Blue Mountains Reflection

Our weekend in the Blue Mountains was an unforgettable experience. Even a week later, I can think back to that weekend and remember how at peace I was while hiking around even after eight hours and then how sad I was to return to the city that Sunday.

From the first day, the weekend taught me so much about myself, others, and the environment we were hiking in. I’m not just saying that because that was the goal of the course – I actually did learn a lot.

I learned the most on the most challenging day, which can be demonstrated in the edgework and flow theories. As the challenge increased, I got closer to my edge zone, but never entered the anxiety area, allowing for optimal experiential learning to take place (Csikszentimihalyi, 1991; Lyng, 1990; Merged by Gustafson, 1994, revised 2006). Throughout the weekend and the class in general, we discussed comfort zones. When I was younger, I was afraid of everything. Roller coasters, haunted houses, heights, animals, and more would send me into hysterics. Those fears remain, but my previous experiences in tackling these fears have allowed me to have a very wide comfort zone when tackling uncomfortable situations.

I did, however, learn about a different part of my comfort zone during our weekend. I am most comfortable when I am in control of the pace and the timing of the hike. Over the weekend, we took turns leading and walking in the back. I had little say in what we were doing or how fast we walked. It made me antsy.

Learning a new kind of patience and having to let go of control, however, was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Relaxing and walking at the back of the group afforded me endless opportunities to slow down, talk to new people, and enjoy the present moment. I noticed my itching desire to take the lead slowly faded away when I was engrossed in conversation. This allowed me to be mindful of the itch on Sunday and consciously take a step back when I began to worry too much about timing or the walk. I think the little things we learned about ourselves on the two days prior to our cabin-only hike allowed us to enjoy Wentworth Falls more than we otherwise would have.

I learned about others at different stages of the trip. The girls in my cabin grew to be quite close in the three days we spent together, just by playing games, discussing our cultural difference, and making a music video. Just by each of us opening up a little, we were able to create a deeper bond than we otherwise would have.  

Another part of the trip that I’ll never forget came during the middle of the Saturday hike. We stopped by a tree and were asked to partner up with somebody we hadn’t talked to much on the hike. Alex Cammy offered to partner with me. I didn’t know Alex at all but was glad that he had offered to be my buddy. Before we continued walking, we took turns painting our faces with the residual from the tree. Alex painted me first, giving me a goatee and unibrow. I quickly retaliated and we had everyone laughing. I learned how quickly people can bond with a small joke as long as we are willing to not take ourselves seriously. We continued walking together and I learned even more about him. Our ensuing chat came effortlessly because it felt like we had already been friends for a while after the war paint experience.

As for the natural environment, I learned about the Blue Mountains throughout the hikes. When we descended into the many different environments and experienced everything around us, the learning came naturally. I was so impressed to hear we were in the second largest valley in the world, and excited to learn about how to determine if water from a stream is more likely to be safe to drink or not. During the hike, I began to appreciate all parts of nature, from the most beautiful waterfalls to the coldest swimming water of my life. Even after spending three days surrounded by mountains and trees, I couldn’t get enough.

The campfire debriefing period allowed me to reflect on the day and remember what I had learned and helped me to think about how I can apply it to my future (Schoel, Prouty & Radcliffe, 1988). Moving into the fourth stage of the experiential learning cycle, testing implications in a new situation, I’ve already started applying my knowledge about myself to my everyday life when I am planning activities with my friends and working on group projects (Kolb, 1984). I think for experiential learning to be most effective, these experiences need to reinforced over time, so that participants are constantly reminded of their own strengths and weaknesses and the lessons they have learned.

Looking back on my first blog at the beginning of the semester, I had hoped “to bond with others, see new places, and make memories of a lifetime”. Our trip to the Blue Mountains accomplished each of these three goals. After such a successful semester, I hope to take advantage of more of these kinds of opportunities in my future. There is so much more to learn and see and the trip awakened a new desire to see as much of it as possible.

Post-Blue Mountains Reflection Video

RNP Reflections

            Royal National Park was an amazing experience. While I have gotten to do a number of other walks in Australia already, I have always been with people I know relatively well, with a plan and a basic understanding of the walk in mind. This class gave me the opportunity to explore a beautiful part of Australia that I otherwise probably would not have visited with people I didn’t really know and made me put my faith into the leaders that the trip would be successful. Each of these experiences taught me something about myself.

Learning things about myself, others, nature, and prepping for the future!

            The bush walk through the park afforded us many amazing sights and surprises. From seeing whales to witnessing the beauty of Wedding Cake rock to taking a dip in the freezing natural infinity pool at the end, we had the chance to really appreciate the natural world around us. I learned that while sharing the experience with friends and others is fulfilling, I appreciate nature the most alone. When the world around me is nearly silent, filled with the sound of the waves crashing and bird wings flapping instead of exclamations of the beauty in front of us, I can truly appreciate the world bigger than me. I love to just let nature speak for itself.

            My group, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy the walk most when sharing it with the rest of the group, taking pictures and chatting for most of the trip. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone else in my group. From experienced hikers and divers to those who never considered themselves an “outdoorsy” person before, it was interesting to observe how each person appreciated the walk in their own way. While many in the group knew each other prior to the walk, everyone made an effort to branch out and meet someone new. I also enjoyed simply standing back and watching as the group interacted within itself; it provided me with some insight in how an outsider might observe me when with a group of my friends.

A beautiful place for the end-of-day reflection

            While putting my faith in the leaders was quite easy to do, as I knew they had far more experience than I did with the area and all these walks as well, there were more minor things that I had to consent to that I didn’t always love. I know myself pretty well and can admit that I am a high-strung, type A personality; I like to be able to control a situation and have authority in what I do. I had to accept that I would have little knowledge of the walk before getting there. I also had to accept when the group moved slower than I wanted to walk, that others should take turns leading the group and bringing up the end, and that, as part of a class, I was not allowed the same kind of independence that I am accustomed to in the rest of my life.

            Each of these learning moments provided me the ability to understand others and myself in a new light. I am looking forward to the Blue Mountains trip. As a three-day experience I am certain I will be faced with new challenges that will teach me even more than this short bush walk.  

Initial Thoughts

At first I was hesitant to sign up for this class. Not because of the hiking aspects or because I didn’t think it sounded interesting enough. I was hesitant to sign up because it doesn’t fulfill any of my major requirements or any general education requirements by my university back home. Now I can say I have never been more excited for a class three weeks into a semester.

I decided to sign up because, when in Australia, I want to be outdoors as much as possible. This class is going to bring a whole new perspective to enjoying the outdoors and it will bring me closer to people who are also excited about being in nature and hiking and doing adventurous things.

In my lifetime so far, I’ve been lucky enough to experience a number of adventures myself. From paragliding (twice), to glacier trekking, zip lining, white water rafting and more, to simply hiking with my family from a young age, adventure has always been at the core of my being. That doesn’t mean I’m not absolutely scared to death when I am about to partake on a new adventure, it simply means that I know how conquer my fears and how to always say “yes” when presented a new opportunity.

I think I will bring my experience with adventure, optimism, and my organization skills to any group with whom I work. My majors – public policy and global health – require an abundant amount of group work and I have a lot of practice working with others. I am excited to translate this knowledge into a new environment, where it will be less about turning in assignments, except for the media campaign, and more about reflecting on ourselves and nature with fellow students who are also looking to make the most of their time here.

The trips will certainly provide the unique experience of exploring new areas with a group of people who I don’t know very well. I am hoping to bond with others, see new places, and make memories of a lifetime! That’s not too much to ask for from one class, right?