The whole '223'..plans for trekking the Larapinta Trail

I am going to tackle the Larapinta Trail....

 

Australian Geographic image of the Larapinta Trail:

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/walking-the-larapinta-trail.htm

Okay so I will admit that post apocalyptic thoughts on this new ambition MIGHT possibly have something to do with my new espresso coffee....and I realise it is also a  tad ambitious, especially considering that this time last year I suffered a work related back injury which left me unable to walk without limping in agony for months.  However, there is (in my mind) nothing like an ambitious plan to spark ones sense of motivation. 

My Daughter and I have sketched plans to tick off a trip I have always wanted to take but never ventured for various reasons...I have wanted to 'do' the Overlander Track, a 6 day hike in the Tasmanian Cradle Valley since I was a teenager and with my new found walking ability....and lack of daily pain...we somewhat ambitiously have decided to attempt this in the next year as a Mother & Daughter team.  Given that our 'training' ground so far has led to heated arguments before even rounding the bend on our local bush walk of about 5 kms, I am not too sure of how the notorious weather changes, the difficulty of carrying packs and the perceived lack of food by my preteen will aid to a rewarding and bonding experience...but we are both still keen. 
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/outdoor/view-image.htm?gid=6232&index=5

Researching this has led me to look closer to home for trekking experiences to 'build up' to the Overlander, and to give us opportunities to participate in mini challenges as a family.  I have 'discovered' that close to us, infact close enough to reach out and touch is a world reknowned bush walking paradise.  In the West 'Macs' as they are known, the ranges just out of Alice, is the Larapinta trail, a harshly beautful 223 kilometer multi day hike across this spectacular country.

But even my espresso isn't enough to fool me into deliriously believing this would be a possible or even enjoyable family pursuit....in one go.  BUT, the beauty, as I have discovered, is that this is one of the rare multi day hikes that gives the participant the option of where to start and end as it can be done in sections.  This is where the excitement begins.....lol ( I am yet to convince my husband)

I have plans to tackle the Larapinta trail in these sections...over the next year or so.
There are 12 to conquer, some involving overnight treks and camping, others involving a long day hike all varying in difficulty from easy to hard....over the next year or so.

There is a mountain (pardon the pun!) of information about this locally revered walk, which makes me wonder how I had never heard of it....so I will add to this post as I discover more.

Section #1 is the 23 kilometer track from The Telegraph station in Alice to Simpsons Gap, where I have no doubt I will be meeting the rest of my family for a picnic....my other half less inclined to outlandish crazy ambitious behaviour as I am....and cooks a mean barbie :)  SO visions of  hiking through red rock valleys underneath lovely blue winters skies and finishing up with a sunset view of the surrounding hills .....a  glass of chilled chardy awaiting me, fill me with joy in the meantime (and will no doubt keep me going on the track once the novelty wears off and I am tired of talking to myself).  I hope to do this for my 40th (early September) as a kind of 'I am not too old to do this' milestone...and at the moment am walking 5km trails nearby my house 'in training'....

Wish me luck!