The Happy Walk Weeks 3 and 4 Bridport to St Helens

Weeks 3 and 4 Bridport to St Helens

A relatively short blog considering it covers 2 weeks but with lots of pictures this time.

I took a week off at Bridport. It is a good place to rest and recover. The YHA, Seaside Lodge, was clean, comfortable and quiet with very reasonably priced rooms.

From Bridport I headed east to the coast. The weather was great, only one day of rain. I was walking much slower than expected and had to skip Eddystone Point Lighthouse so it is now on my bucket list.

Getting to Ansons Bay was a relief, I had made it to the coast. It was late and the sun set as I set up camp. It was difficult to find drinking water and I ended up filling from the river and using puritabs. Thankfully I didn’t need to drink much of that water because the back was twinging so painfully I gave up after only 10km and flagged down a driver for a lift to St Helens.

I have been staying at the St Helens Backpackers for a few days and they donated a free night. It was quiet, clean, comfortable and very central to town services. I also had an Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage and it was wonderful, a very effective way to relax.

Today I head back to Bay of Fires and will be staying at Binalong Bay for 5 nights. Binalong Bungalows have offered me accommodation at such a reasonable discount it works out to be almost 2 nights free. I plan to spend lots of time sitting on the white sand by the azure sea meditating and breathing in the clean ocean air, taking easy walks around the lagoons and splashing along the beaches.

My tent is mouldy from being packed away wet every morning so I’m sending it home with a bunch of other non-essential items like the camp cooker, mattress, spare change of clothes and spare thermals as I drastically lighten the load. I have a good tarp that will fold under me each night providing a bit of protection from the elements. There is a replacement sleeping bag on its way and I will start asking passing cars and farmers for water instead of carrying a few days of it while between towns. All up it should cut the total pack weight back by up to 10kg.

I have had a bit of a problem with my hip and lower back that has pulled me up a couple of times. Simply the result of carrying too much weight too far. After a few +30km days carrying +30kg my back and hips refused to cooperate with the rest of the body.
I keep getting pangs of guilt because I feel I should be walking not resting. I remind myself several times a day that if I don’t rest I won’t be able to walk. It is a very heavy feeling of self-failure, not living up to my own expectations. But I’m not giving up. As I said to the TV reporter, I am determined to carry this message on foot all the way around Australia and no matter how many times I’m delayed I will pick up where I left off and continue until it is finished.

Not sure if there will be any wireless or phone service at Binalong so for everyone following me on facebook or waiting for news of my whereabouts each evening I will be back on line in about 5 or 6 days if not before.

In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other.

Terra