Tubbo
- Start date: 21 April 2017
- Age When Completed: 52
- Direction Walked: North to South
- Others in Group:
N/A
General Comments
Finally good to get the End-to-End done. Completed in honour of my great friend Charles Crouch who succumbed to cancer in December 2016. We were school and Track companions for many years attempting to chip away at the end-to-end by sections.
Food/Supplies Comments
60% dehydrated myself. 40%commercial options like Backcountry Cuisine and Strive Foods from Tasmania. Of course there were steaks, fish, fresh vege’s and fruit, beer and wine in track towns. Mate brought down resupplies.
Favourite Section
Really quite enjoyed the Pingerup Plains despite being soaked from pouring rain. (They weren’t inundated yet!) Reminded me of areas of button-grass plains on some sections of Tasmanian tracks.
Highlights
ANZAC Day on Mount Cooke where I the opportunity to leave a token in the cairn at the summit in memory of my friend Charles.
Personal Reactions
Really enjoyed the overall experience of the end-to-end. The changes in terrain, scenery and wildlife along the way was a highlight. Enjoyed the seclusion of many sections. As the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said. “A man can be himself only so long as he is alone. If he does not love seclusion, he cannot love freedom, for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.”
Wildlife
Fox, multiple kangaroos, numerous wallabies, one dugite, one tiger snake, a bungarra, two bandicoots, several emus, many birds ranging from birds of prey through cockatoos to wrens, a seal colony, four feral pigs, a large feral cat and humpback and southern right whales.
Your Best Equipment
Aarn ‘Peak Aspiration’ pack with sports balance pouches. Millet Bhoutan GTX boots with Icebreaker socks. Sea-to-Summit Ultralight Mattress with Enlightened Equipment Revelation quilt weighing in at 504 gms.
Your Worst Equipment
North Face and MacPac quick dry shirts got very stinky very quickly. Will be definitely investing in the future in more merino Icebreaker shirts that will dry fast, wick moisture and resist becoming smelly.
Advice for Others
1. Take time to master the art of dehydrating your own food before going. Allow plenty of time as it can be very time consuming but rewarding in terms of variety, taste and weight saving.
2. Do not be afraid to walk alone. It is the ultimate sense of freedom.