Echo Point to Cynthia Bay
Overland Track
The Hike - The final day of the Overland Track. With my last morning on the track after an unforgettable six days, I had set my alarm for just before sunrise (4am), to catch the morning light show. Being in my tent right on the shores of Lake St Clair meant I was perfectly positioned to roll over, unzip my tent, and capture whatever magic might be on display. I don't think I even needed my alarm in the end, waking up to the slightest hint of light on my tent, I opened up the side facing the water and could tell I was in for a treat.
One of the solo hikers we had caught up to on these last couple of days was already awake and sitting on the jetty ready to bask in the magnificence of a glorious sunrise. Plenty of other hikers had the same idea as I could hear a bit of activity going on around camp but I was happy for now to rest in my tent and take in all in from here. The colours were slowly transforming, from a light purple, to yellows, to bright red at one stage, that prompted me to quote in my head Legolas from The Two Towers, "A red sun rises, blood has been spilt this night". Perhaps the leeches from New Pelion had attacked again. Deciding to take in the views from outside of my tent, I put on my jacket and exited onto the beach. It was another relatively warm morning, a blessing we had experienced over the week where the only bad weather we had seen was one medium shower on the afternoon of the third day.
The bright reds of the pre-sunrise light show were starting to peak and it was an awe-inspiring sight, wandering around in the still morning air. I could hear Obi and Rose stirring in the tent next to me as I headed towards the jetty to take more photos. The view looking down the lake is a captivating one, with the dark silhouettes of the western and eastern slopes of the lake converging in the middle and drawing your gaze to a singular spot. More and more people were starting to emerge as the sun eventually peaked above the distant hills. Echo Point has phone reception if you're on the Telstra network, so we knew that rain was eventually coming today, and it wouldn't be another warm one. Given the lovely lighting I had yesterday afternoon, I would take another cloudy day walking through the forest. With only 11km to get through today, no one was in any rush to get going, although everyone was keen for some proper food.
I was quite content to savour the last moments with what was left of our group, sitting on the jetty and chatting away while everyone drank coffee, ate breakfast or stretched our their weary muscles. It was a beautiful morning and a relaxing send-off for what had been a super memorable hike. Eventually it came time to start packing up, and it was a breeze packing up the tent, as there was no condensation or rain to shake off, and the underside was easy rid of sand with one quick sweep. I had been meaning to stay in my tent more often but the new huts were too good not to experience and by the time I got to Bert Nichols, all the tent sites had been taken. Ready to depart by 8:30am, I was planning on walking to the end in the close proximity of David, Alice, Obi and Rose but the call of nature struck just as we were about to leave, so I told them I'd catch-up.
I knew this wasn't going to happen, as I'd be taking way too many photos but you never know with these things. I was ready to go after the briefest possible visit to the outhouse (it will be much better if/when it gets replaced with a solar powered ventilation system), and I was looking forward to a merry jaunt through the forest to finish off the week. The area immediately around Echo Point was amazing, a continuation of the walking from the previous afternoon. A number of Strawberry Brackets were dotted around the place, along with some Leatherwood flowers that I had completely missed seeing on the edge of the beach when exploring camp. I definitely wasn't going to be catching anyone up today given the absolutely stunning scenery in front of me, with thick boi trees and a myriad of greenery all around. With excellent lighting and a new delight around every bend, I was in danger of intercepting the forecasted rain.