Bushwalk Australia

Returned last month from doing a 2 week stretch on the Bibbulmun track. My friends and I are doing it bit by bit every few years.

Anyway we came across an incredible bushwalker out of Balingup who goes under the name of 'Pack Animal' aka Dave. 'Pack Animal' was doing his 13th complete end to end of the Bibbulmun - thats about 13000km when he finishes!! Thats like walking from Perth to London.

So what is he doing when he finishes this walk - he's turning around and doing it again. His plan is to get up to 16 or 17 times to make sure he has the record. And thats when he will think about doing a different walk. He walks in sandles too!

Oh he is still walking.

We saw him last year ...I can't remember which trip it was, either easter or Sept/ Oct. He was on his 4 E2E or might have been his 3. I think I made mention of it somewhere on this forum.

Crazy guy, but all that walking would send you crazy. He also written up in Bibb Track friends newsletter last year or was it earlier this year as the title holder of E2E. I wonder what time it takes him now to get from Kalamunda to Albany?

Maybe he should go as a gear tester, he must certainly go through a bit!

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I like that in the hut log books he puts his hometown address as c/bibbulmun track. And he said he is planning on getting a tatoo on the sole of his foot of a waugal track marker when he finishes walking the track.

Incredible fellow.

So lamea-gals, you must know him.

How long does it take him to E2E these days? He must know every bump and rock by now.

I passed Dave on the track in Winter along the south coast. It was raining horizontal & blowing a gale, he was comfortably walking in shorts & gaiters with an umbrella

Dave was saying how he finds life on the track so much better than in the big smoke

From memory he was doing E2E < 40 days

Cheers

Dave's record is 34 days - set on his 11th trip I think. His next best I think is 39 and he reckons 42-43 is about optimum. He prefers south to north hikes.
Met him on my own recent E2E (I thought I was gung ho doing it in just over 36 days) and also back in May when shared a hut with him. Once he does some more next year I hope he looks at doing some other tracks. Tried to sell him on the AT and his immediate question was "has anyone done it back to back?".
He's a helluva hiker with legs of steel and about a 5.5 - 6km per hour gait.

Certainly this guy can make some miles

Did you mention to him that the AT is 7000 kms back to back, a slightly different experience (with 10 times more elevation gain and loss). For those who enjoy these sort of statistics... Ward Leonard hiked the AT 'back to back to back' in 1990...that's 10,400 kms in less than 9 months. Ward also holds the unsupported record on the Appalachian Trail of 60 days, that's a average of 57 kms per day with absolutely zero assistance.

It's amazing what some people can do, does this guy have an email address, would love to contact him - he should write a 'end to enders guide' for the Bibb.