The Walking

At around 9.15 am we would start walking. We walked for an hour and then would have a ten minute break. When everyone else got tired they would look at me and say "is it time for a break yet?" This was my cue to ask Josef for a break. When I read the brochure and it said 3-4kph walking pace, I thought to myself 'that's easy, I can do that.' Wrong!!! While the camels look like they are going for a stroll in the park, as I might add do the cameleers, the rest of us had to walk at quite a brisk pace. Especially me, I can quite truthfully say I was often at a pace just short of running. Add to this, walking through spinifex which is the spikiest thing in existence and sometimes as tall as me ...and having to gauge in which direction the camels were going to head next, plus my "short stumpy legs," as another tourist described them....The whole experience was very challenging.

In the first couple of days, Tom and I were lagging behind. There were a few campfire talks about trying to stay close to the camels and not getting left behind from Josef. And while they were not directed at Tom and I, we knew...

We got better though, first walking in between the two camel strings (Vicki the camel's behind became a familiar and reassuring sight) and then sometimes even striding out ahead. I am not sure if this was due to increasing fitness on my part, or the anti-inflammatory tablets I started swallowing regularly. We also found it mentally less challenging if we were ahead of the pack, instead of following their tracks.

It was still a physically and mentally challenging journey. I had blisters on my feet, sore knees and a distressingly patchy sun tan which included dark patches just behind my knees. My legs were spiked continuously with spinifex which managed to make it through my gaiters and I sometimes even found spikes on my forearms. They made me so itchy I awoke at night scratching furiously. Or that's what I told myself. I was a bit paranoid in case it was bed bugs.I found it mentally challenging just to keep going.

But as the days passed, even though I still found it hard work, I started to enjoy it more. I began to think of the achievement of how far we were walking, the beauty of this country we were passing through, and how privileged we were to experience this remote and special area in the Gibson Desert. I also started to feel awe at the fact that indigenous people had once lived on this land without camels, jerry cans of water, satellite phones ...or shoes!!!!!!

Next > The Cameleers