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The CrossingHalfway Creek To Tyndale

Fresh Shoes For The Final Push

Thick mist and a quieter route through the state forest led into a 58.5 km day. Ben and Ols collected two fresh pairs of Hokas in Grafton, the final days were taking shape, and I kept going all the way to Tyndale Caravan Park.

Date8 September 2015
Journey dayDay 116
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The Pacific Highway disappearing into thick mist near Halfway Creek before sunrise.
A thick, misty start near Halfway Creek.

I started near Halfway Creek at 4:50 am in thick mist. We were off the main highway for much of the day, following quieter roads through the state forest, and the phone signal came and went with the trees.

The first two sessions added 28.6 km. The mist lifted, the sky turned blue, and Grafton began appearing on the signs.

Grafton was important for a different reason. Ben and Ols made a side trip into town to collect two new pairs of Hoka Valors from The Athlete’s Foot. Hoka OneOne Australia had arranged the delivery, replacing a pair that had very clearly given their all in active service.

The new shoes would get me through to Brisbane, with enough life left for South Bank parkrun and the Twilight Bay Run half marathon. The difference between the clean new soles and the old pair was hard to miss.

There was also much more certainty around the final days. Accommodation had been booked from Ballina through to Southport, with only a couple of places left to arrange between Southport and South Bank. There were around 300 km to go, and I was finally allowing myself to believe that the objective would be achieved.

With all of that becoming real, I found myself thinking about how HAA had come together.

I had carried the idea of crossing Australia on foot for a long time. The main aim was to prove that you could do anything you allowed yourself to fully believe. Weight loss and fitness were part of my own story, but the message could apply to much more than that.

I had allowed myself to dream about the finish, visualised what it would be like to reach it, sketched out the route, the timeframe and the weekly kilometre target, then spent 18 months believing and taking action whenever an opportunity appeared.

The people, events, resources and opportunities we needed had turned up. Not always how, when or where I expected, but I had recognised them and acted on them when they did.

I asked everyone following HAA the same question: what dream had this inspired them to reach for, and what were they doing to stop fear taking over?

I still had to finish the day.

I had said there would be no more 55 km days. Tyndale Caravan Park was only a few more kilometres up the road, though, and the temptation was too much.

Five sessions added 58.5 km and took me all the way to the caravan park. That left approximately 100 km across the next two days to reach West Ballina on Thursday evening.

After that came shorter days, more sleep, spring weather, ocean views, Queensland and Brisbane.

The taper holiday was almost here.

Images From The Day

A road sign pointing north to Grafton and east towards Minnie Water, Wooli and the airport.
Grafton was on the signs, although the lads would be the ones making the side trip into town.
A narrow tree-lined road through the state forest.
Off the highway and through the state forest, where the phone signal came and went.
A large tree beside still water and green pasture under a bright blue sky.
The mist eventually cleared into a beautiful spring day.
A quiet road crossing a bridge between trees in the late afternoon.
A quieter stretch of road as the afternoon kilometres continued.
Cattle gathered beside a fence at sunset.
A late audience as the sun went down.
Gary smiling in the dark with his face lit from below by a head torch.
Still walking after dark, with Tyndale Caravan Park a few kilometres further up the road.
The worn soles of an old pair of Hoka Valors beside the clean soles of a new pair.
Old Valors beside one of the two fresh pairs collected from The Athlete's Foot Grafton.
The low sun reflected in a waterway beside open pasture.
Spring sunshine and waterways on the way towards Tyndale.

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