Submitted by Eryka L. Bradley on the 2017 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition…
In my second week in Australia, we went to the Grampians for an overnight stay. The first day of the trip we split up into two groups: one went hiking, and the other went repelling off the side of a mountain. I chose to go repelling off the side of the mountain on the first day, and I am thankful that I did because the heat was very unsuitable for a long hike. Also, the gnats were very pesky that day. First, we started out with a small hike to where we would be repelling for the day and our tour guide Ant told us stories about how the Grampians were created and how our generation has a responsibility of preserving the earth. I was very apprehensive about repelling down the mountain, but with the encouragement of my group members I was able to get through the experience. The next day, we went hiking which I was not looking forward to considering I haven’t enjoyed hiking in the past. However, I’m glad that I was able to make it to the top because the views were incredible!