We did it! We completed the South West Coast Path yesterday and the exhaustion is definitely kicking in. The last 6 days have really been a push so that we could finish by a certain date.
Statistics of the Walk (walk walk walk walk...):
Days Hiked: 54
Kilometers walked: 1014
Elevation gained: 35032m
We were looking back at "early in the hike Jess and Hannah" vs "later in the hike Jess and Hannah". They are completely different. Eager to get to bed early and wake up early at the beginning of the hike turned into staying up later than we should and waking up late. Having a nice breakfast on trail turned into leftover corn nuts, a granola bar and a satsuma. A little rain wasn't a problem early on...but as we got more and more fatigued over time it was quite demoralizing.
Penny even seemed to change over time. In the beginning she was so excited every time we grabbed her leash. She would wake up around 5am and wake us up with a massive stretch. Early on she was so excited that she popped a hole in one of our sleep mats. But as time went on she wouldn't stir until around 7am and wouldn't get up until we had packed our bags. She was smart that way. No sense in wasting energy until her mummies were ready.
In the beginning she hated cafes because we would stop for awhile and she had to wait for us. But over time she started to love them! She would lock eyes with the employees of the cafes until they inevitably cared and gave her a treat or pet her. The employees found it endearing while we just shook our heads and tried to move her along.
Ultimately though it seemed like Penny had an absolutely smashing time. She met so many people and dogs and experienced so many new things (e.g. buses, trains, boats) . She is also a totally different dog physically now. Her back legs are hench! And she can leap up ledges with no problems at all. She will definitely give her sister Luna a run for her money for Most Athletic Dog in the house.
Having made it back to Hannah's parents house we are now excited about what is coming next for us. Ready to get back to the other dogs and get back into a more slightly indoor routine with Hannah heading to school and coaching and Jess...finding something that brings out her passion. Who knows..rugby might be back as an option.
Penny is looking forward to recovering from her epic walkie and bragging to the others about everything she's sniffed. We wanted to thank everyone that has followed our journey and all the people we have met. We have had some fantastic conversations and met some amazing people along the way. It was a truly unforgettable journey and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this...even if 15% of the time we weren't having the best time.
Thank you again. Penny and her crew over and out! Until next time...
In loving memory of Devol Wooden
He was a great friend and companion. He (and his booming howl) will be greatly missed.
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