Gill Goes... Trekking The Bibbulmun Track End to End... Helena Shelter

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Day 2

Hewett's Hill Shelter to Helena Shelter

21.5 km

Somewhat fitful sleep, dreaming vividly, too hot in my sleeping bag even with just leggings and a tshirt. It will be a learning curve getting it right. Wake up > 5 times, it's raining on and off - I actually don't mind being awake, it's pitch black and I like the noise of the rain on the tin roof. The birds start at 6, I give in and get up at 0615. I try to stay quiet, Paul's still asleep but not for long. The immediate challenge is now to develop some sort of efficient packing up routine that is going to make me look and feel like a seasoned long distance hike... Another learning curve right there...

This morning's effort goes a little bit like this:


• Put water on to boil (my plan is that by the time it has boiled I will have my stuff packed up- don't laugh... it's good to have goals)
• Methodically take out all of the bedding stuff from tent inner (I've already unscrewed the thermarest neoair valve whilst lying on it so it's partially deflated with my weight)
• Find all the little bags, sacs, covers, etc to put all bedding stuff into
• Roll up mat - easy when you have so much room in the shelter, stuff in bag
• Stuff sleeping bag in little sleeping bag bag with compression straps
• Shove liner into sleeping bag bag because I can't find liner bag
• Start on tent (trying desperately not to cause the poles to ping out in multiple directions- also easier in an empty shelter- I swear you could take someone's eye out with them!)
• Notice water is simmering
• Attempt to fold the liner tent into the same flat and neat shape that seasoned hikers achieve effortlessly (it ultimately just ends up being stuffed into the tent bag in order to make it fit. The retractable, foldable, geometrically symmetrical poles are a bit easier to put in their little bag)
• Become aware that water is now boiling furiously
• Get Day 2 food ration pack out and opened - this is an easy task (except that I seem to have a lot leftover for Day 1 to consider)
• Have a boiling hot cup of tea and the most delicious breakfast on the Bibb Track - boiling hot oats, cinnamon, dehydrated bananas and powdered milk straight out of the little ziploc bag - it is actually delicious, while boiling some more water to top up my thermos
• Get back to the packing up task
• Get into my day clothes (mental note - get straight into day clothes while still in tent/sleeping bag tomorrow)
• Repack the pack (it is not nearly as efficiently packed as it was home, it feels heavier and less balanced)
• Say goodbye to my camp mate and head off
• Go back to shelter
• Retrieve walking poles


It is now 08:15!! No prizes for efficiency today although it actually doesn't matter that much. My friend, Meg, has scored a few days off and is keen to walk to Sullivan Rock with me. She is meeting me at the Mundaring Weir Hotel around 10/1030-ish and it's only about 7km away- plenty of time. So, head off (again) into a fresh morning of grey skies and raindrops on leaves and some muddy puddles. My hip flexors are twinging after a couple of kms, I feel the pack needs some adjustment. On approach to the South Ledge of Mundaring Weir the rain sets in but serendipity intervenes in the shape of a large hollowed out tree where I pull out my gortex and pack cover ... and umbrella (my 2nd luxury item). The track now becomes a bit more suburban (ie- people and car and truck noise). Cross the walkway over the weir (obligatory photo stop) and head into the pub at 10:00. Say hello to the bar staff and tell them I'll order coffee when Meg arrives. Discard trash, use toilet, unpack pack, adjust harness into the XS back setting, repack pack. Sit down. 10:30 - Paul arrives. 10:45 Paul leaves, still no Meg. 11:00 still no Meg and no phone cover (gotta love Optus). 11:05 barmaid looks suspicious that I still haven't ordered anything and have used all amenities possible. I explain and she still looks suspicious but lends me her phone- turns out Meg was dropped at the Mundaring pub in town and has been walking. When she eventually arrives she's looking somewhat worse for wear - to add insult to injury she's slipped on some pea gravel and face planted hitting her head and twisting an ankle.

After a large, strong coffee we set off for Ball Creek. Meg swears she's in good shape. We stop at the Forest Discovery Centre to readjust her pack, etc and arrive into Ball Creek at 1:24. The shelter looks VERY inhabited. There's a fellow called Shane who is well and truly set up having gotten off a plane for Sydney 3 days earlier and headed straight to Ball Creek. After a massive off the plane effort he stalled and was staying there for another night- interesting guy with lots and lots (and lot) of stories of High Court Judges and Sydney rockstars of the 70's. After a fairly speedy lunch we head for Helena (Meg still swears she's in good shape).

We walk sweatily onwards up and down some sustained slopes. There are the most massive storm clouds in the distance, it is very beautiful. The thing I most like about this section are the large expanses of exposed rock dotted through the bush. We reach camp at 16:15 (actually the expansive toilet- it's at the top of the hill before you descend into the shelter). Helena is such a beautiful shelter- the view over the valley is stunning. Say hi to Paul, introduce him to Meg (who is no longer in good shape). Hot on our heels is Phillipe (France) and then 2 enthusiastic local girls and then later in the darkness, an elderly lady who have all triple hutted. Eek. Paul gets the fire going, I get Megs ankle taped up and elevated. I go have a cat wash in the palatial toilet with attached verandah, emerging in my clean night clothes (they smell great, my day clothes- not so much). Meg and I then head up the hill (again) to organise her husband to pick her up in the morning (Meg is smart.... she is with Telstra... she has a signal... I still do not). Hobble down the hill and it starts bucketing. The fire goes sort of goes out. A very subdued shelter- Phillipe and the elderly lady have already gone to bed. Meg and I sit up for another hour after dinner (I can only manage about 1/2 of it) at the resurrected fire. My food supplies continue to pile up. Early night.

Phillipe snores.



Impressions of Helena Hut

1 kangaroo in the bush near the hut, not so many mosquitos, there's toilet roll in the palatial toilet, I really love the verandah but I love the outlook the most

Body assessment- L neck and shoulder still slightly stiff, all else OK (the pack adjustment seems to have fixed the hip flexor issue)

Total people seen for the day - numerous at the ledge and pub, a thousand kids at the Forest Discovery Centre, 3 at Ball Creek, 2 daywalkers heading north, 5 overnighters at Helena

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Photos

Pretty dark
I love the darkness, each of the 10 times I woke up in the night it was pitch black!

A Few Signs
Waugyl markers, Mundabiddi's, Kalamunda Circuit anyone?

Heading Out Day 2
Beautiful sky and dripping trees

Mud
Another variation on the track's terrain (one of my personal favourites)

Mundaring Hotel
End up waiting here for quite a while, the coffee was good, as was the flushing toilet and handbasin (although it was only Day 2 so realistically I didn't really appreciate them that much)

Ball Creek Shelter
Quick lunch stop. It's so close to the Perth Hills Discovery Centre that it is really well used (especially as a lunch stop)

Storm Clouds
Such beautiful contrasting colours

Hilly Approaches
Poor Meg, it was a hard afternoon hike with an increasingly swelling ankle

A Welcome Sight
These shelter signs seemed to appear just at the right time, when you were starting to flag a bit they'd magically materialize

The Green Book
Torchlight entry