Just a happy hiker (15 April)

 I woke up around 5am, as you do when you go to bed at 7:30pm after a huge day of walking. But given today was going to be relatively short, took my time. 


I watched a stunning sunrise over the lake and then set off after breakfast. 




Really, what is happiness? 
Getting to a campsite and finding that I have it to myself. 
Being able to dry all my stuff. 
Falling asleep to the distant sound of waves. 
Watching the sunrise with a cup of tea. 
Karri trees glowing in the morning sun. 


It was cruisy walking, mostly along a sandy path with a few pretty flowers, banksias, patches of huge Karri and Marri trees that must be hundreds of years old. 
There were two recently fallen trees that were so huge - I took a photo with my backpack for size comparison - I think the trunk would have been over 2m! 



The last 5km were along Dog Pool Road and let me to another beautiful spot- the hut is by a little waterfall/ pool and again beautiful huge old trees towering over it. 


I went for a dip in the cold cold water (and even washed my hair - not sure what colour it will come out given the dark tannin brew this is), made a cup of coffee and then sat and soaked my feet as I’m writing this. 


The afternoon reading spot

Comments

  1. CorkyApril 19, 2021 at 8:24 AM

    Such a beautiful location Julia. So good to see you have sunshine.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 19 and the first rain (and Birger’s bday)

Image
11 April, 26km I had the best night’s sleep- it wasn’t too cold (well, I was sleeping in my thermals and with a beanie) and I guess I was pretty hammered from walking 43 km yesterday).  I sent Birger a birthday message via the Garmin and realised that it actually looks a lot like the phone I had when we first met 😂 anyone remember the Alcatel with a bulky antenna?! As I was leaving, I noticed the sign showing the path in the other direction. Yeah, it’s going to Kalamunda...in like...555km...  It was a bit overcast as I took off and started to drizzle- and looking at the sky, I was pretty sure that it was going to be a question of when , not if I was going to get rained on.  The trail was easy this morning, and it sometimes looked like I was walking through a green tunnel - less burns, more undergrowth. I crossed over some very green farmland, saw an emu running along the path ahead of me and made pretty quick progress towards Pemberton.  I took a break at Big Brook...
Read more

23 April: Denmark

Image
  After 3 cups of tea, a yoghurt with some cereal someone had left behind,  and a banana, I went off and got a coffee and an almond donut at the bakery. I think overall, that makes a balanced meal as it included all food groups.  Mia, the Chinese backpacker working at the hostel, gave me a lift to where the road met the track - I?m so glad I went for this option as it turned out to be a 30 min drive! As I got out of her car, I realised that I had left my walking poles in my room.  Oh, well, it?s only 3 more days and Birger will be driving through Denmark on Sunday anyway, so hopefully he can get them then.  So by 8am, I was on the trail again, poleless at first, but I found a nice walking stick after 20 min which will help me up the dunes and also increase my impact as I?m sure that plays a big part in chasing off the snakes. Supposedly, they are more frequent in this part, but so far, I?’only seen one (about 2 weeks ago) and 2 baby ones that didn’t really quali...
Read more

24 April: A not so happy morning

Image
  Before reading this: please keep in mind that this blog is mostly intended for myself, I would like to be able to read back on my thoughts and feelings in a year or so from now. I thought about posting this, but I think it’s an important part of the “journey”.  I turned on my phone after breakfast to find a message from Birger saying he had an eventful night and to call him as soon as I could.   Perth went into COVID lockdown at midnight (because they’ve had one case - this may seem slightly unusual to all non- Australians, but that?s why we are doing so well here- one case, everyone stays home, they contact trace over the weekend, things are (usually) back under control) and if he flies into Perth today, he?ll be in the middle of the lockdown zone and will have to isolate in a hotel for at least 3 days or until further notice. Based on what has happened in other places, like Melbourne, there is obviously a risk that he could get stuck for a very long time...  So, ...
Read more