My body was aching after the long day. So despite how tired I was, I didn’t fall into a deep long sleep. In the morning I could hear the rain. Glad that I pushed on, I wanted to reward myself with a lie-in. But the sandflies put an end to it. Active in the morning, I could feel them biting my face (the only exposed skin), and after that sleep was off the table.
Most of the people had already left, but the super kind Kiwi family was still getting ready. They are absolutely amazing and I might bump into them tomorrow at the spa in Hanmer Springs. As we left at the same time, I offered to take a photo of them. The screen on the mom’s phone was so dark that I couldn’t see anything. I asked them to check the photos. Happy that I did, because I accidentally took selfies.
After the queue for the swing bridge (1 person at a time), I passed them. My pace was slow! The drizzle rain and the fact that everything becomes slippery doesn’t help. But most importantly I was just drained from the previous day. Not a big shocker.
The trail was gorgeous and overall a very well-managed tramping trail. The views of the valley were blocked by the clouds. It took a lot to keep hiking, but if I wanted to reach the end of the hike and hitchhike to Hanmer Springs, there was only one way.
So I dragged my slow ass over the trail and finally reached the junction of the gravel road. There was no doubt in my mind so I immediately switched to the gravel road. Again a good decision as the drizzle was replaced by rain. Cold and wet I reached the highway. In a shelter, there were two men making lunch and they informed me that a shuttle would pick them up in an hour.
Really nice, but I gave hitching a shot and the first car stopped! Thank you!! He would drive me to the junction to Hanmer and when I got out, another car offered me a ride instantly. And so at 1 o’clock, I was in Hanmer Springs trying to get warm again!
I checked in a hostel, went for chips and a cider, and spent the afternoon in bed.
I joined a big group of TA hikers with Sebas, Mathild, Logan, Aisha, Cameron, and a few more. The vibe was good and I treated myself to some nice food and drinks. A little tipsy I walked back and climbed in my extremely wobbly bunk bed. The owner of the hostel made a deal, I would take the top bunk for two nights and she would do my laundry for free. So here I lay, trying not to twist and wake everyone up by the screaking of the bed.
Zilla-in-the-wild 