Weekend in the Blue Mountains

Who knew how special these 3 days would be.

It is 10pm and I have been in the library since noon (I told you school was hard!!). I've had my head buried in my "Contemporary Politics in Australia" book for the day and I decided to take a break to share with you all about my weekend in the Blue Mountains. 

This past weekend, I went hiking with my Outdoor Education Class. Yes, I know I joked a lot about this class prior to my arrival here. However, I take back everything I said. Going into it, I assumed the class would be a joke. It would be an easy A and I could get on with exploring Sydney.

Little did I know how special these past 3 days were going to be.

The Blue Mountains trip was everything I hoped for and more. The hikes pushed me each day and I felt so accomplished by the end of the weekend. On Friday, we saw the Three Sisters, Saturday- hiked the Grand Canyon, and Sunday- the National Pass. 

Fitbit Report- Friday: 8.02 miles, 122 flights of stairs  Saturday: 9.58 miles, 218 flights of stairs Sunday: 6.6 miles, 104 flights of stairs

Needless to say, I was in bed by 8:36pm Sunday night and was dead-asleep for 12.5 hours. 

Each night, we sat around a big campfire and had a debrief of the day. On the first night, we went around the circle and talked about something good, bad or funny from the day. The next night, we did the same thing before but went a little deeper, reflecting on our solo hikes from the day. We discussed things we learned about ourselves, others and the environment. 

There's something incredibly special about sitting around a campfire. It is intimate. It is still. You can consume yourself in staring at the embers. And it is almost anonymous. You can say whatever you please, get as deep as you want, or as silly as you want, without the judgment of others. 

The trip made me reminisce on my days at Monterey and the 12 summers I spent there. Stepping into these woods put me right back into the rolling hills of Putnam County. My fire-making skills came back immediately. I didn't care that my feet were covered in dirt or that my legs felt like they were about to fall off. 

I had forgotten how much I loved the outdoors. I felt at home again. Our professor's energy illuminated the group and it was beautiful to see the physical manifestation of that among my peers. It was a very special weekend for EDUH 4052. 

I have a busy week at uni until my parents arrive in Sydney on Friday! I am so excited to see them. The three of us will head to New Zealand on Sunday to spend the week there for my *autumn* break. 

See you next week with a report of how the Kiwis live!

xx, ​Em