The Top End: Day 2

Today was the day we hiked! We had an early morning, and were on the road by 6:30 am to Jim Jim Falls. There was a 20 minute track that required 4WD before reaching the parking area. We packed wraps for lunch and lots of water because it was going to be HOT. And hot it was, peaking at 37°C at the local meteorological station. By 9 am, it was already 28°C, so I made sure to drink plenty of electrolytes!

Before we got to the 4WD track, we were on a dirt road. On our drive I noticed a couple peculiar sights:

1. The road had water depth indicators for navigating the park during the wet season, when the falls aren’t completely inaccessible. Some went up to 2 meters!
2. There were signs warning drivers of the “dust corrugations” on the road. I don’t think that has quite the same ring as “washboards”.
3. On this road, only portions were paved. These included low spots and steeper inclines to prevent washouts and enable vehicles to make the climbs during wet weather. 

From the parking lot, we set off on the ~8km (return) hike up to the top of Jim Jim Falls. During the climb, I realized that I truly am a prairie girl – it was hard, and not just because of the elevation gain (357 m in total, according to my watch). You also had to be mindful where you stepped and grabbed, and not to hook your foot on any roots. We arrived at the top of the falls around 11 am, then had lunch and started the trek back.

We met up with the original trail and headed to the plunge pool at the bottom of the falls. This part of the hike, dare I say, seemed more difficult than the climb, at least in the sense of not having a well-beaten to follow. It was effectively a kilometre of climbing over boulders, with the last third being in the sun, so the rocks were HOT on the hands.

After all this, the plunge pool was GLORIOUS: partially shaded, cool and refreshing, with plenty of fish happy to nibble your toes. We spent about an hour swimming, then headed back to the bus to make our way back to camp. I swam over to the base of the waterfall, which was a dripping tap this late into the dry season, and watched the water droplets in a free-fall with the wind blowing them astray from a straight descent into the pool.

All in all, we hiked 11 km over 6.5 hours, with just shy of 5 of those being active. I learned that I am a cautious hiker, favouring routes that are more stable over the one that may be the shortest. 

We made it back to camp, hit the pool, showered up, and had spaghetti bolognese for dinner. I was fast asleep by 9:30, being outside all day sure tires you out!

– Kate