Image: Day 2 – Larapinta Trail sign with No.1 Helen
4 August 2025
Post 3 of 3
Wearing out our boots on the ground and eyes on the scenery
We were essentially out of phone range for the whole 9 days on our Larapinta Trek which Nic and I relished. Em was a bit frustrated that she didn’t have access to the footy scores so when we were at the higher peaks, she would wave her phone searching for the rare patches of signal. I slightly missed doing Wordle but it was a wonderful feeling to forget all my personal admin and be oblivious to what was happening outside our day to day activities.
Being totally offline and part of a very well organised tour also meant that we focused solely on enjoying the experience. Getting out of bed in the dark was a struggle most mornings, but once we were in the van, time was irrelevant and the day was an adventure. The guide had a general idea about where we would have lunch each day at approximately lunch time, and then we’d continue the hike, reach our destination and head back to camp. The only things we really had to think about were ensuring our snack packs and water bottles were full. And the three of us were pretty disciplined with tape on toes and footsies to prevent blisters as well as stretches at the end of the day.
Every day we were surprised by the range of colours, lines and patterns in the scenery around us, in both the landscape and the sky. A few days we walked beside rivers and creeks and up dry river beds. Other days, the trail meandered through and around low rolling hills and wide valleys. A number of days involved steep climbs up to a ridge line where we were buffeted by the wind as we made our way along, admiring the vast views in every direction.
We would usually start walking about 7:30am but were never in a rush. The group would quickly spread out as we got into the rhythm of walking. Em is a great flower spotter so often stopped to take photos, while I would take in the surroundings, looking for birds and other interesting things. Nic was enjoying it all. We didn’t see much wildlife, but because the three of us walked away from the group and were far more observant than our fellow trekkers, we did saw more than the others. Our guides knew a little bit about the Aboriginal history of the area and had some idea of the flora around us, however we often resorted to informed guesses to satisfy our curiosity.
Em did know a lot about buffel grass – a weed that our federal agriculture officer friend Margie is working to manage. Where we were walking, the buffel grass had taken over from the native grasses along rivers and creeks, leading the native wildlife to go elsewhere for their sustenance which meant we didn’t see a single kangaroo on our whole walk. Unbelievable! On a side note, there was a large variety of flowers, with many of them purple.
Besides some drizzle on the first day and bracing winds at the high peaks, the weather was sunny and stunning. We saw sunrise and sunset every day, with the days starting with a temperature around 0° and climbing to between 16°-24°.
We swam at Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge – the latter involving the sight and stink of dead fish as a result of a natural die-off. The water was very very cold but it was great to wash our bodies and the icy water was nice on sore ankles and tired feet.
Being in the middle of Australia, away from roads, city lights and airports, and with swags for beds, meant that we had a great opportunity to sleep out under the stars. After scoping the various corners of the dry riverbed, we found the best spot for star viewing and people avoiding, and cleared a space. It was magic – we spent time counting satellites, identifying (or creating) constellations, spotting shooting stars and watching the dark emu move across the sky. We heard some night time critters like owls and mice, and could see tiny footprints in the sand around us each morning. When daylight came, my swag had frost on the outside and the condensation had frozen on the inside, but I slept very well. The birds singing and the colours before sunrise were absolutely incredible.
The Larapinta Trail can be walked east to west or west to east, however Section 12 (the last stage if walking to the west) involves hiking to the peak of Mount Sonder, ideally for sunrise, which is usually done as the finale of the trail. This is how our tour was designed, so on Day 8, we woke at 1am to start our walk up Mount Sounder at 3am. Up we went in the pitch black – a caterpillar of tiny torch lights winding up a mountain – walking in a tight group with the slowest setting the pace so that we didn’t get lost. Unfortunately, the slow pace meant that us mountain goats at the back of the group were frustrated and cold besides wearing every warm piece of clothing I had – thermal tights and hiking pants over the top, thick woolie socks, thermal top, jacket, down jacket, gortex jacket and a beanie and gloves! The bonus of the slow pace meant I spent time looking out at the sky all around me and I was very excited to see 3 shooting stars and a big meteor type thing burn for a few seconds flashing across the sky – it was very cool.
The wind got worse as we continued climbing up with no protection along the ridge line or at the top of Mount Sonder. We huddled together and waited for sunrise with about 50 other people – it felt crowded. Our guide Zoe had carried hot water and coffee and biscuits and chocolates for everyone. I had peppermint tea with a shot of Fireball that Em had brought for the occasion. Sunset was glorious with bright reds reaching across the horizon as the earth creeped towards the sun. When I looked to the west, I could see the shadow of Mount Sonder above the horizon – amazing.
Unfortunately, one of our group slipped as he was hurrying down the mountain (and trying to take photos at the same time) and ruptured his quadricep tendon from the knee cap – ouch. The poor bloke had to walk himself down the mountain – delirious is the most appropriate way to describe the group that day. The 6hrs it took to get off the mountain highlighted for me just how useless some people are and how logic doesn’t come naturally to everyone. But we made it back to camp safely, he made it to hospital and received excellent care, and we all got our t-shirts as memorabilia of the trek.
In summary, the walk and the experience were great. We arguably got value for money and we were comfortable and happy for the most part. Travelling with a group is always a risk with the random personalities that get thrown together, but a group of 10 worked well in that we could avoid the personalities that weren’t our favourite. As a team, Em, Nic and I were terrific – besides being fabulous people, we each had different strengths that helped each other through and filled the gaps the guides couldn’t. We had done enough training, we had all the first aid gear, we had the right combination of clothes packed, we had enough water and we were awesome.
Additional photo credits to Nic and Em – what an amazing trip!