IT WAS JUST A DREAM…

A year ago my friend Will Nicholas and I each turned half a century old. We have taken many adventures over the years, hiking around Tasmania and Victoria. In 2022, the dream of walking Tasmania’s famous Overland Track crystallised as the perfect 50th birthday adventure ever. However, we recognised our physical fitness was insufficient to carry a 20kg pack with all the gear needed for a six-day wilderness hike. We needed something easier…

Enter the Tasmanian Walking Co. This amazing touring organization offers guided tours of some of Australia’s most famous walks including their signature Overland Track. Over six days, they offered three guides, five private accommodation huts, hot showers, unbelievable meals, wet weather gear, dry rooms, beds and sleeping bags… perfect!! We paused to breathe deeply, took a leap of faith and registered for May 2023.

Fast forward to Monday 1st May. I had just concluded eight months of supply ministry in a congregation and took all of May off. Will and I were scheduled to start our walk on 4 May (cue Star Wars joke). We had confirmed our walking dates, organized flights and travel insurance, made hotel bookings before and after our walk and arranged pickup times for transport to Tasmanian Walking Co. HQ on the morning of our walk.

I was really nervous in the lead up to this walk. I have struggled with my knee for many years. Weaker muscles inside my right knee meant hiking for a few hours would result in sharp and jabbing pain accompanying each step. I recently walked in the Oxfam Trailwalker event in 2023. There I had to pull out at 17km of the 30km event due to the pain. Add to that I strained my lower back doing gardening the week before. Needless to say, I was far from 100% physically ready for this adventure. Intense physio and daily strengthening exercises in the leadup meant I felt better but still far from perfect.

I also carried a lot of emotional and spiritual baggage in the form of questions into this walk. The pandemic had profoundly impacted me professionally and personally. Whilst I had worked through much, I still had lingering questions about my sense of call, purpose, identity, vocation, passions and convictions. This walk was to become a physical and spiritual pilgrimage, a sacred journey on Lutruwita country that would bring healing, restoration and a re-encounter of self.

Welcome to the journey that is Tasmanian Overland Track Adventure 2023.