Of highlands and heartlines - Clearing Camp to Bamboo Camp

Survived the night without the tent floating away and a clear sunny morning greeted us.

Simon leading the way

This morning's walking was strenuous. As we ascended, we traversed a narrow spur only a metre wide in most places with steep drops away on both sides. We clambered over large hollowed-out trees with massive tree roots. The ground underfoot was very spongy - it felt like you were walking on a mattress. Beautiful rainforest and perfect leech territory, we kept a watchful eye out for the little critters.

Through the dense forest, there were glimpses of the Yodda Valley to the south. It was a deliberate slow pace, being very careful not to put a foot wrong - this was ankle-breaking, knee-jarring terrain.

Ian making it look easy

A steep 500m ascent and my energy levels were sapped. Needing a sugar and caffeine hit, I called for a break - my Haigh's chocolate coffee beans worked a treat! 
We pushed on and had a leisurely lunch at Fern Gully (Camp 2 for the 2016 trek) 

During the afternoon's walking, we spied the first evidence of cassowary excrement and clumps of bamboo became a more common sight amongst the forest and pandanus. More climbing had us ascending well over 2000m. 
We had several stops to re-group with negotiations of where we would camp that night. We were aiming for the morning tea or lunch stops of day 3 of the 2016 trek - an ambitious goal. More track cutting than anticipated and the heavy loads for the porters resulted in a slower pace and required a change of plans.
At 4.30pm with light drizzle falling, we called it a day finding a suitable, if somewhat cramped, campsite. It had some limited views of the Mt Victoria ridgeline and for obvious reasons, we called it "Bamboo Camp".

Meeting time

Bamboo Camp