Five-minute read: With the sun on her back, Jenny Adams pushes her body along the Larapinta Trail.
“Let’s do the Larapinta!” – famous last words. After ably conquering some challenging walking adventures, one of our team of four suggested this next trek whilst thigh deep in snow on the Overland Track in Tasmania.
The Larapinta Trail, 223km west of Alice Springs, was nothing less than spectacular and presented us with an extremely physical challenge. Booking the flights was the easy part as the weeks leading up to the walk saw us planning our own itinerary, starting from the last section (12) and heading to the first section (1) back at Alice Telegraph Station. Thank goodness for our thoughtful study of the map and good preparation, as this proved to be the first decisions and the best one.
Walking east in the glaring afternoon sun was welcome relief after a hard day on the trail. In our minds we had prepared ourselves well for our weighty packs, along with the idea that extra water would make them heavier. Little did we realise that it was going to be such a test of our physical endurance. It took our bodies a couple of days to adjust as we climbed over boulders, down steep mountain sides, crossed sandy riverbeds and trudged up the mighty Brinkley Bluff.
We were actually getting more excited each day as we were surrounded by such diverse beauty and were capably adapting to the walking conditions. Strapping tape became the desired necessity, as feet which had never blistered in sturdy walking boots found themselves under constant pressure and sore spots were fast becoming tricky to deal with. Luckily, thoughtful planning of our first aid kit allowed us to ‘invent’ some different strappings which enabled us to continue without too much pain.
Unfortunately, our group of four determined trekkers became three after one steep hill descent proved too treacherous for a knee. Suddenly, we were carrying additional weight as we supported our buddy to Ellery Creek, where a lift was waiting. The journey continued as a party of three but we now had only one two-man tent between us. We were never cold at night as we snuggled up closely together.
The Larapinta is a must-do, but perhaps for the less adventurous it is best to do a couple of sections at a time. We are feeling strong and invincible as we reflect on our trek and recount the physical challenge encountered to not only family and friends, but anyone interested enough to ask.