OB SAILING

Here are a few more sailing pictures from ob i got off facebook... :-)

1. This is us rowing away when we didn't have any wind. But it was rainy and a bit cold so we all had on our wet weather gear- yellow jackets. You can pick me out, on the left second from the bottom, with my striped blue/grey wool hat on. That hat has gone a lot of places with me (and been well used as well)... in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Ecuador, Australia, NZ....

2. Rowing again. Early in the morning on our way back to Anakiwa, before we caught the winds that pushed us all the way back. The two dolphins loved us, and followed us for nearly an hour. A tourist boat- Dolphin Encounters- tried to come close to us and attract the dolphins away but they stayed with us...

3. Here we are rowing at sunset, and it was flat calm and peaceful this night, which we later slept aboard the cutter. The instructors on the Kurt Hann took this photo for us :-)

Outward Bound NZ style

How do I sum up the last three weeks at outward bound? It was defiantly not what I expected, that’s for sure! It was more intense that I could have imagined- less sleep and longer days that I have ever had in my life, and no time to myself. It was great to really challenge myself though, both physically and to live/work/breath as a group. Every minute of every day brought new tasks, activities, and challenges. From 6am to well past 11pm most days there wasn’t a second to sit and think, everything was shared.

The course was from March 1-21, and we were picked up and dropped off in Picton, a town the size of Petersburg on in the north end of the South Island, the main port where Interislander ferries run to Wellington, on the North Island. There were heaps of students starting courses at the same time, and we all took a boat to Anakiwa, where the OB NZ’s base is. Anakiwa is a small town at one end of the Queen Charlotte Track, one of the famous great walks of NZ. We were welcomed to the OB school, and sorted into watches of 14 students, with two instructors per watch.

During the course, we spent a night or two in our watchhouse (mine being Hillary), which was a nice cabin/house with bunks, bathrooms, and electricity. Then we went away from school on schemes, which include a two day tramping scheme-map and compass, two days of river kayaking, two days of service, three days on sea scheme sailing on a cutter, three nights on solo, and three days tramping again. When we were at camp, we also spent some time rock climbing and on a high ropes course, among other activities. Every morning at camp we work up at 6am for PT, or physical training, at 6:20am. PT consisted of 20 min of an aerobic type warm-up and sets of push-ups, sit-ups, dips, and squats, and a 3.2 km race for time, followed by running right into the sea and back out into a cold shower.

The sailing scheme was possibly my favorite, since it was something I had never done before. We had some long, late, dark nights, one night sleeping on the boat, and another with cutter watch all night. Here is what I wrote in my journal to give you an idea:

“I never imagined sea scheme would be so much work/so exhausting! The lack of sleep (two nights in a row of 4-5 hrs) was difficult, as well as a shortage of snacks. We hope and prayed for wind, and boy did we get it that first night. Getting into the bay, in the dusk/dark, there were gusts up to 39 knots, and sailing with full sails proved a bit dangerous. The girls were all screaming (me too), as we pitched and rolled on the tacks. Finally, after a disagreement with Rich, who was the current captain, we rowed hard and strong, but went nowhere, if not backwards for around a half hour. After a slight argument, we pulled up the reg flag in defeat and got towed into the bay by the instructors. But the night was young, and many tasks remained b/f bed, such as our five attemps to place the anchor right and get to shore, swimming back after the cutter had been anchored in place, dinner, and an all-night rotation on cutter-watch.” The second day at sea, we sailed (well rowed mostly, the wind was low) to ship cove, where Captain Cook first set food in NZ. More adventures followed... The final day we had wind at our back and sailed effortlessly back into Anakiwa, where solo begun.

Here is an exert from my journal during our three night/two day solo: “When I first woke up, before I opened my eyes, I heard the loud hum of wasps and I wasn't sure what to think! After I realized they were not out to get me I relaxed a bit, and took in my platform and surroundings. I can see the water through the trees :-) so I got a room with a view. I slept pretty good but it took me awhile to fall asleep, and I woke up to a possum and other night sounds a few times. Luckily for me it didn't rain in the night, b/c I decided not to set up my tarp when we were dropped off in the dark last night... I feel completely in my comfort zone here, super content to sit here and relax, write, sleep, and think. I slept a good portion of the day today, and still could sleep more. It is weird not to know the time of day, but it doesn't matter... OB is such as special place, I am so glad I made the decision to do a course here in NZ...”

It was great to really get to know the kiwis- I initially thought the culture here wasn't that different than my own, but living, breathing, and thinking together, I discovered many differences. I frequently found myself asking what a word meant, and added greatly to my NZ vocabulary ( i.e. togs = swimwear, scroggin = trail mix, heaps, wee, …). We had a great group of 13- and now I have 12 people I can visit around the country in the next two months :-).

The last four days were possibly the hardest of all, with a 3 day tramping trip, following the golden rules and making the most of daylight hours. We walked for 12+ hours each day, ready to set out each day with camp packed up before the sun was up, and struggling to see for the last yards along the ridges at night. The tramp was all off-trail navigation with maps and compasses- something I enjoy, and I can proudly say with my help and knowledge we didn't get lost once, we were spot on the entire time with navigation. We got to the pick up-spot the last night at 9pm, and weren't back in Anakiwa until 10:30pm, where we had unpacking and dinner awaiting. Everyone was completely exhausted and in pain, limping and hobbling around with sore feet. But if that wasn't enough, we were told we must wake up at 5am for pre-marathon breakfast duty, followed by the 22km half marathon+ along hilly terrain. I did enjoy the marathon, 10km were on a road, and then 12km were along the Queen Charlotte Track back to finish at Anakiwa. If it wern't for Jase, one of my watchmates, running right in front of me, I would have been tempted to walk or at least jog, but no, we ran the entire way. I just watched the feet in front of me and plotted on, and reached the jetty and finish line at 2 hours 1 min.

After my course finished, I spent 2 relaxing nights in Picton in a hostel, and returned to Christchurch and Nadine's house for two nights. I used my $1 naked bus ticket to Wanaka yesterday. It was a long 7 hours, but a good deal :-) It is raining in Wanaka now, and my leg is sore when I put pressure on it, so I am relaxing, reading, and hanging out for a few days before I decide what to do next... Oh my leg. So the outer side of my shin/calf had a really sensitive sport with sharp pain after the half marathon, so I thought I would go to physio in Chch to check it out. The therapist told me it may be a stress fracture of my fibula, and it might take 6 weeks to heal while I “rest”. I am hoping she was wrong.. that would be a long time and I want to go tramping! But I will just wait and see.

Hope everyone is enjoying springtime in the states, fall has sure arrived here! I will post many more pictures later once we exchange them, there are some great ones I want to share! Luv ya all :-)

NZ Independent Travel

I can’t believe I have already been travelling for nearly a month! Time sure goes by quickly… I am back in Christchurch, and leaving on a bus later today to arrive in Picton, where my 3 week Outward Bound course starts on March 1st. I am super excited for the course, which involves many outdoor activities, running on the beach and swimming in the ocean each morning, and getting to know the 12 other watchmates in my group, which will all probably be NZlanders.

After leaving Hokitika and the west coast of NZ, I got a ride to Arthur’s Pass village, in the mountains of the pass, where I spent three nights. There was a lot of rain the first few days and rivers were high, so I did some great day hikes alone, read two books, and hung out at the hostel. My second full day there I summated Avalanche Peak, which was a great hike with 1100 m elevation gain up into the alpine region, and included much rock scrambling. I talked a German guy into hitchhiking with me back to Christchurch, and it was great! I felt safe doing it with someone else, and it was so easy to get rides, we were standing there 2 min max! Based on Susie’s suggestion, I decided we would stop at cavestream and do a 60 min hike halfway back. We stashed our backpackes in the bush, and did the walk through the stream, which was quite high b/c of recent rain. It was a great adventure! I don’t know that I have been in a cave before, and I suggested we try walking for awhile in the dark, just feeling the walls. The water was up above my waist at least five times. I don’t think the German understood English well, and he was surprised when I drug him into this dark and cold cave walk, but I think he enjoyed the adventure as well. I made it back to Chch safely, and got dropped just two blocks from Nadine’s place.

Yesterday I ventured on the city buses and ferry to Lyttelton and across by boat to Diamond Harbour, which was about an hour from the city and a great little village with fun walks. I felt like I got off the tourist trail and went somewhere not in Lonely Planet, which was great! I ended up finding a trail up Mt Herbert, the tallest mt on the Banks Peninsula. It was quite the hike through fields with sheep and cows, which I learned can be quite intimidating when there are 30 of them standing on the train mooing at you!

I have enjoyed travelling alone more than I thought I would, and it is great to not really plan ahead and do whatever I feel like doing that day. I have met a lot of great people in the hostels and travelling from around the world, which has been fun.

I won’t be able to post again for three weeks until after the course, so check back the last week in March!

New South Wales Mountain Treks

Bushfires, floods, shark attacks... Australia was full of natural disasters and dangers while I was there, but it was the rain and cold that was my biggest threat! I learned Australia is more than a coastline with beaches and surfing! I was glad I packed my raingear, thermal layers, and hat for a trip to the mountains! After 100 degree weather in Sydney, Anne and I headed off on two mountain adventures in my second week in OZ. We first went to the Snowy Mts. and Mt Kosciuszko (2228m- 7310ft- the tallest peak in the country), and then to the Blue Mountains. I had my first hitchhiking adventure, saw kangaroos and other unique animals, and had my first true Aussie bushwalking experience.

Mt Kosciuszko National Park is located about 400 km from Sydney. Anne and I woke up at 4am to catch a bus the first day to Canberra, where we planned on hitching from. The capital city proved a little difficult to hitch out of, so we bussed to Cooma, another 100 km south. In the visitor center in Cooma we met a couple from Israel in their mid twenties, who were headed into the park to bushwalk as well. We caught a ride with them, and camped together for the night in prime kangaroo hangout grounds, where we saw anywhere from 10-25 roos at once. There were total fire bans in the park, but no bushfires at the time. The next day we all did a 22 km loop hike, including summiting Mt Kosciuszko (which was more of a hill really, but I got my first of the seven summits completed!). On the summit the Israel man proposed to his girlfriend, and I was filming on his video camera! That was something I wasn't expecting. He was talking in Hebrew, but when he pulled out the ring and went down on one knee I knew what was happening! The next day the couple were heading back to Sydney via the coastal scenic drive, so we caught a ride with them and were back in the city much earlier than expected!

I was feeling a bit sick with a 'touch of a sore throat' :-), so we rested up in the city for a day before heading to the Blue Mountains, just a two hour train ride from the city. Anne and I had decided to walk the six foot track, a historic bushwalk that is the second most popular walk in the country. It is supposed to take 3 days and is rated hard, but we were done with all 52 km within 26 hours! The trek climbed a total of 1,528m and dropped 1,788m (1800 and 2000 ft). Both days had endless rain, and it only let up for a few hours the first evening. The second day we just pushed through and walked 32 km (20 mi), including all of the elevation gain, with 30 lb packs, and not a minute without rain. It was a long day for both of us, and my feet and body were feeling it by the end! We had a lot of fun, and at one point at our only real rest break for 20 min, were shivering and almost hypothermic, biting off chunks of cheese from a block and eatting nutella by the spoonful, and laughing hystericaly. We needed our calories somehow, right! :-) Needless to say it was a great adventure, and ended at Janolan caves, where we stood in the rain for nearly an hour soaked to the bone with huge backpacks trying to hitch a ride back to Katoomba where we could catch a train to the city. On this popular hike, we didn't encounter one other bushwalker even through it was a weekend, maybe due to the low visibility and wet weather...

Once back in Sydney I had one full day to rest and back, and then on the 16th flew over to Christchurch. I could have stayed in Australia a lot longer, and I am considering making another stopover in May on my way back to Oregon... It is such a huge country and there are so many walks and places to explore, and it was great to have Anne there to travel with. There are a lot of things I would love to do, but not alone, so having someone as willing as I am to do crazy adventurous things is great, but sometimes scary!

I spend my first two nights in NZ in Chch with Nadine, Susie's best friend from studying in Sweden in HS. I had met her only briefly in Sweden about five years ago, so it was fun to get to know her more and have a place to base out of in the city. After two days, I got a ride over Arthur's pass (one of three passes from east to west across the south island), from a friend of my dad's who has a house on the west coast in Hokitiki. I am now at Wayne and 's in Hokitiki, a town of 4000, for a few days, resting up and planning my next adventures...

By the way, if you click on any of the photos they should enlarge for you. And more pictures will be on facebook soon!

SYDNEY Australia with Anne

I have been in Sydney 5 days now, and filled up my time with lots of walking around the city (2 hours of walking was our shortest day) and seeing the sights. I didn´t really feel like I was in Australia until spending time at the beach, and that we did! In 24 hours, Anne and I spent 5 hours laying in the sun and swimming at Maroubra beach, did an evening costal hike from Coogee to Bondi beach, and woke up at 5am to walk back to Maroubra beach to watch the sunrise. I haven´t seen the sun rise over the ocean in years, probably since I was last in Australia at 9 years old because it rises from the east.

Another day we saw the city sights, going to Darlign Harbor and walking around the Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanical Gardens. In the gardens we took pictures with sulfer crowned cockatoos, and later saw possums at night at Hyde Park.


It has been fun to meet Anne´s Australian and international student friends. One evening we went to a Pub and played trivia, and another we went to a friend´s flat and made pizza and played card and board games. I relearned how to play poker and we played a game called Articulate which is similar to catch phrase.

Now Anne and I are off in the morning for an exciting adventure for 5 days hitchhiking to the Snowy Mountains, with poisonous brown sankes (among other things) and bush fire danger... I will write more when we return!

Outdoor Environmental Studies

The last three weeks of snow camping and backcountry skiing were absolutely amazing. I don't want to be back in the busy world with computers and technology, survival in the winter environment is difficult but ever so rewarding. I was the TA for the ENV 398 class, in which we spent January Term in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, outside of Bend, Oregon.  I began in January on campus helping shop for food and organize equipment for 9 people for 22 days. We spent the first few days of the course at an OMSI lodge, learning ski skills and spent two days with tele lessons on Mt Bachlor. We skied 3 days/2 nights in to a cabin at Elk Lake, which became our base came, and did several 2-4 night trips out from there. We pulled sleds and carried packs through varied terrain off-trail, navigated with map and compass, built snow caves, and adapted to whatever came our way. Some of my most memorable experiences during the course were skiing up Elk Mountain when we had a free day, puking in the tent at night over everything when I had a stomach bug, and eating our wonderful creations such as sushi at 0 degrees, as well as eclairs and cinnamon rolls. The group of students and instructors could not have been better, and we have so many memories. 

Christmas in Alaska

Christmas in Petersburg is always my favorite time of the year, spending time with friends and family, julebukking, and relaxing at home. This year the weather was amazing, with clear and cold temperatures the first week with great views of the mountains, and then snow later on giving me time to ski and snowshoe. Here are a few photos...