We also decided we would stop for pizza at the Rough & Tumble, as all this talk of good pizza at the huts had really got my mouth watering. (No idea why I always crave pizza after tramping!)
And we told Bethany, which was a great idea, as the pizza was a fantastic motivator to keep walking.
It was 8.28am as we left.
No rain, but damp. Jordan fell asleep as I was getting my boots on (Which one of the ladies kindly tied for me while I rocked him to sleep) and Bethany powered on!
Some stunning scenery with massive drop offs, and lots of bridges. I was glad she still tramps holding my hand 90% of the time, and boy was I holding on to that hand tightly! Though most of the drop offs were fenced which helped calm the mum nerves. But wow those cliffs and rock overhangs.
We’d done a couple of k’s when the rain did start, but luckily had our wet weather gear on already. Just needed to zip it up.
We’d been walking just over 4km (which had taken us 1.5 hours) when we came across some guys on motorbikes off to do maintenance & check traps. They said that the weather wasn’t due to get any better – eek!
Hubby caught up with us not long after, and I was keen to keep walking then to get out of the weather quickly while Jordan was still asleep. So he picked Bethany up to carry her giving her a break, but allowing us to keep moving. We kept switching between her walking & being carried, till Jordan woke up at pretty much exactly the halfway point.
Here we set up the tarp shelter between the trees, and decided to change Bethany into dry clothes, as her pants had gotten quite wet on account of the rain pants being too short, and somehow her tops were pretty damp too. Jordan was still fully dry though and happy. Just in need of a feed. We’d been walking for just over 2.5 hours by this point. So she ate her lunch sitting on dads raincoat with her feet wrapped in a quick dry towel to keep them warm. We decided to have a slightly longer break, just because the rain was a bit colder today, and we didn’t want to have to keep stopping, or risk getting Jordan wet. Plus, other than her merino onesie, that was the last of Bethany’s dry clothes that we’d just changed her into.
We were almost finished with our lunch, when BAM the rain really hit. Like massive torrential downpour hit. Ok. We were waiting this one out – at least for now.
Once the lunch was finished, it was decision time – what’s the best option? The rain is super heavy – but obviously not due to get much better. We’re still just over 8km away from the road end. But there is a Lodge there which will be warm and it’s relatively flat. But if we go out, we will likely get drenched quickly… hmm… we also don’t want Bethany to get too cold. And if we start walking, stopping again may not be the best idea, because if she’s gotten wet, the stop will be too cold. Jordan will be fine if he’s wrapped up in my raincoat – and the wrap was still 99% dry – but he will probably need to get taken out again for another feed or nappy change if we don’t walk fast enough. But, if we waited till he was almost asleep, I could get another 2 hour sleep out of him. If Bethany started walking, she could keep going for up to about 3 hours before needing a break if it was mixed with being carried. At 8km, we were probably about 2.5 hours away with no stops. Hubby can carry Bethany for about 1-2km at a time if the track isn’t too bad, but could probably do more if need be.
So we decided that as soon as the rain subsided for a bit, me & the kids would be off while hubby packed up the shelter. Once he caught up to us, he carried Bethany, and we powered through. We did the next 5km or so in under an hour, and then the rain subsided some more. So we took a more relaxed approach for the next wee bit and had a couple of breaks. We weren’t far iif it did start raining again. Jordan was still dry, and comfortable up against my skin. I’d swapped his hat out, and he was warm. Bethany was slightly damp, but she was getting so excited that we were getting close to pizza. The sun even came out for a wee bit!
About 400m short of the end, she had a massive tantrum – I CAN’T DO IT!! We gave a few words of encouragement, and then very soon we could smell the fire coming from the Rough & Tumble Lodge. “Can you smell it?” I asked. “Yes mummy! That’s pizza! Keep smelling it otherwise the smell will go away!!”
And then she ran once she spotted the end! There was even someone there to give her a massive cheer when we came out. She was stoked! And Jordan woke up just as we finished walking.
Signposted time was 4-6 hours, and we powered through in 5.5 including our almost 1hr long break under the shelter!
Once inside at the Rough & Tumble we got her changed into dry clothes – and Jordan was no longer in the carrier which was a bit damp so we swapped him in to some thicker wool. Perfect timing, as just after we got changed, the rain came down again.