GillG
- Start date: 24 July 2020
- Age When Completed: 55
- Direction Walked: South to North
General Comments
A desire to E2E “back the other way” after completing a North to South E2E in 2016. The cancellation of my trekking trip to Georgia and Armenia this year allowed me to do it. With 49 days up my sleeve I left sunny Albany full of enthusiasm. I arrived at sunny Kalamunda 49 days later even more enthused.
Food/Supplies Comments
Dehydrated my own food and dropped resupply boxes in the track towns, supplemented by local purchases of fresh fruit, veges and Whittakers chocolate peanut slabs, coconut slabs and almond slabs… and chocolate caramel slices… and the odd vanilla slice (or 2).
Pleased to say it was all unscathed from mouse or marsupial attack having hung it or stored it in the plastic boxes every night.
Favourite Section
Loved the Pingerup Plains and the wading it entailed. It was great to stay at the new style shelters at Gardner and Dog Pool that were under construction back in 2016. Got a chance to climb Woolbales and Mt Chance this time too which I couldn’t last time because of cataclysmic weather events!
Special mention for the Beraking to Ball Creek section - water flowing everywhere, flowers popping and birds singing- very spectacular.
Highlights
Pretty much every single day had one, but special mentions for the whales from the West Cape Howe lookout bench, the sunset from the rock behind William Bay, the fungi forest in a crevice at Sappers Bridge, the rainbow on Mt Chance and the vanilla slice in Walpole.
Personal Reactions
I loved it, every day was different in some way. I really enjoyed the solitude of the southern half and I enjoyed meeting the south bounders on the northern half. A double end to end? The seed has been planted.
Wildlife
Whales and dolphins. A fox on Mazoletti Beach. Either 2 black cats with yellow eyes on the Pingerup Plains, or one speedy cat seen twice! Pigs. Kangaroos, quenda and wallabies. Zillions of birds. Zero snakes. 3 ticks. Mozzies through the southern coastal huts and forests around Collie.
Your Best Equipment
I like all of my stuff so the best luxury items were-
1. Thermos - one of my favourite moments every single day was a cup of very hot coffee at morning tea time (plus fruit cake, etc). And.. I would always come into camp with 1 cup left to have a hot wash with.
2. Umbrella- saves all that pulling on and off of goretex jackets
Your Worst Equipment
1. It’s not my worse piece of equipment, it’s an essential, but one of my poles broke but was kindly fixed by the crew at the Mumby Pub.
2. My first expensive umbrella died before Balingup and sliced 2 fingers and my thumb- replaced from the General Store by a generic cheap one so far no personal injuries sustained from it.
Advice for Others
Embrace the experience, be open to changes in plans and keep your eyes on those rogue sticks that try to trip you up.