We were sitting in the front seats of the bus heading home from Eden to Wonboyn with Reg the bus driver and a host of children chattering away behind us. Never in a thousand years would I have thought that our coastal epic would have included a ride in a school bus, but here we were.
I have rarely mentioned the array of minor injuries - blackened toes, scratches and cuts from rocks etc – that are inevitable on such a long trek, but two days before we arrived at Wonboyn, the fair Nello started to experience pain in her left shin. It gradually worsened and the morning after we reached Wonboyn, it was very difficult to walk on without causing severe pain. Stress fracture, tendon damage, shin splints who knows, a visit to the doctor was necessary. Having no car in Wonboyn well off the highway while the nearest doctor was in Eden, 35 km away, posed a major problem. We found out from the Wonboyn storekeeper that the closest thing to public transport was the school bus, which we caught at 7.30 am the next day.
The thought of ending an 84-day trip only 3 days from the end was disheartening and many scenarios and plans crossed our minds on that slow trip into Eden. Finally we decided that the choice came down to two possibilities; if there were a risk of more or longer term damage, the walk was off, if the prognosis was just pain for 3 days, we would go. I listened attentively as the doctor made his examination as I had also developed a minor shin splint, though not as painful as Nello's. What a pair of crocks – falling apart at the end!
The diagnosis was a severe shin splint, the treatment – rest, ice and anti-inflammatories, the prognosis – painful, but unlikely to lead to any further damage, the decision – we finish the walk!
Not being completely masochistic and inflexible, we have spent another two days in Wonboyn, so that Nello could rest her leg, apply lots of icepacks and allow the Voltaren a chance to reduce the inflammation. Two days is a long time to wait, but the treatment is working and she can now walk without a great deal of discomfort. The large high-pressure cell and associated fine weather is still over us, so tomorrow we limp out into the Nadgee Wilderness, where we will disappear off the radar screen for the next 3 days before reappearing in Mallacoota and the end of our walk.
Wish us luck!
