From April 28th through the 30th I partook in a hiking and camping trip in the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney Australia. During this blog here I'll be reflecting on my experience through visual stimuli (these photos) in an effort to portray an image or story to the reader. I hope you enjoy, cheers.
Photo #1:
This first image was taken on Friday April 28th at around noon (12 pm), this is one of the 3 sisters standing tall with the rest of the park in its still beauty behind her. There originally were 7 sisters but over the years they've been weathered away. We started that day at around 6:30 am to catch a train out to Katoomba and then began our hike shortly after. We began descending into the park around 8:30-9:00, stopped for lunch along the way as a group, and eventually made the trek upwards to this lookout point where the hike finished. It was a rather interesting first hike, not too difficult but yet very rewarding at the finish. This photo in particular addresses several issues to me on a personal level. Firstly, I hadn't been on a hike like this one in several years not in terms of difficulty but raw beauty, and I'd forgotten how just doing something that we do everyday, walking, can be so rewarding if you immerse yourself into a different setting. (E.g. Walking to class vs walking in the bush). I'm from Burlington Vermont as you may know and there are several hikes one can take in that area but none that can compare to this, and the vastness of the Blue Mountains. In other words I re-gained my love for hiking from a new perspective. That day was also the first day that I'd met all the people in our group and I expected something from everyone, and that was to not immerse themselves in the experience, I expected that everyone would treat this trip as a way to get likes on social media, feeling the need to capture nature in a photo or video as opposed to just taking time to walk and enjoy themselves. However as I began to take notice of my surroundings and of others in the group, I became increasingly aware that most people on the trip were doing just the opposite of what I'd expected, they were laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves more than I'd anticipated which was enjoyable to see. Finally this photo shows me the deeper side of the environment, as an environmental science major I have a deep understanding and indebtedness to the natural world. Even though this photo was taken upon the top of an anthropogenic structure, it still captures the innate world and all of mother natures raw beauty. Looking at this scene and taking the photo was just a nice reminder that there's still untouched land on this planet and it acts as an incentive I believe to take action in the conservation of such wonders.
Photo #2:
When I see this photo I can't help but look at it and smile. If you can't tell this is me curled up in fetal position on a rock asleep, yes that's correct I'd fallen asleep on a rock! This photo speaks volume of several things that were going on at that time. Firstly This was on our second day of hiking and the longest one, yes I was tired, but I also had reestablished a deep connection with the natural world I believe. I mean I'm asleep on a rock, when you're asleep you're at your most vulnerable and submissive state, to perform such an act (as easy as it might be) but to feel comforted by a solid rock speaks of extreme solidarity in ones mental state. I had also during this time now felt much more comfortable with some of the others on the trip, if you can see there are other hikers sleeping next to me and we all were enjoying ourselves. We had all become more relaxed even though some would label hiking as the opposite of relaxing, this day tended to have such an affect with people. The reason why I say hiking is the opposite of relaxing is because when most people think about "relaxing" they picture themselves on a beach with a cold drink, not sweating/hiking in a cool environment. Which brings me to my third point, it's very interesting that nature has that effect on people. The environment can push you to your physical limits, and yet bring you into a state of absolute bliss and relaxation which is what I think most of us found out at this point, if we realized it or not! You can be sweating, smelly, and having your muscles ache, but once you stop, breath, and realize where you are it all becomes coercively relaxing in the most natural way. It is almost hard to explain, but the best way to understand what I'm talking about is to simply go out yourself and live through it.
Photo #3:
Here's my last image and oh does this ever speak to me, this was the end of the second day hike, arguably one of the top 3 hardest hikes I've ever done. It was at this point that I realized my own potential. I hadn't hiked that long in years, and I took this photo at the top of the "finish line" if you'll call it that. That last leg of the hike had forced me to take control of myself mentally, it was a complete mental game at that point, and one that I didn't know that I could win or not, but I did, intact I was the first one to finish and consult with our bus driver whom was a very nice man. For my reflection on the others in our group, I said this at the fire and I'll say it again, you can not judge a book by its cover! People surprise you in ways you'd never imagine, I met so many new friends whom at first glance I didn't want to converse with, or befriend at all. They showed incredible traits of affability, persistence, and fortitude. As for the environment, this photo speaks for itself; honestly when I look at this photo I think of walking down into the bush from those bright colored rocks, then the bush tossing me around, beating me up, chewing me, and spitting me out at the top. Yet, when I was spit out at the top I was extremely thankful and appreciative of what I'd just accomplished, my mood was elevated, my mind was clear, blood pumping, muscles aching, and all together my face had a huge smile on it. This was a trip I'll never forget, and already I can feel as if I need another one of these walks to set me straight! Cheers for reading and I hope you've enjoyed my breakdown of this incredible experience.
