The evening at New Pelion Hut was also the first opportunity to get introduced to other fellow bushwalkers... I had the time to observe how others prepared for this trip and how they were managing on their 4th day (while it was mine 3rd). Interestingly..
I was not doing bad at all. But I was different. I did not have cooking stove with me. I did not have fancy gear or comfortable sleeping mat..nor I was bushwalking in a company. It was soon to be my third day and I was walking it on my own, with great enjoyment!
Well I had some company. Like the one below. On one of my stops, while sitting on a fallen tree covered with my waterproof jacket, I felt a slight discomfort at first. As it started to grow I began to check what's the reason, just to discover quickly that there were two reasons... one of them captured below.
 |
| Meeting with a local Jumping Jack ant... not a pleasure it was I must say. It left two swollen bites that were growing quickly on my bottom. |
I don't know how it happened as I carefully checked before sitting down, besides there was this additional layer of my jacket as well. The itchy point was that I had to take off my trousers and apply an antibiotic which I gladly did. I admire myself for taking this precaution until this day. If not for the antibiotic I think it could have ended with very nasty skin irritation in best case scenario. But with the antibiotic applied it was healing in no time, actually next day there was no marks or anything.
Anyway coming back to the point of socializing with other overlanders... this was the first time I was having a meal with other people; while they were cooking their hot dinners and making hot teas I had to settle for my last bit of bread and a snack. Also a last tea bag... The temperature outside and inside the hut was not very comfortable to be having a cold meal... But it was still nice.
There was also a gas heater which we gladly opened. What a luxury to feel the hear of gas flames! You cannot imagine the feeling after having walked those kilometres in the rain and mud.. There was also this written rule in each hut, which I discovered only now, that if the temperature outside is above 8C the heating is not be switched on. We were around 10C I think but it felt awfully wet and cold... Thank God for the heating...even if it was just in the common room and just for a short while.
This was the first time that I laid my eyes on Overland Track Rangers. When I arrived there were two of them in the hut. Soon one of them went off, leaving the other one in the hut. At first I did not realize their way of working but soon I was to learn anyways.
As it turned out rangers are moving between huts constantly. There is always one in front of you and one behind you, even if the distance is like a day apart. They do check logbooks and they make sure that track conditions are walkable. They are also minding the track rules and making basic cleanup in the huts. They sleep in separate parts of the hut or they have their little huts very close to the main ones. Normally they do not interfere with bushwalkers, unless there is a need.
I did not pay a lot of attention to them on that day to be honest.
Instead I made friends with a German couple of Kathrin and Tom, with their fellow walker - Mark from the Netherlands. We were going to share one room for this night. I also met Steve and Matt -local Aussies, father and a son. We had a nice evening all together, sharing stories from the track and getting introduced to each other.
The story of my travells and the fact that I was a single female bushwalker was making everyone a bit astonished. When they saw me eating my snacks and my rations of food they told me openly that they thought I was... brave. We had a good laugh anyway and I felt a bit more hopeful for the recovery of my knee for the next day.
 |
| New Pelion Hut to Kia Ora - Overland Track |
No comments:
Post a Comment