The cancellation of our annual June long weekend walk was a real possibility until the very last minute when our good behaviour in WA meant the local borders were opened and many of us reconfirmed our previous accommodation bookings. The storms of the previous week threatened to spoil things but we were not deterred – we reasoned that over the last 20-21 years there have only been a few June walks with heavy rain on the Sunday. (Our first year away was in Balingyup in 1999)

The eager beavers, Kevin, Pam, Graeme, Bill and Ken arrived early for the weekend and headed out for an 18km walk on Friday, to be welcomed by a thorough soaking as the rest of us drove down through raging rain – not promising ☹. This must have appeased the rain gods because the rest of the weekend had beautiful weather. More recruits on Saturday morning saw some head out in a convoy to Balingyup then across to Bridgetown completing the triangle back to Nannup,  while the remaining members chose to exercise walking the main street in Bridgetown.  We did our bit for the local economy with visits to favourite stores and coffee cafes – the baby shop was particularly pleased to see Jenny excitedly purchasing for her new grandson 😊

We didn’t miss our traditional Saturday night dinner either. The Blackwood Café obligingly accommodated our smaller group for a fun night. Because a few members were carrying injuries, this meant a reduced number for the Sunday morning walk from Barrabup Pool to Sleeper Hewers campsite and back. The convivial company, beautiful weather and scenery rewarded the walkers. The rest of the group joined us at lunch time and Tracey, Ross, Ros, Judy, Bill and Julie went on to Workers Pool after lunch, an extra 3 kms. The recent restrictions did prevent our usual Sunday evening BBQ but wine and cheese was known to be consumed in several locations with various groups.

After a stroll along the Blackwood River Trail on Monday, those that stayed, joined up once again for a relaxing lunch and wine tasting at Whimwood Winery. Some were heading back to work on Monday, some stayed on to Tuesday to miss traffic and some were heading further south for more adventures.

As always, the success of these wonderful weekends relies on the selfless efforts of many. Kevin, Pam and Bill for the initial reccy trips last year to check the walks and local activities. Tracey for organising the café dinner, winery lunch, accommodation choices and liaison. Graeme for working with Tracey and the others to create a co-ordinated plan and notes to guide us on the journey and keep us on track. President Ken is the keeper of memories with an ever ready mobile phone snapping opportunely and leading the walks and revelry. We should be the L Striders – “L” is for Lucky 😊

Christine Hutcheon