Of highlands and heartlines - the epilogue

One of the underlying philosophies of Peak Learning Adventures is to educate, teach and allow individuals to grow through the medium of adventure.
And that is exactly what happened....

When asked how to describe the Mt Victoria trek, I use three words - 
wild, untouched, beauty

Trekking in pristine wilderness on the path less travelled was a labour of love.
As I plodded along, I immersed myself in the experience and savoured every moment
I coped with the physical challenges imposed by the terrain and the altitude, tummy upsets and badly blistered lips
But the emotional struggles were confronting.

My friend had pursued our original plan and was one of the team who successfully completed Zac's 2016 expeditionary trek.
Wednesday June 21 sums it up......
After realizing the goal of summiting Mt Victoria, the words I wrote to my friend 18 months before came flooding back.....

"The canopy of the rain-forest, the moss covered trees, 
the bird-calls in the jungle.
Clambering over massive tree roots, traversing the spurs and ridge-lines,
the sunrises and the sunsets
When fat raindrops fall on your tent, there will be no escape.
And know when you reach the summit, stop and remember there will be one person sharing the experience, in spirit
You will never forget that I would have been there, 
Could have been there......."


A new title for the blog "Of highlands and heartlines" came to me as I was training for this trek and it truly represents my Mt Victoria experience in the most poignant way. 
This trek was a bittersweet experience.

I was uplifted by my tenacity and willingness to forge ahead despite my irrevocably altered life. 
I am so proud of myself for being self-reliant, independent and resilient and for following my dreams.

Zac reminded me that I was only the fifth woman to summit Mt Victoria, and the first South Australian woman.

Many of the "boys" congratulated me when we completed the trek, bestowing me with the name "Queen Victoria".

But the ultimate compliment came from one of the porters, Copeland, who remarked to me when we parted - "you are a very strong woman"


Thank you to Ian and Zac for sharing this journey with me and for the photos.

Venus and crescent moon -
sentinel in the dawn of summit morn