Baluva

We took the ferry over to Kingston. We kept pulling over for pictures because the scenery was so beautiful. In some parts, the trees were blanketed in fog and the contrast of green moss with white clouds was breathtaking. 

Then we stopped because the trees we were passing seemed to reach on forever, their branches covered in moss so thick that there was barely any room for the brown bark to show through.

And then we stopped because this was 2009 and my friend’s digital camera ran out of space. We had to buy her a new memory card.

One of the biggest surprises for me was the beaches. I grew up with sand dunes and wide open stretches only broken up by a jetty. I was surprised to see driftwood logs on the beaches. It just wasn’t something I’d expected, but they were great to lean against when I was dumping water out of my boots!

I really loved looking into the tide pools. I’d never seen starfish or sea urchins other than ones in aquariums, so when I some all clustered together, I was enchanted.

We also drove to the Hoh Rainforest to check out the Hall of Mosses.

All I remember was silence. My friend and I were too stunned to speak, so the only sound we could hear was our footsteps and the stream of the babbling brook. There were so many shades of green that it was overwhelming. My photos show olive and evergreen and hunter and jade and artichoke and even some chartreuse.

When we began on our hike, I actually experienced a bit of culture shock. The trails Ness and I took surprised me. They were little more than animal paths in some places! It was definitely different than the trails I grew up hiking in the Northeastern US, though I am always pleasantly surprised when I don’t have to worry about twisting my ankles on rocky sections (PA Appalachian Trail, I’m looking at you!).

It was still chilly outside and in some places, there was still snow on the ground! I was enchanted looking at snowflakes hanging off of spiderwebs like crystallized dewdrops.

The gum trees were beautiful, their branches reaching up to the blue sky. It seemed like they were calling to the heavens. Some of them had bark the colors of zebra stripes.

I was hoping to see Australian animals on the hike, but I doubted I would. I really wanted to catch a glimpse of a wombat but they chose to mock me instead by leaving droppings all over the footpaths!

What I did really enjoy was the insects crawling around. We would stop to gaze at the vivid blue beetles, their deep blue wings glittering aqua in the light.

I discovered millipedes all over Mt. Howitt. I’d stop to examine them in the blustering wind. In lieu of wombats, millipedes became my entertainment.

And then there was the scenery. I was falling in love with the Australian mountains, gazing at the landscape, completely awestruck. The hills around me were bright and green but as they stretched on, they turned into a gentle blue. It seemed like they had been carved into the sky.

I remember being taken aback at how deeply these mountains resonated with me. I was so excited to see the location of my favorite books, it didn’t occur to me that I would be so deeply affected by the landscape. I was rendered breathless many times, and it wasn’t just because I was out of shape!

One of my favorite memories is a life goal I accomplished when I went for a hike around Mt. Howitt. The route was inspired by John Marsden’s Tomorrow When the War Began series. I wanted to hike the very mountains the characters do.

There were things that stopped me from investing in a hike like that. I’ve had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) my entire life and I knew it would be extremely difficult for me. But I knew that as time went on, difficult would become impossible. So I decided to seize the day.

I found an amazing female guide, Ness, to help me through the hike. I was upfront about my physical issues and Ness was extremely understanding and accommodated me by breaking the hike up into smaller, easier sections with lots of rest breaks.

That didn’t stop my body from rebelling. My hips froze. Walking up any stairs or hills took everything in me just to get up the next step. My knees creaked on the downhill stretches. My fingers cramped as I held onto ski poles to guide me.

I was embarrassed and apologetic about my arthritic reaction, mortified that I could not keep up. But Ness was understanding and sympathetic. She told me to stop apologizing for what I couldn’t control. She pointed out that my hips were literally moving as much as they could. It was not my fault and it did not mean I was weak.

I thought back to all the hikes I’d done, from elementary school on. All the group situations where I had judged myself for not pushing myself harder, for not being as quick as the others, for being unable to move when others were able to run ahead.

I forgave myself for all of those times when I’d felt weak and inadequate. And it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

That revelation that I was doing my best despite my limitations freed me! I smiled big and wide because despite the pain, I was free from the guilt and embarrassment that had plagued me for so long.

With a weight lifted off my shoulders, I traced my way to Crosscut Saw and the basin of Terrible Hollow. Ness and I sat down at the edge of Terrible Hollow to eat some Ellie Linton-approved Iced VoVos.

That hike wasn’t easy but I don’t associate it with pain. All I can remember is falling in love with the Australian bush. Wandering between the old gum trees was enchanting. It was just rolling into springtime, so buds were beginning to bloom on the branches, bringing new life into the world. And the mountains! The mountains seemed to stretch on forever into the blue horizon.