a day of hiking

may 5, 2008
8:45 PM
camp fletcher
today was the day of hiking!

after trying weet-bix with my breakfast of pancakes, cereal and a banana, it was time to load into the bus. our first stop was a visit to the three sisters, which carl told us used to be human girls according to aboriginal legend. a witch doctor turned them into stone to protect them from being eaten by a devil (which had been awakened by a stone the girls had thrown during their play.) apparently, there is another version of the story since aboriginals didn't speak the same language, but the other version is a love story and NOT carl's favorite (therefore, not deserving of being told.) we went to the lookout for the three sisters, which was a beautiful view...and just the beginning of our climbing of steps for the day.

our next step was the scenic railway. we climbed down 10,000 steps (or so the sign told us-but i didn't actually count) and rode back to the top on the world's steepest train. it was especially dramatic with the indiana jones theme song playing as we made our ascent up the hill.

also at the railway were three statues of the three sisters who were depicted as naked women. after my first nude postcard sighting in the airport (and many more after that, unfortunately) i think i've seen something nude every day since! so far, my impression is that in australia, there is no pretense of modesty and they blatantly display what they want to. this also seems reflected in the way they will print almost any word in their newspapers, except maybe the f-word.

we stopped at a sunny park for a lunch of wraps, bananas, juice and biscuits (cookies) all provided from the camp. adter i was full, amy and i got cat naps in the sun before our long hike began.

wentworth falls was one of the most challenging hikes i've been on, but by far one of the most beautiful. over six miles with very steep terrain produced many complaints from some members of the group. although i did fall once and was very tired by the end of the hike, it was completely worth it. i loved hiking through the rainforest, with its thick vegetation. the waterfalls themselves were absolutey gorgeous. the beauty of God's creation never ceases to amaze me.
by the time we returned to the top, my legs were quite tired but i felt accomplished. looking down at the gorge after our steep climb was very satisfying.

we returned to the cmap in time for afternoon tea. one of my favorites was the fruit-probably some of the sweetest and juiciest grapes i've eaten yet. as i was making my way to gather my things to shower, i bumped into marcus, the 2 and 1/2 year old son of the camp owners. my shower was postponed for about 30 minutes in favor of fishing in the dirt, a trampoline and looking for planes in the sky.

dinner was delicious- roast beef, potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli and cauliflower in cheese sauce. dessert was quite comparable-custard and warm chocolate cake. as dinner was wrapping up, carl re-instigate our water war from the day before by using me as his towel. i retaliated about 1/2 hour with a wet hand to my face, which he proceeded to rub against mine. bother. =)

the rest of the evening was spent playing games. mafia was fun, especially with tyler's elaborate story-telling and carl's brief (and forgetful!) narration.

"everyone wake up. wait-i can't remember. everyone go back to sleep." -carl

another round of the slapping game, 10,000 with dice and numbers (using dice) made me laugh, especially sitting next to the witty aussie.