Hiking the antidote to dealing with tragedy
“Hiking saved my life.” That’s how Lynn Fisher describes her passion for pulling on her hiking boots. She says walking in wilderness became her antidote to grief and her way of coping with the tragic death of her son Troy to a drug overdose in 2000. He was 23 years old.
Lynn, who is now retired after a career as an anaesthetic nurse, is still hiking. And back in 2019 she walked the Margaret River region‘s spectacular Cape to Cape Track. It traverses forest, beach and coastal heath packed with orchids and wildflowers, spanning from Yallingup to Augusta in Western Australia’s south-west corner.
She made the trip to WA from her home at Chain Valley Bay on the New South Wales Central Coast. And she opted for the 7-Day Self-Guided End-to-End hike, with Cape To Cape Explorer Tours assisting with transport, logistics and accommodation.
How hiking helped to heal
“When Troy died, it was the most devastating thing. I turned to hiking and somehow it just seemed to help. And I’ve never really stopped,” says Lynn. “On one of my hikes, I took this photo of the sun’s rays filtering through a tree. And I had this sense that Troy was right there with me.”
The nature lover, who also has a passion for stand-up paddle boarding and travelling around Australia by caravan, wants to share her story to encourage others suffering from grief to find a way to go on. “I have questions that will never be answered. That can really eat you up. But I think through hiking and being in the outdoors, I’ve learned to accept that. You never get over it. But you can still go on,” Lynn says.
Hiking on the Cape to Cape Track
The abundance of wildlife and evocative coastal scenery are highlights on the Cape to Cape Track, according to Lynn. “I saw a carpet python that was very lazy. It just lay across the path refusing to move. And then I came around a bend and was face to face with a big kangaroo. It wasn’t scared of me at all. We just looked at each other for quite a while before he decided to hop off,” she says.
How you can get involved
Cape To Cape Explorer Tours work with groups like the Move For Mental Health Initiative and The Gidget Foundation to promote mental health and the benefits of hiking and the great outdoors.
And if Lynn’s story has inspired you, get in touch to walk the Cape to Cape Track. It can be on a self-guided adventure, like Lynn. Or by joining a group of like-minded people on our signature 8-Day Guided End-to-End experience. And we’ll see you on the Track soon!