Day 142 Scenic Rim end / back to BNT

Sunday 5th September, 2021

Dark and gloomy

I was up early so I could get going at first light. Having a platform to set up on made it easier to keep a track of everything in the dim light. I had some rubbish in an empty peanut butter jar which was now missing. Whatever took it must have been a lot bigger than a mouse. I looked around as far as I dared without annoying my fellow campers and came up with a lightweight MSR tent peg from under the platform.

The light makes patterns in the gloom
So the track continues on a firetrail which makes it easy as the light gets better. Then it turns back into the unmaintained trail that takes me deep into the forest along the escarpment. I still have very little luck with any sort of views as the cloud keeps rolling over. The track in the dim light is sometimes hard to trace. I had to stop and take a good look a couple of times to discern it across rocky areas and the more open areas covered in leaf litter. Overall it didn't prove that difficult. The problem though was the wet and slippery roots and rocks, only one minor fall today no damage done. 

The mist keeps it damp

The track brings me out at Bare Rock where it meets up with the maintained track from the Cunningham gap car park. 

I stopped for breakfast and received a call from Isabelle. Apparently it's father's day. She had made a gift which I will see eventually. I still have a lot of gifts and cards from all my children that I have received.  I like the hand made ones. 

some bare rock

I get joined by a day walker and as it is Sunday expect to see a few more on the track. 

Different layers of cloud
This is the case as I wind back down to Cunningham's gap. The car park is full and there are a lot of cars parked beside the road.  On any other day this would be the end of my walk but I've got to get down the range to meet the National Trail. Looking at it later I should have gone further west may be and come a different way. But I headed down the highway. Not recommended at all but with a couple of road crossings I eventually made it to the windsock at the turnoff.

Towards the coast
I crossed the road and I'm back on the trail. The directions through the property that take me to Spicers Gap Rd are confusing and in the end, I believe, wrong. I'm sure there is a 1km hole in the book. You also take the second gate not the first. The first gate in the fence is a wire gate. The second, pipe gate further on seems more logical. A paragraph seems to describe a 1.5 km section where distances would help. A trail sign might also come in handy.

Stopped to appreciate the view
Ah the trail. Not 5 minutes on it and it reminds me it's not a walk trail. The last 3 days seem so far away.

The time after is a straight plod to pick up 10 or so kilometres to a camp site where the creek is running and there is a at area for a tent. I've got to get my trail head back on.