- Start date: 3 September 2011
- Age When Completed: 54
- Direction Walked: North to South
General Comments
The desire to complete an End-to-end was instilled when I first learnt about the Track some years ago. On advice of the Foundation, based on weather patterns I started in September walking south. Good advice.
Food/Supplies Comments
Most of the Track towns had reasonable stocks of dried foods, certainly sufficient to fuel the next section, so long as variety and flavour isn’t an issue - FOOD IS FUEL.
Favourite Section
The whole Track was a pleasure and sometimes challenging. Dog Pool was a cracking spot especially as the river was in full flow. The walk through the Tingle trees was just awesome, that lost me the best part of a day as I walked around and enjoyed the majesty of the giant trees. Now I passed through every point I can cherry-pick some of the better spots for shorter hikes I planned for the future.
Highlights
Harris Dam managed to turn on a 30 minute spectacle when every bird in the area congregated on the clearing at dusk. Sunrise at Warren with the sun breaking through the Karri trees and the plethora of birdlife making their morning calls.
Personal Reactions
Would do it again… You Betcha!
Wildlife
The wildlife, as you would expect was varied with the mammals being in short supply, but the variety of birds more than made up for it… there was an abundance of emu splodge but I only sighted two of the elusive blighters on the whole trip. If we are talking about wildlife then mention should be make of the pepper ticks of which I was removing up to the a day between Kalamunda and Dookanelly. I got quite good at it and will never forget the early morning screams of a young member of a scout troop at Nerang: ‘Help me! Help me! I’ve got a tick on my ball sack’. This was much to the amusement of a group of housewives, who had just experienced on the coldest nights of the trip.
Your Best Equipment
Elastoplast blister ampoules and my Outerlimits Treksmart -15 C synthetic sleeping bag.
Advice for Others
“Pain is good - Pain is weakness leaking out!