Of highlands and heartlines - the prologue

Of highlands and heartlines.....this was a trek 18 months in the making.

Literally five minutes after hearing about Peak Learning Adventures 2016 Mt Victoria trek, I had already come up with the name - "take a walk on the wild side". 

That was the original name of the blog when the trip was first presented to me in early 2016. 
A rare opportunity to share another journey with friends to PNG.
What a way to celebrate my fiftieth year on this planet!
It fitted perfectly with my theme of the year, "Dream-Catcher", and why not honour it in fine form by bagging a peak called Mt Victoria! 
I thought I would only experience PNG once in my lifetime, but this was an offer too good to refuse.

However the decision to go created a storm and a series of events unfolded.
The eventual outcome - a sacrificial gesture to save a friendship, I withdrew from the trip.

The subsequent cascade of consequences has been personally devastating,
changing the landscape of my life forever


Fast forward 12 months and I was both relieved and grateful when Zac announced a 2017 Mt Victoria trek.

However, my preparation was sub optimal. 

Going in, I was underdone, physically and emotionally
Training had been hampered by illness and injury.
Memories of the previous year haunted me. 
The aftermath of trying to cope with the grief and loss of one of my best friends had broken my spirit.
In addition to this, my workplace had become a dysfunctional and toxic environment -change processes left me feeling disengaged and disempowered, creating an intolerable situation. 

Flat and unsettled, I just needed to get on that plane and fight my demons, 

One step at a time.....