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People fall off cliffs, break legs, die of thirst, suffer
from hyperthermia, get lost - never found, get bitten by snakes, get struck by lightning,
have heart attacks, just to think of a few minor issues that could await the unsuspecting, meandering hiker.
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If I walk on the edge of a steep cliff I battle panic and weakness which usually bothers me more than most - when I see a snake I stop in admiration of its agility and relish the increased beat of my heart - if I am lost I try every trick I know, even retrace my steps to find a trail marker.
And!!! Like any hiking real-estate agent would agree; preparation, preparation, preparation......
But still, some things are out of your hands.......
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| A very organised campground |
From Deep Creek Waterfall I ventured gently upwards
through the green, gum-tree lined warren when, with a customary 'woohoo', I arrived at the Tapanappa Campground which was
perched high on top of a hill, overlooking the ocean and surrounding bush and farms.
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| Droplets visible from a napping position inside my skinny box |
The rain was threatening while I set up camp on an unsanctioned sight, deep in a stand of short eucalyptus
trees to protect the tent from the wind. When a small storm hit, I disappeared
into my lime-green, narrow home and fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon. A nana-nap at Tapanappa – try and say that fast.
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| Organised chaos while setting up |
There were several other campers with kitchens, vehicles, chairs, thick mattresses, smoky fires, cars with radios and other luxury items around me - none of them being hikers with ginormous, protruding but removable hunch-backs like mine. All of them hiding and did not appear to be up for a conversation out in the cold. The views of the Tapanappa area were smashing; heightened by dark rainclouds speeding across the sky.
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| Evening walkers at Tapanappa after the storm had passed |
In the morning I
stood out on a grassy hill with my breakfast and camera to watch the sunrise. Morning
mist covering the ocean while the sky slowly lit up from deep purple to orange
and yellow.
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Kangaroos were scrutinising my every move while chomping on
their chewing gum. The dodgy knee, that had been operated on six months prior, was
slightly swollen but ready to go for another day of 'balga-bashing'.
I packed up a soaking wet tent by improv method and went on my way under a
clearing sky. I remembered how I used to dread it when my tent was wet. Now I just pack it away somewhere waterproof and set it back up at the end of the day?
Two hours of hiking through amazing, open, ocean-side country, I arrived at a very steep, downward slope where a river had cut itself into the landscape. A cover of green grass and the now recognisable, but severely, mentally imprinted patches of the emerald stuff made me walk slowly and oh so carefully. Like walking on eggshells, I envisaged having a look at the splendid views while sipping on a cuppa.
In an
unpredictable, but spectacular moment, my left foot slipped on the surface of
this iceberg. Having lost my good leg down the hill, my
recovering right, buckled beneath me. My heavy pack dragging
the top of my body violently backwards, with the knee pointing forward, my leg folded underneath me. I found myself looking down in horror! The leg was tucked under much further than the range of movement ever achieved in physio. A few involuntary expletives rolled out of my mouth. Seconds later a thought crashed its way through my mind ......
Two hours of hiking through amazing, open, ocean-side country, I arrived at a very steep, downward slope where a river had cut itself into the landscape. A cover of green grass and the now recognisable, but severely, mentally imprinted patches of the emerald stuff made me walk slowly and oh so carefully. Like walking on eggshells, I envisaged having a look at the splendid views while sipping on a cuppa.
It was to be of no avail.
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| Close your ears Joey - that man is rude! |
‘You have done it now Mars’.
‘You are stuffed’.
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| The green slope with Kermit's trap |
Grey Bits
Just like a Bold and Beautiful episode, I am keeping you hanging in suspense with a well-timed, but cruel break-away. What will happen next? Find out in my next blog.
Is it worth considering placing a link to an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or satellite phone website right here?
Naaah!! - lets have a look at man-flow dude instead.
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| The position I found myself in, but then without hipster beard Photo courtesy of manflowyoga |
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