The Grand Finale!
The final day was all about dramatic cliffs and raging ocean. Although a relatively calm day, you could feel the power of the Southern Ocean as it provided a constant background sound track.
The walk itself, was again through dense coastal scrub. There was little wildlife seen bar three snakes!! One was a whooper Tiger. Although I never saw it myself, the dance and backwards running performed by the leader of our group indicated it was pretty decent.
Our lunch stop at Princetown was on the banks of the Gellibrand River. Quite a contrast to the rest of the day, the lush green grass and picnic tables were a welcome reprieve from the dusty track.
As we approached the 12 Apostles, the day had heated up and we were all feeling exposed and dehydrated. We were craving a cold sugary drink.
After the offical photo stop with the Great Ocean Walk sign, I really struggled. Psychologically I was done, I had the photo……. but it was still another 2km to the visitors centre and my cold drink. Mr Travel Bee really had to coax me along.
What got me through in the end, was reflecting on how far I have come in the last 12 months. This time last year I was in the midst of my most brutal chemotherapy round. I was feeling weak and exhausted. A year later I had somehow managed to walk 82km.
It reminded me of a quote I was told early on in my battle.
‘The comeback is greater than the setback’
Having targets like this walk, has enabled me to make that a reality.
Summary:
Distance: 20km (grand total 104km plus extras exploring beaches and lighthouses)
Black toe nails: 8 (Mr Travel Bee takes the trophy with 5!)
Blister count: lost count (Mrs Travel Bee takes the trophy for juiciest blister)
Achy people: 4 + 2 (that we joined along the way)
Happy people: 4 + 2
Proud people: 4 + 2
Fuel consumed over 6 days: 32 wraps, 2 cooked chickens, 5 bags of salad, 2 punnets of cherry tomatoes, a cucumber, a capsicum, 4 avocados, 2 large bags of nuts, 1 bag of dried fruit, 12 bananas, 12 apples, 10 protein bars, 3 blocks of Old Gold, 2 boxes of crackers, 1 block of cheese, 12 boiled eggs, 4 packets of Fava beans.
Hydration: Approximately 48 litres of water. 4 tubes of Hydralyte.
What a week! There were highs and lows (geographically and mentally) and everything in between. Thank you to Mr and Mrs A for the idea and the company. We make a great team.
TTB
The Travel Bee 