Perry's Blog

After 10 weeks, I've managed to put together the timelapse of our walk.

Over the 54 days of our trek, we took a portrait photo each morning before setting off on the day's walk and then each afternoon when we'd reached camp -- often capturing the morning's optimism and then the afternoon's pain of the journey on our faces.

The music was sourced from jamendo, which is a great site of Creative Commons licensed music:

Encouraged by the Guidebook that the "Sunrise over Lake Maringup will surely be a memorable experience" we set the alarm to ensure that we were up for the memories. Today is a relatively flat section, which the Guidebook warns and our co-walkers confirmed, will be quite wet. David said last night that we should be able to get through to Chesapeake Road in our boots, so we're planning to have morning tea there and change our footwear.

Woke just after 5am with the alarm to the alarming sound of rain on the tent -- lay for just a little while while wondering if I really should get up and see the dawn before remembering our mantra: "We're only here once". So I hurriedly got up and dressed and left Sandi dozing in her warm little bag and headed down to the Lake edge with my trusty camera.

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The Guidebook promises us a treat at the end of the day, what it describes as "one of the jewels of the Track": so we're pretty excited! Our fellow co-walkers have been pretty certain about the wading coming up, and sure that we'll be hitting it over the next couple of days: so we're a little unsure, but hopeful that our planning and Keen Sandals will do the job for us And today we get very close to the Southern Coast, which signals the end of our Southern journey and the start of our Eastward trek toward Albany.

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Northcliffe feels like the divide between North and South Coast. Last night the lass said a storm was forecast for lunch, so we decided to get away early and try and beat the storm. The guidebook promises an intimate experience with the Gardner River: an attractive water course!

Initially we had to walk what felt like a well-worn track now, back into Northcliffe to get to the beginning of today's section (Roundtu-It is on the near-side of Northcliffe).

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A super-short day today, but we've decided to still get away in good time and get to town by lunch (a bought lunch today - which we are very much looking forward to!). The Guidebook describes the Northcliffe Forest Park that as "a jewel": we should have plenty of time to spend time exploring as requested. It will be very interesting to finally experience Roundtu-It Holiday Park: It doesn't get rave reviews in the Track Log Book.

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After a wet and cold yesterday it was wonderful to be warm and dry in our sleeping bags, and a wonderful surprise to see a more fine day dawning this morning. Today we have half of the day beside the Warren River, then as the Guidebook says, we "turn South", which feels like the final turn in toward the Southern Coast and the Great Southern Ocean: a bitter-sweat thought.

Sandi wrote:

Once P was warm he fell asleep and missed hearing a tree, or a very large branch, fall down. Lovely comfy night.

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Today turned out to be one of the rare wet (for most of the day) days, so the diary is quite different and rather photo-deficient: but it was a wonderful opportunity to wander in the rain and put our gear to the test, although some bits failed.

Perry wrote:

The wonderfully generous Jared sheltered us in his chalet overnight, with red wine and cheese. Got away early, nearly before Jared got up. Started in light drizzle, which over time generally got heavier and rained most of the day.

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Town days can be interesting, not always brilliant: maybe that's because we have too much expectation? We've found that we generally like to get into town early, which takes the pressure off shopping and gets us to the shops before they close... so we've set the alarm to get going early today as it's a lengthy day anyway, although fairly level. We're looking forward to the Arboretum, and hope to lunch at Big Brook Dam. When planning the walk I found it impossible to discern the Track on Google Earth with the Guidebook: today I guess we'll see it foot to ground [see our track here], I hope it's not too confusing (the Track has a habit of getting confusing close to town)!

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Today we take our leave from the Donnelly River, which we've spent the last three days walking beside. Jared tells us that we have the option of a coffee at the Karri Valley Resort today, though it is a diversion, and the Guidebook talks up the Beedelup Falls. Before that though we'll aim to have lunch at Carey Brook Falls, which sound nice (though understated in the book); and nothing has jumped out at us for morning tea today

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Today's elevation profile and map track paints in pretty graphic detail what the book calls a 'Challenging day': one winding in around the Donnelly River and up, over and down various valleys - though the book does promise 'marvellous' views and the 'best old-growth Karri'!. Got away in pretty good time, conscious that we didn't want to muck about on one of the more difficult days.

Sandi wrote:

Today! Where do I start? Took a couple of paracetamol before bed last night, that headache shadow was there. Managed to get a pretty good sleep, we had the tent inner under the hut shelter again. A lazy start to the day, I felt a bit nervous about how I would go, particularly my knees.

Found a stick yesterday and today have found it very helpful on very steep descents particularly, but also the ascents. A real gift from God. P wants to now buy me fan-dangled walking sticks, but I think I like my one from God.

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