Take a Hike! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The weight in it

The Bibbulmun Track is 1,005 kilometres long and it is beautifully set out. It stretches from Albany in the southwest corner of Western Australia and heads north to Kalamunda, just out of the city of Perth. As a hiker, you plan your daily treks between the shelters that the Bibbulmun Foundation provides. These could be spread out between ten kilometres to thirty kilometres apart. On average you are likely to hike about twenty kilometres per day over hills, rocky terrain or beach sand and dunes. It is a heck of a day's walking and the weight that you're carrying on your shoulders and back will play a big part on your level of comfort, your susceptibility to injury and the level of tiredness you will be at towards day's end. On my first ever hike I lumped twenty-two kilos (kilograms) on my back... I learnt quickly.

I have since reduced this to sixteen kilos and am working down to fourteen for my next leg. It has made a significant difference to my enjoyment levels out in the bush. Over time I learnt to compartmentalize my packing, store the heavier items at the base of my pack along with the gear I won't be needing until I reach camp. Note for beginners: Don't forget that you will also need to carry water in your packs, and this will add significant extra weight to your pack.

Answer: A method of leaving no trace that you were there

TITO stands for Trash-In-Trash-Out and it is one of the methods employed to ensure that you leave the track the way you found it. Imagine that you're out in the middle of the Valley of the Giants, marvelling at the massive jarrah trees reaching for the sky, listening to the kookaburras as they mark your progress and breathing in the richness of the composting leaves at your feet and then spotting a crushed soft-drink can or a chocolate wrapper in the scrub. The idea of being alone in the wilderness and that ounce of serenity is shattered. The aim of the hiker is to leave the track as pristine and as natural as possible to ensure that others will enjoy a remarkable experience. Yes, that means that you place that muesli bar wrapper back in your pack and take care that nothing escapes from your pockets.

I also serve as a volunteer to the Foundation and have a small section of the track to look after. Even there, our instructions in maintaining the track are not to be too severe in our pruning to ensure that walkers are experiencing as natural a walk in the bush as possible.

Answer: No

The emphasis above was on the word "absolutely". Yes, it is a sound idea to have some form of guide with you, but carting a map with you is not a necessity. The Bibbulmun Track is beautifully and unobtrusively signposted. On the left you'll see picture of the wagyl (an Aboriginal Dreamtime serpent) marker. These are spread out along the trail to guide you. For the most part, whilst you are on the trail, there is only one track to follow but the sight of these little fellows every now and then is definitely a comfort to a hiker. When the trail does intersect other paths, the crossings will be amply signposted.

However, it is definitely recommended that you use a map in the planning stages of your hike to understand the distances and the elevations you'll be traversing each day. You may think that you only have a fourteen kilometre journey on day three, but there could be a good reason for that. There are also good apps that can be installed onto your mobile phones that will provide great assistance and work using GPS, so only need a patch of visible sky and not the internet to work. I have not carried a map for a number of years but do have a guide book that I refer to on a regular basis as it may point out wildflowers that I might see, identify dangers that may lie ahead or sights that I should look out for.

Note: The one item we will never leave home without is some form of locator beacon in the event that some misfortune does befall us and we need to be rescued.

Answer: Whiskey

Shelter and water are, unquestionably, vital when you're out on the track. The Western Australian days can get extremely hot and the evenings on the track can become bitterly cold. The Foundation does cater for hikers and provides three sided shelters (see the photo on the left to get an idea of a typical one). You will plan your daily hikes between these shelters. You will also note the rainwater tank attached to the building, which is also a godsend. Water is captured from run-off from the roof. For the most part it is safe to drink. We tend not to take chances and (a) use water purifying tablets and (b) wrap a small piece of stocking over the mouth of the tap to ensure that we don't get ill on the trek. Not in the photograph is the toilet facility (no, it's not a flushing system, just a long drop over a hole in the ground). These are situated some distance from the shelter and away from any water sources.

You may be able to get away without the boots in some small sections of beach on the trail but the track is uneven, littered with rocks in place, broken branches in others, the sand may burn if it is too hot and then there are snakes to consider. The whiskey, which is an item I don't leave home without, serves its purpose, but it is a luxury item.

Answer: Unstrap your backpack

You will have many opportunities to encounter water on this hike. From small pools to streams and rivers, channels that run through dunes and even the ocean. Generally, your crossings are made safe by the provision of some form of bridge or walkway. It could be something as simple as a large tree that has fallen down and stretched across the two banks.

These are then levelled, have had a railing attached and chicken wire is stretched across the base to improve footing. There will be the occasion when you will have to cross a water source by foot. Once you are in water you will need to consider your footing and any current that may cause you to fall. Should you fall, with a heavy backpack on you will struggle to get up. You will even struggle to roll over and you could find yourself drowning in six inches of water. Unstrapping your backpack will make it a whole lot easier to get out of it.

Note: Unstrapping does not mean taking it off to carry across. Unless the water is deep, leave it on your back.

This leaves both your hands free to use your hiking poles to achieve greater stability.

Answer: In case you get lost

The wilderness off the track along the Bibbulmun is not a good place to be lost in. There are creatures there, such as venomous snakes, that could kill you, there is terrain there that can cause you serious injury, and there are weather conditions there that can suck the life out of you. Accordingly, if you get lost in there without a locator beacon to draw searchers to you, your life could be in serious danger. Remember, there is a good chance that you will not have telephone reception out there. In the event that you are lost, searchers will need a starting point. If you have, wisely, advised others as to your starting and ending points, the search is already narrowed down. If you have recorded your presence at the huts, then the last recording will further narrow the areas to be searched and improve your chances of being found. Note: Locating beacon! Get one and don't leave home without it!

The register will ask questions such as your name (or the group that you're in), how many in the group, what your start point is and your end point and the number of days you expect to be on the track. It will also leave space for any comments where you can record data about potential hazards you encountered or areas that need repair. These serve as a warning to other travellers and a note to the Foundation that something requires attention. The data will also provide valuable data to the Foundation about the number of visitors which they can correlate with any impact on the environment. As for the toilets, well they're attended to on a regular basis, an escaped felon is not likely to say he's there unless he's in line for a Darwin Award and there is insufficient data to place you on a mailing list. Note: In the event that you choose to double hut (skip one hut in the day and move onto the next one), still record your brief presence at the hut you have skipped.

There is a second book kept at the hut that allows hikers to share their thoughts with other hikers. These make for interesting reading and are not necessarily restricted to what has occurred on the track. On the left hand side is photo of one of my entries from the last hike. Hopefully it is clear enough to read when expanded.

Answer: Stay still

The tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) is a highly venomous snake that may be found on the track throughout the year. The dugite, which is highly venomous and is native to Western Australia, is also prevalent in this area, however, it tends to go into a form of hibernation during the colder months between May and August. Neither of them is happy in the company of humans and would prefer to be away from them. Accordingly, your best form of defence is to stay still, and they will leave the scene. They will, however, strike if taken by surprise or are cornered. This is why you don't throw rocks at them, run at them or try and win the Darwin Award by trying to kiss them.

In the event that you are bitten, don't panic, it is not the end of the world for you. Once again, don't move. The venom does not enter your bloodstream, it enters your lymphatic system and it is your movement that allows it to progress through this system. Place a pressure bandage on the wound (don't wipe the wound) and then have a compression bandage wound firmly over the entire limb. Prepare a splint for the limb to further immobilise the limb. Draw a circle on the bandage at the location of the bite. In this way medical officers do not need to remove the entire dressing to get to the wound. Activate your locator beacon. Note: Locator beacon. Get one. Don't leave home without it. Compression bandage for snake bite. Very handy to have in your kit.

Answer: Bushfire

The further south you travel on the Bibbulmun, the closer you draw to the ocean until, eventually, you will even walk long stretches of beach. Is there a chance of a tsunami? I suppose there is, but this would be extremely remote. The threats of an avalanche and snow storms would require snow and Western Australia does not get enough snow for these to even warrant a mention. In fact, for a West Australian to see snow, he'd have to leave the state. Bushfires, on the other hand are a very real threat. We walk through vast tracks of forest along this trail that are brimming with fuel for fires and can cause damage to massive areas of land. For this reason, we tend to travel during the winter season (June -August) to minimise the risk. I do stress the "minimise" bit as a savage bushfire went through a section in 2019 in the middle of winter, wiping out one of the shelters, that we'd been through only a few days beforehand.

From the northern end of the track there are camp-fire facilities provided at the shelters for hikers. To ensure that trekkers are not destroying the bush scavenging for logs to burn, the Foundation does provide each hut with a supply of mill ends for this purpose. However, as you head south beyond Northcliffe, fires are banned at all times. No campfires are provided. The risk here is extremely high and the act of hikers scavenging wood from the scrub will lead to the destruction of valuable habitats for the area's vulnerable wildlife.

Answer: Wildflowers

Yes, there are some localised areas where there is a chance of an encounter with a pig in the bush, and, yes, spring is the mating season for our local snakes, hence they're likely to be more aggressive but, for the average person, I would not consider these events to be "uplifting". No, (and thankfully) there are no pop-up McDonalds stores on the track at all.

What you will find though, are wildflowers. An abundance of them. You will note that I did say "visually" uplifting as hay fever sufferers may have a different opinion. Western Australia has over 12,000 different wildflowers within its borders, many of them are unique to the state, and they attract visitors from across the globe. The Track puts on its own unique show with its display of milkmaids, honeypots, green kangaroo paws and mountain bells, which dazzle the scenery with their special blend of colours. Add to this the lovely scents of boronias, the remarkable grass trees and over 150 different orchids and 160 different species of eucalypts and you'll end up with a landscape that seasoned artists would struggle to capture.

Answer: Lace your boots loosely

The whole point of lacing your boots up properly is to ensure that your heel remains firmly to the back of the boot and that the circulation is not cut off to your toes and instep. Each boot is likely to be different so ensure that you receive guidance from the camping store experts in this area.

The care of your feet starts well before you even get close to stepping onto the track and that is the art of breaking in a new pair of boots. You do this so that they sit snugly on your feet when the time has arrived to place them under the stresses of a long walk. However, it won't matter how well your boots fit if your toe-nails are too long. Your boots are then pressing them into your skin, causing pain and/or bleeding, which, in turn, doesn't make for pleasant hiking. The application of powders, creams and tapes is designed to reduce moisture and prevent friction. In addition to this, wear the proper socks. Many, myself included, advocate the wearing of two pairs; one a thin, tight fitting pair to reduce moisture and keep the foot tight and a heavier woollen sock over the top of that.

On the hike, pay attention to hot spots on your feet. These are warning signs that a blister is likely to happen. Take care of these immediately rather that pressing on and making a certainty of the blister. My final word on this... on a hike, your feet are your primary source of transportation. How well you look after them will also determine how well you enjoy the experience. Happy hiking and yes, those are my ugly tootsies in the photo on the left. And no, I'm not on my back with my feet in the air, I'm about to plunge into a clear pool of water.