Wednesday, April 2, 2025

A for effort, C- for attainment.

This morning I set out with the best of intentions. My goal was to climb the Pinnacle, to see the views of the Gariwerd. Well, I started, but as with so many things in Australia, I underestimated. The main thing was the footing – a lot of it was bare rock, with lots of steps. I got to the halfway seat, and considered
• how tired I was
• how much water I had already drunk
• the state of my knees
Taking all things into consideration, I decided to give up. The part of the walk I had sone was good, but enough was enough.

After coming down, I returned to my hotel and had another long chat with Kelly. We talked about the spirituality of the place - she understood what I meant by a thin place (a place where heaven and earth are that little bit closer together)

Then back to the hotel to light a campfire. While getting ready to light it, I was watching the kangaroos on the grass. They were so tame. They were all young, as the fires earlier this year had wiped out a lot of the wildlife.

So, there I was, sitting by the fire as night fell. It was lovely – there was only the occasional car to break the silence. At one point, I heard a rustling in the undergrowth, and next minute, a kangaroo hopped past me.

By 11:15, I decided to put it out and go to bed. That was easier said than done. The law says that you can only have a fire if you have a 20L bucket of water to hand. Well, I tried the bucket, but the fire didn’t go out. 60L later I realised that there was one log that was still smouldering. In the end I grabbed it and dunked it in the bucket and left it to soak. I think it should be out by now.