GOT: Stage 4, Milanesia Gate to The Gables, 17 kms, sun, rain with storm force winds! 15

Wild and Wooly!

OR

Sliding Downhill While Walking Uphill...What Gives?

What a night! The wind and rain pounded the house constantly and as we lay in bed this morning we started to talk about how we haven't really had a day off in 7 weeks...a day off travel that is! No tears required;-) Then the sun sort of poked through and we decided that perhaps we should get up and see what happens. 

Our host Andrew drove around downed trees and massive logging trucks to get us back to our starting position. On the way he told us the marine report indicated that there were eight to ten meter swells just off shore generated by the extreme low front and that we could expect some nice 4-5 meter shore waves today. 

We geared up for the rain and then it was off down the water logged trails covered in eucalyptus bark and branches from the storm. It had us reminiscing about our final few days walking into Santiago...same vegetation, same wet mess!

As we approached our only beach crossing, the sun miraculously came out for a time and there in front of us was a startling sight. Massive waves shown off all the better by the background storm clouds together with a conveniently positioned rainbow! A few of the many shots taken...I have better, but these will do until I return home.

I know my brother Don will have seen many such waves, but by any standard I think these are pretty impressive!

After the beach crossing the muddy climbs and descents began. Those of you who have walked the Frances and experienced the mud...imagine the same clay based mud, but this time add steep climbs and descents. Some fun. Thankfully we had our poles and in places there were some stairs, as much as I dislike them...this is such an odd photo...the more I look at it the stranger it appears, or is it just me?

At times it felt like upward progress against the wind wasn't to be forthcoming, but eventually we defied gravity. Believe me, the wind was howling here and the rain was beginning to fall.

For those who may one day walk this route, this stage is rated by the Park Service as hard, and there are many climbs, but we agreed that a better rating would be moderate...but fun!

Slowly we began started to feel that the sunny, windy weather would stay with us for a time. So we removed the rest of our rain gear. 

As we proceeded along, the views from the top of each headland were lovely with stormy seas in the distance.

However, the further we walked, the closer the storm seemed to get, and before we knew it we had to take shelter and pull on our wet gear once again. Good decision. From there on, the storm hit with a vengeance and we were having fun fighting the front-on horizontal wind and rain and...the resulting mud! It was sort of like skiing with our poles on the clay based mud! A bit fun actually. It was so wet I could only take a few photos.

The storm got so bad (read, exciting!) that we put our cameras away and decided to just gut it out the last 5 or 6 kms. When we crested the final hill, the wind nearly put us on our backsides! Perhaps 80-90 knots. What a show! We trudged back up the road to our B&B where we were greeted with a nice fire and so began the process of drying our gear! Most of my stuff stayed dry, but Annemarie's new coat didn't keep her dry and will be returned. 

The experience also confirmed for me the wet gear decisions made prior to our Caminos. A good poncho and gaiters. The hassles experienced putting coats and wet pants on over muddy boots and off again were enough to drive me a bit nuts! Also, after almost 7,000 kms of walking in Merrill Moabs the past 2 years, my recent decision to change to a better built boot, Solomons, was supported as they will be better in the mud and the wet likely to be around late this summer and through the fall in France and Spain. A more aggressive tread designed to clear the mud. This is in reality a note to self, just so I don't forget!!

The rain and storm continued on long after we arrived back, and dinner was made with the benefit of candle light as we had lost power, as apparently had most of SW Victoria State. We enjoyed the pleasant company of our acquaintances from the beginning of the walk, Andy and Sandra, who are a few years younger and experiencing the first experiences of impending empty nesting. They are a day behind us and will experience our slippery slopes tomorrow. Best of luck! In fairness, they didn't experience the storm that we had today as they were some 20 kms further back, and arrived at the B&B fairly dry and in tact. However, they both fell asleep on arrival for quite some time! No stamina;-)

A shot from out the window...not sure the waves of rain show, but they are there!

The power is still out and I have no wifi. So will close down now. A nice generally easier 21 km walk tomorrow to finish what has been a special journey. There is even a cafe to stop at along the way! Will post from either Apollo Bay or Melbourne on our return. 

Annemarie's take on the day...

We're Glad We Did

We lay snug in our bed listening to the storm through the night

As dawn was breaking the rain pounded the wind howled, giving us fright

We debated staying in this place of refuge, warm and secure

We almost made the decision to stay, it was a very strong lure

But then the sky started to lighten, we could see across the hills

We got ourselves ready and strengthened our will

It was dry as we drove to our starting point of departure 

Though a tree blocked the road, a sign strong winds for sure

Our path to the beach was muddy and slightly treacherous

We began to wonder what was ahead of us

As we stood to admire the waves with their rooster tails

A rainbow appeared, although it was quite pale

Still it was picturesque, as was the who scene in front of us

The sun streamed over our heads, we questioned our earlier fuss

We climbed for the views, each surpassing the one before

We were so pleased to be here, just to explore

The weather turned again, just past the halfway mark

Slipping our way through the mud became a bit of a lark

Still the vistas shone through for us to admire

Though there were many ascents and descents we didn't tire

The rain found its way back to us when we were near the end

The winds, too, returned, hitting us with force as we rounded the bend

Nearly back now, we knew steak and wine would be there to reward 

As we fought our way up the last climb, we drew on all the reserves we had stored

To be greeted by a warm fire upon our return

Grateful for all that the day brought, and all the lessons we learned