On my way out of Pemberton I decided it was my civil duty to report the storm damage to the local DEC office (that is like the Forest Service in the US). The rangers were very happy about my report because they have a lot to do now assessing the storm damage. The ranger told me that in 20 years he spent in Pemberton he had never seen a storm as severe as that. He was heart broken about the damage. The DEC had just maintained the Bibb Track and brought it to top shape - and now with all the storm damage they will have to start all over again.
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| Pingerup Plains |
I also learnt that I had been extremely lucky. The big devastation had only happened were the centre of the storm had hit - and this centre had damaged a long strip of land across the area. Luckily the hut where I had spent most of the storm was about 5 km away from the storm center. After seeing all the damage the storm had caused I wonder what would have happened to me if I had been directly in the storm center. I would probably be lying dead under a tree branch now. I think a owe a big thank you to my guardian angel.
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| Pingerup Plains |
The other good news is that there was much less damage after Pemberton. There were still lots of blow downs, but nothing serious. The bad news is that after Pemberton there was not much wind but flood damage. And I will hit the swamp areas now. The local tourist office told me here that the trail is officially closed - hike or better wade at your own risk. Well, I will give it a try and spend christmas wading through mud....
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