Day 3

On the first nightly pee break, I saw that the sky was clear and the stars were twinkling. I love night hiking on the beach. You don’t get lost, you don’t trip and you can take many breaks.

So I set my alarm at 4 and started packing. It was a tiny bit difficult because I was really comfortable in my sleeping bag. I started hiking at 4:50 with the moon and the stars. I started an audiobook on Storytel (so it wasn’t Harry Potter!!) and time went by fast.

Soon the sun started rising and lit the sky beautifully. The first 13km were enjoyable…. The other 17km less. Painful feet, the sun burning, and no change of scenery.

However, after my second break, Grant caught up with me and that was a huge help! The first hour we chatted while my sore feet walked away the kilometres. But with the final 8 km approaching I felt worse and worse. Especially because I felt nauseous and that could be an indication of a heatstroke. So I asked Grant twice for a break and he kindly stayed with me. Also dipped my bandana in the ocean to cool my head. In the end, I think it was a lack of sleep and too much food for lunch.

Finally, we were at the exit of the beach. Unfortunately, the campsite wasn’t. So another 500m. Doesn’t sound very far, but for my suffering body it was.

Still, our arrival time was fine! Got there around 3 and only Hayden (new face) beat us to it. As we rested and chatted, my body recovered. The accidental splurge of 100 grams of sugar in my tea might have helped as well.

Eventually, everyone from the previous campsite arrived. The Kiwi brothers, Anna and Andy. And another new (sunburned) face: Sandro. The rate of exhaustion differed per person. The worst was definitely Sandro and the best were the brothers.

Again a happy bunch and the communal area was used extensively. After tea, I said good night to Colin who was finishing his notes on the birds. Soon I was back because I couldn’t find my lip balm. And a while later I was back again.

I got an important phone call from my 4-year-old nephew. Yes, I was extremely tired and wanted to go to bed at 9 o’clock. But I cannot say no to his cuteness. So we chatted for half an hour. Back in my tent for a fourth night, I wasn’t able to finish my blog writing. The next morning my alarm would ring again at 4 am to enjoy the stars and avoid the afternoon heat.