{"id":17867,"date":"2017-10-12T23:18:07","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T23:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=17867"},"modified":"2022-11-07T13:40:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T03:10:42","slug":"hiking-larapinta-part-2-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/hiking-larapinta-part-2-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking Larapinta Part 2: On the Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Part 1 of this series<\/a>, I covered how to plan the length of your trek, what time of the year to visit, organising accommodation in Alice Springs, how to organise food and gear drops, as well as what gear to bring and packing trips.<\/p>\n

In Part 2, we take on what to expect when you’re actually on the trail so that you can plan your hike accordingly.<\/p>\n

Water sources along Larapinta<\/h2>\n

I consumed water from all the ranger maintained tanks without treating or filtering it and had no physical issues as a result. While I had plans in place to filter water, after speaking with LTTS and realising there had been no rain for nearly 6 months, it was clear that all the water had been trucked into the tanks. While I could have done a Bear Grylls and sourced water naturally from the waterholes, there just wasn’t a need to mess with the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

I had planned my itinerary very much based on access to water. I only spent two nights without access to a tank, both on top of ridgelines in section 9 and section 11. In fact, I was really impressed with the system in place for water tank management by NT Parks and Wildlife<\/a>. Every tank is monitored by satellite and when levels get low, an alert goes out that a refill is needed.<\/p>\n

Each trailhead also has a huge capacity to hold water with many of them appearing to have 2x 10,000+ litre tanks. Through the long sections of 1, 2, 6 and 11, there was often a single tank at the halfway camp (Section 9 is long but doesn’t have a tank as it’s impossible to gain vehicle access).<\/p>\n

\"Water<\/p>\n

One of the types of water tanks on the trail with the satellite tracking system on the left. Photo: Ben Trewren<\/em><\/p>\n

How much water should you drink per day?<\/h2>\n

Beyond my usual 3L allocation of water to keep hydrated, I carried an additional 6L of water in section 9 to get me through the night and 12km the next day through to Ormiston Gorge. In section 11, I carried an additional 4L as I only needed to hike 4km the following morning to get through to the halfway camp at Rocky Bar Gap where there was a water tank.<\/p>\n

I can’t stress enough how invaluable it is to get into a hydration routine right from the start. No matter what was happening, drinking a minimum of 6L for the first 3 days for me was critical. I also set myself the routine of consuming a litre of fluid before I began each morning, a litre if I reached a water tank during the day and then a litre within half an hour of reaching camp. While it often felt like I was forcing fluid into the body, it was critical in such hot and dry conditions.<\/p>\n

The ultimate goal was to try and drink a litre for every hour I hiked, which I managed to do. The good news is that not once did I feel dehydrated – so I avoided headaches and nausea for the entire 14 days.<\/p>\n

\"Shelters<\/p>\n

Shelters found at most trailheads have sleeping pads, water tanks and a toilet nearby.\u00a0Photo: Ben Trewren<\/em><\/p>\n

Facilities along the trail<\/h2>\n

Because of my plan, I spent every night, except for two, at section trailheads which meant I was lucky to have access to the trail facilities available. I still can’t believe that there is no trail fee to hike Larapinta, and you only need to pay to camp at 3 campsites.<\/p>\n

All trailhead campsites had well-stocked water tanks and a hybrid toilet available with plenty of cleared areas for tents, some even had low table tops you could set up on. Trailheads except for Serpentine Chalet Dam, Redbank Gorge and the 3 x paid sites are also set up with a large sheltered area, 2 x sleeping pads big enough to each squeeze 4 people on and a bag storage cupboard to hide your gear from intruding animals.<\/p>\n

The other two nights, I spent on top of the ridgeline just west of Waterfall Gorge in section 9 and at the Mt Sonder Lookout east of Rocky Bar Gap Camp in Section 11. While I needed to carry additional water for these two nights, it’s evident right along the trail that there are many ‘unofficial’ camps where hikers have cleared rocks and these two camps were no different.<\/p>\n

It was a bit windy being up so high and exposed, but the sunset and sunrise views made it absolutely worth it. I’d encourage you to spend a couple of nights away from facilities. It’s a different and memorable way to spend a night(s) on the Larapinta, especially if up high on a ridge.<\/p>\n

\"Toilet<\/p>\n

Always nice to arrive at a toilet, even if just to rest the legs\u2026 Photo: Ben Trewren<\/em><\/p>\n

Halfway camps<\/h2>\n

Halfway camps varied, some having shelter, water tanks and toilets, others having nothing but cleared tent areas – so it’s worth double checking with NT Parks and Wildlife<\/a> before departure to get up-to-date information on the facilities available.<\/p>\n

While I didn’t experience any rain, I can imagine there would be challenges if you got caught in a downpour. It wouldn’t take much for the landscape to become quite muddy and the camping experience would no doubt be much different.<\/p>\n

Paid Campsites available<\/h2>\n