As luck would have it I hurt my back after all the lifts were sorted with some over enthusiastic gardening. Fortunately with a lot of stretching and a trip to the physio it was good enough to start. Easy drive up with minimal traffic. Easter was last weekend so most people were camping then instead. The moment we hopped out of the car at the trail head there was a swarm of mozzies. We quickly got a token trail monument shot and then I got moving to escape the horde.
There's not much out there that motivates me to hike faster than 50+ mosquitoes flying after me. So the first km dropped quick. A lot of the trail is low lying wetlands so there was constantly water over the trail. Deepest one was a few inches short of my knee.
It wasn't too long before I had broken onto the beach. With the nice sea breeze keeping the mozzies at bay. On the incoming tide there was still plenty of nice hard sand to walk on. I wouldn't want to do this stretch at high tide, would make for much slower going.
Along the beach I caught up to a horse riding group probably from the resort that's near the start of the walk. I was surprised how slow they were trotting along probably only 3kph. A slow walking pace. Just off the beach near the vehicle access I had a look for mum/dad at the air down area (where I thought they would have parked waiting on the tide) but they must have pulled into the camp grounds so I kept moving.
The trail has been pretty exposed so far (not counting the fully exposed beach) so sunscreen is a must and a nice wide brim hat highly recommended. There are a few spots with some tree cover which is nice. It's a bit hot in the sun but the breeze and shady sections are keeping it fairly pleasant temp wise.
Fairly easy run up to Mt Seawah, the highest point for the day at a staggering 124m ASL, it's a short 150m side track but has some pretty good views south towards Noosa and west over Lake Cootharaba.
Fairly easy elevation beyond that, staying around the same height. There is a spot not too far of Seawah with better views north. Double Island Point looks a really long away from here.....
Made it into camp by 1330. One of the drawbacks of set location for camps, especially when solo, is getting to camp too early. They have a communal area with log seats and small tables so at least I was able to have a sit there with some tree shade. Water tanks and a drop toilet are pretty handy too.
A pair of hikers showed up just after 330pm and another solo hiker just after them so I had some company for dinner. Before the sun was completely down the mozzies were back in force so everyone decided it was a good idea to hide in our tents. I finally decided to try to get to sleep around 7.
It started to rain about 3am, which meant a wet packup. With the exception of sharp rocks or pointy prickles there not much worse for camping than wet sand. As a great man once said; It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Luckily there was a short reprieve in the down pour so I packed up and got moving just after 7.
Made it almost 3km before the rain caught up to me. Only showers though so not too bad. Kept it nice and cool at least. There is plenty of Midyim berries on this stretch too which made for good snacking. Some pretty nice coloured sands as well.
It wasn't too much further before the sand dunes and scrub gave way to tall eucalyptus forest. Lots of strangler vines too. It was a nice change and despite the bigger drops from leaves the misty rain was kept at bay.
Breaking through the forest and back to the sandy dunes it was time to cross the Cooloola sand patch. Lots of warning signs and compass bearings to get safely across 1km of sand. Seems a bit over the top I wonder how many people have actually lost their way. Good views though.
I should probably be thankful for the drizzling rain. I imagine the crossing would be a lot harder with dry loose sand and the blazing sun. As it was it didn't feel too bad and my shoes barely dug in. Just the other side I stopped off for smoko in the trees but 5min of sitting in the rain got me moving again.
Off down the hill to eventually meet up with the Noosa river. Great spot for a swim, especially because I was already wet. I decided to push on to camp though, not too much further up the river.
Made it to camp just before lunch. Still raining. I hid under the roof of the water tank for a little while until there was a brief break in the showers. Not stopped mind you but really light. Got everything setup without a moment to spare before the real rain set in again. Took the opportunity to eat some lunch then jump in for a swin. Pretty high bank near camp though. Annoying to get in and out.
Started to get cold so went back to the tent to hide again and change into thermals to get warm around 3. The pair of hikers heading north (the solo one was SOBO) hadn't made it here yet. They were still having breakfast when I left but must have decided to have a long lunch too.
With the rain still going I stayed in my tent for dinner so I didn't get to see the other hikers. It got dark pretty fast after the sun went down so I tried to get to sleep. Unfortunately my pillow seemed to have developed a leak. Didn't take long to find it but it was a split seam, near impossible to patch. I tried anyway and managed to have it stay semi inflated for ~20min but gave up. Shoved my puffy jacket into my beanie to use as a pillow for tonight.
The rain finally let up around midnight. My tent has seen a lot of use and I think it's due for a seam seal again. Small drips of water pooling where the fly meets the mesh. My shorts copped a bit of it and my sleeping bag got slightly wet but everything else was mostly dry.
Got away from camp just before 7. Shirt still damp from yesterday, shorts from the leaky tent and shoes/socks still wet too. That worked out ok and the next k or so from camp was through marshland so the shoes got soaked again anyway. Path was fairly overgrown and water was thick in the branches. So it felt like it was still raining! At least the sun is out today.
Made it to the next camp just before 10am and stopped to fill water. There is a lake another 600m on that I headed to for lunch. I was expecting a sand lake but it was more a grass lake with difficult access so I found a sunny spot just past to have lunch. Laid out my tent and sleeping bag to dry off and stopped for a long lunch. Was nice to kick off the wet shoes as well.
I compressed 2 sections today, to make it to rainbow in time for a lift home. Seems fitting to do a 36km day on my 36th birthday. Some great trail in this section. Lots of forest and breaks into sub-tropical rainforest. Finally made it to the campgrounds for the day just before 4pm to be greeted by some fellow hikers. They had been a day in front of me before today.
The people at camp were a pretty good crew and it was nice to have some company for dinner. Just as I was finishing cooking another hiker showed up, they left Carlo just after lunch and this was their first overnight hike. Pack about twice as big as mine and after some introductions he mentioned that the whole way in he was thinking of what he should have left behind. I think we've all been there...
It started to rain again in the wee hours of the morning. Just before 6 there seemed to be a break so I quickly packed to avoid packing in the rain. Seems that was unnecessary though as after I got back on trail all I could see was blue skies.
I didn't mind the early start though it's good to be moving in the golden hour and watch the sun start to filter through the trees. It also meant that I got to spend extra time at Poona Lake. Just as beautiful as Lake Mackenzie on Fraser and not another soul here.
It was a bit cold as the sun was only just reaching the far bank but I took the time to have a quick (very quick in and out) dip. I relaxed on the shore of the lake for a good 1/2 hour before deciding I should get a move on to catch my ride at the Carlo sand blow. Still a good 2 hours away.
Just before 10 I broke out into the full sunshine on the sand blow. Parents were meeting me at the deck at 1030 so I loosened my shoes and enjoyed a nice sit down while I waited. They showed up right on time and we went down to Rainbow. I had an outside shower (beach shower) so I didn't stink up their car on the way home and a nice burger for lunch before saying goodbye to the sand (until clean up time.....) and heading home.
Another Great! Walk, done and dusted.
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