As I get older, there are more and more things that get me up at sunrise, like a good surf session or an early start for a trip somewhere amazing. And there are even fewer things that get me up
before sunrise, before the first light of day even. It just so happens that I saw first light TWICE last week!
Two weekends ago, Paco and I ventured down south, crossing a state border for the first time into New South Wales. We avoided the long-weekend crowds by skipping past Byron Bay to Lennox Heads, a much quieter beach town with rocky headlands and clear water. There are also sharks, but we did survive a pretty decent surf session.
Surfing with my new board and wetsuit!
While the beaches were beautiful (Australia is like 5 for 5 right now...every single beach has been incredible!!), the real highlight of our trip was our hike to Mount Warning. Mount Warning, or Wollumbin for Aboringinals, is the heavily eroded crater of the Tweed Volcano. Although it now stands only half as high as it once did, it is still the first place the light touches in all of mainland Australia. The thought of being the first in all of Australia to see the new day was enticing! But....that meant we had to be at the top by first light, and to be at the top at first light, we had to hike before first light. Yes, we hiked the steep 4.4 km up to the top in the PITCH. BLACK. DARK.
Our alarm went off at 1:00am and we were out of the hostel by 1:30am. SEE THAT A.M.? At this point, the stars are out, and we are both looking at each other wondering how we came to be so crazy to attempt this! As we are getting in the car, a taxi is parked across the road, surrounded by a few people.
"Oh look, they must be doing the hike too!" I exclaim.
"Uh, they're all drunk...." Paco pointed out.
HA!! We're leaving for a hike as people are coming home from the bar......................................that's a good sign.......
After a 1.5 hour drive through windy, foggy (and quite creepy), country roads, we made it to the parking lot and trail head. I don my new (on sale!) winter coat as it is quite chilly, we switch on our headlamps, and start up the trail with a handful of other crazy people. Not only are we hiking through rainforest in the dark alongside who-knows-what animals, but we now have only an hour and a half to make it up the mountain. Most people allow two or more, but we weren't going to drive all this way to miss first light. So we booked it. My winter coat came off reallllllly fast, and before too long, sweat was dripping off the tip of my nose. Rocks and roots protruded from the path, and darkness to my left could only mean one thing - a sheer drop off. "Just don't trip...don't trip..." I kept telling myself as I hustled along, out of breath. And if 4km of this wasn't enough of a rush, the last .4km of the trail was a nearly-vertical rock face. On the side, there is a chain hikers use to pull themselves up the trail, and someone had drilled shallow foot and hand holes in the places where the rock had become smooth with wear. One misstep and you were going straight down to the bottom. We were free climbing by starlight.
Once at the top, we joined about 20 other people to reap the rewards of our intense climb. Still out of breath, we look out to the east over the mountains below towards the ocean. The fog we had driven through hung low in the valleys, making it look like the mountain peaks were poking out of a blanket of snow. Over the ocean, the sky began to lighten from dark, blood red to burning orange, golden, and hot pink. Whispers of Ooo's and Ahh's and the click of camera shutters are the only sounds on the lookout platform as the sun creeps closer to the horizon. Just before the sun appears over the sea, we see the reflection of the sun on the water. Just for a few seconds, all we could see was the reflection, and then finally...Sunrise! Yep, this hike was absolutely worth it!
First light over the ocean!
SUNRISE!
The hike back down was quite relaxing and enjoyable, minus the rock face part. It was nice to see the same trail in the light of day! We even saw a Wompoo Fruit Dove and listened to it's odd calls. (
Listen here!)
A total of 8.8km (5.5 miles) was worth it, and it just wouldn't have been such a cool hike if not for the sunrise experience. After the hike, we stopped in the small, hippie town of Uki (pronounced "ook-I) for a celebratory cup of coffee. From the front porch of the cafe, we could see the rock face at the top of Mount Warning. We played an awesome game of Hanabi, enjoyed good coffee, and hiked a mountain all before 9am!
The second time I saw first light last week was for my SCUBA certification!! Saturday morning was spent in the pool since I had already completed my coursework online, and I was surprised at how comfortable I felt! The only real semi-panic situation was when they made me take off my mask and put it back on while still breathing through my regulator. Talk about getting the whole pool up my nose......geez! The mask straps got stuck in my hair for one, and the instructor had to help me get it unstuck. One hand was holding my nose, the other flailing with my mask, and I needed to cough underwater. I couldn't open my eyes since I wear contacts, and how was I supposed to clear my mask if I had water up my nose?? Great.
After a second try, I figure out that I had to place the mask against my face and clear it out with my nose bubbles before trying to put the strap. Thank goodness that part was over. Otherwise, all went very smoothly!
Saturday afternoon we went to the Tweed River for our first open water dive. We didn't have much choice of tidal time since our pool work had to come first, but you are only allowed three dives in one day, which we needed to do tomorrow. Visibility wasn't great, but we went out to the jetties anyway. After descending with about 3 feet of visibility, I had my first "oh sh**" moment. At the bottom, I could barely see my instructor or buddy, and sunlight was hard to see through the surface. My immediate reaction was the feeling of being pushed deep under the waves during a surf session, and I had to get up quickly for air!! Oh, but I can breathe. Whew. Ok, a few deep breaths. You're fine. Cool. We tried to explore a little but didn't see much. Maybe tomorrow.
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| Me on the right! |
We met at the dive shop at 4am on Sunday, bright and early to get to the Tweed for the best tides. Once we get there and suit up, we realize why the instructors made us get up so early. In the same place as yesterday, the water was now so clear we could see all the way to the bottom!! Fish were everywhere, and it was beautiful! Now, I really felt in my element. I snorkeled around while I waited for the others to get in, and then we had to practice that dang take-off-your-mask skill at 20ft. depth. Yay, but I passed. Now that I've learned to get water up my nose and cough under water, I've got the skill mastered! Ha! Our last, longest, and deepest dive was great, and I felt very proud of myself for overcoming a small fear and doing something I've always said I would do. I DID IT!! The certificate in my hand felt pretty good! Hmmmmm now where to for my newest addiction??? :)
Don't forget to check out the rest of our pictures in the updated
Flickr Album!!!
