Green Turtle
- Start date: 28 March 2016
- Age When Completed: 34
- Direction Walked: Sectional
General Comments
I had such an amazing time hiking the Bibbulmun, and while I ended up doing it in four sections from a weekend at the shortest, to five weeks in the longest, I would love to do it all again in one go! I think it’s wonderful that such an opportunity exists, and that its free to walk it and stay in the campsites. Big kudos to BTF, DPaW and everyone that makes it possible. It was actually an accident that I did it solo, as I planned to do the first trip with a friend but when that fell through I went anyway, and had the time of my life.
Food/Supplies Comments
I dehydrated a lot of food - various veges, hummus, tofu, dhal, rice, quinoa, vegetable curries, and different fruits to add to oats for breakfast or trail mix for snacks. I also purchased some dried foods like mushrooms, peas, potato, TVP etc. For the majority of dinners I added the various dehydrated bits to noodles, rice or potato flakes to make a meal. I prepacked everything into zip lock bags beforehand and posted parcels to myself along the way (for the 5 week trip). I planned it all out and weighed everything to keep pack weight down. I didn’t realise how much I would crave chocolate and other sweet foods so stocked up on those in the towns!
Favourite Section
The entire coastal section (I love the ocean), followed by the karri forests. I saw whales just about every day in the coastal section which was amazing, and the water was just so blue!
Highlights
All the solitude. I had just over half of the campsites to myself!
But also meeting awesome people along the way, particularly Gilbert whom I walked with for 5 days, Seri who I joined for about 9 days, Tom and Lee, Rebecca, Janet, Barbara and Chris. And my wonderful couch-surfing hosts - all lovely people.
Loved the nature - whale spotting on the coast, getting a fright as another wallaby burst out of the undergrowth and was gone in an instant, the thrill of seeing snakes, my first and only echidna, and catching a glimpse of emus before they ran off. And the jaw-dropping karri and tingle forests, wow!
I was pretty food-focused, so I also enjoyed getting to the towns and pigging out!
Personal Reactions
I absolutely LOVED my hike. It was my first long distance solo hike and I’m now officially hooked and already planning my next one (Te Araroa in New Zealand). It’s difficult to properly put into words how amazing it is, but I experienced wonderful feelings of freedom, solitude and the creativity it brings out, connection with nature and with other people, the great sense of accomplishment once you reach each campsite/town/the end, and the beauty of simplicity. Much happiness is derived from the fact that all you have to do each day is walk, eat and sleep, and you no longer worry about trivial concerns such as how you look or when you last washed, or the distractions of the online world, or the stresses of everyday life.
I enjoyed the longer hikes so much that I found even the 6-day section I did to be too short! It was the longer hikes, particularly the 5 weeks from Collie to Albany, that I derived the most pleasure from as the hiking became simply life..and I loved it!
Wildlife
Emus, whales, plenty of birds, wallabies, kangaroos, lizards, pigs, mice (eating my pack!), two snakes and an echidna (my first wild one). One snake, a dugite, was a bit too close for comfort and I hadn’t been watching my feet at that point (but did after that, for sure!). At one point I was sitting just off the Track eating lunch and 9 tiny feral piglets came oinking up the Track, stopped in front of me and sniffed about, then went back down the Track the way they’d come. That was pretty cool. I didn’t see their mum though.
Your Best Equipment
My body for getting me every step of the way!
My lightweight Osprey Exos 58L pack, and my warm Eddie Bauer sleeping bag.
A piece of fishing line that fellow hiker Philippe gave me to stop mice from getting into and eating my pack!
Hiking poles turned out to be really useful (I’m a new convert) for balance, especially when wading or crossing logs (or skirting around the puddles on the Pingerup Plains!), and for going up and down hills.
My boots that just made it all the way as they were starting to fall apart. I list them under the ‘best equipment’ and not the worst because I am stoked that $15 second-hand boots made it 1000km!
Your Worst Equipment
The heavy pack that I did the first 10 day section with but then replaced with a lightweight one, and my old heavy, bulky and not warm sleeping bag - also replaced after the first trip.
Advice for Others
Hike solo - it is amazing what the time alone in nature can do for your mind and soul.
Take your time and enjoy the journey.
And as most people will say, make a real effort to make your pack as light as possible as it really affects your enjoyment levels - start by slowly replacing older, heavier gear with lighter equivalents, and whittle out superfluous stuff.