Bucket list: Climb Mount Keira

Stepping out of my comfort zone of being scared of heights

“Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.” –Hal Holbrook

Staring out onto the city of Wollongong and the eternity of Pacific Ocean that lay in front of me was one of the most rewarding and thought inspiring things I have done while studying abroad. After hiking stair upon stair, climbing rocks and looking down in fear at the potential fall, the top of Mount Keira was all worth the rigor. Australia is absolutely breath-taking from every angle. 

To my back and surrounding the bustling city are towering blue mountains that lead the eye to the beautiful blues of the Pacific. When you think about where you are in the world and the vast sea that separates you from the rest of civilization, things are put into perspective very quickly. I’m sure with every mountain there is beauty to be seen, but my appreciation for the landscape around me grew that much more. It took about an hour and a half to reach the lookout and it was an intense trip. Rock climbing minus the ropes had me a little worried, but what is adventure without a bit of butterflies in the stomach? Branching out of my comfort zone one thing at a time! But…going down the climb was another story. Unfortunately, I made everyone take the road down which could have taken a couple hours to get to the bottom. Thanks to my trusty thumb we meet a lovely woman named Amanda that kindly took us to the bottom and my fate was redeemed with the group. We knew everything was safe when she asked Moses in the front seat to hold her purse.

The trip made for a lot of inside jokes and was well worth waking up on a Saturday morning. I have learned my lesson to face my fear and scale the climb down next time and to never step in a water runoff area. My poor shoes were covered in mud. I’m hoping to do the climb weekly, it’s a great exercise and so rewarding! Surprisingly most of the Australians I've talked to haven't done the climb, so maybe I'll be able to drag them for a climb with me sometime. Climbing Mount Keira can be crossed off my bucket list! I'm so excited we are doing so much over here! The girls are leaving me for a weekend in Brisbane, I gave them all my travel tips and they are going to have a fantastic time. Wish I could visit Fraser Island again! We booked all of our plans for spring break this week as well. Ten of us are heading to New Zealand for even more out of my comfort zone adventures! I simply can't get enough I suppose..We are renting camper vans aka 'spaceships' to travel around and get the most out of the landscape and national parks. Showers will be a hot commodity for the week :/ Wow never thought I would be comfortable saying that. We bought tickets to see USA vs. Italy in the World Cup! I'm so excited we get to go! The atmosphere in Nelson will be spectacular! The one thing I really want to do while there is a glacier hike, it sounds like the best thing ever. We are going whitewater rafting and jet boating for a few of the days as well. Before I get too ahead of myself, I have a little school work to complete. The time is flying while I'm over here. 

Skyping makes life so much easier to be away. But my next obstacle will be seeing all the girls back at my house come together for the semester and not being there to share the memories with them. Love you girls! I miss everyone so much, just hearing familiar voices from home gives me chills. I got a few letters this week which always makes me giddy :) Thanks for all your support! Can't tell you how much I appreciate your love! November 21st!