Our camels have forgotten everything

Day: 26

Sunrise:
07:05

Sunset:
17:16

As the crow flies:
11,5

Daily kilometers:
17

Six Mile Rock Camp – 06.06.2000

At last we are moving on. Under normal conditions the stay here would have been far too long, but under the actual conditions I am very pleased not to have lost any more time. Again, we are already exhausted from the strenuous loading of the camels before we even set off. The long interruption has thrown us off the rhythm we’ve been building up over the last few weeks. Tired, we set off at 11.30 am. The sun is shining and promises a beautiful day.

As soon as we have covered the first hundred meters, Istan freaks out and races against his camel companions in front of him with huge leaps. Naturally, they all react with panic and shoot forward in a wild flight. Jo immediately leads them into a large circle, but Istan is still jumping up and down like a madman. The heavy saddle with the kitchen equipment and food is thrown up and down. As I was running a few meters ahead, I had no choice but to watch the disaster unfold. Jo runs a second circle in the other direction. Istan apparently realizes that the saddle is sticking to his back like a tick and finally gives up.

We breathe a sigh of relief and continue our march. It only takes a few minutes for the leap to be repeated. Sebastian is now so nervous that, according to my GPS, he is rushing along at a speed of 5.8 kilometers per hour. Jo has to summon up all her strength to hold him. Apparently our long rest didn’t do the camels any good, because it looks like they’ve forgotten everything. It is an extremely exhausting day on which they hardly calm down. In the afternoon, the landscape suddenly changes. There are fewer bushes and trees. Our gaze doesn’t bump into anything and we can admire the vast expanse of farmland. The waves of the outback seem to ebb and flow here in barely perceptible undulations. Despite the effort of walking and the problems with our animals, my heart feels liberated at this wonderful sight. 3.45 p.m. We have covered 17.5 kilometers and find a narrow strip of land next to the railroad line about 10 kilometers before Dowerin where we can pitch our tents.