Day 39 & 40: Hallett to Spalding

Daily distances:  25.1 + 17.5km
Total distance: 663.7km

OK, to explain why 2 days and 2 distances. Well Jeff and I walked through Hallett on the way to Spalding and got a pick up 7km north of Hallett. The pick up was because Dee would be joining me on the Sunday and Jeff departing. So as said in the previous blog we had a group of walkers behind us who we got the pick up with, back to the Barbed Wire Pub in Spalding.

Sunday Dee arrived with Belinda and Nick, we sorted supplies had a drink and they all departed again. Bye Jeff, welcome Dee.

As the Older Heysen group had gone out on Sunday to where we had been picked up and walked 20km towards Spalding they just had another 25km left into Spalding. OK now onto the meat of it all..... Dee and I went out with them and walked back to Spalding yesterday, then today we walked the middle section to complete the 47km Hallett Spalding stretch.

Not that you all know what is going on, but about the walks...... Yesterday was very misty with strong winds and some rain. Geoff (pub owner) dropped us off and we headed off up hill (obviously) into the mist. Strange walking with such a big group and without a pack..... well ok a small day pack but not bad. Dee was walking well even though we kept to the back off the group. They soon spread out as each person found their own pace and the line became long.

The route followed a long, very old dry brick wall over the hills, joined a road then turned off onto the old aqueduct system which took us all the way into Spalding. It was a great walk and the people we walked with were fantastic. Dee was very pleased she had a walk with no pack as she was feeling the 25.1km.   Back at the pub we said good bye to our new walking friends who were heading back to Adelaide for a months break before coming back and tackling the next stage of their journey to complete the Heysen. Thank you friends for spending time with Dee and myself on our journey.

Today, Tuesday, Dee and I got dropped off by Geoff and Cooper (his dog) in the most spectacular weather. It was so warm I took off all the outer armour and just walked in my long sleeved t-shirt...mmmm shorts and boots as well. We headed over the hills heading west towards the wind turbines. I dont really know what to say about the walk other than it was fantastic........

We came out of one ridge line, onto a road with the wind turbines right in front of us, had breaky and turned south down the farms roads. The turbines are 124m high which when on top of the ridges here, are simply gigantic. Not only that but there are over 150 of them....

Anyway south down the road, turning west again and started climbing into the hills again towards the turbines. Ahead of us were some modern Aussie cowboys on motorbikes herding cattle down the road. We hugged the fence as this herd came towards us at a trot before one of the farmers saw what was happening and came round the herd towards us to get the cattle to move around instead of over us. They thought it was very funny...haha...

We climbed to almost under a turbine before turning south again and following the same dry wall for the last 5km to our pick-up.  Dee stopped me at one stage and when I looked down I saw I had almost stood on a Shingleback Lizard, commonly referred to as a Stumpy tail or Bobtail. It's a large lizard like reptile with a very short stumpy tail and very large adder like head. It was cold so he did not move much until poked by Dee.

Coming off the highest peak we saw the bus (our pick-up) far below us. What a nice sight! Dee hurt her knee on the way down which is a bit of a concern but lucky we have another day without heavy packs tomorrow so lets hope it does not get worse.

Completing this section into Spalding means I have completed half the walk having done over 600km so far. Yip only 600 to go!