Today had an unexpected turn of events, but it wasn’t because of rodents biting into my tent or bumping into a giant snake like yesterday.

When I left camp this morning just after 9am, I bumped into a group of four people I met in the parking lot on day 1, who were setting off on their hike at the same time. We immediately hit it off, and I was hoping to bump into them again somewhere along the line.

I left ahead of the group, but knew they would pass me as I wanted to climb to Kersops Peak between Little Waterloo Bay and Refuge Cove. Turns out the peak was only a 350m climb, but in the 31 degree centigrade heat, even that was tough. I found a shady spot to post my last post, but because the signal was so weak, it took almost an hour, and by then, it was 1pm and the hottest part of the day.

The scenery along the way was stunning, but my body felt like I was on energy saver mode, moving so slowly to avoid completely overheating. I barely saw anyone else on the trail at that time, and all I could think about was immersing my body in the ocean once I reached Refuge Cove.

I threw myself fully clothed into the water the moment I arrived, and while I was having lunch, bumped into Cam, one of the group of four I’d met on my first day.

I joined him and his partner Amy, and another couple named Alice and Ro, and we ended up chatting for over an hour. I still had 2 hours to hike to my intended campsite at Sealer’s Cove, but because the campsite at Refuge was practically empty, Alice asked if I actually wanted to go there. Only one guy had camped there the night before alone, so I was torn between wanting to see what it was like and completing my intended goal, or enjoying a night with my new friends.

I flipped a bottle of sanitizer to help me decide what to do, but when it told me to go to Sealer’s Cove, I still wasn’t sure. The two couples went for a quick dip while I was still deciding, and once I was on my own again, I immediately realised I wanted to stay. The A-type part of me wanted to push and hike the whole park, but the softer side of me realised I could hike alone anytime, and this would be my only opportunity to spend an evening with these folks.

After an amazing swim together, they invited me for dinner and we played a Monopoly card game before they cooked up paneer curry with rice and naan bread. Much better than my dehydrated bolognese!

I had such a wonderful evening, and have cut 2 hours of backtracking from my hike tomorrow by not going to Sealer’s Cove. This is a good thing as the temp is going to be in the thirties again tomorrow and there is no water at Oberon Bay where I’ll be camping.

I’m proud of myself for putting people before my achievements, and for enjoying what’s important in life rather than boasting an achievement that nobody cared about other than me!

Goodnight from Refuge Cove!