Sarah's Hiking Experience

So now it is my turn to tell you the tale of two American girls going into the Australian bush, for three days and not much experience hiking.

Leading up to the Saturday when we would be leaving at 4:30am, I was feeling rather nervous. I don't have much hiking experience, and never have hiked with a pack that is half my size. My mom won't be too happy to read this, but my nervous feelings dissaparated when I tried on my pack and almost fainted. I learned a valuable lesson: the waistband on the pack should rest above my hips, not pinching their sides. After getting absolutely no sleep that night, the Heldon women, Carling and I began our hike. I like to think it started when we left the house, but the hike didn't actually start until you see 'Six Foot Track' signs. The hike was about 40 kilometres, which is about 26 miles, a marathon. Luckily we weren't running the SFT, which by the way has been done in a little over 2 hours, and we have three days to complete it. We kicked ourselves off the train at Katoomba and trekked towards what we would be calling home for the weekend.

Thank goodness the first day was relatively flat. Besides walking down some trecherous steps into the mountain farm lands that is. It was a great beginning because I felt really good about it and would need that motivation to get me through the second day, also known as the hardest part of the hike. Actually, let me repharse, I should change that to 'most challening part', it sounds better. Before crashing in a very beckoning sleeping bag, we toasted my favorite: marshmellows. Nothing like ending the day with toasted sugar.

We woke up at 6am, ate some breakfast to lighten our packs and set out on the most challenging day. I made sure to apply the sunscreen, especially after hearing Australia is #1 for skin cancer. This day was almost completely uphill, each step taking us higher and higher up the mountain. It got so windy up there that we weren't able to sweat. After reaching the top the view was amaz-azing. We could see the steep hills, the farmlands we had crossed, and the cliffs we had stepped down on the very first day.

It was so cold sleeping the second night I kept my winter hat on. I also had some nasty blisters on the back of my heels so I couldn't WAIT to finish this hike and slip on my flip-flops, or thongs as they call them here. The final slope to our 'finish line' was bittersweet. It was downhill so the blisters on my heels were having a break, but that meant it took a toll on the knees and toes. Just before walking down the mount we stopped for a rest and saw a wild kangaroo! We picked out some seeds from our trail mix that he would enjoy and he ate right out of our hands. He was very cute and grasped your hand with his while he ate.

We made it to the end and the feeling of accomplishment surged through my body. I didn't think I could make it but I think somewhere in the second day my legs had gone robotic and were in auto mode. We walked through some sweet caves after a delicious (and expensive) lunch. The caves had some nice stalagtites and stalagmites. We had to wait a while for the bus, and from there only minutes to jump on the train. Getting home and seeing my bed and a shower was nice, I don't think I have never smelled that bad. While on the hike you don't smell it, but on a train, you do.

One thing I learned from this trip was to stop and look up. I was so worried about where I was stepping, didn't want to roll my ankle or trip on a rock, but that made me miss out on what God's painted for us. I made sure after waking the second day to look around, and breathe it all in.

I don't have much to say other than thank you to the hiking group: you Heldon girls are amazing, couldn't have asked for a better gang to spend time with.

Hoping to bring some hiking spirit back to the States,

Sarah Marie

Hiking the Six Foot Track

Would you like to hear about our hiking trip?

I thought so. Since our hiking/camping trip was so long, Sarah and I decided to write separately about our experience on the Six Foot Track this weekend so that you will get a fuller picture of what happened.
For me, the trip began Friday night while I madly loaded up my pack with Angela and Carolyn's assistance on our living room floor. I had no idea what I was meant to take and how, once I had decided, I was supposed to fit it onto the pack on my back. I got a little worried as I stuffed it that I was going to crash under the weight, but luckily once I put it on I realized it wasn't bad at all. I guess carrying all those organic vegetables around in the summer paid off. It took us a long time to finish packing. Angela and Carolyn slept over for the night so we could catch the 4:30 train in the morning, and Michelle came over later to join us. When we finally got into bed, I was totally exhausted but couldn't sleep because of excitement/ nervousness. Sarah and I talked for awhile in bed trying to fall asleep, which completely didn't work. Then we tried to be quiet and sleep, then I called it quits and decided that it was impossible to sleep. End of the story is that when "morning" came, I had gotten no sleep and was extremely tired as I threw on my pack.
Once everyone was roused, we rushed out the door and walked to the train in the light of the moon. I felt this great, super excited, invigorating feeling of starting out on this unknown journey for a whole weekend. At the train we met up with the other Heldon girls, Donna and Rachel and Donna's husband Jason. Our group took up the whole handicapped area on the train and everyone was yawning their heads off. I don't think anyone got very much sleep. The train ride to the Blue Mountains took about 3 1/2 hours. I slept a little on the train, which was freezing cold, and tried to get up some energy for the rest of the day. We arrived at Katoomba station and then began. We had to hike maybe 15 minutes to where the real hike began. Up the first hill I started to really feel the weight of my pack and thought hey, you better get used to this because you have to carry this thing all weekend girl. Actually, once I adjusted it a few times I started to forget I was carrying it at all. After taking a group shot at the beginning of the trail, we started trekking through Nellie's Glenn which was a sort of ravine where you went down tons, and tons of stairs. It was slippery and wet, but the view up the sides of the rock wall was awesome. It took us awhile to get down the Glenn and when we finally did, it felt great to walk on even ground once again. The weather was amazing the whole weekend. The sun was out and their was a cool breeze that helped cool us down. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. During the hike I began to feel like I was really in Australia, and couldn't beleive it. The rolling hills of the mountains reminded me a bit of Pennyslvania, but at a closer look I realized it was totally different because of the flora and fauna. There were lots of eucalyputs trees and other trees with skinny trunks and most of the trees had thin leaves on them.
The most exciting part of day one for me came near the end. We had to cross a suspension bridge over a river to get to the campground. As we got nearer, I thought, no problem. I'm not afraid of heights, this will be not trouble. But as I stood at the top of the bridge, waiting for the person in front of me to finish crossing, I started to feel a bit aprehensive. When I got the okay wave to cross, I held onto the sides and started walking. My bit of fear immediately disappeared as I looked out at the beautiful view of the river on both sides. I crossed safely, except for a bit of turbulence near the end, with a big smile on my face, feeling totally alive and pumped up. I think everyone should cross one of the those bridges sometime in their life.
We reached the campsite around 3:45 and started setting up camp. Already the sun was weakening and it started to get cold. Luckily I was prepared and threw on a beanie and felt a lot warmer. Sarah, Michelle and I all shared a tent, the Himalaya, which was an awesome little tent, Carolyn, Rachel and Angela shared a tent and Donna and Jason shared a tent. We made a nice little circle of tents and set up our cookstoves in the center circle. For dinner we had some hot chocolate, yum, and some pasta that our gourmet chef Michelle the Belle made. We made a little fire, even though we weren't really allowed, and cooked some marshmallows over it and then got in bed around 7:30, totally tired and ready for sleep.
We woke up around 6 am to the birds and made some porridge for breakfast in a communal pot. Day two was the most intense day of hiking, we had been warned. I felt great when I woke up after a good night's sleep and was ready to take on the million hills we had to charge up. I band-aided up my feet and we got going. The sun came out in full force on day two. I started out the morning in longsleeves, but took them off really quickly after the first couple of hills. I knew it was going to be a long day but looked forward to making it through and feeling that sense of accomplishment and the end of the day. Now when I talk about hills, I mean some big hills. Hills that go on forever where you can't see the top. Hills where you climb up to a corner and think it must end soon, but then turn the corner and realize there is a lot more to go. We kept up a good, steady pace throughout the day which saved us and drank tons of water to stay hydrated. As we climbed up the hills to the Black Range, the view kept getting more and more beautiful. I was so glad I decided to come on the trip and decided that no matter how many blisters I had it was worth it. The last two hours of the day were the worst. We leveled out and walked through a foresty part of the trail. There wasn't much change of scenery and everyone was beginning to feel really sore. Rachel and I marched on a bit in front of everyone looking for the pine trees that would signal where the next campsite was. By the time we reached them, it felt like we had been walking in a never ending maze. I have never been so happy to see a pine tree in my whole life and we shared some hi-fives to celebrate. Once we reached the campsite, we crashed on the ground, got out of our uncomfortable shoes and started setting up the tents. It was much colder up in the mountains and I still felt cold in my leggings, pants, t-shirt, thermal shirt, sweatshirt, windbreaker, and beanie. We quickly made some dinner and jumped into our sleeping bags. I slept with my face tucked under the hood all night and actually felt pretty warm. I feel asleep listening to the "footy finals" on the radio that our camping neighbors were listening to. It was very windy during the night and next morning and it didn't take us long to repack and get back on the trail. Our task on day three was to descend the mountains to Jenolan Caves where we would end the trip and take a bus ride back to the train station that would return us home. Going downhill is tough work. The trail was very rocky and slippery and if you weren't careful, you could roll your ankle in a second. The view was amazing though as we went down to the caves. We saw lots of cliffs as we walked along on a skinny path. There is a marathon that goes on the whole of the Six Foot Track once a year, and I have no idea how those guys can run down the mountain without breaking their legs. We were dying going pretty slow. When we finally got to the end of the track, everyone was ready to be done. It couldn't have ended in more perfect timing. We had a celebration and hugs all around and then went down to where the buses were for some lunch. Our bus didn't depart until 3 pm, so we had some time to kill and decided to explore the caves. The caves were amazing as well. Lots of stalagmites and stalactites hung from the ceiling and rose from the floor. We also looked at this beautiful lake that was a bright blue color from the limestone in the caves. At three, we took the bus ride back, saw some more gorgeous scenery, ran to catch the train, and rode the train home sweaty and tired.
I loved this trip. It was a great way to really see Australia and to explore its nature. This was my first backpacking trip and it turned out better than I ever though it would. I couldn't have asked for better people to go with. Everyone had a PMA (positive mental attitude) and made it lots of fun.

Key things I learned:
Bandannas are the best.
Going uphill is better than downhill.
Water is delicious.
Wearing a beanie to bed will keep you super warm.
Laughter is the best medicne and will make you forget all your ailments.

Anyways, that is a brief, haha, overview of how the trip was for me.

Shoutouts go to:
Angela, Michelle, Donna, Jason, Sarah, Rachel, Carolyn for being awesome troopers.
Christian V.E. for being a bandanna wearing backpacker himself.
My parents Mark and Wendy for making me love to play outside.
Hope you can all do some hiking yourselves,
love,
Carling