Total $$$

By Jo,

I have just sealed the envelope to send to the Foundation.

$7887 Plus a chq for 40 pound not sure what this will equate too.

On line total is $6077.15 so all together minus pounds we are at:

$13964.15

We are over the moon!!!

Thank you everyone who helped us reach this total....

As for us Ben is well just getting over a bout of conjunctivitis, Brett is coughing and sputtering, Kate & Matt are fine, and I'm nearly 100%.

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy"

A week on and I am none the wiser!!!

The road we travelled.....

A week has passed and and I still haven't worked out the statistics!!

I've been pretty much stuck on the lounge, Freezing beyond belief or sweating. I am feeling half human today. Oh yeh, I have still been working just not that much, well actually not that fast!!! Matt has been pushing me along.

Donations have still be filtering in so hopefully by Tuesday I will have the final figure. No I am not about to tell you roughly, lets just wait and see...... But let me just say, we are mighty happy.

This whole idea was a "brain snap". Ben wanted to do a fundraiser for Crohns research, but we had to come up with something where good people like yourself would be impressed enough to hand over hard earned money with nothing in return. So a long distance walk, from where? Tweed Heads= too far, Canberra= too busy, Dubbo= too hilly, Gosford=Not far enough, Tamworth=Yeh. RTA=No way! So back to the drawing board= Great North Walk, good distance, good time frame, so lets do it....

With a fortieth also looming over my head I thought we should incorporate both, at least this way I would remember my birthday. 4 months was not quite enough time to full fill all the ideas and dreams we had. With this said though I am over whelmed with the great support and success we have had.

It is a wonderful feeling to be able to help one of my children fulfill one of their dreams, I am sure there will be many more to follow.

If I were to do something like this again I would have to allow a few extra weeks off work just to be able to handle the clerical/media type of stuff. I found with working there was no time left to follow up the media releases etc... Or maybe hope someone may help to volunteer with this side of things. I had no time for training which I realise now is the most important thing.

My biggest thanks ever must go to my wonderful husband "Matt". I am extremely lucky to have such a supportive man in my life, hay he is lucky to have me too before I go any further. Not many husbands would do what he has done for me over the past few weeks and months. Like normal I would come up with some hair brain idea and he would just say " Yeh, what ever just tell me what I have to do and when. Just remember soccer". And since I have been home his home duties had to be extended and nights at soccer missed, he never complained too bad.....

Being away from Matt & Kate was hard. Kate is my shadow, it was quiet with out her but I missed my little girl dearly. Matt and I are always together except for Soccer training and groceries, yeh, groceries, I am not allowed I apparently put too much in the trolley. So was hard not having him by my side.

I will always be grateful to Claire, Jackie, Stuart & Peter, for these guy's to give up their time away from their families, pets, sports, work etc is priceless and I hope I can repay the favour for them when needed. So to you guy's I say thank you I couldn't have done it with out you.

To everyone who has supported "Poo Ain't Taboo' either in way of help, support, gear, time and/or donation I say Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have all helped make this event a success!!!

So as soon as I have done all the statistics I will post them here....

Jo's thought's............

Looking at map's, google earth, blogs from other hiker's just doesn't give you the real understanding of what we were going to go through. There is steep written on paper and then there is STEEP you actually have to walk/climb up, they are two very different steeps.

Then you read about leeches and I learnt all about them as I wanted to be able to get those little suckers off fast!!!! As I didn't want them to regurgitate back into the wound so I thought I wont let them latch. And I was lucky not to, called them a few choice names. But I always said "excuse the french".

Back to the start, I was extremely sad to leave Ben behind when we left Teralba, but by mid afternoon I knew it was the best thing for him. He would have to be 100% to even think of getting out on this track.

I wondered on the 2nd day what I was doing, I even had a biggest loser moment myself. I am not ashamed to admit it as it was god dam HARD. 50 minutes in and when I reached the first scent of the top I sat and let out a few tears, if Claire wasn't there I would probably still be sitting there blabbering. This was the hardest day and I found myself telling myself "do it for Ben". I had too, I promised him I would do it for him.

When you walked you couldn't look around as you would be too busy watching your feet and in my case the kid in front of me, I always had to go behind one of the boys as I could spot the little suckers from a mile. They felt very secure with me behind them. Not only look for leeches but me as soon as I took my eyes off the ground I was sitting on it!! Do you realise how hard it is to get up off the ground with a pack on weighing roughly 20kg? Hard, Brett had to help me up a few times, while he was laughing and asking "what did you trip on?"

I was naive to think we could get through without a rest day. It was more just a case of this is how much time we can take off work so lets fit in as much as possible. So when the decision was made to take a rest day I felt like a failure, but seriously I owed it to my body, I am getting older now so I must preserve this fine specimen for the years ahead. Yes it was grateful. So with this I was able to spend my 40th Birthday in my pyjamas, if you know me you know this a rare luxury of mine.

Carrying the pack didn't phase me, the weight wasn't an issue. The only thing that did bother me was the sweat!! I was sick of having a wet shirt. I know we have harped on leeches but MAN!!! they were ridiculous!!!

The country side we passed through was so extremely different. Dence rainforest's, sclerophyll forest, beautiful eucalyptus trees, Banksia's, sandstone, moss covered rocks & stumps, crystal clear water the list goes on..... Everything we passed was stunning. My favourite place I would say is Congewai Valley, simply stunning. The place I found to be least appealing was Ourimbah Valley, it was just weeds.

I would like to thank the guy's from the Northern Beaches for saving my life, I was willing to buy a beer off them but they generously gave me one, lucky as I would have had to go bludge the money off Claire or Jackie to buy it.

I am surprised how fit I became over the two weeks, hills were still hard at the end but I didn't need to stop or ask for help from a high power.

The time I spent with Brett and Ben was priceless and I am so glad I had the chance to spend such great quality time with them.

Claire was a wealth of knowledge and she taught us heaps. I still laugh when I think of Jackie getting her hair caught in the tent zipper "noooo..... not the scissors......". Stuart was his usual coighty self, wouldn't have it any other way and Peter is a true gentleman, he brought the beer.

Would I do it again......... Yes! but only for a good cause, not for fun........

Next instalment will be the overview of the whole event....

Random Photo's......

Ben in training for the walk, Matt too is training, hard work being in the support group.

Ben the day before the walk was to start.

Sick as a dog and in bed with a dog.

Some of the many Banksia's we passed on our way.

My one family photo taken on my 40th Birthday. We are pretty classy people.

Ben's cousin Gemma trying the pack on, lucky Meg was there to catch her


One of the many photos of the boys.

Mucking around at the end!!

Ben's Thought's................

Yeah, no more leeches!!!!

When we started working on "Poo Ain't Taboo" I did hope we would reach our goal of $5000, but I am so happy that we have at the moment just gone over the $12,000.... Thank You!!!!!!! Mum will put official total on when she is well enough.

I felt sad when I couldn't start at the beginning of the walk with everyone, I was really looking forward to it. Once I was well enough to start it felt good, now I could experience what the others had already.

After filling up on salt & vinegar chips at the Yarramalong store I was ready for anything. The first 10-20 minutes of walking were great it was pretty easy until we started to go down into a gully & the LEECHES started attacking!!!!! When we reached the top of the other side I had a biggest loser moment. I even rang Dad and said "come get me, its too hard!!". Not that he could as to get to the closest pick up point I would have had to re trace my steps, I wasn't going back down that gully again!

Just after this as we walked along a service trail we came across 2 American guys going in the same direction, we walked with them for a short while and after a chat about wrestling I was all good again. Plus by now I had learnt how to detach the leeches.

I enjoyed our night at Auntie Megan's & Uncle Brian's, we did walk everyday we just enjoyed a night in comfort.

I thought it was funny that mum would always take photos of us trying to pee behind a tree. Another funny thing was hearing Stuart whinge about walking even though he bush walks most weekends.

From home I missed TV and Finnegan. The first thing I did when I got home was go hug him.

I would like to thank everyone who participated in Team Ben, Team A (Dad & Kate), and to everyone who donated to help me reach my goal. :)

its over....

yep it is finally over!!!!

Kate writes,
There is still plenty more photos and information to be added about the walk..
Mum has been sick on the lounge since Friday sweating and freezing. She has not been able to get off the lounge till yesterday when she finally went to the doctor ( but the doctor doesn't know whats wrong with her). She has to go to work today to help dad but when she gets home she will add some more pictures and some more information including Ben's thoughts.

Jackie's Thoughts...... Written on Easter Sunday by the fire...

Thur,
Went to the launch feeling really excited and nervous. Enjoyed listening to both Matt & the Mayor speak. Went to work and managed to be on train by 3.15pm. Was lucky enough to be picked up at Broadmeadow and then taken out to dinner- last meal at Hogs Breath.

Fri,
Stared out on the bitumen before going through onto the track. Couldn't believe those hills. Didn't think we'd get up them. We had lunch half way up one. Was relieved when we got to camp. Seeing a servo was great. A shop and a TOILET!!! was appreciated.

Sat,
I know the itinerary said "some steep sections" but i was not prepared for how hard that was. I have never been so sweaty. Seriously so so tough. Could have cried but didn't have the energy. And the leeches!!! they were everywhere!!!! I got bitten on my knee two prong marks. Didn't make camp till 9 hours after we started. Just got the tents up before dark.

Sun,
Was expecting an easy day!! My body didn't agree. adding the 3kg of water to my pack and the blisters I have gained on both my feet and hips. I felt every metre of the way. was so relived to reach camp. Enjoying relaxing by the fire for the afternoon.

What I missed:
Clean socks
showers
my pillow

Craving:
Popcorn
chicken- roast
hot chips- with chicken salt
peanut butter toast
COKE!!!

only 10 km tomorrow.

Jackie B

Brett's thought's........

For me, one of the highlights of the walk was at the end of everyday when you could see the campsite. Every day was a struggle, but as it was such, each night when you sat slumped around at camp, or laying in bed about to fall asleep at 7PM, you thought to yourself how rewarding the trek was. Another highlight was the language you heard whenever mum got a leech, or at times Claire. It was amusing, and you began to laugh, until you looked down and you yourself had leeches crawling over you shoes, so you had to join in the shenanigans “Get off you bastard!”.


Funniest moment? There were plenty of funny moments over the 2 week period. One of which was mum falling over daily – falling over nothing, over flat ground. The ability to fall over air remains a mystery to all but mum I believe.



When we started organising who would be in which team, whether it be Team A – the support crew, or team BEN – the walkers, we were sitting around a table down at Manyana. Mum had written my name down under team A, and I turned to her and said “Can’t I walk instead”. I think she was rather shocked I actually wanted to walk, but excited nonetheless. In my head, I was like “It won’t be that hard. Its just a walk with a pack.”. Man was I wrong. This became evident walking from CBHS to the station. The difference in walking with and without a pack was extraordinary. At the start, I felt like I was constantly about to fall backwards. I thought the first day would be hell, but I managed. But the second day, oh don’t even mention it. Waking up at 6.30, and then walk 4km up hills is not a good way to start your day, especially carrying a weighted pack! Mum had her biggest loser moment, but I missed it, as she told us to walk ahead. Highlight of this day, the toughest day I was on, was mum lying on the road, hearing a car coming, and jumping up and running off the road, pack in hand. Everyone was surprised she could move that fast! It was like lighting. Really slow lighting ...

To cap off the trek, I would like to quote three lines from a song,

The Scientist by Coldplay.

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh take me back to the start

Stuarts thoughts.....

With some level of reservation we set out from Somersby Falls & within five minutes I was questioning the reasoning & sanity behind coming along for the walk.
The reality of carrying 20 kilos sunk in pretty quick particularly when the pack listed like Titanic & began to fall apart at the seems.
I started cursing why I even considered such an act, but not being one for giving up on a commitment put to the task & was quickly consumed & overtaken by the beauty of the bush..
The two odd hours down to the Mooney Mooney camp site, being mostly downhill was reached without too much grief & a good night feed helped lift spirits & alleviate the aches caused by the backpack.
Archie not only provided lamb chops but a couple of beers which were like God’s nectar.
Only Ben’s paranoia about things that move in the bush & the drone of the F3 disturbed the tranquillity of that evening.
The removal of a hiking boot & blood soaked sock revealed an unwanted hitchhiker, a leech the size of an elephant’s trunk…….lucky to be alive!!!!
The next morning was greeted with a brisk shower as we started of but good fortune prevailed & the walk past the old Pacific Hwy, Mooney Mooney bridge, up along Piles Creek was magnificent with diverse landscapes & sub-temperate vegetation to match; I get into trouble for calling it pristine….. but it truly was!
Ben had several snack breaks & I reflected on kids going into Woolies at Easter & finding the shelves bare where Jo had been to stock up to sustain Ben’s rampant appetite.
The topography of the climb changed constantly all day & several references to the map left rise to some suspicion about the accuracy of the detail when we seem to go up & down a lot more times than was indicated on the maps contours.
It wasn’t long before these undulations combined with the quantity of steps twice the height of conventional, began to take some toll on our once high spirited party.
It was bad enough for normal sized people let alone someone the size of a Dwarf.
Upon reaching the ridge line of the Hawkesbury escarpment after making good speed all morning what was originally anticipated as an east stroll of approximately five kilometres & possibly one & half hours to our destination of Mt Woodabyne became more like three & a half hours with the track deviating beyond our expectation through further deep gullies & more ascents.
Upon reaching another ridge-top & a camp site perceived to be our goal our expectations were was dashed when a scout ahead revealed we were still short about three kilometres of our goal & with the Water Taxi pick-up at 11.30AM the next day from Patonga we knew that we couldn't’t afford to extend that following day’s commitment.
With much grumbling from myself (yes Coighty had a whinge or two) & cursing of the wretched map we decided to push on.
This was a test of fortitude & we knuckled down & made it with nightfall quickly approaching; a total of nine hours walking with minimal breaks.
Collectively we estimated that the three of us didn’t amount to the quantity of steps Dwarfie did that day.
Not since Gimli the Dwarf accompanied Frodo en-route to Mount Doom had a person of such stature travelled so far in one day!
Somehow after the days experience I felt cursed by Mt Wondabyne & considered it to be our own Mt Doom.
The nights meal was less salubrious with fatigue setting in & weary bodies sought the comfort of a rock bed-down with the sight of Brisbane Waters as a back-drop at the liberal time of 8.15PM.We really did do well to stay up that late!
The next day was not greeted with the brief shower like the previous day but intermittent squalls.
By now though our minds were set on making Patonga irrespective & we were supplemented by the thought of a beer at Brooklyn & from my part a coffee at Patonga.
I was easily persuaded to by-pass the last little stretch of the track down to Patonga & instead followed the lifeline of bitumen instead in the hope that this would get us quicker to the comforts of modern day life.
By now the legs & hips felt like they’d been on loan to a pile driving company, but none of us confessed to the extent of our discomfort & despite the weather s the thought of finishing buoyed us with good spirit.
Standing of the wharf at Patonga watching the fisherman feed the entrails of the mornings catch to a multitude of Pelicans crowded together in numbers as a defence against two magnificent swooping Hawks somehow put the last few days in perspective.
The trip always sounded great in theory but the difficulty’s can only be realised by those who actually participated.
As we headed home to civilisation with a longing for basic comforts & the hardships of the previous days already fading into memory I couldn’t help but feel that a piece of me had been left behind.
To my stoic companions who were brave in adversity & in particular to Dwarfie in achieving even part of was set ou……., you should all feel proud!

S.P.
(Alias Russell Coight)

Peter's thoughts.....

When Jo first floated the idea of the walk to raise awareness of Crohnes my first thought was that the degree of difficulty of the undertaking was being understated. None the less I was keen to offer support by participating on one of the sections, not much thought on my part nor recognition that it had been at least 20 years since I had done any serious bush walk with a pack on my back.

Recognition came quickly on the Saturday as we started the up hill climbs and the 50 year old body started to protest loudly and long.Regardless of the resulting aches and pains I am very happy that I did join in and enjoyed a challenging walk in good company through some diverse and beautiful bushland.

My overwhelming impression is one of admiration for the whole of the Power family for their determination and support to each other, in particular Jo who clearly walked through several pain barriers to emerge I believe a stronger person and to young Ben who walked throughout the weekend without a murmur and still managed the energy to give Stuart and myself a little bit of cheek around the fire at night.

Overall a tremendous achievement not only in the distance travelled but also the success of the primary aim of raising awareness and funding for Crohnes.

Peter Archibald.

Well it wasn't quite the finish we planned.

We are suppose to finish tomorrow at Thornleigh but due to poor weather and Ben not being well again we decided to finish today.

Ben's has his bad chest coming back and is a miserable as all get out. He was no fun today to walk with!!

We want the whole experience to be fun and for all to enjoy. So with this we will do the missed sections at a later date.

The BBQ is still on tomorrow and now with the spare day I can clean the house and not to mention go to work and help Matt.

The whole experience so far has been tremendous, we have enjoyed it all, except for the leeches, and they were around again today!!!

So I am now about to go for a walk with Matt and Finnegan. You know by now I'm stupid!!!

So later on I will put in our journal entries. Not very exciting but more info on each day we have done.

Look forward to seeing those of you who can make it tomorrow night.

Photos of Day 14

Jo (Gee the wrinkles are bad) & Katelyn
Crosing board walk in to Crosslands

Brett, Ben & Jo

That's Gold!!

Mid Walk (note Ben isn't happy today)

Brett doing a little carving during a break.

Great colours in the sandstone

A rare Smile

Car Ferry at Berowra waters

The start of todays journey

More

Leaving Patonga

Peter, Ben & Stuart on Patonga wharf.

Ben at Patonga Trackhead.

Mt Wondabyne Campsite.

Filling up water bottle

Walking through a tree, the trees are amazing, they are split in 2 and still alive.

Peter having a little rest

Ben enjoying the sights on Saturday

Days 9-11 in photos.

Ben

Ben & Jo

Ben on swing bridge at Piles creek

Ben signing register at Piles Creek

Looking up at Mooney Mooney Bridge.

Stuart, Peter & Ben, 10 minutes into Saturdays walk. Coming up to Mooney Mooney Bridge.

Friday evening at Mooney Mooney Creek campsite, Stuart & Peter enjoying a beer.

Day's 10-12

Saturday saw the team wake to clear sky, but not for long. After leaving camp at 7.40 am they soon rain into a light shower. With this they thought their already tough day was going to get worse!

The rain soon cleared and they forged on for 9.5 hours of walking. Had a few complaints regarding the map. Stuart a very experienced bush walker found Saturday hard. They passed running water a few times so could fill up their supply. Many rest were taken along the way as the steps along the route were 2 foot high!!! it mad it very tough. It was a great relief to finally make it to the camp site.

The team had a fire to relax by and enjoyed looking up at the milky way and over the lights of the lower Central Coast. During the night the rain returned!!! The guy's got away early then planned by 10 minutes which was amazing as the heavens opened up as they were trying to pull the camp down. So when they thought they were going to have a lighter load on Sunday they were mistaken as everything was weighted down from being wet. They left camp at 6.50am for their 10.5km walk to Patonga. When they reached the bitumen road they decided it would be best to follow it into Patonga rather then risk going down the slippery mountain side. It had rained on and off for their whole morning so missed out on all the great views they had anticipated seeing.

They arrived at Patonga at 10am and called the water taxi to see if he could come early as it was originally booked for 11.30am. He came with in half an hour and delivered them to Brooklyn.

They missed out on their fanfare entry into the pub as they were there first.

A nice time was had catching up with those who came to visit, even if we had to keep moving out of the rain!

Seeing as though all their gear is wet and or damp it was decided to take a rest day again today to dry and wash everything out for a restart tomorrow at Berowra Waters. Katelyn will join Ben, Brett and Jo tomorrow and the packs will stay in the car for a day so they can really appreciate the country side around them.

Day 9

Matt writes,

Today Stuart & Peter joined Jo & Ben for the weekend ahead ( Brett has returned home to play football tomorrow, at least he has his priorities right). They met at Sommersby Falls and set off for Mooney Mooney where they have safely arrived. Once again Jo has had a couple of falls and rolled her ankle, but every one is still trying to work out how you can trip over flat ground. Anyway to the hikers delight Peter managed to find room in his pack for a couple of beers so the re-hydration has begun. Pete is cooking for them all tonight and for those who have experienced Pete's bush feasts know it may take a while but it will be well worth the wait. Tomorrow is going to be a test as they set out for a 17km stroll. So good luck to them and look forward to seeing you all Sunday for a quiet refreshment at Brooklyn.

Bye for now.

more day 7 photo's and day 9

Brett & Ben at the track head.

Jo & Ben sitting by the campfire.

Day 9

Peter, Ben, Jo and Stuart ready to hike and Brett ready to come home.

days 7 in photo's

Ben starting is first day of hiking.

Jo

I think someone might have went a little bit off target with the archery!!

AGHHHHHH!!!!!!! a snake.

Day 8

Matt writes,

After a scary night at Palm Grove with the drop bears making noises outside there tent, they awoke to a beautiful morning. They left at 8am this morning and once they hit the gully the tree canopy of the rain forest had them in complete darkness. As they were walking out of the gully Brett spotted a large snake, which was much bigger then the one they saw yesterday, they quickly altered there coarse in search for an alternate track. Once at Somersby they feasted on chips and powerade and not to mention the ice creams. They are again in a safe house watching the biggest loser as they are now a day ahead, and no they are not at home. Tomorrow they will be joined by Peter and Russell Coyt for what promises to be an adventurous couple of days.

I,m sure you will want to read tomorrow's experience.

Day 7

Matt writes,

Well today was the big day with Ben joining the walk for the 1st time. They left Yarramalong at 10.15am and set out for the day 14km down the track. Things started badly with Ben being introduced to the leaches 10 minutes into the walk. After 2 hours came my 1st phone call saying get me out of here, i want too come home. They then came across 2 young Americans who were doing the walk in 10 days, so they walked with them for a couple of kilometers until they disappeared into the mist. I have just got off the phone to much surprise they had reached Palm Grove which is a further 6 km on. So they have successfully countered 20k's today, not bad considering Ben had decided he was coming home after about 4 km's. Effectively they have reached Thursdays destination allready, so they will take it easy for the next day or so.

Also there will be no meet up at Somersby on Friday as they will have passed there by tomorrow.

Stay tuned for next episode.

Recap,

Day 1, Travel to Newcastle
Day 2, Teralba to Heaton Gap = 17klm
Day 3, Heaton Gap to Watagan Forest HQ = 14klm
Day 4, HQ to Barraba Campsite = 13klm
Day 5, Barraba to Congewai Valley trackhead = 10klm
Day 6, Rest day.

So in total so far they have covered a minimum of 54klm

Day 6

Matt writes,

After a gruelling 5 days the hikers have enjoyed a peaceful rest day with family. Jo has celebrated her 40th birthday with a traditional pyjama day on the lounge and begun preparations for the re commencement of there walk tomorrow. Brett has spent the day playing XBOX ( i mean the whole day) to prepare himself for the next few days, while Ben has limbered up by mowing the lawns and weeding the back garden. They set off tomorrow from Yarramalong Store at around 9am for a 6 hour hike to there next destination. I'm sure you will all join with me in wishing Jo a very happy 40th birthday ( yes that's right 40th) & best of luck for the days ahead.

Till tomorrow

Day 5

Matt writes,

Today the hikers set off early for Flat Rock, a meager 19km's down the track. With Jackie and Claire being picked up along the way for there retutn to civilisation, i decided to take the kids up to visit. I'm glad we went because after a short discussion with Jo & Brett it was decided to send them to a safe haven till Wednesday due to the inclement weather. It closed in very quickly and made conditions quite dangerous. I can only say they will enjoy the rest as there bodies are feeling the pinch, although they are in great spirits after being boyed on by some inspirational singing from Claire. They are very much looking forward to the weather clearing and resuming, this time with Ben beside them on Wednesday.

Till the next episode.

Day 5 in photo's.

Last group photo before Claire and Jackie head home.

One last rest

Walking along the road.

Walking along Congewai Road.

Brett & Jo

You would think they would open a gate.

Day 4 in photos.

The Black boy's at Barraba campsite were beautiful.

Jackie & Brett enjoying an arvo by the fire..

Claire's master piece! Brett was so happy to have a fire at last!!!

Um.... Which way should we go????

A well earned rest on the way to Barraba campsite.

Met other hikers so we took group photos. This is on Sunday on way to Barraba campsite.