It was a fresh start in Apollo Bay on day 4, with the temperature hovering around 12 degrees at 7am. That’s when I made my decision…… my body needed a rest. It was to be a day off walking for me.
But…… my definition of a day off is probably different to most. It turns out our Walk91 shuttle driver is also a swimmer. Yay! She had told me yesterday about her daily 8:45am swim and invited me to join should I decide not to walk.
I was welcomed warmly by the Apollo Bay swim group. The water itself was not quite so inviting. At a chilly 16 degrees, I was the only swimmer without some sort of neoprene (there was wetsuits, hoods and booties). But, a cold swim was exactly what my body needed to revitalise. That, and the two hour nap that followed!
Meanwhile, the others made their way from Castle Cove down to Johanna Beach where they walked along the soft sand before being forced to take their shoes off for a river crossing!
From there, it was a long steady climb. It sounds like it was brutal and in many ways I was relieved to have missed it! But there is always the fear of what I might miss and today it was significant. Another koala, another snake and…….. an echidna! Not fair, not fair, not fair (stamping my foot!)
But, I cannot complain, I was doing something true to me and I was recovering ready to march on through the last two days.
Summary:
Distance: 16km hiked, 1.2km swum
Animals seen: Koala, echidna, sheep, wallaby, kangaroos. The Apollo bay dog population having a ball on the beach.
Snakes: 1
Black toe nail count: 7
Blisters: stable
Sore knees: 2
Achy muscles: 4 (people)
TTB
The Travel Bee 