July 5th 2021

Days km: 43.1km
Total km: 568.9km

So, after the miserable experience that I had yesterday, I actually woke up feeling refreshed and raring to go. I slept really well on half a sleeping pad and my legs elevated on my packed up tent. Makes me wonder if I should try the small pad I’ve seen a lot of crazy ultra lighters use…

Today turned out to be a much bigger day than I had planned. In what is arguably the hardest section of the trail for south-bounders, I managed walk break my longest distance walked record hitting 43.1 km (26.78 miles). I would have left camp a lot earlier if I had realised I was going to be putting in some big miles, but alas it was well after 8am before I got going. I honestly did not expect to feel as good as I did.

The trail today was filled with many, many pointless ups and downs, most of them very steep. About half-way through I realised that I was in the section that some North-bounders had warned me about way back on day 8. So, it was tough, but man did I feel good! My legs were singing with joy, instead of the usual stabbing pains, my back had quietened down, and I felt like I was floating over the track. I was in my element. A good night’s sleep works absolute wonders!

I did slow down a little just over 12km into the day when I hit a pretty difficult patch. It was a steep descent of 100 meters followed by an immediate climb of about 120 meters over a distance of maybe 700 meters. The descent at least had some switchbacks, but the climb was straight up. It was steeeep. It felt like I was making no headway on that climb, just walking in place, so I dubbed it ‘Treadmill hill’.

After being on that hill for what felt like forever, the last 9 km’s or so to the next shelter were a dawdle. I arrived at Beavis shelter just before 1pm. Beavis was another shelter that was closed in by the surrounding hills and trees and it was already freezing. I had a proper hot lunch, drank a few coffees and decided to push on. I figured I’d done the hardest part of the trail and I was feeling pretty great, so why the hell not?

The rest of the trail was not as hard as the morning, but there were still a whole lot of steep ups and downs to traverse. I managed a spectacular fall near the end of the day. There was a couple of planks across a small creek and I remember thinking I best be careful because wood can be a bit slippe…then I was in the air. I hit a patch of moss and my feet flew out from under me as if someone had kicked my legs, and then I came crashing down on the little bridge. It was a fall that would have made the Wet Bandits in Home Alone proud. Thankfully my pack took the brunt of the impact, so I wasn’t hurt. Though I did lie there for a good minute, trying to get my breath back.

I got phone reception just as it got dark so spoke to my wife for a bit as I walked, which was just lovely. Alas it was proper dark by the time I hit Beedelup falls so I didn’t get a great view of them. They sounded awesome though…

That last 2km felt pretty long, as I to fade a bit physically. I was ready to be done by then. I got into camp at 7:30 and surprised Joel, who was certainly not expecting anyone to show up. I was weirdly not that hungry and made the stupid decision to forgo dinner. I was also getting cold. I had a mars bar and a hot chocolate and crawled into my bed. A few more baffles blew, but I didn’t really care. I was absolutely shattered.