- Start date: 4 September 2022
- Age When Completed: 79
- Direction Walked: North to South
- Others in Group:
Solo with friends met along the way
General Comments
Fantastic. So pleased to have done it. So thankful for first nations for preserving the South West environment for 40000 years and to the many Bibbulmun volunteers and workers for maintaining it and to the many friends met along the way, whithout whom I would probably not have made it.
Food/Supplies Comments
Dehydrated most of my food and relied on family to resupply along most of the way.
Favourite Section
The lot! Major transitions during the one day were particularly exciting.
Highlights
Waking up in the morning and breathing in the forrests, flats, and seascapes; dreaming of the days walk.
Personal Reactions
For 79 year olds, very few experiences are both novel and likely to colour the rest of our lives. For me, the Bibbulmun track did both.
Wildlife
Not a lot; possibly I make too much noise huffing and puffing and my eyesight is less than sharp. I saw say 20 kangaroos, some very large, two emus, about ten snakes, mainly down south and, suprisingly, five very domesticated chooks just enjouing the forrest. Bird life was sparse in the Jarrah forrests but much more prolific as I ventured south. And of course some rats and mice in the huts. I mainly slept in my tent with my food and rats never bothered me but the hut sleepers complained a lot.
Your Best Equipment
My single skin tent. I started with a cheapish pack and less than warm sleeping bag and overjacket. These were swapped about 3 weeks into the hike with better equipment brought down by my family. The new pack in particular made a world of difference. It was much better ballanced and clung to my back well. The earlier version had a will of its own, it would keep going when I tried to change direction and so led me to quite a few falls.
Your Worst Equipment
Cheap pack.
Advice for Others
This is mainly for the somewhat more mature, optimistic but relatively inexperienced and untrained newbies. 1) Get track fit. I thought say 20 one hour walks up hilly country with a pack would do it. It did not! The Bibbulmun was say twice as difficult. 2) If you leave the track for a toilet stop make sure you come back and walk in the correct direction. Leave an arrow in the dirt to make sure of this! You may still see some of my arrows for some months. 3) Talk to others on the track. Most end to enders are very experienced. You will learn so much from them about how to hike and the joys of other hikes. You will also learn how supportive they all are. I could not have finished without their enthusiasm and advice.