My second day started at home sewing some woven tape onto my pack to strengthen the shoulder straps. Then it was off to church to farewell the Chapel folk. I appreciated the blessing given to me by three church leaders as I begin the walk. More about why this is so significant later. So I headed back to Railton and said goodbye to Merran and headed off for Beulah.
A quiet wander along the Park Run / Railton Rattler / Tasmania Trail heading out over Railton. Merran regularly runs this track at about 3x the speed I walk.
Climbing the significant hill into Beulah the weird and wonderful were out and about. From Dr Who to a private zoo. The camel was flanked by Ostriches (I kid you not) and dozens of emus.
Knowing the Tasmanian Trail directs walkers to a ford crossing of the Mersey River, I was interested to see how much water was still coming down the Dasher (pictured below). This is way higher than normal and settled my decision to take the flood alternative route through Weegena. A bit sad to miss the Mersey crossing and Gog Range campsite but it is early spring and there is plenty of water about – current river heights place the Mersey at 1.7m above normal height. So … a bridge it is.
My father is a local historian and has recently written a great series of articles on the fascinating history of the families who first settled Beulah and why they gave it this name. https://alandyerbooks.com/101-back-to-beulahs-golden-beginnings/
Seven years ago on my last Sabbatical at the end of the second day while chatting with friends, I experienced a sudden cardic arrest (due to an undiagnosed / and non-symptomatic congenital heart condition). 22 minutes of CPR and a Defib courtesy of Ambulance Tasmania and I was back but it was a very close call. There is a bit more to the story which I won’t go in to now. I am very thankful however to be safely home at the end of day 2 of this journey. Another meal and warm bed while I am in close range of home. Enjoying this while I can.
A 17km (probably over 18 due to cut corners) as I only had an afternoon walking.
