7/25/13
So… I hiked through the rainforest of Magnetic Island
today. I’m not going to act like it was
just a stroll through the park because it most definitely was not. I was met with opposition from nature as well
as my own body but I pushed myself. I
also sang praise songs to God despite the feeling of exhaustion, and thanked Him
that I am in good enough shape to do this task and in this place to begin
with. I set out at 8:30am after my complimentary
breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee, and trekked from the hostel at
Nelly Bay to my starting point about 30 minutes away. I was all smiles and enthusiasm as I made my
way to the start of my hike. Then I made
the journey on to Horseshoe Bay, a detour actually because I was initially
headed to Arcadia but thought I’d torture myself for a bit longer. No regrets. (YOLO, right Emily!?! lol)
The scenery was lovely and on the way to the rainforest I
was acquainted with a wild wallaby who I think wanted me to feed it so followed
me unsuccessfully for a bit. Going
through the rainforest I was struggling physically and definitely no longer
smiling. I was tired and out of breathe
30 minutes into my 3 hour one way trip, mainly because it was a lot of uphill
hiking on a “trail” (questionable terminology here lol). I was passed by a few people and gladly moved
my breathless body to the side for them.
These people were not carrying water and were moving along at a nice
little pace, confidently and assuredly.
I on the other hand was stumbling, carrying a small backpack, definitely
had (& needed) water, was breathing heavily, and was sweating
profusely. I’m proud to announce I
actually had green plants touching all over me and those that know me know that
is MAJOR! I never let wild plants touch me;
ever, because I think that everything is poison ivy. Well, a good way to get over the fear of
poisonous plants touching you is to walk through a rainforest because there was
absolutely no avoiding being touched by plants.
I was able to catch glimpses of some great far off scenes that were not
wholly captured by my camera, “A for effort” I hope! These small glimpses gave me hope as I went
through dense greenery and then sparse hot areas. At one point there was an area a little off
the trail, edge of a cliff, I was able to make my way there and get a couple of
decent shots.
I eventually arrived to a random street, just as my water
bottle became completely dehydrated, and I continued my journey until I dead
ended at the beach. There I sat for
about an hour and meditated on the bible and prayed. I found it fascinating that in the devotion
book I’m reading, Jesus Calling, the
piece for today read, “As you listen to birds calling to one another, hear also
My Love-call to you. I speak to you
continually: through sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions, scriptures. There is no limit to the variety of ways I
can communicate with you. Your part is
to be attentive to My messages, in whatever form they come.” I was hearing all sorts of sounds in the
rainforest from lizard things running away from me to birds calling to one
another to the ocean in the distance and the wind blowing through the
trees. I was actually more attentive to
sounds today compared to how I am usually, which is why I thought it was cool
that this was what I was meditating on today.
After my hour of meditation I began to head back to the
rainforest for my journey back to my hostel (not before stopping for a Vitamin
water, to use the toilet, and to refill my bottle with water). I came across Hoyt who is originally from a
small town outside of Philadelphia but has been on the island for 12
years. He was an elderly man and
pleasant to talk to for the brief moment that I did before setting off back
down the street and through the rainforest.
Another 3 hours later and I was back to my 30 minute walk back to the
hostel. I literally raised my hands in
victory (& praise to God) when I got out because I was not only exhausted
but thought I was lost a couple of times and was not fond of the idea of being
lost in a rainforest. I stopped to get
some food from the area grocery store and wobble walked to the beach to eat. My legs at this point were jelly and my feet
were aching in misery. I look forward to
a hot shower and bed; unfortunately it is only 5pm as I finish typing this so I
guess I’ll wait until it’s closer to bed time.
2 hours later… I’m now showered but have only just now
succeeded in (painfully and reluctantly) climbing up to my top bunk (and I plan
on never leaving it, ever). One of my
travel mates came in and told me about his
journey through the rainforest. His
Manchester accent and animation make his story much funnier than I could ever
even attempt here. He also experienced
wobbly legs and said that he questioned if maybe he was bitten by something and
the shaking legs were maybe the side effect (lol). He also got lost at some point along the way
and experienced some hand climbing and lifting himself before realizing that he
had to be off the trail. (I really wish
you could have heard and watched him tell this story I was laughing
hysterically & am laughing even typing the story for you all). His eyes widened and he gave me some kudos
for my successful completion of the up and back, by “successful” I mean “barely
survived.”
Love to you all J
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