Mark Berridge tells Great Walks how he learnt to walk again after a bike accident left him with a severe spinal chord injury
Interview - Brent McKean, Great Walks Magazine Aug / Sep 2022
It’s one of those things you think will never happen to you. On a normal day in 2019, Mark Berridge went cycling with his mates but within a few hours he was being rushed to hospital with a severe spinal chord injury and his life was changed for ever. Mark takes five with Great Walks to talk about his road to recovery and how he found solace in writing about it.
Mark challenged himself to walk Tasmania’s Three Capes Track. He used walking poles to spread the weight of his 9kg pack, and to help pull himself up the steeper steps. The poles were essential for stability and safety descending the stairs and I could not have climbed the required elevation without them.
I selected the Three Capes Track because of the scenery, the accommodation, and the options it gave me - I had flexibility to do less distance on the last two days if required.
I visualised reaching Cape Pillar and admiring Tasman Island as my pinnacle.
I always planned to skip the side trip to Cape Huay, but on that last day I decided to push myself and do it, even though I was fatigued and sore. The downside was my wife giving me that look of “you idiot”! It meant that I had completed the whole walk, carrying my own gear the whole way. An achievement I will always cherish
Read the full article:
See more about the walk in this video, or visit the Tasmanian Walking Company version of the walk I did here.
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