Watch out for snakes.

 bush: 

• Land covered with dense vegetation or undergrowth.
• Land remote from settlement: the Australian bush.

      Western Australia counts 7 of the 10 most poisonous snakes in the world, including the mainland tiger snakes, the Eastern Brown snake, and the Inland Taipan.... often encountered by tourists while bushwalking. Although it is recommended to wear long pants and closed shoes , there are no real prevention to venomous snake bites except to keep your eyes open.

     On our Australian adventure we were told to watch out for snakes almost every day. Although the idea of seeing or stepping on a snake scared me to death, I decided to conquer my fear and experience a dozen or more incredible Australian bush trails, including the Kalbarri National Park Loop trail. 

The window - Kalbarri National Park

Kalbarri National Park

The loop - 8 km

          By the time we arrived at the trail head of the Loop 8K by mid morning the temperature had already reached 32 degrees Celsius. A couple of kilometers later it occurred to me that I did not remember where I had put the car keys... Neither I nor Fanny could find them.  At this point we had gone too far to turn around so we agreed to keep our fingers crossed and check on our way back. Fortunately the outstanding views and magnificent colors of the Kalbarri gorges soon took our minds away from the key incident and we were off walking our way through the bush in no time. 

Fanny in the gorges.

      An hour or so later we were descending into the gorges . 

Summer temperatures may reach 45ºC and the weather is often dry and windy. It is advised to exercise extreme caution as deaths from exposure to heat have occurred. Temperatures in the park gorges are often 10oC above the ambient temperature... and keep getting worse as you descend.

 As I was cautiously following the narrow trail, I suddenly heard rocks crumbling on the side of the trail. With the thought of snakes in mind, I ran away as fast as I could and quickly jumped on the highest rock of all. My legs still shaking, I turned around and faced our Aussie journey's first false snake alert.... a hopping Kangaroo. 

        On our way back our car was still in the parking lot, the doors were open and the keys... on the back seat.  We successfully finished the snake-free Loop under 2 1/2 hrs and left the trail relieved and happy.

Head stand maniac

Love, C-