My First Walk

 During September last year I was in the midst of a cycling drive. Relatively new to "cycle touring" or "bikepacking", I had splurged on a couple of used bikes & begin regularly riding out for 20 & then 30 kilometres rides.  A Children's Cancer Research fundraiser served to motivate me to push through the 30k barrier.  I set an ambitious mileage, 500k for the month.  It wasn't about the money,  but the mileage.  I did hear about a toddler with brain tumours that kept reproducing despite a plethora of risky operations to cut them out.  That little girl had been given a dour prognosis.  That motivated me in the tougher moments.  

This September I've signed up for 90k of walking. I'm not ready to do such a mileage,  so today with a desperate need to get cracking,  I walked.  

With three dogs in tow,  I went out the front door.  No water, no snacks, no idea where we would go.  As usual I madder it up as we went.  Down our step road,  north along the main rail line service road,  across the tracks & a bush bash up a sizeable hill to the top of my property.  The walk out was mostly uneventful until the foxy nabbed a fat blue tongued lizard sunning itself.  I chased him with the lizard in his mouth & stopped his lizard-snapping head thrash from occurring. He dropped the lizard to avoid being clobbered & I pounced,  shooting him away.  The lizard,  cold blooded in winter,  looked sluggish but in one piece,  looked bewildered,  but uninjured.  

The climax of the walk was a solid bank of lantana about 500m thick. Of course I didn't know it was that thick going in.  I just looked for thinner patches, a slight clearing of less dense growth.  I quickly discovered that lantana & lycra don't go well together,  they tussle energetically & are reluctant to release one another.  After 150m my arms were streaming blood & I was beginning to develop sweat & using in- Camino tour language.  The dogs looked to me for leadership & quickly realised I had nfi. The cattle dogs took up post, Sam heeling, Cudi was pout wide on the flank.  The foxy Zipper was ahead,  as usual.  I realised,  when on  all fours trying to scramble under the lantana,  following wallaby tunnels,  that Zipper the foxy,  has slowed & was trying to coax me through. If you knew how ditzy that dog normally is,  the fact that I was looking to him for guidance speaks clearly to how thoroughly poor our situation was.  I said several times, speaking to myself: "this is crazy!". I can usually, at this point of Type 2 Fun, rely on anger to propel me through.  But this wall of lantana was almost impenetrable & we were often walking backwards to do forwards.  I could feel the eyes of my healer piercing my back ad he indicated how lost & hopeless a bushwhacker I was.  Embarrassed,  a little afraid,  thirsty,  hungry & challenged,  we pushed ahead.  Slowly we made progress,  the sweat made the cuts testing a bit.  

But eventually we flipped into a clearing.  There were cattle ahead;  lantana trompers. The dogs flipped down,  or stood panting,  emotionless,  spent.  

From here,  the walk home was literally a walk in the park,  with cattle,  cow pats, bees, fireweed & peace.  About three hours,  for only 5 or 6 k, but at least 100m was crawling & 500m climbing horizontally over lantana clumps & fallen trees.  Character building.  

Today 5.5k, total 5.5k.