Journal Reflection #3 - Blue Mountains Trip
For this post, I am going to
follow the format of “what, so what, now what?” in hopes that my reflectional
piece will be able to provide some insight into just how this weekend affected
me and the others I had the pleasure of sharing it with.

WHAT?
Day 1:
Day 1 of our trip consisted of a
bush walk through the Katoomba region of the Blue Mountains. We were treated to
views of the infamous Three Sisters, bell bird calls, and the challenge of 900
steps carved into the natural rock face. Easily my favourite part of the day
was watching Jeremy push his limits and make it through the hole challenge. As
a big guy, it was not easy for him to get through, as he said so himself. I
found it amazing to watch Jeremy make it through with his
perseverance, and watch our whole group motivate him to the best of their abilities. Go Jeremy! That
evening, we cooked dinner with our cabin mates and had a campfire classroom
session before heading off to bed for a good night’s rest.
Day 2:
Day two proved to be one of more
challenging perspectives, mentally, physically and emotionally. We started from
Evan’s Lookout overlooking a huge canyon, only to be told we would hike down
into it, and THEN back out of it again. With Jake as our leader, we were
treated to solo walks, tai chi by the river, the discovery of a shelter by the
river, self-reflection at Junction rock, a spectacular 30-metre waterfall and
the grueling two hours of uphill hiking and burning calves before making it out
of the canyon to be greeted by a human tunnel. Easily, my favourite bush walk I
have done so far while here in Australia.
With different levels of fitness
and past bush walking experience, there were some gaps in the pace of our
group. However, what our whole group was able to do together was to motivate,
cheer and help our fellow adventurers the whole way up the canyon and support our physical and mental struggles. It
may have taken us a while to make it up the canyon with multiple breaks along
the way – but with the amount of support from everyone, I wouldn’t have wanted
it any other way.
Day 3:
The last hike was around
Wentworth Falls, an area I had been dying to see. Misty, foggy conditions made
for a mysterious air to our walk. Easier than the day before, it meant for more
laughs and photographs with beloved Cabin 6 before heading back to reality, as
our three day trip came to a close.
SO WHAT?
At the end of the second day,
Nicki asked us to reflect on three aspects of this trip, which I believe were
relevant in my experience this weekend and the concept of “so what?” in how
this affected me personally.
Self: I have felt many things amongst nature. Relaxed. Re-energized.
Rejuvenated. Happiness like none other. But this weekend, while given the
opportunity to walk a section of the track alone on Saturday, I felt something
I have never felt in nature before; humbled. When hiking with others, I think
sometimes we get caught up in conversation and the screen of our cameras.
However, when I was alone, the sensations of the surrounding nature was almost
overwhelming. It was a reminder of how powerful nature is to be surrounded by
giant cliffs, running water so loud you can’t hear your own breathing, and
green absolutely everywhere. It was a moment in which I truly felt small
compared to the enormity and strength of the natural environment.
This is a video of my solo bush hike - the enormity of nature is astounding!:
https://youtu.be/cu_EiCPA25g
https://youtu.be/cu_EiCPA25g
Others: Between the Friday and Saturday bush walks, I watched to
different individuals push themselves to their limits, physically and
emotionally. What was empowering to watch was their perseverance and personal
discovery in how strong they really could be. Both started off doubting
themselves with the task at hand, and by the end, both were amazed and proud at
how they had accomplished this said task. As I watched these individuals
accomplish these tasks which they thought to be impossible, it made me realize
that if they can power through their struggles, then I have nothing to complain
about and I need to take on their mind set when facing my own struggles in the
future.
Cabin 6 getting silly
at Wentworth Falls!
Nature: At the beginning of our Saturday walk, Nicki informed us
that at one point, the entirety of the Grand Canyon had been underwater
millions of years ago. It was interesting to see how the water had carved out
the canyon, and to learn that a canyon as large as that one could be affected
so drastically by water. I had never seen one so large before and did not
realize this was possible to that extent. It was again a reminder in the power
of nature, and how sometimes we as humans take for granted how powerful, and
consequently devastating it can be.
NOW WHAT?
This trip really allowed me to
see how the concepts studied in class can be applied to experiential learning
and the environment. The hole-challenge on the first day represented one of the
first concepts we discussed in class – “challenge by choice”. Everyone is my
group participated in the challenge, and although some were unsure, tested
their limits to complete it. At no point was anyone forced or bullied into participating
– experiential learning and the desire to participate was what drove my
classmates to participate in the challenge. Consequently, this made for a safe,
healthy learning environment, one in which some grew substantially as not only
an explorer, but in ways applicable to their everyday lives by taking on a
challenge.
In terms of the cabin group I was
involved with this weekend the concept of the Group Development Stages, posited
by Tuckman & Jensen in 1977 was not exactly met. We did experience four of
the five stages – Forming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning/Mourning. Very
quickly I felt a bond and sense of solidarity with my cabin mates, but at no
point did we experience the second stage of “Storming”. I wonder if this was
because we were compatible personalities, or if this stage would have arisen
were we in a more mentally/physically demanding environment, or together for a
longer period of time.
With regards to the environment
and the impact it plays on human beings, my experience this weekend played into
the environmental health discourse. Environmentally, despite the increasing
concerns globally, including climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity,
etc. as a country, Australia has done a spectacular job in sustainability in
their natural environments. The bush walks and parks we experienced were
impeccably well-kept, clean and maintained to ensure human’s have the least
impact possible. It was hard to imagine that these things are currently
occurring around us at a global scale as Australia has done such a remarkable
job at keeping the parks healthy here at home. It seems as though Australia’s
imagery could be used in the Humanistic Discourse argument, in promoting a
healthy human-nature relationship by using what is available to us currently as
a source of helping people to understand how it benefits us in having a
positive effect on the environment (Taylor, 2015; Strife, 2010). Related to
this theme of nature’s positive benefits on us, I found myself to be mentally
happier and less stressed after this trip having been stuck in the city for
some time before this. The concepts of Japanese “forest-bathing” and the
Finnish Forest Research Institute discussed in class have shown scientific
research showing that nature can in fact have the effects that I described as
experiencing this weekend, which was interesting to actually experience
something shown in the scientific field of human-nature connections.
I have also included my video from the end of
the last day, about my thoughts on nature and the professional world,
specifically with a focus on my future career plans. https://youtu.be/FoU9saZu30Q