Walking into the Wind

Daily Miles: 33.56 | Total Miles: 8,181.63

My alarm rang at 6am, and the first thing I thought was: Hot coffee – why not! After packing up, I was out by 7am, ready for what I knew would be about eight hours of walking. The morning felt cooler than yesterday, around ten degrees less, which was a relief. The road stretched wide and open on both sides, giving me the perfect stage for a long day of thinking as I worked my way halfway toward Ceduna.

The wind didn’t take long to set in, a strong, steady headwind that made every step just a little more challenging. And of course, the flies soon joined me – as soon as the sun was fully up, they were out in the hundreds. It became a strange dance all day: the roar of the wind in my ears versus the relentless tickle of flies on my face and hands whenever I stopped or when the wind eased up.

I kept catching myself wishing for just five minutes of peace – somewhere quiet, windless, flyless. But there was no escape. All I could do was keep walking, dreaming of the moment I’d finally stop, pitch my tent, and close myself off from the noise and buzzing.

For the last ten miles, I wore my head net. The flies still hovered right in front of my face, but at least they couldn’t land on me. The final two miles were a battle – me pushing the buggy against the strong headwind, grass bent in my direction, the howling in my ears almost unbearable, and the flies swarming as soon as the wind slowed.

When I finally found a spot off the highway, sheltered by some trees and with only a few ants running around, I quickly set up my tent, rushed all my gear inside, and managed to keep out all but one fly — which didn’t live much longer. Crawling into the tent and dealing with that last fly felt like winning the day: no wind, no buzzing, just calm.

I ate dinner in the safety of my little shelter, then stepped out briefly to look around one last time. Now I’m ready to sleep, enjoying a world that is still and calm at last. Tomorrow, I’ll keep heading west – one step closer to Ceduna.

Be well, Andrea