Day 157 Guy Fawkes cont.

Early morning
NSW 15 (157) Thursday 28th October, 2021 18.8km

3103.2 / 1995.7 km

Follow
Today is more of the same as yesterday. I relax a bit as it is hot and from lessons learnt yesterday I just follow the Brumby tracks and try not to second guess. There are many river crossings to do and most of them I am able to cross without taking my boots off. The deeper ones I spend the time in removing the boots and carrying. Then there are the crossings that are a bit iffy. Should I or shouldn't I.  A little diversion here a jump there and it should be OK.  It is until it isn't and I risk it one to many times and end up knee deep in the river with my boots on. So for those trail runner aficionados you can now say I told you so. Yep the boots will take a while to dry. However today is the first day in 3000 or so kilometres I will need to walk with wet feet. Leather forever. 
Water everywhere

Each crossing brings small or large flat meadows. Some have 1 or 2 Brumbys.  I saw groups of 4 but the largest groups seem to be either end of this walk. I saw a group of about 12 coming into the park and I'm following a group that looks upwards of 20. 

How big are the fish in the river in the river 
if this is the lure
I miss the Combalo Hut ruins and an Orange tree. I did come across a National Park trail sign. I think it was Chaelundi trail and it's part of a wilderness trail from a camp spot up top. You come down Jordan's Trail up the river and leave via Chaelundi trail. If nothing else I might come do that with family. It is beautiful down here. 

One of the ponds

I came across a flat that I called the butterfly meadow. There were hundreds of these brown and orange spotted butterflies trying to mate I thought. I stopped and had rest for a while watching (can you perve on butterflies?) I was watching two do a dance around each other then just as I think she agreed a willy wagtail snapped him out of the air. She went seconds later to a different bird. I'm glad we shut the blinds.

Stopped after a crossing
I then come across some Yards. There were three sets I saw altogether. Apparently to catch cattle and horses. I decide to go past the designated spot as the boots are wet so I might just get all the crossings out of the way and camp at base of McDonald's Ridge. 

Last river crossing
The last walk up is Marengo Creek. I chase a herd of cattle and a group of four horses. But I come to the bottom of the Ridge and set up the tent. The horses, after a bit of snorting and stamping decide to head back to the river. The Guy Fawkes River has actually been quite warm, or should I say not chilly. I could sit in it and splash about quite comfortably. The Marengo Creek on the other hand was very chilly. Took a lot of effort to sit in the water even though I was hot.

Anyway boots on a rock in the sun, clothes washed and hanging. Horses gone away. Herd of cows happy elsewhere and dinner on. Rest for the climb tomorrow. Weather warnings for tomorrow as well.