22km +1155m -826m
The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the road has gone
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with weary feet
Until it meets some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet
And whither then, I cannot say
Tolkien
Back to some nice views and off fire trails for a bit.
I’ve been curious about all the standing dead trees. Turns out it’s a phenomenon they’re calling snow gum dieback, and it’s being studied. Borer beetles are implicated but not necessarily the sole cause. If you look back at my photos you may notice lines of dead trees following the rock strata across hillsides. Curious.
I thumbed a lift the rest of the way up the hill to Hotham. Then as penance, walked the foot track over the hill behind it down to where my accommodation is.
In fresh clothes, walking from Marouka Lodge to The General (pub/post office/general store/restaurant) with no pack on, I realised I was breathing much more heavily than required; I had slipped into “walking” mode, and my body was trying to fuel an effort that wasn’t occurring.
When I got back to the lodge, Matt had finally turned up, and I went with him back to The General and had a smaller second dinner.
