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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 25370 times)

Deozaan

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #25 on: January 07, 2012, 03:15 AM »
Wow!

I've just realized to ask: What did you two eat? Were there places to buy food along the way or did you pack it all or eat off the land or what?

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #26 on: January 07, 2012, 03:41 AM »
Funny, I was just typing that bit up in the blog... The track passes through 12 "towns" where we camped in caravan parks and who also held our 12 food parcels. Most of those towns had cafes and shops where we could buy fresh food (it's amazing how focused you get on red meat and vegetables on a walk like that: we'd be dreaming of steaks, potatos and sour cream and stacks of vegetables on the days leading up to a town ;) ).

The longest stretch between towns was about 7 days. We eat about 1.5kg of food a day (between us), so that's 10.5 kg of food -- which was getting to the limit of my carrying capacity  :-[

Here's the shopping list that we had to purchase and pack and deliver before starting the walk:
Muesli20.4 kg
Powdered Milk2.96 kg
Tea Bags388 bags
Large Clip-lock Bags43 bags
Scroggin9.8 kg
Small Clip-lock Bags118 bags
Sultanas1.225 kg
Vegemite4 tubes
Cheese160 servings
Muesli Bar96 bars
Staminaide1.596 kg
Dehydrated Meals43 meals
Cup-a-soup86 packets
Supper Snack82 servings
Drinking Chocolate41 sachets
Coffee Bags82 bags
200ml UHT Milk11 cartons
Boiled Lollies318 (maybe ~7 packets)
Emergency Chocolate1 family bar
Soap1 bar
Laundry Powder10 washes
Garbage Bags12 bags
Packing Tape1 roll
Matches2 boxes

mouser

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #27 on: January 07, 2012, 05:38 AM »
Very cool.  Like Renegade I have a hard time even imagining the experience -- I'd really love to hear more about the mental aspects of it -- the progression of moods and feelings during the trip.  60 days is just such a huge amount of time to be in such a different environment, away from everything stable that you are used to except for each other..  If the photos are any clue you guys look remarkably well adjusted.  I think if those photos were of me, on day 1 I'd be smiling and by day 50 I'd look like I needed to be institutionalized.

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #28 on: January 07, 2012, 06:10 AM »
Yes, you can imagine that there was a lot of self examination going on... like: why am I feeling like this, or that, or whatever, or nothing at all... and I guess there was a general lineal progression, but there were lots of ups and downs along the way too.

You only think we look well adjusted because you can't remember the thoughts going through your head when we took the photo!!  :)

Thankfully it was long enough to get through the institutionalised thing and get to feeling a sense of completion: otherwise it could have been very messy (well, more messy than it was) ;)

kyrathaba

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #29 on: January 07, 2012, 09:13 AM »
Wow!

I also liked the backing track. What was that music, if I may inquire?

Renegade

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #30 on: January 07, 2012, 10:16 AM »
So what did you do for water? Like on that 7 day stretch?

Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

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

40hz

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #31 on: January 07, 2012, 11:30 AM »
Yes, you can imagine that there was a lot of self examination going on... like: why am I feeling like this, or that, or whatever, or nothing at all... and I guess there was a general lineal progression, but there were lots of ups and downs along the way too.


Really? That happens to me too. Only difference is it usually happens between 1:00 and 3:00 AM while sitting by myself in a freezing cold server room waiting to see if a client's network restarts correctly and stays up.

I like your way much better.

Great hats too BTW. :Thmbsup:

(I'm more than a little envious! ;)  ;D )

iphigenie

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #32 on: January 07, 2012, 12:07 PM »
I have never done anything that long but after 10 days I really didnt want to come back to normal life. Always had to.

Now I don't really have to but my chances of convincing my partner to commit to that long is unlikely. Working at getting a week...

wraith808

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #33 on: January 07, 2012, 12:58 PM »
It really is inspiring. I can't imagine what it would be like.

Why Renegade!  I never knew you had such a talent for understatement!  ;D

Perry, that was amazing!  That's for putting that together and sharing!

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #34 on: January 07, 2012, 05:09 PM »
I also liked the backing track. What was that music, if I may inquire?

Do you know Jamendo? It's a site of Royalty Free music.
Jamendo is the world's #1 platform for free and legal music downloads. Available in seven languages, it offers the largest catalog of music under Creative Commons licenses. For artists, it's an easy and efficient way to publish, share and promote their music, and also to make money, through ad revenue sharing and commercial partnerships.
-Jamendo FAQ

 :(  The credit for the track is on the YouTube page, but that doesn't get translated to embedded content... I'll need to go fix that up!

I just did a couple of seaches ("walk" I think worked) and found this album: http://www.jamendo.c.../54323?refuid=466602 Probably not exactly what the composer intended, but it worked remarkably well with the video.

Perry Mowbray

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Re: I know I've got a dose of absenteeism... but it's going to get worse
« Reply #35 on: January 07, 2012, 05:38 PM »
@Renegade: The whole track was "re-done" with a lot of input from someone who'd just completed the Appelation Trail in the 'States. Shelters are provided along the way (about every day's walk), and they all have water tanks and pit toilets. Water is not guaranteed though: Western Australia gets most of its rain in Winter (therefore a Spring walk is a good idea), but late Spring and Summer can not only see all the rivers dry up, but also the water tanks too.

On our walk (pretty early Spring) most of the rivers and creeks were flowing, but we only used them to wet our bandannas and wash (rinse really).

@iphigenie: Actually, it's taken many years to get Sandi to do another longer walk after the Great North Walk, which was, in hindsight, a very difficult walk (especially in the middle of drought) and I guess emotionally scared her for 4 years ;)  I loved it: it was the first long walk we'd done -- and when, on the last day, I joked with Sandi that maybe next time we could do it North to South, she very nearly threw me off a cliff  ;)

I knew about halfway through this walk that it was very different when Sandi asked what I'd do differently if we ever did it again. Normally, even on a day walk, I can't talk about the next walk until well after we'd finished and were home again  :D

@40hz: Yep -- inside a server room does not sound like fun. Hats? I was very happy with my Possum + Merino beanie (and really needed it some nights and mornings). Sandi's was an expensive (not) Op Shop version that incredibly can be crushed, washed in a machine, etc without wrecking it. Mine I got for this walk because my leather one was too heavy  :-[


And yes... it's taken 10 weeks to start feeling anywhere near normal.  My productivity has been about zero... which in itself has been distressing, as I have a lot of material from this walk to turn into timelapse, blog posts, albums, posters, reviews, gps tracks, etc, etc. and I have not been able to stay up much later than 8pm (very effectively). But, I'm making headway now...