Today is Mt Rintoul day. Absolutely stunning, but you do have to work for those views.
Anna and I woke up after another night disturbed by mice. But luckily they didn’t get to our food. Leaving the hut just before 7 am, we could climb to Little Rintoul while it was still cool. The only unfortunate thing is that Old Man Hut is located 200m below the track. The instant climb on cold muscles isn’t easy but what are you going to do about it?
We finally reached the track and soon after we reached the tree line. With cool air and a bit of a breeze, the uphill was very manageable. On the top, there is a bit of a sketchy part, but in my memory, it was so much worse than it actually was.
Unfortunately, the downhill from Little Rintoul was as horrible as I remembered. Extremely slow going and a fear of slipping at every step. But you just got to do it and after a long time, we finally managed the whole descent. Only to climb back up to Mt Rintoul.
I prefer uphill at all times and soon I got into a rhythm and I reached the top in no time. I enjoyed the view as it was well-earned! There is also reception so I was able to check the weather forecast. The next few days will be sunny and I’m certain I’ll finish the Richmond ranges on the 12th. Seeing that I only recently started hiking again, a rest day in St Arnaud is probably wise. So I made a booking at the Alpine Backpackers. Anna reached the top as well and after a photo shoot and another soaking in the views we continued.
The downhill from Rintoul is easier compared to Little Rintoul, but dropping down 500m will always take its toll on my legs.
At Rintoul hut, I ate lunch and hugged Anna goodbye. She would stay there, but I wanted to continue to Tarn Hut. From previous experience, I knew that the terrain is gentler and it would take about 3 hours.
I absolutely loved the hike. Maybe also because I decided it was time for my ultimate favorite audio. The Harry Potter audiobooks.
When I reached Tarn Hit there was only one other hiker. We chatted for a while until I just had to take a swim. We ate dinner together and then she retreated to her tent and I to my private hut.
What a day
Zilla-in-the-wild 