02 June 2011

Albany to Stirling Range

It’s the second day of winter here in Australia and the weather is intent on proving it.  Mother Nature has been pelting us with rain showers for the past two days and doesn’t appear to be at all inclined to stop.  It’s put a bit of a damper on our big plans to drive to this park and hike that and that park and hike this.  Not that we can’t hike in the rain but frankly, we’re just not motivated to do so.  Hiking in the rain is one of those things that at first sounds like it would be okay because at least you’re outside doing something but after a while when the rain hasn’t stopped and your jacket sleeves have soaked through and are sticking to your forearms and rain drops are getting through that gap by your chin and trickling down your neck which you think would cool you off because now you’re getting hot with all these sticky layers on but it’s not having that affect and instead is just really irritating you, well it’s then you think Gosh, this is stupid.  Or maybe that’s just us.

Our motivation failing, we try to shore ourselves up with a 6 km return walk along the Albany coastline.  I don’t think the walk made all that much difference in our collective demeanor since we followed it up with a Honey Nut Cheerios binge in the van.  Better hit the road again before we lose all motivation to even turn the ignition key.  Where to?  North, we decide, away from this soggy coastline and into the arid interior.  We find our rain-free zone out in the Stirling Range in an odd little campground (“They call it a retreat, I call it a dump”, said Gina upon arrival) where there be some, shall we say, “different” kind of folk.  I’m not sure if this is exactly what we were looking for but there ain’t nothing else around for miles, and I mean MILES in all capital letters, so pull in and plug in, we’re home.