Day 10 of Munda Biddi - Rain and a rest day

Distance: 23 km
Elevation gain: 267 metres
From the Karta Burnu hut to the town of Manjimup
About 2hrs travel time, from 8am to 10am with two stops -  hiding from the rain and a work phone call. 

At Manjimup, my distance from Mundaring: 548 km

Distance to Albany: 494 km

A very cold night in the Karta Burnu hut for someone who didn't pack a warm sleeping bag.  The forecast was a low of 6 degrees overnight and with the wind it felt cold!!!  It was not the first time that I cursed packing the 7 Munda Biddi paper maps and leaving a warm sleeping bag at home.  Cold night aside, this was my favourite hut.  It felt like staying at a rural property looking out to a magnificent vista of forest, hills, meadows and nature.  There were rabbits and kangaroos grazing on the grass and a few menacing magpies looking down from their nests.

There was rain overnight but it looked to be clear as I dragged my bike out of the hut and onto the trail for an 8am start.  Unfortunately I was looking at the clouds in the wrong direction and the cold rain soon came.  20-20 hindsight and I should have waited another 30 minutes in the hut.

Another tree for shelter and once the rain passed it was easy riding.  In the small township of Deanmill there was a Telstra phone booth and I took the opportunity for a work phone call.  The price was right (free) and the call quality was excellent compared to my mobile phone coverage.  

There was another, shorter, rail-trail into the town of Manjimup where I went into Coles to restock supplies and find a cafe to have a second breakfast.  But by the time I was finished eating I had convinced myself that today was going to be a shorter (rest) day.  I checked into the local motel to relax and soothe my aching behind.

Smooth and gentle rail-trail from Deanmill to Manjimup

At the Manjimup train station - the bike had another wash in the rain today. 

Outside Coles supermarket, my food is packed away.  But first to remove all the waste packaging that I don't need to carry.

It felt a bit awkward dumping all my stuff on the ground to sort it out - maybe next time I'll do this in the local park.