| Leader | Mentor | Understudy | Tail Ender | |
| Standards | Dave B | Selwyn | Ailsa | Veronica |
| Alternates | Bruce | Leonie | Eric | Michelle |
Distance (Standards) 12km; duration (without incident) 4hrs 45min; elevation gain 634m
President Bev welcomed the 44 trampers aboard the coach with a special welcome to visitor, Les, and our ever-popular driver, Victor. It was a longer than usual trip with road works almost the whole distance it seemed. There was a double chocolate shout, with Judy celebrating a birthday and Nicky marking her final walk with our club.
Victor was understandably cautious at the entrance to the Reserve. Successfully negotiating the narrow bridge, the sound of the trees scraping on the roof and sides of the bus heralded our arrival. The very wet ground on either side of the driveway underscored his questioning the team in the front seats as to where he would be able to turn. With a great deal of sang-froid he was reassured that there were no problems, and to push on.
Just after 10.30 and in sunshine, the two groups moved off and quickly set into the task of negotiating the steady climb with the significant step-ups proving a true test for those with shorter legs. The track has plenty of exposed roots and stones to trip the unwary, and recent rain made for boggy and slippery conditions underfoot. Morning tea and lunch stops were reached with some relief, and most were happy to leave the hard work behind and enjoy the descent through the beech forest.
The Alternates were the first to have a mishap. The whistle blast alerted those further along the track to stop and wait, and word filtered through that one of our number had slipped and almost certainly broken a wrist. While we waited, the leading group from the Standards caught up with us and one produced the bottom two-thirds of a walking pole and asked if anyone had noticed they had lost it. The owner was unaware and very pleased to have it back, taking the consequential ribbing well. While we were exchanging news, a second alarm was heard. One tramper identified this as coming from a different whistle to the first, and sure enough one of the Standards had also fallen with a more serious injury. Inquiries as to whether or not we had a doctor in our midst elicited a “Yes, several,” but with degrees in chemistry, entomology etc, we didn’t feel they should be asked to “step up” in this instance. Thankfully we do have a former orthopaedic specialist nurse – a big thankyou to Kate, and to Jan our ex-pharmacist who managed the pain relief, to Bev, our tail enders, and the team who took charge of backpacks and helped this second casualty negotiate the remainder of the walk to the bus. We were all delighted to see him upright (with the help of two tramping poles, and gaffer tape) and managing a smile for us. The wonders of modern medication!
It was reassuring that we had the physical and human resources to manage these two injuries until we could get the members to their families and medical attention. It was a sombre trip home with Bev thanking everyone for their help and reassuring our visitor that this had not been a typical day in the life of Bishopdale Tramping Club. We wish our two companions a speedy return to full health.
Text by Jan Bw
