Submitted by Lauren Casey on the 2017 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition…
On January 12th, we hiked to the peak of the Grampian Mountains. The hike was challenging, as we climbed up a very steep path to the top. The members of our group showed physical and mental toughness, as well as support and encouragement for each other, to reach the top of the mountain. As a group, we learned that traveling outside your comfort zone, by conquering you fear of heights, opens new doors and new experiences that you never had before.
Once we got to the top, our tour guide Ant taught us a lot about the environment in the Grampians compared to the United States. In the United States, we tend to think that forest fires are harmful to the wildlife where the fire spreads. However, there is very little soil and nutrients for the plants, as well as limited water supply due to the drought Australia is experiencing. Instead, Australians have controlled forest fires and burn the trees on purpose. This allows the trees to drop their seeds so that they can reproduce. Therefore, in Australia as compared to the United States, the fires do not kill the trees, but rather repopulate the forests and the mountains.
