Packbacking II

Alrighty, I suppose that I shall continue where I left off with a little video to show you what we woke up to the next morning (Sunday). Keep in mind that this is no overdramatization...

Sweet.

Anyway, I guess I should have you know that today was also the longest of them all and actually included a brief canoeing section. It was tough getting through the first day, but it was much worse getting through the second. The winds were stronger, the rain was harder, the shoes were wet from the beginning, the entire body was sore, and there were 25 km to hike. We woke up with the sun, had an oatmeal breakfast, as we did every morning, and set off at about 8 00. Today was exceptionally difficult to walk straight as we were walking along the tops of ridges with wind swiping across our bodies. If it weren't for the pack, I'm pretty sure Mary would have had a little trouble staying grounded... seriously. For the brief moments that the wind was at our backs, it was actually awesome because it was like an extra little boost. There's not much to say, we walked for a long time, did a little more beach hiking and then ate lunch in the middle of the bush after about 18 km. Oh, and we saw some more snakes, bringing the number of times I have cheated death up to 4. There were some kangaroos too. And the cliff picture is actually from the previous day.
After lunch we hiked for about 2 or 3 km before coming across the Canoe crossing. Thankfully, our canoe shed was up wind from the other. Unfortunately, there were only two canoes, and proper etiquette is to leave at least one at each. So Jeff and I set out in one of the canoes with our packs for the other side. The wind was brutal and the waves were ginormous... in comparison to the canoe anyway. We made it across successfully, but then we had to turn right back around with each of us in one canoe. Not surprisingly, the other boat shed actually had 6 canoes. Anyway, this time we were down wind and had to fight back up. The wind won. With all the weight in the back of the canoe, the wind just turned us right around when we tried to paddle up stream. So the best I could do was paddle across as quickly as I could and see where I ended up. We both ended up about 200 m away from the shed. So I proceeded to get out of the canoe and I towed the two canoes and Jeff up to the shed in waist deep water. It was, and please excuse me for this, refreshing... Then we paddled back across to the other side without a hitch and continued on. As it turned out, we actually only left a single paddle and a single canoe to go with a single life jacket for the next people that come by. The other side, however, was just stocked with stuff. Also, the lowest picture in this coming series shows the inlet right at the beginning. We could have just walked across... kind of... if the track went there.
So we continued on and everything was going oh so well, until we came upon a bunch of bogs with only about 1 km to Peaceful Bay, our next stop. We tried to get around it or build a bridge for about 30 minutes before we surrendered our finally dry shoes to the bog.In Peaceful Bay, there wasn't a hut for backpackers, which was kind of lame. So we found our way to a backpacker's place where Tom hooked us up with a room for $55. It was marvelous. It had a heater, beds, stove, tv, and showers. That was a good night. In this room, though, I found a gigundous spider. Probably poisonous, because everything here is... and it just makes for a better story. I squashed it with a pan, as you can see in the picture below. I believe the cheating death count is up to 5, maybe even 6.We showered, ate dinner, watched a little of the boob tube and went to bed for a good night's sleep.

Also, I'm working on just putting up an album online with more pictures from the trip. Keep an eye out for that. I'll post a link or something. More scenery and other shenanigans will be there.

Packbacking I

Well, now that it's been over a week since I returned from my trek down south, I suppose it would be a good time to tell you all about it. I have a bit of catching up to do for the blog between Spring Break and this last weekend trip, but you will get to read all about it.
Our trip, as you have already read, was a 6 day hike from Denmark to Walpole. This post will contain bits about, and pictures from, our trip down on Friday through the first two days of hiking on Saturday and Sunday. The four of us intrepid youths-Jeff, Arthur, Mary and myself-set off Friday morning with our packs at about 7 00 am to catch a bus that would take us all the way to Denmark.
We arrived there at about 5 30 in the evening, wandered around the town, ate some pizza, and prepared for the next day before going to bed. We stayed in a hostel called The Blue Wren and it was run by Russel. Russel, being the good guy that he is, told us all about how the weather was shaping up to be, and it wasn't looking good. He proceeded to tell us about the gail force winds and the potential thunderstorms for the next two days. He had us all a bit on edge, but we couldn't afford to stay there another night and set out behind schedule, so we took on the weather anyway. Besides, we didn't sign up for an easy stroll around the park. Throughout the night we heard the gusting wind and the pelting rain and thinking twice about setting out the next morning.

However, morning came, we ate breakfast, and Russel drove us to where we were going to set out. But before he did that, he brought us to Greens Pool (the first picture) which I guess is pretty cool on a calm day because it's kind of like a still lagoon, but the weather was not going to show us any of that... So we proceeded to set out on our 20 km day at about 9 30. This day took us along the beach for about 10 km before we finally came off it at a campground. Hiking along a beach may sound like a lot of fun, but it is not. Walking through sinking sand with an extra 18 kg on your back gets real old real quick. Not to mention the strong winds and the wet shoes. At least we were met by a nice old couple who let us eat lunch in their warm cottage.
Starting up after lunch was a little bit difficult, but we got going and headed inland a little ways for most of the rest of the day before finishing at Boat Harbour around 5 00. This part of the hike was also where we came across our first kangaroos and snakes, pictured below. The snake is believed to be a Dugite and is in fact highly venomous, needless to say we had 10 separate encounters with that kind of snake throughout the hike. At the end of each day there was a hut with basically three walls a roof for us to sleep under at night, you'll see some pictures of them. We ate some Ramen noodles, did whatever else, and went to bet at about 8 00. The sun was basically down by 6 15.
Alright, I've actually changed my mind. This will be sufficient for the first post about the backpacking because I've run out of time. Oh, and I suppose it would help if you knew who was who. Jeff is generally seen in the bright orange jacket, Arthur is the tallest one, and Mary, well, if you can't figure that one out then I'm sorry... Also, the Bibbulmun Track, as it is known, was marked by signs like the one below so that we may not get lost out in the middle of nowhere. Until next time, enjoy.

20 and Still Alive

Well, I just got back from my Spring Break backpacking trip along the southern coast. At the moment I don't have any of the pictures or anything. But it was a lot of fun and I just thought I'd let everyone know that I didn't get attacked by any dingos or bitten by any snakes. I'll be sure to make some more in-depth and interesting posts about it in the near future.

Later Skaters.

Gone Packin'

With my second spring break of 2008 coming up, I've decided to go backpacking for the week with a few of my friends. We're heading out Friday morning to take a bus down south to where we'll stay in a hostel for a night before beginning the hike. Then we'll be on the trail for six days and finish up in Walpole on my birthday, if all goes as planned. We'll spend the night and take a bus back to Perth on Friday.

The hike itself included hiking along the beach, through the wilderness, canoeing across a river, cliffs, and a tree walk. We're hiking along the Bibbulmun Track. As you can see, it runs all the way from Albany, west to Wlapole, and north to Perth. We'll be hiking the part that stretches from about Denmark to Walpole. It's going to be really cool and I'm super excited about it. So hopefully I'll be coming back in one piece and I can tell you all about it. There should also be some pretty pictures...
Well, next time you hear from me I'll be bigger, badder, and twentier...

Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

This is for all the wives and mothers out there looking for something wonderful to bake for their significant others and wonderful children... and others like myself who enjoy a good little bake every now and again, even if it is just for yourself. I bet they would make a nice little care package for those of us who are at school right now... at least those who are in the US and missing their mother for the first time in their life... and the fourth and final time for that matter (It also helps if you have their address, but I suppose that's my own fault). I have not had them with the orange zest and blossom water, so I would try them without it first. Also, I would recommend using honey. This recipe was just a little Ctrl+C followed by a swift Ctrl+V from some random place. Perhaps in the future I'll teach you about ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) and Anzac Day.

There are many other things you can do with the tasty Anzac dough. It's great as a cobbler topping, or even a tart base. Leftover cookies keep well in an air-tight container for a few days. Have fun experimenting with other zests or spice additions, anything that pairs nicely with oats and coconut will likely work here. For a more traditional Anzac cookie leave out the orange zest and orange blossom water.

1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat pastry)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup finely shredded non-sweetened coconut
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into little cubes
2 tablespoons golden syrup or honey
zest of one medium orange

1 tablespoon boiling water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; flour, oats, sugars, and coconut. Mix well.

In a small saucepan over low heat combine the butter syrup (or honey), and orange zest. Stir until melted and remove from heat. In a small bowl whisk together the boiling water and baking soda. Stir it into the butter. Now pour the butter mixture over the big bowl of oats and stir. Add the orange blossom water and stir again. This is a dough I like to mix it with my hands to make sure the butter is evenly distributed and the dough is moist throughout. I baked this batch of cookies in a well-buttered, heart-shaped cast iron pan, but you can simply drop them by the tablespoonful onto parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure they aren't too flat or they will get crispy. Bake for about 12 minutes or until deeply golden.

Makes 18 - 24 medium cookies.

Editor's Girlfriend's Note-Written by the Editor: Breana does not approve of my stereotyping of women as bakers. And neither do I. In fact, I think all stereotyping is bad. Especially that of earring wearing persons... I bet they are really good bakers.