Trail Tales WA - Episode 1 - No Limits: Anne-Marie's Journey Beyond Labels

In this inspiring debut episode of Trail Tales WA, we sit down with the incredible Anne-Marie — a proud adventurer, passionate advocate, and one of the shining stars of our Hike-Ability community.

Anne-Marie shares her lived experience of navigating life with an intellectual disability, the challenges she’s faced, and how discovering accessible hiking has transformed her confidence, independence, and sense of self. From conquering steep trails to forming deep connections with fellow hikers, Anne-Marie’s journey reminds us that ability is not defined by labels.

Tune in as we talk about the power of inclusion, the importance of representation, and why the outdoors should be a place where everyone feels seen, safe, and celebrated.

Hosted by Tracy Jones.

Produced by Cindy Jones.

Music by Andrii Poradovskyi from Pixabay.

Links to websites talked about in this episode.

Off The Beaten Track - https://offthebeatentrackwa.com.au/

Hike-Ability -https://offthebeatentrackwa.com.au/hike-ability-ndis/

Accessible Adventures -https://offthebeatentrackwa.com.au/accessible-adventures/

All Ages First Aid -https://allagesfirstaidtraining.com/

Trails WA - https://trailswa.com.au/

Transcript

[00:00:00] Tracy: Welcome to Trail Tales WA, the podcast where we break down barriers and share the stories we hear out on the trails. I'm your host Tracy Jones, and I'm so excited to launch this journey with you. Each episode, we shine a light on the incredible people and programs that are making the outdoors more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Today, we are kicking off with someone very special, Anne-Marie. She's been a regular face in our Hike-Ability program, hiking tours, and now our team, she has an inspiring story about resilience, courage, and rediscovering adventure. So, let's get into it. Hey Anne-Marie. 

Anne-Marie: Hi.

Tracy: Thank you so much for coming to chat with me today. I would love to start by you introducing yourself to our listeners. Who is Anne Marie? Beyond the trails?

[00:00:54] Anne-Marie: I like to do sport, look after animals. 

[00:00:57] Tracy: What kind of animals? 

[00:00:58] Anne-Marie: Um, dogs mainly. Or cats. Yeah. 

[00:01:02] Tracy: What else do you like to do? 

[00:01:05] Anne-Marie: Um, swim, play, basketball, netball. That's about it. 

[00:01:09] Tracy: Yeah. You have a pretty amazing family as well, right?

[00:01:12] Anne-Marie: Oh, yeah. Hang out with my family. 

[00:01:14] Tracy: Your family was so supportive. Um, are so supportive. I remember. Last year when we did the Cape to Cape together and your mum and dad and your nephew came to meet you at the lighthouse and surprised you. And I just remember the reaction on your face after you walking for seven days and 124 kilometres, and that last day was quite tough for you.

I just remember when you saw your family, your face, can you explain that moment? 

[00:01:43] Anne-Marie: I wasn't expecting to see 'em there, and it was just. Matter of joy and celebration that they were there to greet me at the end of, of achievement that I've been trained for, for many years. 

[00:01:54] Tracy: Yeah, it was pretty awesome. I think I had a tear or two in my eye as well. And just going back to the sport that you have played, that you play at like a state level for some stuff, right? 

[00:02:06] Anne-Marie: For netball and basketball? 

[00:02:08] Tracy: Yes. And what kind of training regime does that require? 

[00:02:11] Anne-Marie: Uh, training once a week for four hours. 

[00:02:15] Tracy: Oh, four hours solid training? 

[00:02:16] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:02:17] Tracy: And you do a lot of swimming as well?

[00:02:19] Anne-Marie: Yes. I've competed in the, a couple of times Nationals in Aly Stage. 

[00:02:25] Tracy: Have you done the Busselton Jetty swim? 

[00:02:27] Anne-Marie: Yes. 

[00:02:28] Tracy: How was that? 

[00:02:29] Anne-Marie: Yeah, it's all not my favourite, but it's all right. 

[00:02:33] Tracy: But you did it. 

[00:02:34] Anne-Marie: I did it, yes. 

[00:02:35] Tracy: Amazing. I love seeing you get out and do things that, um, might ordinarily be very challenging. Um, but you don't let your ability stop you. And when you set your mind to something, you just go, I can do that. Why can't I do that? 

[00:02:53] Anne-Marie: Yeah. It's just the way that I've been brought up. 

[00:02:56] Tracy: I love it. I think it's very inspiring and I'd love, um, I'd love to see more people be just like you. So, thank you for sharing your story. I'm going to ask you a few questions and just wanting to get to know you a little bit more today. So, tell me what role nature has played in your life, but before discovering hiking. 

[00:03:18] Anne-Marie: Um, nature played a big role in my life by going down to the beach. We lived in the country until I was about seven, so just being outdoors, roaming the streets, climbing trees. Yeah. 

[00:03:31] Tracy: So, you just, you're a bit of an adventure kid.

[00:03:34] Anne-Marie: Yeah, sure am. 

[00:03:36] Tracy: Oh, so where did you live prior to settling in Perth? 

[00:03:40] Anne-Marie: Uh, Kalgoorlie. 

[00:03:41] Tracy: Kalgoorlie. Out in the sticks? 

[00:03:44] Anne-Marie: Yeah, in the middle of nowhere. 

[00:03:44] Tracy: So, was that a lot of red dirt? 

[00:03:46] Anne-Marie: It was. It was all red dirt. 

[00:03:48] Tracy: Do you know what? I've never been to Kalgoorlie. Yeah. Are there hiking trails in Kalgoorlie? 

[00:03:52] Anne-Marie: There's a few.

[00:03:53] Tracy: Are there? 

[00:03:54] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:03:55] Tracy: Oh, we're gonna have to get on a train and go for an adventure, I reckon. 

[00:03:57] Anne-Marie: For sure. 

[00:03:58] Tracy: You'll have to take me on a, a guided tour of Kalgoorlie 

[00:04:02] Anne-Marie: For sure. 

[00:04:02] Tracy: What are some of the challenges or barriers that you have faced in accessing the outdoors? 

[00:04:08] Anne-Marie: Just knowing that you're safe out there. And how to handle things.

If you come across them 

like hills. 

[00:04:17] Tracy: Like hills? 

[00:04:18] Anne-Marie: Yeah.

[00:04:18] Tracy: Well, you seem to handle hills pretty easily these days, so I don't think that's too much of a problem For you. What other things are are kind of, I guess, intimidating about being out in the outdoors? 

[00:04:29] Anne-Marie: The gravel and the snakes and just the unknown.

[00:04:34] Tracy: Yeah. And do you, have you ever, have you ever had any issues. Being someone that has a disability, how getting access to the things that you've wanted to get access to? 

[00:04:47] Anne-Marie: Uh, yes and no. There's just things out there that you wanna do, but having a disability that doesn't show, it's so hard to get in to let people know that you got a disability and let you get into it.

[00:05:02] Tracy: Hidden disabilities. It's a whole nother chapter, I think. And you're right, I've had a lot of feedback about that where people say, and I, forgive me 'cause I hate these terms. People say, "you look normal" and I am doing the double quotes with my fingers right now for anyone that can't see me. But then you know, you, your brain might not be wired exactly the same as "normal people", or your emotions may not be regular.

Or you may not be able to hear the same or you know, whatever it may be. I think everyone just needs to be mindful that disabilities, there are no two disabilities or abilities the same. And even if you are someone with a disability or not, you are not the same as any other one person on this world. So to be labelled as having a disability, whatever it might be, that's a really tricky thing because.

No two disabilities are the same. 

[00:05:59] Anne-Marie: No, there is not. 

[00:06:01] Tracy: Do you feel comfortable sharing your disability or ability With us? 

[00:06:06] Anne-Marie: I have intellectual disability, so it means it affects my reading and writing. 

[00:06:11] Tracy: Oh, that's our dog, Alfie making some noises. Oh, sorry, Alfie, did we stop paying you attention? Sorry. It affects your reading and writing.

[00:06:20] Anne-Marie: So yeah, I just found it hard in life and so I chose to go down the sporting path, hiking path. Where I can just go and be myself and not worry about the rest of the world really.

[00:06:31] Tracy: Interesting. So you felt that because you couldn't read and write like other people or at the same level as other people, that you had to choose a different route?

[00:06:42] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:06:43] Tracy: If you could do anything in the world, what would it be? Regardless of your ability or skills? 

[00:06:49] Anne-Marie: Yeah. Go on a big holiday around the world. 

[00:06:53] Tracy: And do you think you could organize that yourself? 

[00:06:55] Anne-Marie: No. 

[00:06:56] Tracy: Why?

[00:06:58] Anne-Marie: Don't have the skills 

[00:07:00] Tracy: What happens if you could get the skills? 

[00:07:03] Anne-Marie: Oh yeah. I would be able to do it.

[00:07:05] Tracy: Absolutely. There's nothing to stop you getting the skills to be able to make some online bookings and take yourself on an online holiday. 

[00:07:13] Anne-Marie: True 

[00:07:13] Tracy: On an online holiday. That would be pretty boring. On a holiday. On a holiday that you have booked yourself.

[00:07:21] Anne-Marie: True. Yes. 

[00:07:22] Tracy: I think you have shown me so much strength and determination over the years that you could actually do anything you set your mind to because you have broken down the barrier and stigma associated with people with disabilities joining in and doing able bodied activities and huge challenges. You've done it. 

[00:07:47] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:07:47] Tracy: So what's stopping you from achieving every goal that you ever wanna do? 

[00:07:53] Anne-Marie: Life? No. Yeah, the disability and just be able to get there by myself. 

[00:08:01] Tracy: I reckon you got it. So last week you got yourself a new qualification. 

[00:08:06] Anne-Marie: Oh yeah. 

[00:08:07] Tracy: And that entailed you to do an online assessment and then a practical assessment.

[00:08:13] Anne-Marie: Yes. 

[00:08:14] Tracy: And you did that? 

[00:08:15] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:08:17] Tracy: So tell me all about it. 

[00:08:18] Anne-Marie: I got my first aid by doing online training course and going into the business and doing the practical. 

[00:08:28] Tracy: And how was it ?

[00:08:29] Anne-Marie: Amazing? Because I, by watching the videos made, it stayed in my brain instead of reading. 

[00:08:38] Tracy: So the company that we chose was All Ages First Aid.

They've adapted their training package to suit different types of learners. So for me, I can't read a book like I can read, but I cannot read a book and have it sink into my brain. I have to watch a video or I have to do it myself for me to learn. So this company has been amazing in adapting their training package and the way that they deliver.

And they were actually super accommodating by allowing me to go in and support Anne-Marie if she needed it. And you didn't need me there. 

[00:09:12] Anne-Marie: Nope. 

[00:09:13] Tracy: I was just dropping the one liners and making you laugh every now and again. But you really didn't need me there. You could've done that on your own, but I absolutely loved seeing you put into practice what you had learned online.

It was pretty awesome and I was very proud of you. 

[00:09:27] Anne-Marie: Thanks. 

Yeah, it was awesome. 

It was amazing. 

[00:09:29] Tracy: And when you sent that certificate through later in the day, the statement of attainment had your units of competency on it. 

[00:09:36] Anne-Marie: Yes. 

[00:09:38] Tracy: It was a very heartwarming moment for me. 

[00:09:41] Anne-Marie: Yes. When I called my mum, soon they go into the car after to tell her. Because they're away at the moment. She was pretty proud of me.

[00:09:51] Tracy: Oh, of course she was. You guys are so tight. I love it. So what has surprised you most about yourself after doing a few hikes with the Hike-Ability Program or some of your other challenges that you've done?

[00:10:03] Anne-Marie: Climbing Mount Tula 

[00:10:06] Tracy: Mount Toolbrunup.

[00:10:06] Anne-Marie: That's, that's because I've improved my fitness over the last four years. 

[00:10:12] Tracy: Yep. 

[00:10:12] Anne-Marie: And. Uh, through Hike-Ability, which we just started off with easy hikes and just grew into endurance harder. Hills, peaks. 

[00:10:28] Tracy: So you, you were doing, I think in your first year of Hike-Ability, which was 2022, you were doing like 3, 4, 5 kilometer flat, easy grade two hikes.

And then we're like, you know what? I think you can do a little bit more. And then it started being like 6, 7, 8 kilometer hikes. And then you did an overnight hike on the Bib Track. And then last year, last year you did the Cape to Cape. You hiked two mountains in 24 hours. Doing Mount Hassell and Toolbrunup.

Um, we did an overnight on the Bib Track down at Murray Hut, and I think there was a weekender in there somewhere as well. 

[00:11:06] Anne-Marie: Yeah, at the end of the year we went down to 

[00:11:11] Tracy: Denmark.

[00:11:12] Anne-Marie: Denmark. 

Oh, the 28 Ks. 

[00:11:14] Tracy: Oh my goodness. Yes. 

[00:11:16] Anne-Marie: Um, in 

[00:11:17] Tracy: Pemberton 

[00:11:18] Anne-Marie: Pemberton.

[00:11:18] Tracy: 28 Ks in one day. And I, you were like Energizer Bunny and I, you were having to tell me we can do it, whereas I was like, nah, I'm done.

[00:11:26] Anne-Marie: We, we ran about eight Ks of it in the end.

[00:11:31] Tracy: We really had to set ourself the challenge to make, um, to motivate ourselves to finish that day before. Well, we would've finished it. Well we did finish, but it was more that we were trying to beat last light. 

[00:11:43] Anne-Marie: Yeah. It was a race across. Against the clock it in that last couple of K's, wasn't it?

[00:11:48] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:11:49] Anne-Marie: Fairly walking to town just as the sun was. 

[00:11:52] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:11:53] Anne-Marie: Fading away. 

[00:11:54] Tracy: and the street lights were turning on and it was like, oh, and the first stop 

[00:11:58] Anne-Marie: Was a bottle-o. 

[00:11:59] Tracy: Of course it was. We had earned it. Definitely. Has being in nature changed the way that you handle challenges in your everyday life? 

[00:12:07] Anne-Marie: Yes. 'cause it makes me more alert physically and mentally.

[00:12:12] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:12:12] Anne-Marie: 'cause I'm doing so much exercise and. Being out there doesn't switches me off and re refreshes my brain. 

[00:12:20] Tracy: Oh, good. Old nature therapy. Hey. 

[00:12:22] Anne-Marie: Right. Yeah. There's nothing wrong with it. It's great. 

[00:12:24] Tracy: Yeah. And how do you feel after you've done a, an a, like a, a decent hike? 

[00:12:29] Anne-Marie: Pretty good. Go home and have a nap.

Always the best way to finish your hike. 

[00:12:34] Tracy: Yeah. 

Uh, yeah, I completely agree. You know, getting those muscles and the brain and everything working in the morning and then coming home and having a nice snuggly afternoon nap, and then, you know, wake up from that and you feel ready to go for another eight hours sometimes.

[00:12:49] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 'Bout that.. 

[00:12:50] Tracy: Yeah, I agree. I always feel so good after a hike, like I'm a little tired at the start when I, well at the start, when I finish the hike, and then once I've recharged, I'm like, my brain is so clear and just I'm focused. It's better than any coffee or energy drink or anything. 

[00:13:10] Anne-Marie: So true. 

[00:13:11] Tracy: Yeah, it's amazing. And you know what? Hiking is free. The outdoors is free and anyone can do it. And we are proof. Um, can you describe a moment on the trail where you felt truly free or at peace? 

[00:13:27] Anne-Marie: Doing the Three Capes this year in Tassie? 

[00:13:31] Tracy: Oof 

[00:13:31] Anne-Marie: Just the scenery and the water, the ocean views every day and, and in Esperance as well with just the clear water. Clear sand. 

[00:13:42] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:13:42] Anne-Marie: Thunderstorms, you know, you name it, rain. 

[00:13:47] Tracy: And you just felt at peace. Yeah, Three Capes in Tasmania was pretty incredible.

[00:13:54] Anne-Marie: It was. 

[00:13:54] Tracy: And that was a tough one for you to train for because we did that in February. And hiking in summer is in Perth is pretty tricky because it's hot. There's a fire risk, there's heat exhaustion risk, and there's flies.

So tell me a little bit, how about how you prepared for your Three Capes Tasmania trip through the Perth summer. 

[00:14:17] Anne-Marie: We would get up early in the morning and go and do a nine k nine k hike up hills or Golden Bay stairs. We did a few times, I think we did about six to seven Ks around there some mornings.

[00:14:31] Tracy: Yeah. To get the, the step training in. 

[00:14:32] Anne-Marie: Yeah. And yeah, we, and when it was hot, we just, well, I just walked down the beach with my pack on. Because it was near water and then went for a swim to cool down after 

[00:14:46] Tracy: Avoiding the sharks. 

[00:14:47] Anne-Marie: There was no sharks around.

[00:14:50] Tracy: We did have a few shark sightings this year, so I'm glad. I think the one day that we were gonna go for a swim after Golden Bay Ladder, there was. Uh, or we did go that day, there was a shark sighting. An hour or two after. 

[00:15:01] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:15:02] Tracy: Was so the, the next time we were like, nah, we're good. We'll just go home sweaty.

[00:15:07] Anne-Marie: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:15:07] Tracy: Did you find that training benefited you on the Three Capes? 

[00:15:11] Anne-Marie: For sure. For sure. It made me fitter. It was hot over there as well, so that didn't help the cause I think we're all, we're struggling by the end of it.

[00:15:20] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:15:21] Anne-Marie: It was like, it was just hot. 

[00:15:22] Tracy: Unseasonably warm for Tasmania. 

[00:15:25] Anne-Marie: Yeah.

[00:15:26] Tracy: Definitely. 

[00:15:26] Anne-Marie: But no, it did help a lot. But nothing prepared for you for as many stairs as there were really? 

[00:15:34] Tracy: No. 

[00:15:34] Anne-Marie: And just all uphill. 

[00:15:36] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:15:37] Anne-Marie: The mornings you get up, start at 7:00 AM and you just go up a hill. 

[00:15:41] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:15:43] Anne-Marie: You just think, what? What are you doing?

[00:15:46] Tracy: Yeah. How many people, how many of your friends and family said you're crazy? 

[00:15:49] Anne-Marie: A lot.

[00:15:50] Tracy: Yeah. All of them. But you know what? You had a goal and you knew what you had to do to achieve that goal, and you did it. 

[00:15:57] Anne-Marie: Yes. 

[00:15:58] Tracy: And how did the reward feel? 

[00:16:01] Anne-Marie: Amazing. 

[00:16:02] Tracy: Oh, it sure did. And it was so cool to be part of that. 

[00:16:04] Anne-Marie: And the only time I stacked it was two centimeters off the finish line.

[00:16:09] Tracy: So for those that don't know, Anne Marie likes to stack it. She likes to fall over. Um, her, her shoelaces used to come undone a lot, but I think she's mastered how to tie them really well now. But now she just trips over her feet. 

[00:16:23] Anne-Marie: Sure do They just get in the way. 

[00:16:27] Tracy: I know. They're so inconvenient these feet, aren't they?

[00:16:30] Anne-Marie: Yeah. So, so inconvenient. 

[00:16:32] Tracy: So when we do our safety briefs, we always have to warn you of your own feet. That is the biggest hazard out on the trail every day. 

[00:16:38] Anne-Marie: There. It is. Not the honky nuts or loose gravel or snakes or lizards or anything else. It's literally your own feet. 

[00:16:46] Tracy: Your own feet. Yep. And you're proof.

[00:16:49] Anne-Marie: Yeah. I'm, I'm walking proof of it. 

[00:16:51] Tracy: It was pretty funny as we were walking into Fortescue Bay and you were literally at the beach. You just had to walk down the sand dune. 

[00:16:58] Anne-Marie: It was a rock there. And I found the rock. 

[00:17:02] Tracy: You were literally, it's like falling across the finish line. 

[00:17:06] Anne-Marie: Yeah, finally she took falling over the line. Literally that day. It was quite funny. We just laughed about it. 

[00:17:13] Tracy: We laughed. 

[00:17:13] Anne-Marie: I reckon 

[00:17:14] Tracy: We laughed. 

[00:17:15] Anne-Marie: Everyone else was absolutely beside themselves. Last time we were just laughing our heads off. 

[00:17:19] Tracy: And yes, I did capture it on video.

[00:17:22] Anne-Marie: Which is no one's gonna see. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure people have seen it.

[00:17:27] Tracy: I haven't sent it to anyone, but you probably have. What's one thing you wish more people understood about accessibility in the outdoors?

[00:17:35] Anne-Marie: It doesn't matter what disability you have, you can get out there, wheelchair walking frame, hearing impaired, site impaired. Just ask the company out there Off The Beaten Track or your support company to help you get out into the nature because it.

It don't, it really does change your life in many different ways. 

[00:18:00] Tracy: And is it hard to get started? 

[00:18:02] Anne-Marie: No. Just buy a pair of walking shoes and get out there. There's lots of easy tracks around Perth Use. Use the mapping. Google Maps. There's heaps of other companies out there that you can get onto for free.

[00:18:17] Tracy: Trails WA, that's an amazing resource as well. 

[00:18:19] Anne-Marie: Oh yeah. 

[00:18:21] Tracy: And as well as trails, the, I mean, getting outdoors could be as simple as just going down to your local parklands and they could be paved trails and that's completely fine. 

[00:18:30] Anne-Marie: Yeah, for sure. 

[00:18:31] Tracy: Um, it's about getting outside into that beautiful green space surrounded by trees and just, you know, getting away from technology, the to-do list and the hustle bustle and allowing your mind to be clear, 

[00:18:44] Anne-Marie: it is amazing. Before I took up hiking, I used to just go for a walk around the local lake, watch it refill over winter, which is pretty amazing 'cause all the wildlife came back. 

[00:18:55] Tracy: Oh, which lake was that? 

[00:18:56] Anne-Marie: Lake Claremont. 

[00:18:57] Tracy: Oh wow. 

[00:18:57] Anne-Marie: Yeah. That's about seven Ks something like that. 

[00:19:00] Tracy: Nice. 

Is that a paved trail? 

[00:19:02] Anne-Marie: Yes. Yeah. Paved all the way around. 

[00:19:04] Tracy: So perfect for anyone in a wheelchair or a mobility aid or any disability Really completely accessible.

[00:19:10] Anne-Marie: It's not bumpy at all. Well, there are some bumpy bits, but. Easy to get over. 

[00:19:15] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:19:16] Anne-Marie: I have a friend that lives around there and I'm pretty sure she goes off around there a couple times in a wheelchair. So 

[00:19:21] Tracy: Amazing. You are influencing other people to get outdoors. Anne-Marie, like that's pretty cool feeling.

[00:19:27] Anne-Marie: Yeah, it is. It's amazing. 

[00:19:29] Tracy: That's so cool. How has hiking impacted your life? 

[00:19:34] Anne-Marie: It's impacted my life by changing. For me, coming out playing sport all the time into retirement, it still gets me, makes me physical and fit and it's just most amazing feeling once you've achieved big hikes or a hike that you always wanted to do.

[00:19:57] Tracy: That's so cool. And have you felt a connection, a new connection through hiking? 

[00:20:04] Anne-Marie: Yes, I've made lots of friends. To that, like to do hiking like I do. 

[00:20:11] Tracy: Yeah. 

[00:20:12] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:20:13] Tracy: That's awesome. And now you're part of the OTBT family and you've come on board as a support guide with us. And you know, my, me and the team are mentoring you and training you up to be one hell of a support guide and you're really kicking, like kicking goals out there and just being amazing.

[00:20:33] Anne-Marie: Yes. Being a support guide makes me feel part of the family, do what I love to do, help people being out on track, being outdoors. Most weekends. Yeah. 

[00:20:45] Tracy: And you're, I think you're rostered for some of our accessible adventures coming up, or all of them. Maybe 

[00:20:51] Anne-Marie: I'm on all of them.. 

[00:20:51] Tracy: You're on all of them. Are you excited to be part of that project?

[00:20:55] Anne-Marie: I'm absolutely stoked to be part of that project. Giving back from where I've come from and helping people with a disability is what I love to do. Uh, yeah. And I'm stoked to have one of my best friends out there on three of them as well with her parents. Mm. Your carers, your friends, your guardians can always come out and help you as well.

Whereabout, we're round to give a hand. 

[00:21:20] Tracy: Yeah, there. It's a pretty cool project. I'm very proud to be running it in partnership with City of Kalamunda funded by D-L-G-S-C. Shameless plug here obviously, but they are once a month in the City of Kalamunda all different trails suitable for all different abilities.

And I think there's seven day hikes and then an overnighter at the end, which will be so cool to see. 

[00:21:46] Anne-Marie: Oh yeah. Um, so I can't wait for that one. 

[00:21:48] Tracy: A group of people that have disabil or disabilities or different abilities embarking on overnight hiking, I cannot wait. That it'll be absolute such an impactful experience for everyone.

[00:21:59] Anne-Marie: And don't worry, you've never been on an overnight hike. I was absolutely nervous as before I went on my first one. It was only one night. I can't remember where we went 

[00:22:07] Tracy: Mount Dale. 

[00:22:08] Anne-Marie: It was too long ago. That's right. It was pouring down with rain that day too, wasn't it? 

[00:22:12] Tracy: It was, yep. We had extra challenges to face, but we did it.

[00:22:16] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:22:16] Tracy: And how did you feel when you finished that? 

[00:22:19] Anne-Marie: Absolutely stoked. Amazed that I actually could do it. 

[00:22:23] Tracy: Bit tired? 

[00:22:25] Anne-Marie: Yeah. Tired. 

[00:22:26] Tracy: Tired, uh, smelly. Yeah. 

[00:22:29] Anne-Marie: All, all of the above. 

[00:22:31] Tracy: But so worth it, right? 

[00:22:32] Anne-Marie: Yeah. 

[00:22:33] Tracy: If the trail could talk to you, what do you think it would say? 

[00:22:37] Anne-Marie: You're amazing. 

[00:22:38] Tracy: Oh.

[00:22:39] Anne-Marie: Anyone with a disability should get out there really.

[00:22:43] Tracy: I love this. You are amazing and I'm so glad that hiking has helped you to believe that. So many people out there and especially women, do have problems with seeing how awesome they are and knowing their, their own self-worth. And you know, you're amazing. I think I tell you that every time I see you, 

[00:23:04] Anne-Marie: I'm pretty sure you do.

[00:23:05] Tracy: So you should know that by now. 

[00:23:06] Anne-Marie: I'm pretty sure everyone, the team tells me that every time they see me when they're not giving me shit about. Stuff. 

[00:23:13] Tracy: Yeah, but you know what? You give us shit back, so that's okay. 

[00:23:17] Anne-Marie: So true. So true. 

[00:23:19] Tracy: How old am I? 

[00:23:20] Anne-Marie: Five years older than me. 

[00:23:22] Tracy: Yeah. But you are the one in retirement.

[00:23:24] Anne-Marie: True. 

[00:23:27] Tracy: Well, Anne Marie, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. Your story is a powerful reminder that the trails are for everybody, and that when we make space for people, incredible things happen. If you're listening and feeling inspired, check out the Hike-Ability Program at Off The Beaten Track WA and Follow Trail Tales WA for more stories, just like Anne-Marie's.

We will be back soon with another trail tale. But until then, keep walking, keep talking, and remember, accessibility isn't an add-on, it's a right.