Wow, Kate! What an incredible adventure, reading about it made me restless to go somewhere wild and push my body to its limits. But I love how you balance your wanderlust and adventurous spirit with the small and beautiful joys of being home. It sounds like you have the perfect balance of happiness, found between the everyday and the extraordinary.
Thank you for reading and your kind words here Rebecca. That's the heart of it, finding joy in the small moments of our lives, paying attention to the things right under our feet. Not always easy -- writing (and reading stories like yours) helps me to remember this.
Well - also a beautiful post, Kate. You write well. I lived for many years in Central Australia, including a few years in Alice Springs, and I have walked and climbed (definitely not run!!) several of the peaks out along the western ranges - so I have some idea of the incredible journey you undertook, and the extreme effort involved. Lovely photo of the descent into Angkerle Atwatye. That country gets deep into your soul and under your skin - literally. Are you still finding spinifex spines? :)
Hi David, thank you for your lovely comment. And yes, those spinifex spines. I had a few in my fingers which I could not get out, until they became inflamed and my body pushed them out with a good dollop of pus! Also 3 months later and 3 of my toe nails have fallen off. Oh to be a trail runner! And I agree the landscape gets under your skin, there is something about it that moves you. Take care, Kate
I really enjoyed reading your reflections in this piece, Kate. And well done on the run—that's tough country in there. I haven't run the Larapinta, but I walked it some years ago and remember the sharpness of the rocks pressing through the soles of my shoes. It's a hard trail underfoot, as well as in its constant ascents and descents. But it's so mesmerizingly rewarding. I remember the vividness of its colours, and I remember pausing to admire that precise location in your photo above, and the ants in my pants as a result :)
As for where you are... hmmm, I'd guess Melbourne because of the Pharaoh exhibition at NGV, but the ice is throwing me off.
Dear Ali, thank you for sharing your reflections here with us. It is a landscape of contrasts isn't it! I would love to return to walk the Larapinta trail as you have done. Moving at a slower pace. One day, perhaps I'll take the family. The photo spot was incredible, lucky I didn't pause too long and discover the ants!
And you guessed right! We visited Melbourne, enjoyed the Pharaoh exhibition at the National Gallery. The ice was a bit cryptic -- we took the kids ice skating at the big rink at Docklands, Melbourne.
Wow, Kate! What an incredible adventure, reading about it made me restless to go somewhere wild and push my body to its limits. But I love how you balance your wanderlust and adventurous spirit with the small and beautiful joys of being home. It sounds like you have the perfect balance of happiness, found between the everyday and the extraordinary.
Thank you for reading and your kind words here Rebecca. That's the heart of it, finding joy in the small moments of our lives, paying attention to the things right under our feet. Not always easy -- writing (and reading stories like yours) helps me to remember this.
Well - also a beautiful post, Kate. You write well. I lived for many years in Central Australia, including a few years in Alice Springs, and I have walked and climbed (definitely not run!!) several of the peaks out along the western ranges - so I have some idea of the incredible journey you undertook, and the extreme effort involved. Lovely photo of the descent into Angkerle Atwatye. That country gets deep into your soul and under your skin - literally. Are you still finding spinifex spines? :)
Hi David, thank you for your lovely comment. And yes, those spinifex spines. I had a few in my fingers which I could not get out, until they became inflamed and my body pushed them out with a good dollop of pus! Also 3 months later and 3 of my toe nails have fallen off. Oh to be a trail runner! And I agree the landscape gets under your skin, there is something about it that moves you. Take care, Kate
I really enjoyed reading your reflections in this piece, Kate. And well done on the run—that's tough country in there. I haven't run the Larapinta, but I walked it some years ago and remember the sharpness of the rocks pressing through the soles of my shoes. It's a hard trail underfoot, as well as in its constant ascents and descents. But it's so mesmerizingly rewarding. I remember the vividness of its colours, and I remember pausing to admire that precise location in your photo above, and the ants in my pants as a result :)
As for where you are... hmmm, I'd guess Melbourne because of the Pharaoh exhibition at NGV, but the ice is throwing me off.
Dear Ali, thank you for sharing your reflections here with us. It is a landscape of contrasts isn't it! I would love to return to walk the Larapinta trail as you have done. Moving at a slower pace. One day, perhaps I'll take the family. The photo spot was incredible, lucky I didn't pause too long and discover the ants!
And you guessed right! We visited Melbourne, enjoyed the Pharaoh exhibition at the National Gallery. The ice was a bit cryptic -- we took the kids ice skating at the big rink at Docklands, Melbourne.
Kate x