The Bibbulmun Track - 1003.1km
My personal journey on the Bibbulmun Track has been something of an unforgettable experience. To start my journey with the same boys I finished with was an incredible feeling. Over the past five years we have been together each and everyone of us encountered the same peaks and the same troughs whether it be the new found ability to talk about anything and everything on the track or just the general complaining of "where's the next hut" or "how far do we have to go?"
I still remember starting my first walk in Year 8, my pack was bigger than me and weighed probably 25kgs. My first experience on the track was a miserable one, it was wet and cold and to top it off it was around 7 o'clock at night before we could make our hutchie (the piece of tarp designed to shelter us from 'some' of the elements. However those memories looked upon in not so much light became of mere talking point on the final, enjoyable and breathtaking last walk.
Not only receiving an end-to-end certificate for walking 1003.1km but also seeing beautiful beaches everyday and breathtaking views that some of us may never experience again.
Personally the last night on the track was the most memorable and enjoyable of all the nights spent on the Bibbulmun. We stayed up sharing stories about the idiotic things we had done over the last five years, listening to how we have grown and shared a few secrets about our encounters over the journey. We also received something very unexpected, a letter.
The letter just happened to be sent from our parents and stored in Mr Siekierka's pack until the final night. Upon opening the letter the hut was silent with all head torches shining and eyes focused on the words on the piece of paper. The realisation that Mum and Dad do actually take in our stories set in when stories spoken with were now being told again to us.
Whilst every single letter was different and was for our own eyes only, stories about our time on the track were a given, however I am almost certain that in every letter it said something along the lines of "how much we have changed from immature boys to respectable young men whilst staying true to ourselves and each other only to complete what seemed like an endless track and they were proud."
Suffice to say there were a few emotions that night!
Not only will the certificate be framed it will also find a place on the wall at home where I can look at my past achievement, realizing how the insurmountable can all be conquered given time.
Yukio Chaplin (Year 12, Keys)
