Start: Orbost
Finish: Bemm River Cutoff
Distance: 24
Total: 263
Today’s walk took some extra planning and a lot of hustle.
The day started with a 4:15 AM wake-up. This was all necessary because today’s destination was a bus stop 24 miles from my starting place and the only bus for the day got to my pickup point at 1:05 PM. 24 miles would normally take me about eight hours including a brief lunch stop. However, sunrise was 6:00, and I don’t walk in the dark, so I figured if I got off at about dawn, didn’t make any stops, and hustled I might knock out the 24 miles in seven hours and not miss the bus.
So I got up at 4:15, walked into town to the bakery, which opened at 5:00 AM, for breakfast and get a sandwich for lunch, went back to my motel to pack, and walked out the door at 5:45. I didn’t mess around; I hustled all morning. With three miles to go, I was on target to get to the bus stop 15 minutes before the scheduled bus arrival time. At that point I was really tired, and along came a little General Store. I asked myself should I chance stopping to take a break, risking the bus being early or something else happening in my last three miles? I decided to press on and arrived 15 minutes before my 1:05 bus, which actually was three minutes late arriving. It all worked out but I don’t like having to half kill myself walking that fast and not being able to take a break.
The road I’m walking is still Prince’s Highway, but the terrain has gotten very hilly and the road is very narrow and crooked. Rarely is there a shoulder on both sides of the road so on some of the sharper curves I cross to the opposite side so vehicles can see me better.
The bus took me to Cann River which is tomorrow’s destination so I’ll take the bus tomorrow morning back out to Bemm River Cutoff and walk 25 miles here to Cann River. It will be a slack packing day and I won’t be in any rush tomorrow.
That’s about it for Monday in Australia. To bad the Cowboys didn’t live up to their fans expectations. What else is new. JB.
