…and I’m freaking out, man!
The wind blew unrelentingly all through the night. I stayed warm without issue, which reassured me that my gear is trail worthy and ready to go, but the ceaseless bluster made sleep difficult and patchy. I was surprised not to hear the crash of trees falling in the night.
There was little time for pleasantry in the pre-dawn light; tents and bellies were hastily packed, with Ron and Shane eager to begin the day’s walking and Doug keen to get to Walhalla to start his trek. On the way out of Rumpff, this time we took some footage of the various hazards the logging trail presented, as well as what looks like an excellent source of water (for as long as it continues to run)
After that we navigated some dicey back roads, through to Walhalla. The Subaru has surely earned my respect with the ease with which it flew down rutted and potholed trails at which more respectable vehicles might balk.
Before we knew it, Doug was heading up the stairs at the rotunda.
Hard to believe I’ll be back here myself in a few short days.
The rest of the drive back to Canberra was boring and unworthy of comment, except to say that crossing the Snowy River was a somewhat different experience near the coast than it was two days prior as it trickles out of Jindabyne.
I have a scant handful of hours to get some sleep and do any last minute fussing over my pack before I jump on the train to Melbourne.
