Chip M
- Start date: 5 April 2022
- Age When Completed: 34
- Direction Walked: South to North
General Comments
It is so much more achievable than I thought - just keep walking! Conversely, the little things can build up to really take the enjoyment out of it, and I can definitely see how they lead people to pull out.
Have a crack. If you really want to complete it and refuse to accept otherwise, you almost certainly will.
Food/Supplies Comments
I really enjoyed having a home-dehydrated meal (beef stew was a favourite), and dehydrated hummus and spicy seed crackers or soup - each evening.
I didn’t have other sit down meals but ate a combination of quality protein and collagen bars, jerky, nuts and seeds, and savoury mix. I ate up to ten snack portions every day on top of dinner. I always looked forward to my food, had energy, and didn’t lose but put on weight.
I had to pack each day’s rations separately into plastic bags and leave them in the bottom of my back pack to stop me devouring the lot ahead of time!
On shorter sections or where I had more time (I.e. less kilometres to cover each day), instead of some of the above I’d take mountain bread with packets of sundried tomatoes and anchovies (delicious but don’t forget the baby wipes to clean up all the oil!), and quick oats (as sachets or pre-mixed and portioned up with seeds, dried coconut and sometimes dried fruit and/or milk powder).
If I’d come from a town I’d generally have fresh food for a day or two instead of all of the above - salami, cheese, some fruit, and rolls/wraps and slices from the bakery.
I only went through about a tenth of what I planned on in terms of other supplies, using two small gas canisters, mini toiletries - sunscreen (4), deodorant (2), moisturiser (2), hand sanitiser (1), plus tissue purse packs (up to one every three days, but almost none in the northern sections when many toilets had paper) and wet wipes (maybe 2 packs total).
If I did it again, the only things I’d send in resupply boxes ahead of time would be a home-dehydrated meal and hummus for each planned walking day (minus the two days after every town where I’d be carrying fresh food instead), anything else I’d pick up in towns as needed. I’d probably also take a few tea bags.
Favourite Section
I loved the walking before Denmark, into Nullaki - to me the rolling hills covered in dense shrub looked like green waves of the ocean. Walking in that special light of late afternoon probably helped. The combination and pops of colours of the different plants and flowers was also absolutely beautiful.
I also loved the walking out of Walpole, and all around Long Point including up to Mt Chance - from vistas of rolling hills disappearing into the distance to granite boulders and beaches.
Plus all of the beach walking itself was super enjoyable for me - you could generally find hard enough sand, reasonably flat, and I found it easy and fun to make good time while listening to the waves and enjoying being by the ocean.
Highlights
The food in towns, especially Pemberton (including Wild at Heart cafe).
Banksia Motel in Collie.
The emus and kangaroos at Donnelly River.
All my track Mums and Dads!
The slices, cakes and coffee at The Valley of the Giants coffee van (noticing a theme yet?!).
Having a water-only wash in the river at Dog Pool, and at Franklin River.
Lunch at the Mumby Pub.
Short visits/surprise drop-ins from family.
The people on the track - from conversations in huts to just helping each other out.
Conquering heart attack hill and the DRV rollercoaster - a huge thank you for the esky with fruit and table and chairs set up overlooking the river just before it.
The view from Blackwood hut. My first and only night with a group of other young people on the track.
The views from Mt Vincent.
Cockatoos.
Little birds that would often lead the way.
Seeing a scorpion at Giants.
Watching painted kangaroos intently.
Learning to tell the difference between marri and jarrah, karri and tingle, and know what a sheoak and snotty gobble are.
Changing vegetation and noticing patterns in how the terrain/landscape influences it.
Getting supportive texts from family and friends.
Singing to myself on my first walks alone. Running up the hills. Jogging parts of the track.
Rammed earth huts.
Beraking.
The people in Pemberton, particularly at Wild Earth Cafe and the IGA, and in the cafe at Karri Valley, who looked out for me.
Personal Reactions
Overcame my fear - nights and days alone in isolated bush.
It’s achievable - many small bits, make a big bit. Just keep taking that next step.
Next time I’d set the goal not just to complete the track, but to enjoy it!
I spent a lot of the time in my head, tracking progress, and ongoing planning and revising of timings for the day and potential deviations to the itinerary/food. Doing this a lot less would have made the experience more enjoyable.
Wildlife
A LOT of snakes in the southern section - up to very large tiger snakes and much, much smaller jugites. No issues with either.
Walked into a lot of spider webs - sometimes with the enormous orb spiders still in them - stretching across the track in the southern section. Saw many on the ground in the northern sections - only noticed when walking in the very early morning and their eyes would reflect in the light of my headlamp.
Saw a lot of salmon on beach walks.
In the northern section highlights included painted kangaroos, red and black cockatoos, black and white cockatoos. Saw several large frogs.
Mice were a significant issue in many huts - I’d wake up and have to bat them off my beanie, have mouse poo on my sleeping mat, or see them scooting over my pack.
Also saw emus, wild pigs, a wild cat, lizards, a scorpion, parrots and lots of little birds. L
Your Best Equipment
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 tent with ground sheet - perfect.
Featherlight Freedom 20F wide quilt - highly recommended, almost perfect (fabric just felt almost sticky against my legs when the bag was zipped up and if I was not wearing long johns).
Sea to Summit Ether Light XT insulated mat rectangular regular wide - highly recommended, almost perfect (just a bit noisy sometimes). Would encase in my silk liner than lay the quilt on top to feel like I was sleeping in a real bed.
Jetboil Stash Hike Stove Set - perfect, didn’t need seperate mug or bowl. Used with a Spork - no other cooking or eating utensils needed.
Petzl Actik Core 450 headlamp - perfect. Rechargeable and batteries. Bright. Red light.
Cygnet 20000 Powerbank with USB C and A, plus 32watt wall charger with USB C and A, and USB A cord for charging iPhone. Perfect number of ports, speed and size.
Aarn pack with balance packs - would have been perfect, but incorrectly fitted which created issues.
Gaia App (used with downloaded official GPX file for navigation when track markers were unclear) - it was frequently very helpful and saved a lot of time, and gave me a lot of confidence regarding knowing exactly where I was and if that was on track at any time. Also very handy to track my pace and see where I was relative to the days elevation, and interesting to record all the journeys and their statistics.
Compeed (tried all the other brands - all inferior to compeed) and Fixumol (other brands didn’t stick as well).
Silicon ear plugs and an eye mask.
Sea to summit small terry towelling cloth. Fantastic to wet and have a wash at night.
Patagonia duck down vest. Perfect combination of light and warm.
Icebreaker merino hoody. Perfect combination of warmth and cover. My layering system worked great. I used a merino shirt underneath - great for reducing smells.
Lightweight merino beanie, gloves, long sleeved top and bike shorts. Used for sleeping (gloves for walking too).
Nurofen. Didn’t think I’d need it but was necessary to reduce swelling to keep walking.
Sawyer squeeze (one large bag only - practical to have this in addition to the filter).
Garmin Inreach Explorer+. Family loved tracking where I was, the two way communication had a lot of benefits, plus integrated SOS for piece of mind. Didn’t use maps but appreciated having the backup. Great battery life.
Would also take neck/face buff next time for walking on those cold early mornings.
Your Worst Equipment
Eight-year old gortex raincoat - it failed.
Advice for Others
Be clear with yourself up front about your intention for the walk. Is it just to complete it? As quickly as possible? Is it important to you that you’re in the moment? You might need different things to do this - different pace, allowing time to have a hot lunch or watch the birds.
Being clear ahead of time about how much of a priority being in the moment (versus just completing a goal) is for you will also help with the unexpected - I had a big item come up during the track that required a lot of thought and organising. If I did it again, I’d probably push back more against this and prioritise the walk.
Aside from this my other main focus ended up being again not the track, but the coordination required on it i.e. where am I, how fast am I walking, when am I going to break, what am I going to eat, how much further can I make it today/should I add an extra hut. Having a less “maximise everything” approach would have been mentally healthier and more enjoyable.
Be clear pre-departure about your intentions regarding how much/often you want communication or messages from the outside world, and how often you’ll respond. And be clear with your loved ones if your wants around this change along the track too. I had a satellite messenger with an unlimited plan, and was able to be contacted unlimited times each day. As the ability was there, there was also the expectation of me sending a message at least each night (when most of the time I’d be getting in late after a long day and just needing to get set up/chat with the walkers already in camp/prep for following day). Contact can be a great support and boost, but it can also add to your list of things to do when you’re already very tired and take you out of the moment. Also be clear upfront/set the expectation around if you want to communicate by phone when in town/if you do have range, and if this means sending photos etc then too, or if you’re just going to leave it all till the end.
You may also need to set expectations around flexibility - even at the end of the walk I found the kilometres I’d cover would differ from what I planned based on the weather, injuries, what other hikers would recommend at camp the night before, how I was feeling, and even how quickly I’d walked the first leg of the day.
This can add complexity if others want to join you to walk sections, for meeting in towns, or for coordinating resupplies. Next time I would prioritise having flexibility and would set this expectation up front so we’d all be on the same page.
Get good gear! Carrying a small amount of extra weight to be comfortable at night - for me this meant a wide mat, wide quilt and 2 person tent - was completely worth it. Overall though keep your pack LIGHT.
You really only need two complete sets of clothes - one to walk in and one for camp/sleeping/warmth - and an additional (third) pair of socks.
Take ear plugs and an eye mask and use them.
Get a digital mapping application - Gaia, Guthook/Farout or MapsMe. It shows the track, where you are, and which direction your phone is pointing in, so you know where the track is even if you can’t see Wagyuls! Invaluable.
You’ll need fishing line or a specialised device to stop mice getting into a hung-up pack. Hanging it from the hooks or normal cord won’t work.
See a good high-performance sports osteopath and a podiatrist before you go, with your shoes, poles and loaded pack, so they can address the way you’re walking before and not try to fix the injuries after! My shin splints healed very quickly, but three months later I still have tennis elbow, and a few toe nails with irreparable/permanent damage.