October 30, 2015
Mutton Bird Shelter
It's hot. Hot and humid. And it's only 10 am. We left Torbay hut at 6:15 am to try and beat the heat. We leave early every morning for just that reason. But this whole week along the southern coast has been cloudy. Hoorah!! Delightful for hiking! Until today. The day we planned to double hut and do 25 kms. Now here we sit. Fighting the flies. Biting March flies. And waiting for the cooler afternoon rain storm that's suppose to be coming. I couldn't continue in the heat. Waugal agreed. Maybe we'll night hike!! Haven't done that!
The coast this week has been breathtakingly beautiful. Deserted beaches. Coastal flowers. PUDS. Pointless ups and downs.
And we've had some company. Han Wanderlust, now Murph (short for Murphy's Law). She needs to write an article about her adventures on this trail. Yup she's the one. Caught in a bushfire. No water at camp. Dead body in a tent. (Not really, but since no one answered she thought there was.). No canoes at the inlet crossing so she swam across with a life jacket and a bag sealed and inflated carrying her towel. Yup. Everything happens to Murph. And what a trooper she is. Just turned 24. Afraid of the dark. And spent the first 3 weeks alone. She's found out how tough she is. I'm so impressed with your attitude, Murph! You'll go far in this world with it!
Another adventure nearing it's end. Some clothes will be thrown out. My feet may never be clean again. And I'm tired. This may be my last big backpacking trip. I don't seem to have the energy I used to. It's 2 months I've been out here. I should be in hiker shape. But I'm not. I'm suffering most of every day. Few moments of joy, when I feel no pain and my pack is comfortable and my engines are purring. Maybe llama packing next time!!
I haven't seen one snake. Not a fu grown one. Just an itty bitty baby. How can I have walked 1000 kms through the snake infested southwestern Australia where others have seen 20 or more and not see one? I've got 25 kms to go. Let's make it happen!!
..... Later that same day from Sandpatch Shelter.
I saw snakes!! Two of them! One was leaving the trail son I only saw the back end, but the other was sleeping and not moving:(. I got a picture. Ok Mr Snake...time to go! Tap. Tap. Tap. With my poles. Louder. Ya gotta move!! Maybe he's dead. How will I know? If he's dead, why didn't Waugal move him off the trail? I gotta hit him with something. Where are rocks when you need them? Missed. Missed again. There's a reason I'm not on the softball team. Find more pebbles. Dang. Missed again. Too far. Then too short. It shouldn't be this hard to hit him coiled on the trail. More stones. More misses. Finally I connect...and he lifts his head...slowly. Ok. He's alive. Now. I gotta get him outta here. Back up the trail to find more pebbles. Toss.. toss...toss. After about 20-30 stones, he finally slithers off the trail. Whew! Ok. Enough seeing snakes. And I never saw another.
The decision to break up the day like we did was really good. It was cooler and cloudy in the afternoon. Idyllic hiking weather.
We had the shelter to ourselves again and set up our tents. The platform was narrower challenging me. It took several attempts to get it tied off in the diagonal to fit. Quite a sight but very effective. Then just about bedtime, 7 pm, the rain and light show started. And what an incredible show it was!! The whole skylit up!! And the rain pelted the metal roof. What a way to spend our last night on the trail! Magic!!
We were up and packed at our usual early hour of 6:15. Last day. 12 kms. We were sitting in a cafe having our celebratory brekkie before 9 am!!! Food first, then the pics at the sign of the Southern Terminus. Got our priorities straight!!
It was a bit anticlimactic. The sign is outside the visitors center, not someplace dramatic like the water's edge. For me it was a feeling of "got 'er done!" And it didn't feel like 2 months or an extremely long walk. But it was a beautiful walk, rich in the Australian flora and fauna. And it was rich in friendships. A big thank you to Waugal! I spend so much time alone on my bike that it meant a lot to me to connect with a hiking partner. And what a great one he was. Patient and encouraging. Laughed at my jokes. Great "can do" attitude. Little phased him. Even breaking his hip belt buckle, not once but twice. And almost breaking his leg. And he shared my interest in the trees and flowers with so much knowledge and lots of discussions.
This is the first day, post going our separate ways, and I'm having Waugal withdrawal.
What a wonderful way to see a slice of Australia, up close. The Bibb is a class one trail, beautiful shelters, delicious tank water (I'm serious...tastes great!), everything was done well...everything but the signage. I've never sworn so many times because I didn't have a clue where the trail went. The most important thing and it was done poorly. A GPS would be helpful. Hmmm. But everything else was superb! So glad I hiked it!!!!
For the last week I've been hosted by a wonderful couple, Jacko and Annie...friends of friends. It amazes me how connections are made and these guys have been super trail angels and now hosts. I'm staying in a beautiful house overlooking sheep in the paddock, newly planted fruit trees, woods with a new trail laid. An estate, soon to be B&B. Their lovely home, great location, and warm personalities will surely make it a success.
Resting has been good for the body and the soul. Sometimes I just need to do nothing. And the healthy meals Annie's whipped up have certainly helped to heal the damage of a hiker diet. Yum!! But alas, all good things must come to an end. Day after tomorrow I'll start pedaling west along the coast, sorta, and back up to Perth. Then off to Tasmania. Since I'm so close. And have the time. And the season is right. Plane or ferry?
Might even do a bit of a hike there. Hmmm....
Livin' the dream,
BagLady
Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman
