Day 3 was the longest day of hiking, nearly 17 kilometres to the next hut. We set off fairly early, and the first hour was spent trekking through mixed mossy patches and grasslands, in surprisingly warm weather. A short stroll off the main track led to a lookout, and we stopped for a snack break to admire the stunning view above.
We came to a small tea-tree forest that rose abruptly out of the top of a hill, the deep shade providing a welcome change. The forest was littered with huge boulders, festooned with moss and lichen so much that they blended in with the foliage.
After a steep climb through the forest, the path started to slope downwards and we came to a section of deeper rainforest. Suddenly we noticed that the ground was carpeted with white petals! There were no flowers visible from the ground, and we thought that there must be a flowering tree or plant high in the canopy. We stopped for lunch at a bridge over a little stream, surrounded by moss and petals.
After poring over the map, we decided that we were nearly at the next stop. I was starting to feel the weight of my pack, and I was happily imagining how nice it would be to take my boots off when we came to a sign that read ‘Frog Flats’. Reading the map, we had decided that frog flats had been crossed hours ago – this meant that we still had 2 hours to go! To add insult to injury we saw the first leech of the trip, so we hurried on.
The hut that afternoon was a welcome sight, and we quickly claimed some bunks and sat down for a cuppa. From the huts verandah we had an amazing view of Pelion Plains and The Spires in the distance. Barn Bluff was still barely visible on the horizon. We had time to explore a nearby creek which had some fossilised shells, before heading back to see the last light falling on The Spires as some lazy clouds drifted across Barn Bluff. I slept well that night!
