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Last post Author Topic: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse  (Read 25368 times)

Perry Mowbray

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Sandi and I are 78 hours from flying out to Western Australia and the start of a 1,000 km walk from Perth to Albany. The Bibbulmun Track is well known, and getting more so; I'm not sure how we came across it now, but it feels like we've been working toward this point for about a year.

We've been in active planning for the last 6 months, and actively training for the last 4 weeks, and at the moment I'm at fever pitch and hardly able to control myself with the excitement (or is it nerves?).

Anyway, we'll be gone for just over 2 months and completely out of communication (to tell the truth, the planning and training has been so intense that I feel that I've not been on the same planet this year: I haven't kept up with NANY at all, and don't even get to read my feeds properly, all my little projects are lying at the bottom of the hard drive...).  Actually, we will be communicating: we carry a SPOT Messenger that acts both as a EPIRB and a satellite messenger, so we'll be communicating our current location -- this will be displayed on our site: mitupela.net/gnw/bibbulmun.html, as well as FaceBook and Twitter (if you're interested). 

It's at this point you stop and ask yourself "Why the hell are we taking leave without pay to spend two months walking 1,000 km in Western Australia's sun, wind and rain?" The answer is complex, and simple: We both enjoy getting away, into the Australian bush, by ourselves and our God. The solitude and isolation that blooms into a deep belonging and closeness feeds both us and our relationship. The simplicity of reducing your day to putting one foot in front of the other generates a buoyancy in our spirits.

Of course, putting your foot in front of the other 1.3 million times is something we've not done before in one go :) so it'll be interesting to see what lies in the unknown beyond our previous boundaries.

All the best for the next two months whilst we're away!


tomos

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Guess I dont have to tell you to enjoy it!
Hope the boots hold out :)
Tom

jgpaiva

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Fantastic, Perry! Have fun!
I hope all goes well :)

Now that tomos mentioned it, I had never thought that might be a problem, not sure if my everyday footwear would hold out that distance. Are you taking an extra pair of boots? :)

Perry Mowbray

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Actually our boots are just about the only piece of clothing that we have not renewed. Most of our other clothes were sourced at second-hand stores (so well worn in ;)) -- but they were all either getting too thin or worn to take on a 2 month walk (last weekend it was my shorts that I put a hole in :( ).

Our boots are not that old, they're propper hiking boots (unfortunately they don't come with an odometer), but I'm sure they'll last the distance. They are a little on the heavy side, but we like the confidence that gives: lots of snakes down that way (mind you the light weight walkers swear by just a pair of volleys -- I have read somewhere that 1kg on your feet is that same as 5kg on your back).

The camp shoes we've got double as river shoes and are pretty good walking sandals in their own right -- so will get us out of an emergency.

mouser

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I'm writing this from a cabin on a lake, visiting family.. Your adventure sounds amazing.. life changing even.  Please carry a little bit of all of us on your trip so we can enjoy it vicariously.  And keep your eye open for Cody in the trees!

kyrathaba

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Enjoy, Perry, and be safe!  Don't forget snake-bite- and first-aid- kits...

Perry Mowbray

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And keep your eye open for Cody in the trees!

Well, as kyrathaba reminds me, looking up is not the safest thing to do down there. I've been reading other people's blogs and they're reporting many snake encounters every day: so eyes down and concentration is the order of the day (all 54 of them).

Don't forget snake-bite- and first-aid- kits...

I didn't think about this when I married Sandi, but marrying a Nurse has significant benefits in that regard  :D  Sandi says that I have better instincts, but she is the knowledge holder  :Thmbsup:

Our snake-bite kit, if that's what you mean, is a compression bandage. Sandi was saying that because the snake venom travels through the lymphatic system that the whole thing is a bit of a non-issue. But I'm not planning to test all that stuff out...

I'm writing this from a cabin on a lake, visiting family.. Your adventure sounds amazing.. life changing even.  Please carry a little bit of all of us on your trip so we can enjoy it vicariously.

Yes, been thinking about your family visit... hope it goes extra well!!

Yes, the SPOT Satellite messages are neat in keeping people up to date with location. I guess in the future we'll be able to do a lot more, like images, etc (but that will have to wait till I come back), in the mean time everyone can at least follow us around  ;)

wraith808

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The answer is complex, and simple: We both enjoy getting away, into the Australian bush, by ourselves and our God.
-Perry Mowbray (August 29, 2011, 10:44 PM)

That's like... great. :)  Really don't have anything else to say after that, other than that's pretty humbling.

Perry Mowbray

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The answer is complex, and simple: We both enjoy getting away, into the Australian bush, by ourselves and our God.
-Perry Mowbray (August 29, 2011, 10:44 PM)

That's like... great. :)  Really don't have anything else to say after that, other than that's pretty humbling.

You and me both

Deozaan

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Be safe and have fun!

cranioscopical

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2011, 04:15 PM »
I was going to say have a blistering good time but then I thought...

You'll both see life through a different lens after this trip  :Thmbsup:

JavaJones

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2011, 07:39 PM »
Sounds like an absolutely amazing experience. I've often thought of doing something similar, like the John Muir Trail or even the Pacific Crest Trail (gasp!) here in the Western US. I can't wait to hear about your journey upon your return!

- Oshyan

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #12 on: September 01, 2011, 03:56 PM »
Thanks all  :Thmbsup: 

Why can't I sleep??? :mad: 

It will be amazing, but at this point I just can't imagine what it'll be like (we've only done a couple of weeks in one go before)... so beyond our experience (I guess we'll either get addicted or hate it?). Apparently it's modelled on the Appalachian Trail?

I've taken extra strong measures against Sandi's propensity to blister, and on the 110km of training walks we've done it's looking effective. If it's one thing I'm desperate about it's making sure that Sandi enjoys the walk. And yes, with 48Gb of card space available, I'm expecting (if not obliged to take) quite a few photos  ;)

...and it would be great if you could drop in (although that's impossible physically), I'm hoping I'll get a sense of your vicarious enjoyment along the way ;)

Anyway: busy day ahead - we've a late flight over to Perth arriving near midnight then 3 extremely busy days after that before setting foot on the track (which at this point will be a relief  :D)

Catch you when we get back  :Thmbsup:

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2011, 09:19 PM »
Well... we're back (I think) :huh:

Two months of having had your life reduced to 6 simple tasks each day:
  • eat
  • pack up
  • put one foot in front of the other until the next camp site
  • set up
  • eat
  • sleep

makes for a very uncomplicated life. Getting back home (not that I entirely recognized it when we got there), has been an interesting and difficult experience. The memories of life before the walk are like far away stars that spin away well outside our reach or influence.

The walk itself went extremely well (should hope so, it was thoroughly well planned), but there were no surprises like injuries, sickness or accidents. We got every type of weather except snow and most of our gear performed very well (I was getting rather worried about our boots that were getting very thin and we were starting to feel every stone or stick we walked on). We were pretty happy to finish as there was a strong sense of completeness, but we didn't really want it to end (if you know what I mean); and maybe the funniest thing of all in the midst of that simplicity was that each day pushed the previous day out of your head so that we were only left with today (they often had sufficient troubles and difficulties to keep us busy anyway) - so now it all seems so far away.

I'm now dwarfed by the task of sorting through the 9.5K photos that we took, the 256 pages of diary entries and the 1,000 kms of GPS log, trying to work and battle the xenophobia that seems to have snuck in somewhere when we weren't looking  :-[  But I'll get it all sorted as the flowers were awesome and the scenery brilliant, and there are some wonderful memories hidden in there somewhere...

Thanks for all your thoughts and concerns: it was absolutely fantastic and we'd do it again at the drop of a hat... tomorrow would be nice  ;)

mouser

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2011, 09:28 PM »
It sounds so amazing.. What an experience.  I can only imagine.  You really got a chance to step outside of our normal reality.  I'm jealous.
I can't wait to hear more about it as you have time to digest the experience. 

wraith808

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #15 on: November 08, 2011, 07:21 AM »
It sounds so amazing.. What an experience.  I can only imagine.  You really got a chance to step outside of our normal reality.  I'm jealous.
I can't wait to hear more about it as you have time to digest the experience. 

Ditto.  And welcome back... though it was amazing following your journey even by GPS.  Thanks for carrying us along virtually. :)

Renegade

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #16 on: November 08, 2011, 07:43 AM »
PICS~! PICS~! PICS~! :D
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

cranioscopical

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #17 on: November 09, 2011, 06:51 PM »
Two months of having had your life reduced to 6 simple tasks each day:
  • eat
  • pack up
  • put one foot in front of the other until the next camp site
  • set up
  • eat
  • sleep
Good heavens, you must have been bursting for a pee when you arrived at home!

Glad to see you had a good trip  :up:[/list]

tomos

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #18 on: November 10, 2011, 03:10 AM »
Two months of having had your life reduced to 6 simple tasks each day:
  • eat
  • pack up
  • put one foot in front of the other until the next camp site
  • set up
  • eat
  • sleep

Good heavens, you must have been bursting for a pee when you arrived at home!
-cranioscopical (November 09, 2011, 06:51 PM)

...very tactful of you there Chris :D
Tom

Carol Haynes

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #19 on: November 10, 2011, 06:31 AM »
But not unexpected ...

Wecome back Perry - sounds amazaing .... pics PLEAZZZZZZ

fenixproductions

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #20 on: November 10, 2011, 06:50 AM »
@Perry Mowbray
Have a nice trip and keep your hands intact :)

jgpaiva

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #21 on: November 10, 2011, 11:45 AM »
@Perry: glad to know you're back! I don't want to be a bore, but I am also anxious to see your pics  :-[

@fenixproductions: Perry is already back, see here :P

JavaJones

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #22 on: November 10, 2011, 02:07 PM »
Wow, the time just flew by for us! ;) Welcome back and glad to hear it was a success! I'm looking forward to seeing your pics and I now see I should go look at all I missed in your logs, hehe.

Edit: Or are your logs posted yet? I know there was the GPS log, but I wasn't following along (shame on me!) and it doesn't seem to be coming up now. Anyway, would love to see any related materials about the trip as I neglected to keep up as you went along. :D

- Oshyan

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #23 on: January 06, 2012, 09:22 PM »
The pics are coming (I had issues with one of my SD cards that has proved unreliable and has slowed me down a bit), but I've just finished the timelapse...

Found a very suitable piece of music on Jamendo for the backing:  Walking

 
« Last Edit: January 07, 2012, 05:12 PM by Perry Mowbray »

Renegade

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #24 on: January 06, 2012, 10:24 PM »
;D

Thanks for getting that up there! :)

It really is inspiring. I can't imagine what it would be like.
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker