Steph Backhouse
Completed: 8 July, 2022
- Start date: 16 May, 2022
- Age When Completed: 57
- Direction Walked: Southbound
Track Towns and Supplies
- Did you have any issues finding food/supplies? Yes
- I dehydrated all my food beforehand. A few food drops and posted the rest to Visitor Centres. A serious toss up between carrying more weight or going a bit hungry ... A lighter pack won out and I ended up losing 10kgs over 8 weeks.
Your Story or Advice for Others
General CommentsA wonderful experience: the serenity and solitude of walking in nature which gets under your skin. So much so that I intend to walk the other way next year.
Your Best Equipment
My walking poles. Remember the relationship between Tom Hanks and Wilson (the volleyball) in Castaway? I felt much the same about Rightie and Leftie, my loyal and constant track companions.
Your Worst Equipment
Waterproof trousers. I abandoned these early in the piece and walked in shorts.
Advice for Others
Do the BTF E2E workshop beforehand. I found it invaluable. And trust yourself. Danger lies in the fear of an action, not in the action itself.
Trip Details
How you completed the Bibbulmun Track:- All at once
- 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? No
Your Experience
I came up that steep sand track from the Pingerup Plains and the sun burst out from behind the clouds. The inundation was behind me and I could hear the roar of the waves as I followed the long white sand ribbon to the edge of the cliff. Then WHAM! the exhilaration of popping out over Mandalay Beach and the realisation that I had walked all the way to the southern ocean!
Highlight of your trip
As above. Plus the sunrises and sunsets which happen every day but up until the Bibb, I hadn't fully appreciated.