- Start date: 28 February 2004
- Age When Completed: 58
- Direction Walked: Sectional
General Comments
Walked the track bit by bit with the longest section on 6 days (including a night in Tingle All Over at Walpole) and most sections were only 3 or less. Never had a chance to get too bored!! Very lucky and grateful to have had the company of Jane Greenwood for the entire track - she even repeated some sections to help me while still attempting to finish her own end to end - and then repeated some sections I had still not done that she had vowed she would never do again!!
Food/Supplies Comments
Huge advantages in doing the track in short sections and allowed us to indulge in lots of comforts and particularly in the food line. Steak on night one, wine and UHT (rather than powdered)milk would not have been possible had we been doing longer sections - purists would call it cheating but what the heck. At Mt Chance we were warned that steak and wine were hazardous on the track - we were likely to be the subject of an armed robbery.
Favourite Section
Torbay to Hidden Valley - breakfast at sunrise from the table up the hill and then later the view from the platform overlooking Shelter Island - but there are so many highlights this is a difficult question I have been considering for many, many months and it is a close call.
Highlights
Jane’s company throughout! Jumping a log and almost landing on a tiger snake at Frankland. The view from the platform west end of Torbay beach coming down the blow out into Mandalay Beach (heading from Walpole). The wild flowers: donkey orchids at Maringup and just north of Conspicuous Cliffs; clematis between Frankland and Walpole; spider orchids on Mt Cook. The diversion along Big Quarram Beach (because of fire). (We did walk from Peaceful Bay back to the canoes the next day and had this experience but the track west of the canoes was still closed) Southern shelters verses those in the north - table under cover, plenty of room, wood chips on the floor. The water in the rivers over this last weekend - Donnelly River, Carey Brook and Beedelup Falls - was magic. And a final highlight was walking into Swimming Pool Rd yesterday and knowing the end of the road was the end of the track. (Pemberton south had started at the backpackers).
Personal Reactions
By doing the Track in pieces, it never had a chance to loose the enjoyment by the days becoming too repetitive. Surprise at how much the track changes every few km - especially the changes in the flora. Surprise as I never really saw myself as a flower lover!! And there were personal reactions in terms of the occasional blister and stiff legs which are best forgotten!
Wildlife
Magic. There are no snakes in New Zealand so have sort of overcome a bit of a fear of them. However, I still can’t understand how Australians would want to protect possums!! Lots of kangaroos, emus and winged birds of many types were great to see. And loved the quenda at Torbay.
Your Best Equipment
GPS, headlight.
Your Worst Equipment
Not its fault, but the Thermarest is just not the same as my own bed!
Advice for Others
Do it - it is possible. Well done to those who have the time and stamina to do an E2E in one hit, but one can still have a real sense of achievement doing the track in small manageable chunks.