Tuesday the 3rd of March – Day 2 – Marysville To Keppels Hut

I slept in this morning, ‘Fortunately I’m faster at packing’, I think, but takes me 90 minutes to get ready.


I make it to Marysville mid-morning and head straight to the post office to pick up my first food parcel my mate sent me weeks ago. Unfortunately the parcel has been sent back the day before. I should have contacted them again so that they hold on to it. It is very disappointing to say the least, but I believe something good will come out of this episode. I’m off to the supermarket and with the assistance of the nice and helpful staff, I get all I need. I even get to charge my phone, batteries and so forth. The storekeeper is asking me bunch of questions which is a pleasant surprise. I also meet again a retired couple that I had met on the trail the previous day, we are have a long conversation and they wish me the best. They do think that I’m mad doing this though…
Time to go, I finally repack all the food and finish my online chat with my friend.
I know that if I go further, there is no way back until Licola, 7 days away. It’s a leap of faith: hoping it will be mostly all right.

I start riding again with enthusiasm but I quickly end up pushing the bike, the hill is already too steep. At 4pm I finish the first climb. I know another big one is coming. But it’s also important to eat and rest.



After a snack, I’ll be going downhill on very steep, loose rocks and dirt. At the bottom of the valley, I read a sign: I’m not supposed to be here, risk of falling trees. It’s too late, going back up would be too hard and probably take too long. More importantly I do not know any other route.
I keep going and find that this second climb is nice and not too steep. The scenery is magnificent.


It’s dark when I approach the hut. I spot what I think is some wild horses, but it could also be dears. I miss the hut and go too far. I was relying too much on the GPS, and did climb further than I should have. I wasted an hour in the dark on loose rocks, and have to now go back down. It’s rather cold. I do not want to arrive at a campsite in the dark again, it is too unpleasant.

Statistics

  • Distance: 44.7 km
  • Moving time: 6 hours 16 minutes
  • Average moving: 7.1 km/h
  • Stopped Time: 5 hours 47 minutes
  • Ascent: 2,011m
  • Descent: 1,284m
  • Max Elevation: 1345m

graph-03-03-2015

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One thought on “Tuesday the 3rd of March – Day 2 – Marysville To Keppels Hut

  1. Pingback: Healesville to Omeo: wrap up | Vincent On Wheels

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