The Wilderness Must Be Explored

I credit myself on being a major Pixar buff. Like every Pixar enthusiast out there, I have learned a few things here and there from the movies. Finding Nemo taught me to ‘Just keep swimming when life gets tough’. Ratatouille taught me that ‘Anyone can cook’. Monsters Inc. has taught me that ‘Laughter is 10 times more powerful than screams’ and in 2009, a young boy named Russel from Up taught me that ‘The wilderness must be explored, kaw kaw rawr’! Well, I had to explore.

Last week, I was required by my Outdoor Education class to go on a 3 day hiking trip to the Blue Mountains. It was one of the most challenging things I have done in my entire life. A 2 hour Friday morning train later, I was in Katoomba accompanied by my professor  and classmates. The hike was beginning right then and there. We arrived at Scenic World and after a ride down the mountain on the new and updated railway, we had nothing left to do but hike. All I knew was the the hike would last 5 hours. Little did I know that the last hour would be going up over 900 stairs. No pauses or flat land, just up.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never nonstop walked up over 900 stairs before. I had no other choice but to start climbing. The way I looked at it, the sooner I began, the sooner it would finish. Looking back at it, climbing those stairs was nothing compared to what I would have to do the next day.

Speaking of the next day, Saturday was going to be an 8 hour hike, a breeze as we were told by our professors. Mother nature had something else in store. There was a breeze alright, along with nonstop down pouring rain. The weather was so terrible that after a few hours my rain coat couldn’t even repel the rain. It was just soaking everything up. I’m not sure how those 8 hours passed. I was a roller coaster of emotions. I was trying to look at the brighter side but couldn’t even find one!

The third and final day of the hiking trip was yet another challenging one. Not because the hike was hard to do but because my legs were about to fall off from the day before. After that 5 hour hike, it was finally time to go home. I can definitely say that my patience was tested many times. The whole trip was supposed to be a physical challenge, but it somehow turned into a mental one.

I’m proud of myself for finishing the hike, but I don’t know if I want to go hiking again anytime soon.

Over and out mates!