Just Add Water
The walk from Torquay to Anglesea was longer than expected. I expected it to be shorter purely based on the desire that it be shorter, ignoring that all signage and maps indicated that the walk was at least twenty-three kilometres. I nevertheless ventured along the coast with my gear.
The walk started with me submerging my hiking boots into a puddle to access the start of the walk. Whilst forward-thinking walkers might think to remove their boots for the the three strides through the water that were required to access the path, I instead thought it’d be best to keep my boots on. This ensured that my feet would remain wet the entire day - I find this is a good way to keep cool on a hot day.
I passed by many beaches along the way such as Bells Beach, Winkipop and a surfing spot called Boobs. Ironically, Boobs was one of the few beaches on the surf coast that wasn’t a nudist beach.
Passing through Point Addis National Park, I stopped for lunch at a spot with a nice view over the ocean. I soon realised though that I had no water left. Whilst I thought I would soon be at my destination, my expectation that the walk was shorter without consulting any maps meant that this expectation turned out to be false. This was soon confirmed by a waypoint marker indicating that I was only two-thirds of the way to Anglesea.
As the day drew on and the sun’s heat and the amount of sweat on my back increased the thought of avoiding dehydration became more of a consideration. As I began contemplating having what the kids call a Bear Grylls cocktail, I realised that my minimal water consumption earlier in the day meant that I did not have the ingredients to create such a beverage.
“But I was in the scouts as a kid,” I thought. “I’ve done my time. I should be able to find water no matter the situation, no matter the time and no matter the location. My superior bush knowledge should help.” It didn’t. In the end though scouts did save me. However not because I’d been in the scouts or actually acquired any knowledge from being a member of the organisation. By chance I passed through a scout camp which thankfully had a tap with running water. One of us was prepared, I guess.
As the storm clouds began to close in and after another hour and a half of walking I reached Anglesea.
The walk started with me submerging my hiking boots into a puddle to access the start of the walk. Whilst forward-thinking walkers might think to remove their boots for the the three strides through the water that were required to access the path, I instead thought it’d be best to keep my boots on. This ensured that my feet would remain wet the entire day - I find this is a good way to keep cool on a hot day.
I passed by many beaches along the way such as Bells Beach, Winkipop and a surfing spot called Boobs. Ironically, Boobs was one of the few beaches on the surf coast that wasn’t a nudist beach.
Passing through Point Addis National Park, I stopped for lunch at a spot with a nice view over the ocean. I soon realised though that I had no water left. Whilst I thought I would soon be at my destination, my expectation that the walk was shorter without consulting any maps meant that this expectation turned out to be false. This was soon confirmed by a waypoint marker indicating that I was only two-thirds of the way to Anglesea.
As the day drew on and the sun’s heat and the amount of sweat on my back increased the thought of avoiding dehydration became more of a consideration. As I began contemplating having what the kids call a Bear Grylls cocktail, I realised that my minimal water consumption earlier in the day meant that I did not have the ingredients to create such a beverage.
“But I was in the scouts as a kid,” I thought. “I’ve done my time. I should be able to find water no matter the situation, no matter the time and no matter the location. My superior bush knowledge should help.” It didn’t. In the end though scouts did save me. However not because I’d been in the scouts or actually acquired any knowledge from being a member of the organisation. By chance I passed through a scout camp which thankfully had a tap with running water. One of us was prepared, I guess.
As the storm clouds began to close in and after another hour and a half of walking I reached Anglesea.
