Day 27: Kapunda to Marschall's Hut

Daily distance: 36.5km
Total distance: 431.52km

Early wake up in a nice warm bed and warm house does not make it easier to get up and out especially when feet are still sore from yesterday's walk. However, we did get to leave early with left over pizza strapped to the back of the pack ready for the days feasting.  The weather was a bit misty and drizzly but it dryed up as the sun started warming things up.

Kapunda was asleep when we walked out and probably still is 12 hours later, while writing this. At about 5km we missed a turn and the sign only realizing this about half a kilometer later. Checking the map and GPS we worked out that if we cut across the fields for about 1.5km we would cut the trail as it came round the only hill in the area. So this is what we did, and went round the hill in the opposite direction until we hit the trail again. It was then at 6.5km we stopped for our first break.

It would be fair to say at this stage my feet were feeling rough and I know Jeff's were feeling the same way. With sore and blistered feet it's not the walking that hurts as much as the starting again after a break. Well there were going to be alot of those today!

We stopped again at 18.9km for another break and to finish off the pizza, making my pack feel a whole lot lighter. The weather is such that as soon as we stop you have to put something warm on but while walking a t-shirt will be fine. So every stop was, and is, an on/off affair.  By mid afternoon we saw we were not going to make the Marschall's hut before dark as the distances in the book did not correlate with the actual distance on the ground. It was going to be a long walk....

We had been in contact with Dee during the day and she had taken my boots into the shop we had baught them from and gotten new ones. These, and Jeff's running shoes she will bring out to us tomorrow so we were arranging where to meet up. Dee was very aware of our sore feet so looked for some sort of accomodation a bit closer than the hut, but to no avail.  There was nothing to it, we had to do the distance......

We passed through a settlement called Hamiltons, and only knew it was a settlement because the map book said so. No store, no fuel, no bottle-o, no pub and no pokie. Now, even to an Australian, that would not class as a settlement! By the time we were through Hamilton the sun was setting and we still had about 8km to go. We were both totally buggered by now and it felt like I was walking on razor blades, my feet were so sore.

The road took us into the North Lofty Mountains up over Peters Hill (was very impressive dad) and down the other side. This was all done in the dark with head torches but under a crystal clear sky. The descent down to the hut was an absolute killer and took a long time with lots of verbal abuse going out to everyone, and no one in particular, but just to our feet in general. We eventually got to the hut at 19h00 which was exactly 12 hours after starting this morning. It is an amazing hut, very spacious with a fireplace,  sink and bunk beds that could sleep many hikers. It is the old home of the Marschall family that donated the ruins to the goverment for restoration for hikers.

Taking off shoes this evening was a very tender affair and a bit shocking, especially when I saw the state of my feet. Well a good meal of rice and biltong made them feel a whole lot better and now a good nights sleep will also help.

It was a very long and tough day! According to Jeff the toughest days walking he has ever done...... 36km is deffinetly a long day!