Curtis Himstedt (Easily Forgotten )

Track Towns and Supplies

• How many days did you stay in Track Towns? 7
• Did you have any issues finding food/supplies? No
• Resupply was easy along the trail towns. I don’t have any special needs, and, for an American, I’m pretty laid back. I can be flexible unlike my maga counterparts.

Particular Track Towns that you would return to:

• Dwellingup
• Balingup
• Pemberton
• Walpole

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Your Story or Advice for Others

General Comments
This is a fantastic trail. If anyone is thinking about hiking it, do it! I can’t understand why I had the trail to myself so much of the time. Winter is it! It never froze, but was a bit chilly on some nights. The rain was mostly at night which was hypnotic hearing it on the shelter roofs. I did take a couple of trail zeros at Boat Harbor Shelter when a storm was coming in off the southern sea. Trail zeros are so much better than people give them credit for. There’s nothing as great as spending 3 nights in a shelter by yourself while a storm passes through. You become one with nature yet remain separate in the shelter. It’s a phenomenal experience.

Your Best Equipment
I was glad I brought my oversized quilt. It’s a 0 F (-18 C) rated quilt. It never made it to freezing on my trek, but I appreciated the warmth. I loved having my hot breakfast and coffee in bed snuggled up in my quilt.

Your Worst Equipment
Everything was fine that I had. The only possible complaint I had was buying waterproof socks before setting out. The water on the trail was not nearly as bad as I expected. My socks were fine, just not necessary.

Advice for Others
With the exception of people from Queensland, most Aussies are tough enough to hike this trail in the winter. This is the perfect time! It’s not overly cold, the rain is mostly at night, and there’s no one out here! Get out and enjoy this trail in the best season!

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Trip Details

How you completed the Bibbulmun Track:

• All at once

• How many days did it take you to complete the Track? 58
• Who did you complete the Track with? Solo (primarily)
• Was undertaking your hike the PRIMARY/MAIN purpose of your TRAVEL from where you currently live? Yes
• What first prompted you to walk the Bibbulmun Track? Word of mouth/friends
  

What did you use to navigate the Track?

• App (please specify)
• - Bibbulmun by Find the Fun

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Your Experience

• Availability of information: Excellent - The Bibbulmun Foundation was incredibly helpful. I talked to someone immediately before I started the trail and they addressed all the concerns I had. In addition, the Information Centers in each trail town were outstanding, friendly, and informative resources which provided all the trail information on upcoming sections the Bibbulmun Foundation had given them. There were no surprises along my way.
• Amount of Wildlife Encountered: Good - I didn’t see any snakes! This was my primary reason for choosing winter for my hike. I was torn about not seeing a huntsman but my heart will survive having missed that opportunity 😉. It was great going into Donnelly River and meeting friendly emus and kangaroos. I see why you eat the emus—they’re pretty much assholes.

Favourite Section
The tinglewoods were amazing. The big trees from Walpole to Pemberton were just mesmerizing. I felt honored to walk among these ancient giants. I also loved the Blackwood Campsite. I had a spectacular sunset and sunrise there. Hands down, the best campsite on trail.

Highlight of your trip
So many highlights that I can’t name them all. The Tree Walk in Walpole, the Gloucester Tree in Pemberton, sunrise at Blackwood, the kangaroos in Donnelly River, the storm at Boat Harbor Campsite, the canoe crossing at Irwin Inlet, Mandalay Beach, Mt Cooke, Mt Wells, meeting all the great hikers. Every day had special moments for me.

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