Meebunn-bia!

     3 days of bush walking=most fun I have had in Australia so far.  For my Outdoor Education class we go on two bush walking (camping/hiking) trips.  Monday the 4th of July was the beginning of the first one.

Day 1
     The bus arrived at 7am to take us to Meebunn-bia were we would get to spend 3 days in the bush.  It was around a two hour drive so we arrived around 9.  There to great us were two instructors: Laurs and Hayden.  We got to know them pretty well over the few days we were together.  We started with a little game to get everyone going.  Finally we took off on a little walk to the low ropes course.
     At the low ropes we played a few trust-building games on the ground.  Next we moved to cables that were probably a meter and a half off the ground.  Each element varied a little bit, but on all of them we had to trust our spotters to catch us if we were about to fall.  Even though they were not that high off the ground, it was rather scary to walk on such a wobbly cable.
     After low ropes we hiked up a spur (side of a mountain).  It was quite steep and we all had our packs with everything we would need for the days in Meebunn-bia.  Once we hit the summit is was totally worth it though.  It was a magnificent sight to look out from the top.  We stopped here for lunch and a little rest.
     Since we were at the summit, we had to start to make our way down the mountain.  On the other side we eventually reached a high ropes course.  The course was huge!  After some safety instructions, we were able to get at it.  I have done high ropes once before, but nothing like this.  It was rather challenging, but nonetheless a lot of fun.  There were 3 levels of difficulty,  Emy and I only got to do level 1 and 2 because it started getting dark and we still wanted to do the Flying Fox (I will explain this in a bit).  We heard, however, that level 3 was pretty difficult.  There were two elements that I absolutely hated: the one were we had to jump across swinging tires (so scary) and then the one were we had to jump from swinging log to swinging log.  I spent the most time on the swinging log one and actually fell a couple of times.  Falling was not scary though since we were in a harness and everything.
      When Emy and I finished level 2, we had to rush down to the Flying Fox.  This course led to a zip line.  Flying across the valley was such a great experience!! There was so much to see and it was so pretty!! I enjoyed it a lot more than the high ropes.
      At this point it was getting dark so we started setting up camp.  We didn't have tents, but there were tarps that we could lay on the ground and then set one up as a tent.  My group decided that we would lay the ground tarp down, but we wanted to sleep under the stars since it was such a clear, beautiful night.  This was the first time all of us were actually able to sleep under the stars.  We could never do this at home because of the bugs.  Since it is winter here, there were not a lot of bugs out.  We made some dinner and then sat around the campfire, told stories, and played some games.

Day 2
     In the morning we had some breakfast and then it was time to do a couple activities before we actually started the day's events.  Each instructor had a little station that we went to.  My group (aka Momma Duck) went to Laurs station first.  There we had to play some problem solving games.  There were a couple of really good ones that I would like to use in my own classroom some day.  Hayden's station was next.  There we did some more trust activities.  Last we went to the station with our actual teacher, Steve.  His was all about navigating in the bush.  We talked a little bit about using a compass and looked at some land features on the map.
     When we were finished with all the stations, it was time for each group to set out on a nav course.  We had a map showing us the location of 14 cans.  We had to use the map, compass, and each other to find all the cans.  At the beginning we did pretty well.  We were able to find the cans pretty easily until we got to can number 8.  This one was rather difficult because one the map there was a fork in two rivers where the can should be.  We found a fork in the rivers, but couldn't find the can for like a half hour.  It turned out that the fork we were looking at wasn't on the map so we had to hike up a spur and then walk through the river bed to find the right area.  We finally found it; after that we found the rest pretty easily and made it back to camp for some much needed lunch.
     It was then time to pack up and head out for our next location.  Our next campsite was on another hill side and we wanted to make it there before dark so we could go to the top of this hill and watch the sunset.  The first 3 kilometers were not bad at all.  The ground was even for the most part and we followed a road instead of going through the bush.  However, the final 3 kilometers we a little more strenuous.  This part was all up hill.  Although it was not as steep as the first day.  We made it to camp just in time to drop our stuff off and hike up the hill next to us to watch the sunset.  I was such a beautiful sight!! Not a lot of people have been to this specific area so it was quite peaceful.  We all went off to find a spot to sit by ourselves and have a little moment of reflection.  For me it was a very spiritual moment and I really enjoyed it.
     After the sun set, we headed back to camp for dinner.  When we were finished eating we again sat around a campfire to chat.  Most of the girls went to bed right away, but the people I hung out with all stayed up and we got to know each other pretty well.  Steve suggested we all get up early and hike up the hill again to watch the sunrise.  Hayden said that he would actually be willing to sleep up there if anyone else wanted to.  Luke, Sarah, Garrett, Shaughn, Emy, Nicole, and I decided that we would love to sleep up there!!
     It got pretty chilly after the sun went down and the wind picked up quite a bit so we took a large tarp up. It was heaps rocky everywhere so we tried to find a flat spot with not so many rocks.  This proved to be easier said than done.  We finally gave up and just decided to deal with sleeping on rocks.  We all laid down and then Hayden had to tuck us in by pulling the other part of the tarp over us to help block the wind.  We looked like a human taco!  It was great though because we were protected from the wind, but still able to sleep under the stars. I just can't explain how magnificent they are.  The southern hemisphere naturally has more stars then the northern and they are just so bright.  There was no light pollution so we were able to see them so well.  It was seriously overwhelming and we just lied there in awe.  Finally we fell asleep, but we were up at the crack of dawn!

Day 3
     It was a great experience rolling over and seeing the sunrise!! It was definitely worth sleeping on huge rocks.  We enjoyed our breakfast and then packed up to head back to camp.  There were a few things we had to do before we could take off for our final day.
     Around 8 we headed down the path to our next obstacle.  It was another high ropes course, but this time you had to do it connected to another person.  So they had to work together to make it through.  I decided not to do it because I didn't think it would be enjoyable to me.  Only a few people actually wanted to do it.  We were all getting pretty tired by day 3.  We had a little snack and then continued down the rode.
     Our next stop was not far.  Here we would have to climb a tree and then jump!!  We climbed up a swinging rope ladder about 13 meters off the ground.  Then we had to climb onto a tiny wood platform and wait a little while for Hayden to get everything ready.  Finally it was time to jump.  It was like a free fall, but of course we were in a harness and attached to cables.  I was the first girl to go and also the first one to jump off backward.  It was so exhilarating!!    When I reached the ground, there was so much adrenaline going through me that I was shaking, but I loved it!!  Only two more people jumped off backward.  It wasn't scary once I actually left the platform.  It was just the getting up there and making myself jump that was hard.  When everyone who wanted to had a chance to jump, we took some time for lunch.
     Then it was time to head for our final activity.  All they told us was that we would be able to climb a pine tree.  Nicole, Emy, and I were thinking we might sit this one out because we can climb trees whenever we want at home.  However when we got there we changed our mind.  This was not a pine tree like we have in the states.  I think it was called a Hoop tree or something like that because the branches grow in ringlets around the tree.  The most challenging part about this was that we would have teams and be attached as we climbed this tree.  It was so hard and the branches were so far apart.  We had to use every muscle in our bodies to make it to the top, but we did it.  I was so thankful that Hayden was the person behind me because he helped me out a heap.  There was one point I actually almost fell.  I just let out a scream and scrambled back onto the branch.  Once safely in the branch, I just started laughing and crying.  We were up in this tree for more than an hour, but finally we all made it to the top and back down.  I was so happy once I touched ground.  It was a wonderful sight at the top, but it was scary getting there and getting back down.
    Our group chose the big tree of course and we made it our goal for all of us to get to the top instead of just the first person making it and then spiraling down.  Therefore we took quite a bit longer than the other group.  They actually left before we even started coming down because it was almost time for the bus to be there.  When we made it to the ground, we took a quick picture and then ran to meet the others.  We got there just in time for a little debrief and then it was time to head back.
     We got back to Lismore at 6:30 Wednesday night.  Everyone rushed to the shower.  It was wonderful to have a nice warm shower after 3 days in the bush.  We all ate a quick dinner and then met up again to watch the State of Origin which is a big rugby game.
     There are 3 State of Origin games every year.  The team that wins two out of three times is the champ.  When we first arrived in Australia, Nicole, Emy and I tried to watch the 2nd State of Origin, but none of us understood the game and we were still a little jet lag.  We only made it through half the game.  This time our goal was to watch the entire game.  We sat next to Ryan who was able to explain the rules to us so it was much more enjoyable and we made it through the entire game!  Sadly, New South Wales lost, but it was still fun to watch and understand a game of footy.  After the game was over, we all went straight to bed.  It was an exhausting few days!
     Even though it was exhausting, we all had a great time and we are looking forward to our next trip!!