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Paul and Cecily headed over to the bar, followed by Maggie, but Graysen escaped before he had to talk to anyone.

Chapter 5

The Old Telegraph Station, Alice Springs - Tuesday, June 9.

Sandra stood in the shade under the awning at the Trail Station at The Old Telegraph Station and listened carefully as Andrew pointed to the large map on the wall. Her face and the exposed skin on her arms and legs were covered with fifty-plus sun cream, and her new sunglasses and cap fitted snugly. Her fly net was safely in her shorts pocket for when she needed it. She was worried that her lack of sleep last night would slow her down today, so she’d had a second cup of strong coffee when she’d gone back to her room after the five-thirty a.m. breakfast in the hotel dining room. The last thing she wanted was to lag behind the younger members of the group.

‘A solid start this morning,’ Andrew continued. ‘An hour and a half easy walk to the Geoff Moss bridge that passes under the Stuart Highway and then a steady climb for over seven kilometres. Everyone feeling good this morning?’

There were nods and murmurs of assent all round.

‘Our first three days are the most important in terms of getting acclimatised to the conditions. How you condition yourself and treat your body from here to our third day at Standley Chasm will set your performance for the rest of our trek.’ He looked around. ‘Any specific questions from what I’ve outlined this morning?’

Paul raised his hand. ‘So, the first three days sorts out our hydration, boot issues, and gets our mindset in the right zone? But how much water should we actually drink?’

‘It varies depending on your body weight and your energy output, but you do need to keep your hydration level high because it’s hard to get it back up once it drops.’

‘But how much should we drink?’ Cecily’s whining voice was annoying Sandra already.

‘The best advice on our trek, which is moderate output rather than intensive exercise, is to drink to thirst. And be sensible about it. Drinking too much can also cause problems.’

Cecily turned away and muttered something to her husband.

‘As far as our safety goes . . . you said last night you had a satellite phone.’ Zed stepped forward, Miska hanging onto his arm. Sandra wondered how she’d go on the trek. She was quiet and seemed a bit nervous. ‘I guess it’s reliable? I mean is there service everywhere if we have a problem?’

‘One hundred percent coverage on the Iridium network. If we have any problems—which I’m sure we won’t—we can get a helicopter in fast. There’s limited places where you’ll have service with your phones—mainly Telstra—for making calls and uploading images to your social media accounts. Our hashtag—we really appreciate being tagged—is #LarapintaLuxury. Two capitals. You’ll have some service tonight at Simpsons Gap.’

‘Thanks.’ Zed nodded.

Excitement bubbled up in Sandra’s chest as Andrew gestured to the west. The biggest thing she had ever done by herself was about to start and she was feeling confident, more so after listening to Andrew last night.

‘Jodie will meet us at Wallaby Gap campsite with lunch, just after noon. So, pace yourselves and keep an eye on the time. We’ve got just under fourteen kilometres to walk this morning, and as I said last night, this first section is a moderate to difficult walk. The track is rough in parts. Remember to stay fairly close to your partner. If you could make your way to the gate, I’ll be with you shortly to lead the way.’ As the group began to make their way to the western gate, Andrew caught up to Sandra and waited for Graysen to reach them. He was at the back of the group.

‘I meant to talk to you both last night, but I didn’t catch you before you left.’

‘Is there a problem?’ Graysen frowned. He was kitted out in khaki shorts and long-sleeved shirt, and his backpack was three times the size of anyone else’s. A retractable tripod hung off his belt. Sandra had been a bit embarrassed last night when Andrew had introduced him as a world-famous photographer. That must have been what he’d meant when he’d had a go at her in the lift.

She’d never heard of him; then again, the only photographer she’d ever heard of was Annie Leibovitz. The girls had given her a coffee table book with her photographs one birthday a few years back.

‘No, not at all. I just wanted to pair you and Sandy up.’

Heat rose up Sandra’s neck, despite the chill wind.

‘For walking, I assume you mean,’ Graysen said. His lips twitched as he looked at Sandra.

‘Yes, I don’t mean you have to walk together, but just keep a buddy eye on each other. The others are all couples, and I’ve paired up with Maggie, so you’re the only ones left.’ He chuckled. ‘Some groups I’ve led have been all singles, and it takes some working out, let me tell you. Are you both comfortable with that?’

Sandra nodded keeping her voice brisk. ‘Good idea. Not a problem for me. The only thing is, I might slow Graysen down.’ Even though she wasn’t impressed, she could see the sense in the idea. She could have had Dru—or God forbid, Frank—along, but she’d really wanted to prove that she could do this away from her support network at home.

‘Not at all,’ Graysen replied. ‘I’ll be stopping frequently to set up my tripod and take photos.’

‘Okay, guys, that’s great. Right, let’s get going.’

The trail started at the Old Telegraph Station, and Sandra looked with interest at the Pioneer Cemetery as they walked past. She had a few days in Alice Springs after the trek, and she’d make sure she came back to visit.

She looked ahead, excitement fuelling her steps. Already the frontrunners of the group were disappearing over the slight rise ahead of them. Beneath her boots was pebbly clay, and from the brochure she’d studied she could identify stunted mulga and casuarina trees in the scattered bush beside the trail. Above, the sky was almost clear, with an occasional wisp of white cloud drifting across the blue. Despite the arduous day ahead, serenity settled in her. Sandra smiled and knew she’d made the right decision to walk the Larapinta Trail. She would even forgive Graysen and forget his rudeness of last night. Who knew what others carried in their hearts?

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