None of us had any idea of what we were getting ourselves into. Friday morning we were picked up by a 4X4 and began driving to the unknown, which eventually led to over 45 minutes of off-roading up a mountain. The picture below is one that I was able to take when I was not flailing around like a limp rag doll in the vehicle.
We then arrived at where we were staying, which was perfect for me. Living outdoors this past summer, I was more than happy to see that our accomodations were quite rustic. It was great to get away from Ipods, mobiles, internet... everything that takes over modern society and makes us forget the beautiful place in which we live.
Our group was led by Kim, a young mother who has a degree in insects or something and is passionate about conservation. The place where we were staying were owned by two Aussies, Ben, who loved talking about the compost toilets, and Max, who only uttered Australian grunts (but when you could understand him, he was hilarious). It was great to get to know them all, and by the end of the weekend, my prized possession was the picture I had taken with Max and Ben (see below).
Our two days spent there were filled with both work and relaxation. On site we helped move logs and rocks from an area to help prevent forest fires from spreading. The majority of Saturday was spent farther down the mountain, picking an invasive plant called moth weed (see picture below). One girl in particular was not too thrilled about going into the brush and searching for these weeds because of the threat of snakes and spiders, but the only problems we encountered were being "Nettled" (getting prickled by this stupid Nettle Plant that basically took over the entire vegetation).
Although I'm one to never get seriously injured (knock on wood), I often find myself as the one who has the annoying little problems. I, of course, had to be the one mulled over by the wheelbarrow of rocks that fell over, in addition to the one who found a tick burrowing into my back. And I really don't think it's possible for me to walk through the forest without stumbling on every root, rock, and stick.
After preparing "family" meals, our evenings were spent around large campfires, enjoying tea and each other's company. Unfortunately, my camera cannot capture the amazing display of stars we saw. Looking up into the sky that was not ruined by city lights or any other form of civilization was both surreal and unrealistic, and is always a reminder of my insignificance in the great scheme of things. That thought, though, lasted until I got into our cabin and focused all of my attention on how to keep myself warm.. which ended up resulting in 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, 1 jacket, 2 sheets, and 5 blankets.
In terms of wildlife, I did see a couple wallabies jumping around and our campsite was overpopulated with kookaburras. These birds had a fun time messing with us, especially when we were all gawking at a scorpion that we found under a log and a kookaburra swooped right down between us, grabbed the scorpion, and crunched it like a chip.
It was a great weekend, with quite a few laughs, and I already miss the feeling of being away from unadulterated nature.
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