Chris and I set out early to run the route together, not really knowing what to expect. Before joining the main line of the course we made a short out-and-back to the well-marked Devil’s Thumb lookout for the view, then returned to the junction and continued along the official trail dropping down the ridge into the valley.
This was our first time on the trail, so we moved cautiously down the ridge trying not to drift too far to either side, following a vague resemblance of a way through the shrub. Despite that, we ended up dropping into a section of brambles and a dry river bed near the base on the wrong side of the ridge, and had to climb back out and around to reconnect with the trail and meet the Guy Fawkes River. In hindsight we should have stayed slightly to the left as we approached the base of the ridge.
Once we reached the river and made the first crossing it became a matter of finding and following the brumby trails over and through all sorts of terrain, criss-crossing the river more than ten times. Because it was new terrain for us we spent a significant amount of time at crossings, junctions and in the long grass stopping to find a clearer path, checking GPS maps (Gaia), and heading off again.
Along the way we saw plenty of wildlife including a diamond python, lyrebirds, turtles and black cockatoos. We also came across a field of brumbies and soaked it all in rather than rushing past this amazing and remote wilderness area.
At the base of the main ascent we detoured for a swim to cool off as the day started to heat up. We then started the fire trail climb slowly - and even more slowly after that as the rest of the climb came into view.
Once we were back on the plateau it became a really enjoyable, easy-to-follow and flowy path back toward the start of the route.
We carried our own food and water for the run and didn’t have any support. We took enough water for roughly four hours which, given the navigation detours and extra time on the trail, may have been a little optimistic. Nutrition was mostly gels. We had planned to refill water from the river if needed, but when we reached it the water level was quite low and looked fairly nutrient-heavy, so we decided not to this time and had just enough to get back to the car.
The run was recorded on Strava, and the GPX track shows the full route including the out-and-back to the Devil’s Thumb lookout.