Cape to Cape Track, Western Australia, 135km - Or: "The Study of the Physics of Sand")
Photo credit: Claudia Graf and here are more of Claudia's photos of this spectacular hike:
www.flickr.com/photos/ccgraf/albums/72157659215548385
I am back from my 135km hike, carrying a 20kg backpack and camping all the way.
At this moment, and unbeknown to me, my daughter caught me observing, studying, and counting, grains of sand after a long beach slog on soft sand and this particular long stretch of soft sandy track. The guide book mentions long stretches of beach ignoring that there are just as many long stretches of sandy tracks.
Sometimes, I even managed to count grains of sand with my eyes closed! Then, when I opened my eyes again, to check whether the sun was still shining, and whether this was just a dream (or a nightmare), my daughter was already 100m farther down the track and disappearing into the distance!
I noticed that she kept turning around to see whether I was still following. So, I waited until she walked on again. Then, snatching the opportunity when she was not looking, I leaned on my trekking poles to study the physics of sand. This is the only time when she caught me studying the physics of sand, so I 'fessed' up and told her that I had been doing these studies quite frequently ... :)
The Cape to Cape Track is quite a challenging long-distance hike , especially when carrying camping gear, food for four days (see Food drop*** below), and ensuring that we always had up to four litres of drinking water per day per person.
At one place (see Conto Camping ground*** see below, incl. map), which is accessible by 4WD, where we expected to be able to fill up with water, I had only one litre left and a 19km hike ahead of us. The ranger was not there and we could not find any water tanks. This was not good. A camper overheard us discussing what to do and he kindly gave us two litres of bottled water and we made it to the next camp. Most people appear to realize that when hikers carry a full pack on this trek that water supply may become a bit of an issue and are very helpful. We met a young German woman who was given bottled water by some surfers.
***Food drop:
We walked for four days, had a break with food drop at Margaret River, then walked another 3 1/2 days to Cape Naturaliste, the end of our hike. Hikers doing this trek with full back pack are allowed to camp anywhere along the track, though, camping grounds are recommended. I assume that the main reason for this is to ensure that no rubbish is being left behind. Also, if some rescue would be required for any reason, camping grounds are easier to find. Groups must use camping grounds, or be driven to cabins.
***Conto Camping Ground:
parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/site/conto-campground
Campground map (Note: No potable water, i.e. need for waterpurifying tablets, supply not guaranteed):
parkstaybookings.dbca.wa.gov.au/media/parkstay/campground...
Conto is quite a large camping ground. As usual we had left camp a little later than planned and arrived at Conto at 8am, i.e. we really did not have time to search for water tanks or wait for the ranger who may or may not be there early, or at all. At Point Road Camping Ground, we left the camping fees in a secure concrete encased steel box. There is a toilet at Point Road, but no water tanks.
The Cape to Cape track involves some rock scrambling, steep log steps up limestone cliffs up to 365 log steps high (up when doing the hike south to north), some other ascents and descents, long sandy tracks and 8km and longer sandy beaches. With a heavy pack that does not appear to become lighter even after eating all of the food and drinking most of the water, the Cape to Cape Track proved to be a bit of a challenge for me.
Toilets:
Ah, that's what Western Australia is doing well! Those on the track were very clean pit toilets, some large enough one could have slept in there. I always needed to visit these facilities; sitting on the loo provided a much needed break from walking and I usually took my time. Also, having worked as an architectural draftswoman, I admired the doors - those toilet doors were crafted in beautiful Jarrah timber!
www.woodsolutions.com.au/wood-species/hardwood/jarrah
Track rating:
The hike is graded '4', and the full hike of about 135km should take five to seven days. We did it in 7 1/2 days, camped 'wherever' and thus were able to reduce the length of each leg to between 16km and 19km. However, each extra day means carrying an additional ration of food and water. I am a bit slow and for me this trek was a challenge mainly due to the heavy pack. Also, I suppose, age (just past 65 and carrying a pack of about 34% of my body weight) has wearied me! :)
Recommended?
Definitely, yes!
At the time of writing there have been no 'track improvements' such as grates, etc. to make things easier for trekkers. This may reduce the numbers of trekkers and damage to fragile dune systems and I believe that this will remain so. There are times when we just have to accept that some places are inaccessible to many of us. One of 'those things' I suppose.
I had two falls, the first one on slippery seaweed and water covered rocks shortly after leaving Cape Leeuwin.
I went down slowly, lay on the wet and smelly seaweed for a while, the heavy pack pinning me down, wondering how on earth I would get up again. In the end I managed to clamber out of the mess by jamming the trekking poles from my horizontal position, and more or less vertically, between the rocks somehow, carefully pulling myself up and then trying to rip the poles, rammed in by about 39kg on each of them, out of the rocks without falling over again.
Relaying my experience to a Friend of the Cape to Cape Track, whom I met on one of the camel treks, he cheerfully exclaimed: Ah yes! That's the place where people break their legs! :)
The second fall was more benign and I managed to get up in a most undignified manner by getting onto my knees and then pulling myself up with the help of the walking poles hoping that they would not retract due to the weight. Taking the pack off was not an option as I was unable to swing it onto my back without falling over again. I had tried the swinging-on-the-pack-maneuver at home. The momentum of the heavy pack rotated me 180 degrees with the pack landing on the floor and I struggling to keep my balance.
This was a truly great hike and I shall always treasure that I was able to do it with my daughter.
As for my knee after the first fall:
As days went on, my left knee became more and more painful, at times the pain was excruciating. I topped up with Panadol and Nurofen after Margaret River and was able to finish the walk, usually hobbling into camp at the end of the day. An MRI revealed that I have a partially torn ACL and, since this walk, my knee hasn't been the same. Though, no regrets at all that I completed this hike.
Update:
After this hike, I was still able to participate in a few more camel treks, the last one mid 2019. We only walked 70 - 80km and my knee ended up quite painful, main problem being the Baker's cyst swelling up. I hope my hiking days won't be over! Just not yet! I'd love to do a few more camel treks ... Continuing with physio, gentle walking and strengthening exercises, avoiding any kind of medication to give the body time to heal itself.
Update 2021:
Earlier this year, one surgeon recommended a total knee replacement. I decided to see the surgeon who operated on that knee once before (arthroscopy, after open knee surgery in my late teens), for a second opinion and he said: No, not yet! and sent me to a sports specialist who told me to do leg lifts and stretches. Like this! he said, leaning back in his chair demonstrating the moves. He was an athlete in the 2000 German Olympic team , studying sports medicine at that time, and then relocating to Sydney with his family a few years after. So, I did what I was told and, so far, my knee has been holding up quite well on my desert hikes, about 60km - 80km.
Cape to Cape Track, Western Australia, 135km - Or: "The Study of the Physics of Sand")
Photo credit: Claudia Graf and here are more of Claudia's photos of this spectacular hike:
www.flickr.com/photos/ccgraf/albums/72157659215548385
I am back from my 135km hike, carrying a 20kg backpack and camping all the way.
At this moment, and unbeknown to me, my daughter caught me observing, studying, and counting, grains of sand after a long beach slog on soft sand and this particular long stretch of soft sandy track. The guide book mentions long stretches of beach ignoring that there are just as many long stretches of sandy tracks.
Sometimes, I even managed to count grains of sand with my eyes closed! Then, when I opened my eyes again, to check whether the sun was still shining, and whether this was just a dream (or a nightmare), my daughter was already 100m farther down the track and disappearing into the distance!
I noticed that she kept turning around to see whether I was still following. So, I waited until she walked on again. Then, snatching the opportunity when she was not looking, I leaned on my trekking poles to study the physics of sand. This is the only time when she caught me studying the physics of sand, so I 'fessed' up and told her that I had been doing these studies quite frequently ... :)
The Cape to Cape Track is quite a challenging long-distance hike , especially when carrying camping gear, food for four days (see Food drop*** below), and ensuring that we always had up to four litres of drinking water per day per person.
At one place (see Conto Camping ground*** see below, incl. map), which is accessible by 4WD, where we expected to be able to fill up with water, I had only one litre left and a 19km hike ahead of us. The ranger was not there and we could not find any water tanks. This was not good. A camper overheard us discussing what to do and he kindly gave us two litres of bottled water and we made it to the next camp. Most people appear to realize that when hikers carry a full pack on this trek that water supply may become a bit of an issue and are very helpful. We met a young German woman who was given bottled water by some surfers.
***Food drop:
We walked for four days, had a break with food drop at Margaret River, then walked another 3 1/2 days to Cape Naturaliste, the end of our hike. Hikers doing this trek with full back pack are allowed to camp anywhere along the track, though, camping grounds are recommended. I assume that the main reason for this is to ensure that no rubbish is being left behind. Also, if some rescue would be required for any reason, camping grounds are easier to find. Groups must use camping grounds, or be driven to cabins.
***Conto Camping Ground:
parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/site/conto-campground
Campground map (Note: No potable water, i.e. need for waterpurifying tablets, supply not guaranteed):
parkstaybookings.dbca.wa.gov.au/media/parkstay/campground...
Conto is quite a large camping ground. As usual we had left camp a little later than planned and arrived at Conto at 8am, i.e. we really did not have time to search for water tanks or wait for the ranger who may or may not be there early, or at all. At Point Road Camping Ground, we left the camping fees in a secure concrete encased steel box. There is a toilet at Point Road, but no water tanks.
The Cape to Cape track involves some rock scrambling, steep log steps up limestone cliffs up to 365 log steps high (up when doing the hike south to north), some other ascents and descents, long sandy tracks and 8km and longer sandy beaches. With a heavy pack that does not appear to become lighter even after eating all of the food and drinking most of the water, the Cape to Cape Track proved to be a bit of a challenge for me.
Toilets:
Ah, that's what Western Australia is doing well! Those on the track were very clean pit toilets, some large enough one could have slept in there. I always needed to visit these facilities; sitting on the loo provided a much needed break from walking and I usually took my time. Also, having worked as an architectural draftswoman, I admired the doors - those toilet doors were crafted in beautiful Jarrah timber!
www.woodsolutions.com.au/wood-species/hardwood/jarrah
Track rating:
The hike is graded '4', and the full hike of about 135km should take five to seven days. We did it in 7 1/2 days, camped 'wherever' and thus were able to reduce the length of each leg to between 16km and 19km. However, each extra day means carrying an additional ration of food and water. I am a bit slow and for me this trek was a challenge mainly due to the heavy pack. Also, I suppose, age (just past 65 and carrying a pack of about 34% of my body weight) has wearied me! :)
Recommended?
Definitely, yes!
At the time of writing there have been no 'track improvements' such as grates, etc. to make things easier for trekkers. This may reduce the numbers of trekkers and damage to fragile dune systems and I believe that this will remain so. There are times when we just have to accept that some places are inaccessible to many of us. One of 'those things' I suppose.
I had two falls, the first one on slippery seaweed and water covered rocks shortly after leaving Cape Leeuwin.
I went down slowly, lay on the wet and smelly seaweed for a while, the heavy pack pinning me down, wondering how on earth I would get up again. In the end I managed to clamber out of the mess by jamming the trekking poles from my horizontal position, and more or less vertically, between the rocks somehow, carefully pulling myself up and then trying to rip the poles, rammed in by about 39kg on each of them, out of the rocks without falling over again.
Relaying my experience to a Friend of the Cape to Cape Track, whom I met on one of the camel treks, he cheerfully exclaimed: Ah yes! That's the place where people break their legs! :)
The second fall was more benign and I managed to get up in a most undignified manner by getting onto my knees and then pulling myself up with the help of the walking poles hoping that they would not retract due to the weight. Taking the pack off was not an option as I was unable to swing it onto my back without falling over again. I had tried the swinging-on-the-pack-maneuver at home. The momentum of the heavy pack rotated me 180 degrees with the pack landing on the floor and I struggling to keep my balance.
This was a truly great hike and I shall always treasure that I was able to do it with my daughter.
As for my knee after the first fall:
As days went on, my left knee became more and more painful, at times the pain was excruciating. I topped up with Panadol and Nurofen after Margaret River and was able to finish the walk, usually hobbling into camp at the end of the day. An MRI revealed that I have a partially torn ACL and, since this walk, my knee hasn't been the same. Though, no regrets at all that I completed this hike.
Update:
After this hike, I was still able to participate in a few more camel treks, the last one mid 2019. We only walked 70 - 80km and my knee ended up quite painful, main problem being the Baker's cyst swelling up. I hope my hiking days won't be over! Just not yet! I'd love to do a few more camel treks ... Continuing with physio, gentle walking and strengthening exercises, avoiding any kind of medication to give the body time to heal itself.
Update 2021:
Earlier this year, one surgeon recommended a total knee replacement. I decided to see the surgeon who operated on that knee once before (arthroscopy, after open knee surgery in my late teens), for a second opinion and he said: No, not yet! and sent me to a sports specialist who told me to do leg lifts and stretches. Like this! he said, leaning back in his chair demonstrating the moves. He was an athlete in the 2000 German Olympic team , studying sports medicine at that time, and then relocating to Sydney with his family a few years after. So, I did what I was told and, so far, my knee has been holding up quite well on my desert hikes, about 60km - 80km.