The Red Centre: Kings Canyon
After a 5.30 (!) pickup, my 12 fellow trekkers and I (plus our guide/driver,
Keith) were on the road to Kings Canyon, our first destination and
a hearty 450km away. Along the way, Keith was only too happy to point out a few sights:
Camels were probably the most common animal we saw on the journey, both in
farms and in the wild. (Cattle would be the runner-up, but there were some others as
well.)
The Kings Canyon trip was basically a lot of walking, with little stops where
Keith would explain things like vegetation, recent bushfires, and which places
were used for the Priscilla, Queen of the Desert shoot.
I just took pictures.
These stairs became infamous. Keith had asked fairly early on if anyone
was "allergic to heights." The oldest person on the trip, a Swedish girl’s
mother, indicated she was — a little. As soon as we hit those stairs, though
(which in fairness, were quite narrow), she had some intense stress. She tried
to come down by sitting down and sliding, but she only made it part of the
way.
Keith suggested she and her daughter retrace their steps and rejoin us at
the bus. That was for the best, because what we climbed down later would not
have pleased her:
