Jennifer Dobner
Completed: 18 November, 2018
- Start date: 13 August, 2017
- Age When Completed: 61
- Direction Walked: Southbound
Track Towns and Supplies
- Did you have any issues finding food/supplies? Yes
- Mostly dehydrated my own meals. Attended Bibb Foundation’s Food in a fuel stove session which was very helpful and inspirational. Very daunting initially to plan for about 50 meals, then to package them up for the various sections. Really enjoyed some home-cooked meals and luxuries at various track towns.
Your Story or Advice for Others
General CommentsI basically completed this walk over 2 sessions – Perth to Walpole from August to October 2017, then Walpole to Albany in October/November 2018. The intent was to celebrate my 60th birthday, being very conscious of my mother’s death at that same age. I headed out on my own, heeding the wise words of one Bibb Track guide who suggested that if I waited for someone to be available I may never achieve my goal. I was assured I would meet plenty of people on the track and that it was safe, advice which was confirmed by my experience.
Your Best Equipment
Good sleeping bag, good rain jacket and pants
Your Worst Equipment
nil
Advice for Others
Do it!!! Stop making excuses… Make sure you take a PLB device and take time to enjoy the journey.
Trip Details
How you completed the Bibbulmun Track:- All at once
- Who did you complete the Track with? Other - None
- Was undertaking your hike the PRIMARY/MAIN purpose of your TRAVEL from where you currently live? No
- What first prompted you to walk the Bibbulmun Track? Other
Your Experience
• Walpole to Denmark. Amazing variety of wildflowers, stunning coastal scenery, the fresh coastal breezes/gales • Dog pool – such a stunning place, even if still recovering from a bad burn. • I have a love/hate relationship with the Pingerup plains. I intensely disliked the day long walks wading through water, being attacked by the encroaching, prickly vegetation, at the same time as being drenched from above by rain! (I was particularly unimpressed by the comment at 16.3km in the Mt Chance to Woolbales section of guide book 6 – “… nice spot for a rest… the next 3km pass through several low swampy areas which are usually inundated…”. At the time, it was pouring with rain and I shouted to the sky “What about the last 5km???”. But it was wonderful to actually feel as though I was in a wilderness area (except for the trail bike riders who appeared on the track near Lake Maringup!)
Highlight of your trip
• Sharing parts of the walk with family members and friends. My son flew from Canberra to celebrate my birthday, then walked with me for 3 days from Collie to Grimwade, my daughter flew from Kununurra during the school holidays and spent about 3 days walking with me around Pemberton, with my husband doing delivery runs in each case. Other friends and family joined me for day walks in some other sections, including my sister walking into Albany with me on the last day. My husband often joined me at the start of a new section for a couple of kilometres before heading back out. • Coming out of sodden karri forest after a steep climb up a slippery conveyor belt section, to be met by a field of flowers at the top of the sand dune – pink pimelea, blue scaevola, orchids, yellow pea flowers, so amazing. • Meeting people from all over the world, of all ages.