Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback

Davidson headed out alone from Warburton. She followed Gunbarrel Highway, wearing sandals that kept her cool but exposed her feet. She wouldn’t see another person for at least a month. As she walked, the days passed in a blur. Time deformed. She continued thinking about her life, relationships, and past and familiarized herself with the land and native wildlife. She felt her identity melting away. She no longer cared about societal conventions either. She went naked more often. She also mused on the Aboriginal way of life, comparing it to European traditions and histories.

One of the biggest obstacles during this leg of the journey was the native spinifex, a desert grass filled with spikes and poisonous to eat. Despite this risk, Davidson learned to enjoy herself. She left her alarm behind and gave up on her schedule. One night she even frolicked and danced with Diggity and her camels. She rediscovered the joy of play, which she argues is something we have lost the ability to do.

Roughly “halfway along the Gunbarrel,” Davidson encountered another group of wild bulls (202). Her gun jammed again and she panicked. Around this time, she was writing a lot of letters to her friends in her journal. She didn’t send most of them, but writing about her trip was a way for her to document what she was experiencing and her associated emotions in real time. She includes excerpts from a letter she was writing to her friend Steve on the night she encountered the bulls. She tried to keep calm and ward off the bulls. She was desperate to protect her camels and Diggity. The bulls finally left and she was safe.

In the letter, Davidson also described the beauty of the Mungilli claypan. She went on to detail how her regard for nature, society, time, and her body was changing. In retrospect, these letters are the best way Davidson has of remembering what she experienced in the desert.

Davidson reflects on her deep love for Diggity. They were so close she often thought of her as a human. She describes all of her good qualities and how much she relied on her. Diggity was protective of Davidson, too. One night, a man who called himself the Overlander showed up at her camp. He said he’d heard about her and insisted that they were on the same adventure. (He was test-driving a vehicle through the desert.) Diggity didn’t like him and neither did Davidson. Disturbed by his intrusive, odd behavior, she was relieved when he finally left. She put him out of her mind, no idea how he’d upset her journey later on.

Davidson was overcome by depression when she got to Carnegie. The land was wrecked, dry, and overgrazed. The animals were dying, too. One night, she got upset when Diggity seemingly killed a kangaroo. She considered eating some of the meat but remembered Eddie’s warnings about improperly skinning a kangaroo and left the dead animal behind.

In Glenayle, Davidson stayed with a friendly family. They were generous despite their difficult circumstances. From Glenayle, she continued to the Canning. In three weeks she’d be in Wiluna. She felt sad realizing the trip was nearing its end.

Davidson struggled on her first days through the Canning, but the landscape was beautiful, and she eventually discovered a sense of peace. Lying in her tent one night, she reflected on everything she’d learned from the trip thus far. She realized everything she’d wanted from the trip and was glad she’d discovered new ways to combat her despair. She also felt she could live alone forever. Another lesson from this time was that death was unpredictable and final.

One night, Diggity wandered from camp and returned home acting strangely. Davidson panicked when she started to vomit. She realized she was poisoned but didn’t understand how it’d happened. She shook Diggity over her head, hoping to save her. Her condition only worsened. She started hallucinating and seemed to know that she was dying. Davidson realized she couldn’t save her and shot her in the head to end her misery.

Numb with despair, she forced herself to sleep that night. In the morning, she stood over Diggity’s body unsure what to do. She decided not to bury her but said goodbye before leaving. She couldn’t feel anything.