Larapinta of the flies.

I had an extra day around Alice Springs before heading off on my Rock Tour, so I decided to hike part of the Larapinta Trail.  This newish trail is one of Australia’s top bushwalking experiences. Mainly in the West Macdonnell National Park, it is 223 km long from east to west and broken up into 12 sections.  Walking from end to end takes 11-16 days, but the sections allow visitors to do day or weekend hikes.  I decided to hike some of Section 3 – one of the higher rated sections for its difficulty and scenery.

I was impressed by the variety in the flora, especially given the desert location.  Here are just a couple of the different plants I saw:

Check out this next plant.  It has pink stems and leaves!  This photo was not the original one I wanted to take.  The plant was just to the side of the trail on a slope down.  I took one step off the trail and crouched down.  The soil beneath me slid away and I fell backwards, sitting on one of the green spiky clump (a hardy grass called the spinifex, I believe).  Two lessons:  stay on the trail, and photography can be dangerous.

Ahh, the flies.  I think the Northern Territory is known for its flies.  While hiking, there would be at least 1 or 2 around me… buzzing around or in my ears, landing on my face, walking on my sunglasses, etc.  If they left me alone for a few minutes, those were glorious minutes.  When I stopped hiking for a lunch break, it just got worse.  It really hurt the solitude and peacefulness of the hike.  I will admit that they got the better of me sometimes.  If anyone has some mindfulness tricks for the flies, I’m all ears, because I am not done with the NT yet.