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Started the day at the crack of dawn as we had decided the previous day that we were going to traverse the hiking paths of Kalbarri. We stopped at two lookout points within the national park which definitly whet our appetite. The lookouts were stunning; the rock formations were so elaborate and intricate. Anyway, off we headed to Murchison River Gorge. Fully suncreamed and loaded with water off we set on the 9km loop, starting off at Nature's Window - another extraordinary rock formation in the shape of, you guessed it, a window. Next came a tricky, loose-rocked, downhill pathway that we followed stopping to take many pictures on the way of the river 100m (or so) below. The path took us all the way down to the beach at the side of the river, where I got busy taking even more photos.
When I'd finished I turned round and Charlotte was absolutely nowhere to be seen. Calling out I heard nothing in response so I walked back to the last sign post. I followed to the next one which I believed to be pointing upwards and so began the gruelling and treacherous climb to the top. Realising that it definitely was not the right way as the terrain was far too dangerous to navigate even by Australian standards, I decided I was well and truly lost. Bushes and trees were all I could see in front of me, no sign of a pathway, Charlotte or a signpost. Midday sun. Water running low. No signal on my phone. Don't panic Emma, just don't panic. So naturally I panicked and began to run through the brush getting whipped, stabbed and scratched by all the branches and twigs sticking out at awkward positions.
I heard a sound somewhere ahead of me so I called out, I heard silence and then a mad scrambling through the bushes. I followed the noise and realised that it must have been a rock wallaby as there were tell-tale signs of excrement which I skillfully managed to avoid. Thankfully my internal navigation seemed to sense the danger I was in and for the first time in the 24 years of existence I managed to work out the direction from which we had come. I used the zoom on my camera to scour the landscape and saw a glint which I realised was the wonderful sight of the car park, albeit tiny in the distance. I walked in that general direction careful to avoid falling off the side of the cliff and manahed to find the path we had been on.
Practically hopping, skipping and jumping all the way back to the car my lightheartedness soon dwained as I realised Charlotte had the keys... And was still not back. I thought to myself I would wait an hour for her to return before using the emergency phone to call for search and rescue. However, after about 30 minutes I saw her ambling up the pathway much to my relief.
After reuniting, we decided we deserved a hearty well-done-for-not-dying lunch and headed back into town to the Gorges Café. With our bellies full of burger, chips and caramel milkshake we got back on the highway where I had a well deserved nap.
We ended up in Nanga Bay an almost deserted caravan park, and after a hot shower and a beautiful sunset we were in bed by 8pm exhausted from the day's ordeal.
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