Trekking the Larapinta - Day 11: Finke River to Rocky Bar Gap

Stu Pocknee

22 Oct 2022

Section 11: Finke River to Redbank Gorge

[Hike distance: 15.6km / 9.6mi]

2022-08-03

The Plodder was well gone by the time we left camp, and we were not to see her again. Though she features prominently in this account there were many other hikers of note on the trail. Emily, who cracked her head open leaving Alice and had to visit the emergency room prior to even stepping foot on the trail. Another Emily who periodically leap frogged us and would invariably show up within 10 minutes of us wondering about her progress. The girl with the corks on her hat. The guys with the big cameras. The Midnight MacGyver and veteran of the Bibbulmun Track. There are many interesting people on the Larapinta, and many stories to hear.

As a tight nit group of four we were at a disadvantage when it came to interacting with other hikers. The self contained and inter-reliant nature of our small crew did not lend itself well to mixing with others. In fact, we were probably guilty of actively seeking isolation. There are undoubtedly social aspects of the trek that we did not effectively participate in. This was a choice, and a tradeoff that we embraced - but not without some regret.

Pack down in order to use the facilities before heading out.

Finke River Trail Head shelter.

Charging station at Finke River. This one worked well and it was a relief to re-charge the headlamp, watch, and even put a bit of power into the phone.

By 8:45am we had made our last visits to the amenities at the Finke River trail head shelter. An hour of relaxed and pleasant morning hiking in relatively flat terrain brought us to Davenport Creek. Fraser was immediately disrobing for a dip. You need a Fraser in your team. There were many times on the trail when I thought "yeah, I could do that, but would it really be worth the effort?". I don't think Fraser thinks like that. He just does stuff. Consequently I get dragged along, and it normally is worth the effort. Accordingly, I was soon also in the water. Bracingly cold, but definitely refreshing. As they say in the NT: "You'll never never know, if you never never go".

The junction to Glen Helen Gorge just beyond Finke River. One regular sized Phil for scale.

Elise on the way to the Davenport River. Mt Sonder looming large.

Fraser in the Davenport.

Me following Fraser's lead. A nice demonstration of the wide contrast range of Phil's iPhone.

Unfortunately I forgot to start my watch logging when leaving Davenport Creek so I don't have a record of how long we stayed or when we left. I am quite sure snacks were had, and drinks were brewed. It was a nice spot. By 11am we had journeyed 2.5km north and were on the toe slopes of our last good climb before Sonder.

The climb to Hilltop lookout is a solid 350m ascent. It's a roughly 3km hike with slopes averaging 13%. Not a stroll in the park, but no more challenging than any of the other climbs along the trail. A guided group of day hikers passed us coming down the hill on their way to Finke. The climb teases a bit, with a few false summits, but at 12pm we reached the highest one and unclipped and shrugged loose our packs. Our destination for the day was Rocky Bar Gap, a mere 5 more km. We had no intention of going any further until 3pm.

On the climb again. Poles working overtime.

Part way up to Hilltop Lookout.

A false summit on the eastern end of the ridge.

A clip from a vid I shot for Elise's kids. Their mother making a pig of herself with the remains of a Nutella jar. Only for experienced professionals she warns, and only after you have climbed a mountain...

Whiling away the time in the shade and solitude of Hilltop Lookout.

No hikers from either direction disturbed our reverie as we sat viewing Sonder and lazily ate lunch. Not surprising. Climbing up to our location in the afternoon heat would have been sub-optimal. We had sufficient shade to be comfortable, and happily stretched out in our chairs, removing shoes and socks to air weary feet. By this point in the trail we knew we were approaching the end, and were mentally ticking off the "lasts". Last trail head. Last big climb. Last rocky gorge. Last hilltop lunch.

Elise & Phil & Sonder.

Waiting until 3pm to walk is a good strategy. But it needs a little modification if you are then immediately hiking a rocky exposed north-western aspect. This was now the case for us. At 3pm you have essentially allowed the dry rocky slopes to absorb as much heat as they can, which is then re-radiated for the explicit benefit of any fool silly enough to be wandering through. The 5.3km walk down to Rocky Bar was a bit like our afternoon march from the day before. Unexpectedly hard. We might have been wise to have stayed another hour at the Lookout.

This trail won't hike itself. Time to be moving again.

Down on the flats and approaching Rocky Bar Gap.

Finally at 4:10pm we reached the cooling shade of the Rocky Bar Gap. We took a break for 10 minutes to cool and regroup before trekking through to the campsite on the southern side of the Gap. After chatting briefly with the inhabitants (2 girls and a guy, all of whom we had met at Finke the night before) we moved into the creek bed 50m east of camp and proceeded to make camp (4:30pm).

Collapsed in the shade of Rocky Bar Gap.

Phil's turn to go Guns Out. Our camp site for the night. The river bed just to the east of the Rocky Bar camp site.

Dirt - Sparks - Code

Self indulgent rambling. Minimal redeeming attributes.

Trekking the Larapinta - Day 11: Finke River to Rocky Bar Gap