Day 52: Dog Pool to Mt Chance
We acknowledge the Nyoongar People as the traditional custodians of the land and waters along the Bibbulmun Track
Onto the amazing Pingerup Plains
Dog Pool to Mt Chance overview map.
Use Bibbulmun Track Foundation Map 6 - Northcliffe
The elevation gain and loss details for today: nearly 20 kilometres but with little climbing, some road walking followed by the Pingerup Plain.
Yes, there’s road walking, but they are delightful sandy tracks.
The track verge is rich in tiny orchids. You can see just how small and difficult to spot these Flying Duck Orchids are. Most people walk straight past them.
Ditto for Warty Hammers (Drakaea livida)
We show Pat and Helen the orchids. Here we are, photographing them. You can see from my camera position just how low to the ground and small they are!
It is beautiful country.
A rare double-headed Flying duck orchid (Paracaleana nigrita).
It’s also perfect hiking weather. Geoff and I wear lightweight merino tees which are great in both heat and cold. Unlike cotton, which loses all its insulating ability when wet (hence the bush saying, “Cotton Kills,”), wool retains most of it even when wet.
The different soils - white sands and red laterite - support completely different orchid species. As soon as you see white sand, you’ll see more orchids.
A mutant Warty Hammer (Drakaea livida)
A new sun orchid, Thelymitra flexuosa
Stylidium androsacum ssp meridionale
Davesia sp. The common name for any yellow and brown pea in SA is Bacon and Eggs, and there are myriad of them. So I’ll go with that!
Chorizema rhombeum
Here we are at a late lunch stop on the Pingerup Plains. It has been delayed because we were looking for somewhere dry and shady to sit!
The Plains are just so different to everything we’ve seen so far.
It’s an absolutely wonderful landscape worth the wet feet!
Yes, more puddles!
And still more, but not as deep as we’ve experienced in the previous two days.
Oh, wait, I spoke too soon!
Melaleuca phoenicea.
After a climb out of the plain we arrive at Mt Chance Hut.
We set up the tent…
And then climb Mt Chance, the granite dome you can glimpse behind the hut.
The views over the Plain are delightful, and orchid enthusiasts will find many species on the granite, including microtis and sun orchids that are closed by the time we arrive.
A rare pic of the two of us. You can see the classic clothing layering system in action: merino baselayer, fleece jacket and a puffy for in camp for extra warmth. Geoff is wearing a fleece beanie, which is as warm as wool but which weighs less.
It has been a terrific day. Don’t be daunted by the wading, because it’s only a relatively short section of the whole track, and it brings with it such variety of terrain. Accept that your feet will get wet, and you’ll be able to enjoy this section’s unique beauty.
