mountaineering mega trip.
April 21-25, 2023
Day 1: Climbing
On Saturday morning, I woke up around 6 am and bundled up in sweatpants (trackies in Aussie slang) and a hoodie (jumper) before exiting my tent (it was probably in the mid-40s each morning). I walked to the bathroom (toilets) up the road to brush my teeth before heading back to camp for a quick breakfast of muesli (basically granola cereal) and a banana. After I ate, we had a briefing with the climbing group for the day where we each picked out a harness, helmet, climbing shoes, belay device, and locking carabiner. We met our group leaders and got a briefing for the day. Once that was sorted, I went back to my tent to pack my bag for the day. My lunches for the week were wraps consisting of avocado, cucumber, and prepacked tuna mixed in with either rice or quinoa. Tuna is great for camping because it provides protein and doesn’t have to be refrigerated. I found these single-serving tuna mix things at the grocery store, one with pre-cooked rice and the other with quinoa, both flavored well and with other veggies like sundried tomatoes mixed in. I changed, making sure to layer as it would surely warm up when the sun came out, and we headed out around 7 am.
I rode with David, the club’s treasurer, and one of the other boys from the club. We drove 45 minutes to Nowra where we met the rest of the group. From the parking lot (carpark), it was a short 5-minute walk down a trail to where we would be climbing. Nat and Birdie, two of our group leaders, set up the first climb while the rest of us got a briefing from David. He made sure everyone knew how to put their harnesses on correctly, and then taught us how to tie a double figure-8 knot that we would use to attach ourselves to the rope when climbing. We practiced the knots for a while until the first rope was put up.
When you climb with ropes (top-rope climbing), you have to be in pairs. One person climbs while the other person belays. The belayer is responsible for taking in the slack on the rope as the other person climbs. If the climber falls, the belayer makes sure the rope locks into place using their belay device and therefore catches the falling climber. I paired up with Eleanor because we were the least experienced climbers in the group. She had never climbed outdoors but had been attending the indoor climbing nights at Pulse, so she had even more experience than me. We were both pretty nervous!
The first climb that Nat & Birdie set up was rated a 13. In Australia (I’m not sure what the rating system is in the States quite yet) top-rope climbs are rated from 1 to 35, with 1 being the absolute lowest grade (this would only be an inclined walk), and 35 being the most difficult. I believe that actual, vertical climbs start at 8 (or maybe 10), so a 13 is relatively easy but not the easiest outdoor climb you could find. Pat & Oscar went first to demonstrate belaying. They also demonstrated what it is like to fall when you are climbing. Then, they both climbed the 13 with ease. A couple of other groups went before Eleanor & I gave it a shot.
She went first, only making it up about halfway before deciding to come down. We encouraged each other a lot (which I have found is a huge help when climbing!). I went next and only managed to get up about a third of the way before deciding I wanted to come down. There was a little cave in that first third, and I was very nervous about getting past it. Plus I was lowkey terrified. My heart was going a thousand miles a minute and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me – not even skiing makes me feel like that! It was a bit overwhelming so I decided to quit while I was ahead.
After a couple more groups climbed (and again, made it look way too easy), we tried again. Eleanor made it all the way up and, although it took me a bit longer, I made it to the top as well! It was the only climb I made it to the top of that day, but I was super proud of myself. After we finished, I took a snack break. By that time, Nat & Birdie had set up two other climbs: a 15 and a 17. I didn’t feel like I could do either of these, so I waited until the last climb was set up, which was supposedly another 13. Eleanor & I both gave it a shot but didn’t get more than a third of the way up, and it certainly did not feel as easy as the first climb!
At that point, I took my lunch break. After I ate, I attempted the 15 (and hadn’t gotten more than a meter or so), and the second 13 again. I got a bit farther on the second 13 when I tried it again, but still didn’t make it anywhere near the top. I was totally okay with that though! Considering I hadn’t climbed anything since I was 12 or younger, I was very impressed with myself for just being able to get up one climb, especially with how scared I was. After doing so much indoor climbing throughout the rest of the semester, I’ve learned to trust the rope and my belayer and a lot of that fear has melted away. I bet if I went back to that same spot now, I could climb both 13s and the 15!
Once I decided to be done for the day, I sat with most of the group and listened to Birdie teach us about lead climbing. Lead climbing is what you have to do to set up a top-rope climb. For each climb, there are small, metal anchors that are drilled into the rock on the way up the climb, with two placed side-by-side at the top. The climber goes up with the rope attached to them. They carry quickdraws which are essentially two carabiners, facing opposite directions and connected by some piece of material. As they come to each anchor, one carabiner on a quickdraw goes into the anchor, and the rope goes into the other carabiner. Then they climb up to the next anchor and repeat until they come to the top anchor. I’m not sure how they anchor the rope at the top, but once they do, the rope is set up. Lastly, they take all the quickdraws down and the climb is ready! It’s riskier to lead climb than to climb with the rope already anchored at the top because if you fall in between anchors, you fall farther because the anchor point that will catch you is below you instead of above. Very impressive to watch though!
At the end of the day, the group leaders “cleaned” the climbs, which is essentially the lead climbing process in reverse – taking the rope down instead of putting it up. I walked around and took a few photos of our surroundings while we waited for this to be done. Here are the photos from the day!
We got back to camp early enough to catch a bit of the sunset. I walked around the grounds for a while, taking it in. Note the photo of the wombat hole. I learned that wombats lure their prey into these holes/burrows, and then back up into the whole to block any air from getting in, effectively suffocating their prey. Pretty weird way for an animal to hunt but I found that information quite interesting.
Day 2: Snorkeling
On Sunday morning, the snorkeling group got to sleep in a bit as we did not need to leave camp until 9 am. I got up, did my little morning routine, snapped some cool pictures of the fog, and hopped in Kenzie’s car, who was in my group that day & the next. Rain was in the forecast for the day, but it held off for the first part of the day. We drove to Hyam’s Beach where I snapped a few photos before snorkeling for about an hour. We didn’t see much, just fish and a couple of rays near the shore, but we had a good time regardless! I was excited to break out my snorkeling gear (wetsuit, mask, snorkel, and fins) for the first time in Australia (thanks Mom!). I did discover that the fins I have are much more well-suited for diving than for snorkeling. They float, which isn’t an issue when you are weighed down by dive gear and fully underwater. But trying to snorkel with floaty feet was a bit difficult and I think I will end up investing in some fins more suited for snorkeling later down the line (if I end up living by the ocean again someday, which I would really like to do!
Right as we were getting out of the water, it began to rain, and by the time we got back up to the car it was pouring. We had a very interesting time all trying to change in the car out of the rain. There was a lot of looking the other way while everyone got sorted! Once we were all changed and ready to go, our group leaders for the day, Naomi & Peta, suggested that we go see Fitzroy Falls. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting from this waterfall, but it absolutely blew me away. It was definitely my favorite waterfall that I’ve seen here, mostly due to its sheer size, but also because it was so foggy, and that made it a very unique experience. It was still coming down quite hard when we got there, and I didn’t have a raincoat, but luckily, Kenzie keeps her waterproof sailing jacket in her car and let me borrow it :)
Day 3: Climbing (Again)
After the rain on Sunday, the group leaders knew that it would be too wet to climb on Monday, so the plan had to change. We were given a few options. Either go hiking (we were warned that it would be a difficult hike), stay at camp, or go with Nat, Birdie, and Cara, who were experienced climbers and would be seeking out dry, difficult climbs. Kenzie, Nick & I really wanted to take one of their 4WD vehicles and drive around the surrounding areas and look at waterfalls, but the club leaders wouldn’t let us (something about liability). After much deliberation, we decided to go with Nat, Birdie, and Cara and even took climbing gear on the off chance that there would be a climb easy enough for us to do. Boy did we make the right decision! We went to Nowra again, but at a different location than on Day 1, and there ended up being a 14 or 15 climb that they set up with a ‘chimney’ feature. To get up a chimney feature, you have to put an arm and a leg on either side and climb up that way rather than pulling yourself up like you would with normal hand and foot holds.
I already felt much more confident going into this climbing day after my experience on Day 1. I ended up getting up the chimney portion pretty easily, but getting past it was nearly impossible. We watched the leaders do it, and they were able to but they definitely struggled (which made us feel much better about not being able to do it ourselves!). I ended up getting pulled past this difficult part (two of the boys at the bottom pulled on the rope and lifted me a few feet, past the section I couldn’t do). From there, I was able to finish the climb pretty easily!
They put up one more climb, and I made it up in the same fashion. I was able to do the first section, then came to a section I couldn’t do, and then was pulled past it again and able to finish the rest. It was ‘cheating’ in a way, but getting to the top of a climb is satisfying regardless! Kenzie and Nick both attempted the chimney and got as far as I did on the first section, although only Nick got pulled past as Kenzie decided she was too tired to continue. We all had a really good day. It was nice to be in a smaller group, and we all loved watching the group leaders climb as well as they are all so good at it and we had a lot still to learn. They did this crazy climb with underhangs at the end of the day – when we got there, this woman was climbing it (I snapped some photos of her, she did it so effortlessly), and Nat and Cara ended up climbing the whole thing as well. One of them put the rope up and the other took it down.
We ended up being the last ones back to camp that night, and therefore the last to eat dinner, but it was so worth it!
Day 4: Hiking
On Tuesday (after a big night of drinking and various games with pretty much the entire camp), we had to pack up before going on our activities. This took a while, so our hike was pretty short – an hour to a lake, and then an hour return back. I almost got in, but I didn’t have a change of clothes on me so I just dipped my toes in while we ate lunch. I was glad to have an easy hike on our last day as I was pretty exhausted at this point. When we finished, the ten of us loaded into the rental van and drove straight back to the uni, stopping once for gas and once for Subway and making better time than we’d made on the way down.
We arrived back in Newy around 5 pm and everyone pitched in to help put everything back in the gear shed. What would have taken hours with a few people only took around 20 minutes with everyone helping. Once that was done, Kenzie gave me a ride home and assured me that she would pick me up the following Monday for my first indoor climbing session!