I rose slowly on my final day on trail, carrying out my morning ritual for the last time with an acute awareness and swallowing back bittersweet emotions.

My small a-frame tent, weighing in at just over 500grams, had been my home and safe place on trail for five long weeks, and I was soon to pack it away for the last time.

A sign stating ‘Walhalla 12km’ greeted me as I took to the trail and the sun glistened through the rainforest, lighting up the freshly formed cobwebs that were brushing my face as I cruised along the track.

A misty fog hovered over the valley to my right, visible through gaps in the tall timbers and ferns. I also caught occasional glimpses of a rushing waterway, which I heard long before I saw it.

The trail stayed high and hugged the edge of a mountain, before descending steeply with a series of switchbacks, becoming increasingly narrow as it went on. The skinny trail with a sharp drop off to my left and a wall of rock to my right required me to carefully negotiate my way past fallen trees.

A Fred Flinstone style table and chairs provided a curious point of interest as I followed the trail above the rushing Thomson River. And despite being tempted to sit on the rock structures, I was on a mission to get to Walhalla – the finish line.

Amid the rushing river and bird calls, I could hear the distant drone of car engines. The old steel Poverty Point walking bridge was closed, so I proceeded along the alternate route, crossing the waterway on the Thomson River road bridge.

A final short but steep climb up the Mormon Town Track led me to a trail high in the valley, winding its way through lush forest and furn gullies.

Glimpses of the historic Walhalla township far below in the narrow valley of Stringers Creek began to appear through the trees. My excitement levels swelled with each glimpse, until I heard a familiar voice call out – “You did it baby.”

I locked eyes on Jane, huge smile painted across my face, tossed my hiking sticks into the air, placed my hands on my head in disbelief and was swallowed into Jane’s embrace. With blue skies above and the sun shining, it seemed a perfect day to conclude such a massive undertaking, like the universe was celebrating with me.

We walked together for the final kilometre into the picturesque township and to the historic rotunda, which marks the official end, or start, of this spectacular long-distance trail.