October 4th
Along Wilshusen Rd(183.2)-Collie(210.6)
Mileage: 27.4mi/44.2km
Campsite Elevation: 991ft/302m
Note: Anyone that missed the brief emu video I got yesterday, I was able to load that video onto that post when I got to town today.
I got to sleep through the night and wasn’t woken by rain this morning! Hallelujah! I didn’t start walking until 7:10am. I wanted to get a bit of an earlier start, but I had some technical difficulties with the blog post this morning that took an extra 20 minutes or so. I was thankful to have service inside the tent rather than having to stop and post in the middle of hiking. It was cloudy and misted on and off the first half of the day, but I held my ground and didn’t wear my rain pants!
Sandy terrain.
Pink wildflowers.
The event of the morning was that I knew I would catch up to another end-to-ender named Lance. I saw him around 11am when he was seated along the trail on a tree examining a map. Just for the fun of it, he was practicing his map skills. Lance is quite at home out here and sure does know a lot about nature. I think he could name every thing out here. His attention to detail is impressive. Leonard is definitely savoring this hike and looking at every detail. We chatted for a bit, and very quickly, without prompting, I was told of the other American ahead named Mike that I have mentioned. At this rate, I probably won’t see him until the end when he turns around on his yo-yo, but I feel like I will have his whole life story by the time I meet him without even needing to inquire.
Lance and his map.
Since I was on a schedule to make it to town, I moved on and told Lance I would see him at the shelter not far away where I was having lunch and he was camping. It was fun to get to spend time at lunch with Lance. This is not his first long adventure. He is from this area and does a lot of mountain biking here. There is a well-known mountain bike trail that parallels and, sometimes overlaps (coincidentally did today) the Bib called the Munda Biddi. Lance’s plan at the end of the Bib is to do immediately jump on the Munda Biddi and ride back north to complete his trip. He is even a bit of a sailor. He did a sailing race that went around the world and took 10 months. It was really great to meet Lance and I wish him the best on the rest of his hike and then bike.
The second half of the day was just a power through to get to Collie. I wouldn’t have done the miles I did today if it wasn’t to get to Collie. The timing just landed right to make it happen tonight rather than tomorrow. Collie is the largest town along the Bib. It is really cool that with all of these towns, the trail is made to walk through them. Funnily, I came across two mobs of kangaroos (that bolted of course) just as I got closer to town.
Side trip to Perrin Lookout over Lake Ballingall connected to Harris Dam.
Harris Dam
Getting creative and finding a way for me to enjoy greater quantities of peanuts.
Private farmland on the way into town.
Collie is actually a 1.5mi/2.5 side trail out and back, but I love that it’s included in the mileage of the trail. I love that I am able to fully walk for a full 1000 km/600 miles without needing to hitch or anything for a re-supply. Pretty darn cool to have a trail that fully walks into each town.
Street I came in on.
I got to town at 5:30pm and checked into Colliefield’s. It came highly recommended, and seems to be the best deal in town. They are Bib members and give a discount if you are a member as well, which I am. Btw, if you hike this trail and are not a member or do not donate to the trail you should!! Just the shelters alone are worth paying dues toward! This trail doesn’t come out of nowhere and has an amazingly great volunteer system behind it, but they need funding. With all these bush fires and maintenance and rebuilding, it’s pretty amazing how well they’ve been able to maintain the trail. All hikers should do their part and contribute. Ok, theres my rant.
Colliefield’s somehow is left out of the Bib accommodations guide in paper and online, which must be an oversight. I’m giving it a shout out so future hikers know that this is the place to go. The $42US/$53AUS is a steal out here considering it also includes laundry, good wifi, soap/shampoo, and breakfast. There is a cafe downstairs and 14 rooms upstairs in an old and solid building that is very quiet and close to everything in town. I highly recommend Colliefield’s.
My cozy room for the night.
My body (especially feet) was not wanting to walk far for dinner, so I got some great easy food from Lindaz Central Deli just a couple doors down. Pam working there tonight was great and they have great prices with a variety of meals to go for prices much more reasonable than the nearby restaurants. I ended up eating two meat pies for dinner and enjoyed them! One was a steak and gravy filled one and the other had minced meat with potatoes and cheese on top. They are much more filling than they appear! I also got a meal I can heat up and eat tomorrow for lunch. A big shout out and THANK YOU to blog follower David for his help today. See the chocolate milk David!?
It was glorious to put my feet up, eat in my quiet room, watch an episode of Modern Family, and go to bed early. The hard clay-like ground of much of this trail seems to be wearing on my feet as the days go on. Adding the sidewalk walking into town today did them in. I’m already 1/3 of the way through and am getting closer to all that sandy walking ahead along the grand coastline. That may be a welcomed change for my feet. Another great day, and I didn’t even need to wear rain pants!
You are killing it out there! Well done! X
Love the stories you get, when out and away from it all, from people who have lived such interesting lives. Makes you realize everyone has a story, but we are jammed through our days and lives so fast we can’t stop and take the one on one time with another to learn theirs.
I know. What are the chances the two of us would ever have had a conversation off the trail. His life before retirement was interesting as well working with the oil companies as an environmental person which seems so opposite. That alone was something that I would’ve been able to hear about for hours.
I’m loving reading your posts each day, it is so fun to see my country through your eyes, pity you aren’t coming through Melbourne, I’d shout you a dinner. Happy hiking
Gary
Gorgeous feather, and now I want a pie.
Thanks for letting us travel with you!
Nice to hear my story told back by someone else. You remember every little detail of our brief conversation. Keep on the track Erin Wired. ??????
Great to meet you Lance!
Erin, you’re the best! and I’m getting such a huge kick out of these days on the track, in no small measure because of your ability to notice, appreciate, and give a shout out to the things, creatures, and people that turn what might otherwise be a rather drab, not particularly scenically thrilling, damp day of trekking into a seriously sweet new piece of your *actual life* unfolding.
On the one hand, it can take only a very small pleasure to thrill many a hiker!; on the other, not everyone is able to see the little splashes of color in a day and realize that they are worth so much. I really do love your spirit and traveling with you.
I used to yearn mightily to hike in the mountains, then just to have the chance to camp by a lake surrounded by mountains, but now I’m dying to visit Australia and walk this track. Can’t even believe NZ is coming up! I’m still recovering from the thrill of the Sierra, the Winds, lol…. but I love the pace, flora, and fauna of the Bib with you as well. Onward! Gotta check my gear!
You always have such great comments Tay!
Whew.. glad you just chose not to wear the rain pants. From the title I hoped they hadn’t gone missing or to or flown off to find the missing umbrella.
This day was so rewarding.. Lance, kangaroos, sweet town, cosy room and of course WiFi.
Curious as to whether that is the u.S. market Nutella (twice the sugar, half the cocoa) or the original? I’ve been unable to find ‘the good stuff’. 🙁
Hmm, if I could figure out how to read the labels out here I’d be able to answer that…
What. Do they print on the wrong side of the label too! 🙂
That’s easily discernible. If it’s dark like dark chocolate it’s the good stuff. If it’s milky brown . . . ewwwww.
Curious if you have seen the show “Alone” by the History channel. As always enjoying the blog. 🙂
I have, although I assume you’re asking wired, not her readers. I loved the first two seasons and really hope a 3rd is coming soon. The Last Alaskans (Discovery) and Life Below Zero (NatGeo) are also interesting and well done; I find the endless hunting, though, unwatchable, and so much of both series are, understandably, about procuring food.
Alone stands alone, though, with no production crews (beyond editing), the isolation, regular though outdoorsy people willing to face such a stark challenge and, thankfully, the available food sources mainly fish, clams, mussels, and bull kelp . I believe frightening big cats and bear are the main mammals found on Vancouver Island, glowing eyes and growls on the periphery. Maybe wild pigs, but no one is really scrambling through the overgrowth attempting to spear them, thank goodness.
I’ll have to look that up. Not a big History channel viewer.
The bush walking with pink flowers is beautiful. Glad you are find Chocy milk that suits you! Go!Erin!Go!