Caroline
- Start date: 15 September 2019
- Age When Completed: 35
- Direction Walked: North to South
- Others in Group:
Steve Willems
General Comments
It’s funny comparing photos of day 1: excited, clean and chubby-cheeked, to day 54: exhausted, filthy and hiker-trashy.
Arriving at the Southern Terminus was great yet also strange. This experience really was all about the journey and its learnings. I took each day as it came, and suddenly that very distant goal sprung up from nowhere. Kind of feels like it’s another rest town, a break before continuing on.
The whole journey felt like being in a timeless slipstream - with no past or future - simply living in the present. I have specific memories of amazing (and not-so-amazing) moments, all within a fantastic blur of adventures.
Somehow I did not get a single blister. And, I now know the secret to eating ALL the burgers, chips, chocolate and candy you want, and still losing weight!
Food/Supplies Comments
I bought a dehydrator a few weeks before starting the journey. I tried out making different meals and it was SO worth it! The only thing I would do better next time is pre-cook my rice and dehydrate it (as trying to cook aborio rice took 20 mins and too much fuel!!!)
Great to carry a tent - I’d set it up in the hut if it was not full, to act as a barrier from the mozzies/flies, and it also made a little cocoon home for me which was nice. BUt I loved camping out under the trees the best though!
Favourite Section
So many favourites, but narrowing down to two:
Walking through the Tingle Forest near Walpole. Walking along the coast and beaches.
Highlights
Donelly River Village - my favourite rest stop town. Being so close to the “locals” - the Kangaroos and Emus was so special (and hilarious!). The town itself has such an amazing “back in time” feel, with no phone reception so everyone just gets outside and cherish the present moment!
Celebrating my 35th birthday with 4 other end-2-end hikers, dancing around in the pouring rain, arriving at Mt Chance and finding a bottle of Shiraz and snakes in a treasure hunt that some hikers I’d met a few days before had created! The sun suddenly came out, so I climbed Mt Change and got to cherish the most amazing sunset and views, before being spoilt at a birthday party complete with a lamington cake, red wine, lots of cheese and chocolate and chips! Best birthday EVER!
Stopping just outside Pemberton to climb the Gloucester Tree. I finally knew what it was like to be a bird perched high up on a Karri Tree.
The few final days through The Valley of the Giants, home to the most beautiful and majestic tingle, jarrah, karri and marri trees. They are so powerful. As I said my final goodbye to them, emotion came over me and I suddenly started to cry. I still don’t know why - perhaps it’s because they’ve been my silent supporters from day 1, having watched over me for so many weeks walking the trail. And our parting symbolised how far I’d made it on this marathon of a trail.
Arriving at Mandalay Beach, after weeks of walking though eucalypt forest. The terrain changed dramatically in the space of a few hours. The hum of the ocean’s waves became louder as we finally arrived on south coast. The trail transformed to soft sand, beautiful beaches, rugged hilly sand dunes and epic coastal views - still with amazing colourful flowers!
Personal Reactions
I am so amazed at the diversity of people that walk the trail. All ages, all walks of life. Everyone has a different story. Everyone has a different tempo and way of living on the trail. There is no such thing as a typical hiker.
Walking long distances for me was tough. I thought I would get used to it after a few weeks of walking. But I didn’t. At the end of each day, I’d be wrecked. My body would feel beaten up, I was fatigued and I stank so bad. My feet would be killing, and after around 20km each day they would tell me: “Enough. Time to stop. I don’t want to walk anymore”. One day on the trail, I lost it. I was so angry for some reason. Then suddenly I started to cry and couldn’t stop. I stopped, lay down on the trail and just bawled my eyes out. Then I had a nap for about 15 mins, and got up and kept walking and got to the next hut. I had no other choice! I felt much better, and it was an interesting realisation of self care, being true to my feelings, yet still holding responsibility for myself. And arriving at the next hut, I met a bunch of other hikers who were just so friendly when I told them how I was feeling (and started crying again!). It opened up an amazing conversation about emotions being cathartic, and how the trail was the perfect place to let us express these emotions.
Obviously, I had no choice but to keep going. But what I found really interesting, was that this was as much a mental game as a physical one. The more I focused on my negativity and suffering, the worse it got. But when I reframed my attitude to: “ok, acknowledge these feelings, and just deal with it” – it strangely helped me to push through.
Life throws us inevitable hardships. But just like a tough hike, if you know where you’re headed, and push through one step at a time, you look back and suddenly realise how far you’ve come.
I experienced this realisation every single day. I also experienced a greater version of it when I finished the hike at Albany, 1000km later. It was such a distant goal at the start. Suddenly on the last day, I realised I had taken over 1.3 million tiny steps, to get to my massive goal. It seemed to arrive from nowhere.
The journey taught me about three things: simplicity, patience and appreciation. Walking in nature for 2 months weeks showed me a simple life filled with richness. By patiently slowing down and paying attention, I learnt to appreciate all the small things I would normally overlook in my busy urban life.
Post hike, it’s changing my life. I have less urges to buy ‘stuff’. I go to less events, without the FOMO, because I’ve experienced how little I actually need to enjoy life. I also realised how much I sit down all the time - on the couch, at my work desk, in the car. So now I walk and cycle much more, and try to get out in nature as much as possible. This helps me connect to the present moment with my surroundings.
I am excited to continue my journey of long-distance hiking.
Wildlife
Black Snakes, tiger Snakes, kangaroos, emus, lizards - bungaras, black cockatoos. Many many birds I don’t know the names of! Many many MANY gorgeous blooming wildflowers, more beautiful than I ever could have imagined!
Your Best Equipment
Toe socks under my woollen socks! I managed to avoid blisters for my entire journey!
My precious hat - it protected me from all the harsh elements - from sunburn, it kept my head warm when it was super windy, and made the abundance of flies manageable!
Your Worst Equipment
My cookpot. It was a bit small so cooking could get a bit messy. Maybe next time I will bring a bigger cook pot, or an extra bowl. But really, it was fine!
Advice for Others
Take care of your feet, first and foremost! Prepare - find the right boots, wear them in before leaving. Take quick rests regularly, sit down and put your feet up. Consider wearing toe socks under your wool socks, if you feel any “hotspots” treat them immediately to prevent blisters.
The App “Guthook” was amazing. It was my digital map back up to the physical maps. It shows your GPS location even with no phone reception, and it gave me assurance to know where I was pretty accurately. It also shows elevations so you know when to expect big hills!
If you are particular about what you like to eat or don’t want to spend too much money, send food supply boxes to the smaller towns (Dwellingup, Bailingup, Donelly River Village, Peaceful Bay). Doing this prep work beforehand takes time, but it saves you a lot of time when you’re in the towns (so you have more time to chillax and rest instead!)