Walk-Life Balance: Michelle Nolan
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The Larapinta Trail, Northern Territory, Australia
David: I’m here today with Michelle Nolan, Pilgrim and Walker, who also happens to be my partner. We probably wouldn’t have met if we didn’t share a love of walking. Tell us about yourself Michelle.
Michelle: I am not far off 60 and was born in Wagga, a country town roughly halfway between Sydney and Melbourne in Australia. That’s about 5 hrs drive from either one. Three generations of my family lived there. There are two large military bases – one Airforce and one Army. In fact, I married a member of the Airforce, we first moved to Adelaide, before moving to Melbourne nearly 30 years ago. I have two wonderful daughters, Em and Steph, around 30 yoa. I work in education and am also becoming a Qigong practitioner.
David: Have you done much walking?
Michelle: I’ve always loved walking. Growing up in the country, it was just how we got around. I walked to school, walked after school to feed the horses, or headed down to the river. Walking has always been part of my life.
Since moving to Melbourne, I’ve lived up in the hills and walked a lot in National Parks and along the Yarra River, maybe 12-15 km in a day, but until 2023 - no multi-day walks.
David: Tell me about your first multi-day, long-distance, mindful walks – as you know, I call them a pilgrimage.
Michelle: In 2023 I walked the Larapinta Trail, which is in the West MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory, roughly in the centre of Australia.
David: I know a lot of people think it is a flat desert, but you found that wasn’t the case, was it?
Michelle: Definitely not flat. That surprised me. It was my first time in the Northern Territory, and I expected a flat, featureless desert. Instead, there are ridges, mountains, beautiful gorges with clear water. The mountain range stretches for more than 200 km. Also, while there are huge stretches of red earth, there is lots of green, more bushes than trees, as well as wildflowers, small animals, birds and, of course, snakes.
David: Tell us about the Larapinta.
Michelle: The full trail is over 200km long and takes up to 12 days from Alice Springs to Mt Sonder.
The terrain is tough; it is very remote and there is virtually no support. Over the time I was there we only saw two other individual hikers. That’s how remote. It also means no hotels, no shops, no water sources except gorges. You carry everything - food, sleeping gear, water. Temperatures were mostly above 30degC [86degF] during the day and about 5degC [40degF] at night. The navigation of the trail is also tough and there are very few markers. We were camping in tents with basic in-ground toilets.
It can be seriously dangerous, with a few people dying on it in recent years and fairly young as well. Most sections are between 15 and 30km and rated difficult. I did five days with a women’s walking group called Her Trails, with experienced guides. We were in a base wilderness camp; picked up early and then dropped into a different part of the trail - but we walked every day.
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David: What drew you to walk such a tough trail?
Michelle: I’d actually heard about the Camino de Santiago about 15 years ago and always wanted to walk that and I was just about to go in 2020, but COVID hit. After that I put it on the back burner.
Then in 2022 I knew I’d be having long service leave in 2023, so I started thinking: what can I do for myself that gets me into nature and gives me time? My life coach had walked Larapinta a few months earlier. I saw her photos of the red earth and felt drawn to it.
At that time, I was meditating daily and during one session I received a “sign”, it was a buffalo, which means a lot to me now. I immediately knew I was meant to walk the Larapinta. Also, the red earth called me. It is so much a part of Australia, and we call it “The Red Centre”.
David: Where were you in your life at that point?
Michelle: A few years earlier, I had separated from my husband and moved out of the family home after 32 years of marriage. I was at a crossroads, not sure what my next steps were. I had a life coach named Kat John, who has a great book called Authentic, and I credit her with helping me initially with tools, strategies, confidence, and she helped me see how my inner child was running aspects of my life. She was a great support. At that time, I also knew that I needed to do something, like a challenge, that could be life changing.
David: What were your expectations before you went?
Michelle: Honestly, I thought I was just going for a long walk. I knew it would be a challenge and that I needed to train to be ready for it. I had the right boots and basic preparation, but I didn’t fully understand the terrain. My expectation was to challenge myself, push my body, and hopefully meet good people. It was a lot tougher than I ever imagined.
David: What about the morning you set off?
Michelle: I was so nervous. The other women were younger - I was the oldest by about 15 years. Most were regular trail runners. I was worried about slowing them down. But I also knew I had done the training.
David: What surprised you in the initial days?
Michelle: How much water I drank. We all carried four litres, and I still ran out by the end of the first day. Also, the rhythm. How quickly I settled into walking, appreciating the beauty, being with myself.
David: What did a typical day on the trail look like once you settled into it?
Michelle: Wake up early, pack up, tape my feet if needed, get the poles out. By day three my knees were really feeling it, especially on steep descents. I’d get into a rhythm, start walking, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You have to, there is no one coming to rescue you out there unless it is an absolute emergency.
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David: Did you meet anyone who changed your experience?
Michelle: All of the women were exceptional, but there were two in particular that I would like to mention.
First was Hannah, a yoga teacher. The day before we started walking, she led a group yoga session. I told her I hadn’t been able to get into “child’s pose” for five years. She simply said: “Be curious with your body.” At the end of the session, she asked me to try again, and I went straight into the pose. That moment taught me my body can do more than I think and to continue to be curious about everything.
The second was Sophie, a 29-year-old woman in our group. On the last day, climbing Mount Sonder in the dark, I was struggling. Only 500 metres from the summit she walked in front of me saying: “Breathe in, breathe out.” She carried me emotionally up that mountain.
The vertical gain on that last day, from the Redbank Gorge camping ground to the summit of Mount Sonder is about 800m. The trail is a challenging, steep, and long climb, not a sheer vertical wall, but it is considered a really difficult hike with that elevation gain over a distance of about 15km.
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David: Was that the hardest moment?
Michelle: That final ascent was tough. To get the most out of it, we had to leave camp at 1am to start climbing at 3am. So very little sleep. That last night was the hardest because I doubted myself. My knees were sore after hard days of walking, and I didn’t want to hold people back. That, and the fact that I love my sleep, I nearly pulled out. Of course it wasn’t the lack of sleep.
David: What was the highlight? The moment that still lives in you.
Michelle: Day three. It was a 25 km day. We had already walked 13 or 14 km, mostly uphill, on slippery rocks, heat and wind swirling around. I struggled for breath at times and fell behind.
But when we reached the high ridge, I could see the whole world in front of me. Mountains, ridges, endless red earth. I still get emotional thinking about it. That was the moment that still lives in me. Everything shifted: mentally, emotionally, physically. Trust, confidence, gratitude, humility. Everything. In fact, someone took a photo. I had my poles and fingers up like horns, I was a buffalo (powerful). [see main photo]
David: How did it feel reaching the top of Mount Sonder?
Michelle: Incredible. Although we didn’t have a single “destination” on the trip because we were doing sections each day, Mount Sonder was the final stage. When we reached the summit, with the desert chill and 1380m in altitude, it was freezing – 0degC. [32degF], huddled together watching the sunrise with my group of women, it was worth everything. Pure joy, pride, awe.
David: How has the pilgrimage stayed with you?
Michelle: It gave me so much strength, not just physically but mentally and spiritually. I can call on that strength anytime. I found absolute peace on the trail on one particular day. A kind of peace I don’t know if I’d ever felt before. I can still access that memory when I need it. It’s an anchor.
David: If someone is considering the walk, what would you tell them?
Michelle: Train and be prepared. Even the way we did, not a straight walk through, is really tough. I was with very fit trail runners and even they felt it. Listen to people with experience. Be open to being supported. That can be hard for some, but it’s important.
David: OK, you’ve had a pre-read of my earlier questions, but now I want to ask a few questions without notice. If I dropped you back on the trail right now, into the moment you felt most alive, what would you see, hear, and feel?
Michelle: I’d see half sky, half earth. Blue sky above, red earth below. Mountains and ridges in every direction. A narrow path underfoot with rocks all the way, that could trip you if you weren’t careful. I’d hear birds even though I couldn’t see where they came from. I’d hear wind. I’d feel heat on my skin. I’d feel alert - because you have to watch every step - but also feel deeply alive.
David: What is one smell or sound you can still sense?
Michelle: The smell of campfire smoke at the end of the day. That smell takes me right back. It meant celebration, sharing stories, listening to Indigenous guides tell us legends and Dreaming stories.
David: Do you feel another pilgrimage calling you?
Michelle: Yes. the Camino de Santiago. I want to do a 12 to 14-day stretch. I know that it will be totally different from the Larapinta, but I’m still being pulled toward it.
David: Was there a moment when the walk felt like a metaphor for your life?
Michelle: Absolutely. The ups and downs, the challenges, the joy, the freedom. It was a journey in every sense; the way we navigate life and unexpected rewards.
David: Although you were in a group, were there moments of solitude?
Michelle: Only two. We were a bunch of strong women, what would you expect! On the third day they asked us to walk 5 km alone. Probably to shut us up. It was spectacular, quiet, reflective, peaceful. We were walking along a riverbed, still watching for rocks, but it gave me time to process everything. The other moment was at Standley Chasm where we were asked to be respectful and silent – this was the moment where I found peace and something immense moved within me.
David: Did that moment change anything?
Michelle: It deepened my gratitude. It helped me understand what I’d already achieved and time to reflect on the last few years of my life. I am looking forward to having more quiet time on the Camino.
David: How did the experience change how you see yourself?
Michelle: It made me much more confident. I’ve had self-confidence issues. Not ever making waves. After Larapinta things began to change and I began taking risks, trusting my gut, backing myself.
David: Do you still have the boots?
Michelle: Yes. I wear them in the national parks or when it’s muddy and I am walking.
David: If you think about the hardest things you’ve done in your life, obviously childbirth, separation and more, from 1 to 10 (10 being the hardest) where does the Larapinta sit on the scale?
Michelle: It’s up there. Probably an 8 or 9 out of 10. Both physically and mentally tough.
David: Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability today, Michelle.
Michelle: No, thank you. It has brought back amazing memories and emotions.
Love walking and a good story? That’s what I write. You’ll see various themes.
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🥾 My Walking Life – Camino stories and other trails and tales.
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👣 Walk-Life Balance – interviews and stories from other pilgrims.
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