Initial Thoughts

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”

John Muir

This phrase perfectly describes my experience at the Blue Mountains. From my time in Australia, the trip to the Blue Mountains has definitely been one of the best weekends so far. It exceeded my expectation in every possible way. This three day hike was a great opportunity to learn and test myself. According to research by Jon Barrett and Roger Greenaway outdoor activities can improve an individual’s humour, patience, energy, optimism, self-confidence and self-esteem (Greenaway). All of which proved to be true with every hike.

After completing the first day of hiking

About myself, I learned that I am more capable than I thought. Some parts of the hike were challenging, like the giant stairs to the three sisters. However, getting up there and admiring the view, I felt proud of what I had done. I learned that the attitude you have towards certain situations totally defines your mood and that of others around you. On Friday, the weather conditions were not ideal. The rain and the wind made the hike a little but uncomfortable sometimes, but instead of being upset about it, I decided to stay positive and be happy about the fact that not many people were in the trail because of it. In addition, there were moments up the stairs that I wanted to take a break every three steps, but I decided to push through as I knew that I was setting the pace. I knew that if I kept going it would motivate others to also power through.

Another example of this was when we would start singing and making jokes throughout the hike. I think this is one of the reasons i enjoyed this trips so much. The trip was filled of good energy and laughter. By being open to others, I got to bond with people I had not met before and create even stronger ones with the people I did know.

Team dynamic in day 2

By getting to talk to people in different groups I got to learn a lot from others. One of the  biggest things was realizing how everyone was looking for different things throughout the hike. Even though we were all walking the same trails, we each took different things out of it.  During the bonfire, I was able to hear how we all had different views on how the day went. Some were wanting an escape from the city for the weekend, some thought of it as a good athletic challenge, and others thought it was an awesome opportunity to take in some breathtaking views and amazing pictures. Even though we all had different expectations about the trip, it was really easy to bond with the group and work as a team each day. Everyone was considerate of others, whether they wanted to stop for a break or just to take a picture. I believe that this type of trips that take you away from the busy city life and other material distractions make it so much easier to talk to people. I think not having signal most of the trip made the whole experience so much better. It was good to take a break and just be present in the moment.  

Views straight out of a movie

Furthermore, I got to learn so much more about Australia’s ecosystem through this trip. When we went to the Royal National Park, I felt like I only got a glimpse of it. However, this trip took us through an amazing range of changing landscapes. One second you could be walking a dry, rocky terrain and 20 steps later you would enter a rainforest. I was impressed how different ecosystems could exist so close to each other. It makes you think about how everything is so perfectly designed, and makes you admire the power of mother nature. At a point through the hike during the second day we were talking in our group how we felt like we entering a scene from Jurassic Park or Temple Run. Everything so perfectly designed that it seemed unreal. Another moment that got me thinking about nature happened during the first hike. We had just got up to the three sisters and wanted to take a picture with all the wind blowing our hair. However, when we got to the bridge part to pose, the wind stopped. We probably waited for about 5 minutes to see if the wind would come back. This shows one of the beauties of nature, which is that we can’t control it. We can’t make it to stop raining or take away the wind from our faces while we eat. You have to be the one that adapts. This allows you to immerse yourself more in nature and connect with it better.

For all these reason, I am happy to have had to opportunity to take this trop. Each hike was different in it’s own way. Each had different landscapes, different challenges to surpass, and a different team to walk it with, and I honestly can’t pick which day was my favorite. I loved every bit of the Blue Mountains, and I look forward to planning more trips like this in the future.

References

Greenaway, Roger. "Why Adventure?" In Search of Respectable Adventure, reviewing.co.uk