Jonathon Bridge (Jonno B)

Track Towns and Supplies

• How many days did you stay in Track Towns? 12
• Did you have any issues finding food/supplies? No
• I've never eaten so much in my life (and still lost 6kgs), and I found that good food made good days in a way I didn't expect. You can never have too much trail mix is a life lesson.

Particular Track Towns that you would return to:

• Donnelly River Village
• Pemberton
• Denmark

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Your Story or Advice for Others

General Comments
I've been toying around with the idea for years, and am so glad I took the leap when I had the opportunity. It was a whole new way to experience the Southwest, and a fantastic challenge to take on. I feel richer for the the experience, and I don't think I'll ever see the likes of those views again. Everyone I met on trail was lovely, but the gaps in between where it was just myself were far more peaceful and easier than I thought they would be. The trail is unmatched in some of its access to the most beautiful parts of the state, and such a wonderful way to get lost in nature. Thank you to volunteers and supporters who maintain the trail, it was fantastically kept.

Your Best Equipment
A dehydrator and subsequent supply of quality dehydrated meals/snacks. It took a lot of time and was a project for sure, but the cost savings and the ability to have not just a good pre- packaged dinner but also good quality breakfasts and lunches really made a difference.

Your Worst Equipment
My tent, not because it failed me but because it weighed me down for no gain on the hike thanks to the wonderful huts. I never had any trouble without it. Losing it's pack weight (along with a bunch of other chaff) midway aligned with fairly dramatically improving my aches/pains and increasing my overall enjoyment of the trail.

Advice for Others
Take your time and enjoy the walk. There's no wrong way to do it, but the days where I had time to just look at the clouds or ocean on my breaks were some of the best days. Also, just worry about making it to the end of each day at the start - you'll be surprised how much easier it gets by the end of the second week. The aches settle, your muscles strengthen and your pack feels like part of you.

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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? 38
• 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? Local knowledge
  

What did you use to navigate the Track?

• App (please specify)
• - BT map app

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Your Experience

• Availability of information: Excellent - Fantastic information availability, even if I didn't take advantage of the events and support offered by the foundation. Never had any uncertainties about what was coming up. Only caveat might be that some of the hours were out of date on the website for track businesses (surf shack in Denmark being closed permanently was a bit of a downer during that road walk diversion).
• Amount of Wildlife Encountered: Excellent - The pod of dolphins mentioned above was pretty great.

Favourite Section
Peaceful bay to Denmark sticks out in my mind. The views there were simply unmatched, I've never seen anything like it.

Highlight of your trip
The day coming into Denmark. Not overly onerous, some of the best views on the trip from monkey Rock, one last Karri Forest, some really interesting granite formations that livened things up and a coffee van at light beach rounded it out. Best day by far.

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