I could see the buildings of Alice Springs tantalisingly close at hand. The Larapinta however had one final twist in line for me, instead of heading towards the town it started a long arc around the north of the town, crossing numerous small gullys and hills on the way. Mid morning had me crossing over the Ghan Railway line and then a little later I passed under the Stuart Highway, I was now on the homeward stretch and after sweating my way over another series of small hills I met up with the original road that linked Adelaide to Darwin which I now followed all the way to the end of my walk at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station. Back in civilisation now everything happened in fast motion, taxi to the airport to pick up my troopy, drive out into the desert to pick up all my food boxes, dinner in Alice Springs, and then drive south through the night eventually crawling into bed in the back of the troopy south of Coober Pedy. After a few hours sleep I woke up and completed the drive back to Melbourne and Sam.

That's Alice Springs in the distance, from Euro Ridge.

Crossing the Ghan Line, I'm almost finished. The last day happened to be the warmest of my whole walk with temperatures in the low thirties.

The Dirt.
The Larapinta Trail is one of the best in Australia in my opinion, its not an easy walk in the park though, even if you take it a bit slower than I did its still a fairly hard walk. The trail is either comprised of rocks and stones or sand and has become known as a bit of a boot killer. The trail also climbs and descends a fair bit with some sections even requiring some easy scramblng, also there are long sections along creeks and river beds that are effectively off track, you basically follow the dry watercourse until you find an arrow or a cairn indicating the continuation of the trail. The good news is that the national park folks have put in water tanks, and since I did the walk there are now also some shelters and camping platforms as well as a few lockable food storage spots. When I did the walk there were no published notes on the trail but since then John Chapman has published a book on the trail which I would recommend if considering the walk. John & Lyn Daly have also published a walking book covering the Northern Territory which covers the Larapinta as well, although with slightly less detail than Chapman's, both books are worth the investment. There is also a very informative Larapinta Trail website which provides up to date info on the track. I carried an PLB for emergencies, my Telstra mobile only really worked on the last day.

To the south of Brinkley Bluff.