Day 7 Ormiston Gore to Ochre Pits

Bloody Mount Sonder

What looked like a hard day proved to live up to all expectations.
An early start, with breakfast at 6.30AM and  departure at 7.30AM.
The Spinifex Tong Award was given to Colin for his Bear Grylls impersonation wading Ormiston Gorge.
An initial creek walk and an easy run with a slow and steady ascent with morning tea in a creek.
Then began the climb proper, punctuated by one of the group leaving his camera behind.
The ridge line was reached with great views back to Sonder and into the Ormiston Pound.
A painful walk along the ridge, through a veritable minefield of rocks until our lunch spot, opposite Mount Giles was reached.
Then a short walk to the  lookout where views to the east almost to Alice Springs and Mount Sonder and Mount Ziel to the west.
Soon after a precipitous descent to Rainbow Creek and Rainbow Gorge where Chris decided a twisted ankle would be a good idea. Some strapping and she was off.
A long walk ensued over rocky ground with the track indistinct and hard to follow in places.
At this stage it was getting late so a planned short-cut was investigated by Simon.

This was Pioneer Gorge that cut through a ridgeline to the plain and Ochre Pits, our destination.
The gorge descent was quite spectacular, yet quite dangerous with boulder and rock hopping the order of the day, around rock pools until almost out onto the plain that one last rock pool that blocked out path.
So it was boots off, once again, and a cold wade to the crutch, much to everyone’s chagrin.
We had almost finished except the 3 km wade through the Spinifex back to the bus.
An 8.00AM start with a 6.00PM finish made for one long day, late dinner with a number of tired bodies sloping off to an early bedtime.
Chris survived, with a sore ankle, others survived with multiple stab wounds from Spinifex.

Simon's thought of the day-Ordinary is extra