I have walked Ritter’s Track to the Walls of Jerusalem a number of times in the past – the last time was January 2022. It’s not really a track – it’s an old cattle route.

The route was cut by Charles Ritter in 1913, as a path to get cattle from the lowlands around Meander, just south of Deloraine, to the area on the Central Plateau that is now the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Ritter had a grazing lease that took in the Walls.

According to Simon Cubit, Frederick Bowman also got a lease to summer cattle at the Walls, and he used Ritter’s route to get his cattle into the area. Apparently Bowman wasn’t as confident as Ritter on the Plateau, so had the route cairned out in 1919. About 220 cairns have survived over the 16 km route, but some can be quite difficult to see at a distance now, given the passage of the years, and the moss growth on them!

Anyway – it’s a fascinating walk. And a brilliant way into the Walls of Jerusalem.

For this walk I decided to get some new equipment: a new watch, and a satellite communicator. I bought a new GPS unit a few years ago that I have already used on the route, so I intend using that as well.

Walking food is always an issue for me, given I am vegetarian. I have been madly dehydrating various veggies and other delights (chick peas, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, curried pumpkin that I make a powder out of, etc), and these will be combined to give me tasty, nutritious meals that I just need to rehydrate in the evening.

The first of my new gadgets I want to share is a Garmin InReach Mini 2 satellite communicator.

This gives me the ability for two-way SMS communication without a mobile phone using the Iridium satellite network. I consider this to be an important addition to my gear, as it allows me to communicate any route changes, new plans, get up-to-date weather forecasts from the BoM, and to give an indication of my progress. Plus the communicator literally fits into the palm of my hand – it is tiny!