Deer and Birds and Bears, Oh My!

       This past Friday I went hiking with my friend Elaine at Sinking Creek Mountain. I can say hands down that this was one of my most adventurous hikes ever. And that’s a heavy statement because I’ve done quite a bit! Sinking Creek Mountain is approximately 30 minutes from Blacksburg and in close proximity to Caldwell Fields (a fabulous place to camp by the way). We decided to complete this hike because it was different from the “regulars” aka McAfee’s Knob, Dragon’s Tooth, and the Cascades. It was mentioned in a hiking guide by the Outdoor Club at VT and ever since I obtained this guide, I’ve been determined to hike every single trail listed. There wasn’t much on the internet about this hike so we kinda took a shot in the dark, hopeful that the view was worth the 4 miles to the top. Well, it did not disappoint. Here’s the tale:

       Elaine and I left Blacksburg at 4:15pm – a little later than we had planned but nonetheless we figured we would be able to make it up the trail and back before dark. The place was very easy to find thanks to the directions provided by the Outdoor Club. The trailhead began near a stream which is a great way to start a journey. We headed up the mountain and we each 

chose sticks to hike with. Mine was more for stability but Elaine located a branch to clear the way of spider webs. What a trooper! As we climbed, bugs were VICIOUSLY attacking me. I don’t know what it is, but I always seem to be the person they are most attracted to. If only I had this effect on Ryan Gosling....oh, uh anyway a giant gnat (I guess that’s sort of an oxymoron) decided to fly into my eye and set up camp there. Tears were rolling down my face as I blinked like a lunatic to try and remove the pest. Elaine was carefully instructing me how to move my finger around my eye to remove it since she could see the evil creature but it was still hard to locate. Eventually, after much labor and stress, the bug was removed. Hallelujah! We continued along the path and we came across so many fascinating creatures! All sorts of lizards, caterpillars, millipedes, bunnies, birds – it was incredible! Then, I saw a giant deer jump about 20 yards ahead of us! It was so majestic. I yelled to Elaine “Oh my gosh!” and she immediately turned around and ran the other way. She thought it was a bear or something. So I had to convince her that there’s no way we would run into a bear. Well guess what.....BLACK BEAR ALERT about 2 miles after this. We were terrified out of our wits. So here’s how it happened. Elaine was ahead and all of a sudden, I hear a very loud movement in the distance and Elaine quickly turns around and flips out saying “It was a bear!! OH MY GOD” I didn’t believe her at first. I mean come on, a bear? Really? So I went to investigate and sure enough, the bear returned near the path and it was REAL!!! Then I started flipping out a little. But I also wanted to get its picture. While hiding

Bear sighting. Black blur in distance.

behind a tree, I carefully watched it move around. I had never seen one in the wild before and it was such a gorgeous creature. By this point, the bear started coming closer to us so we quickly decided to abandon the hike, turn around, and head to the shelter. As we were walking back, it was following us at a distance!!! We were being stalked by a BEAR. We'll sign our contract for the Discovery Channel now please. So we quickened our pace and eventually it lost interest in us. We seriously were having panic attacks at this point, but I wanted to go back and see if it was still there. I walked ahead with Elaine hesitantly following and it had left the area. We discussed whether we should keep trekking or turn around and call it a day. We decided that since it was nowhere in sight, and that we were already more than halfway to the top, that we would continue. It was quite difficult to face the fear of it possibly coming back considering we didn’t know if it was aggressive or not. We persisted and every time we heard a noise our heads turned so fast that we could have injured our necks. You really don’t believe things like this can happen until you experience it yourself and the danger becomes real.
       After about another mile, we bumped into a thru hiker and asked if the view was worth the trip (not that we were going to turn around by this point – we were just curious). The guy said it was fabulous and was only a mile ahead. We started getting excited and quickened our pace. We even ran some portions. The whole trail was ever-changing. It was like a combination of McAfee’s (mostly soil with somewhat steep inclines), Dragon’s Tooth (rocky and more rugged), and Rice Fields (steep, long, and flat near the top with a narrow pathway). There was even a part that looked very desolate or that lightning had taken the lives of all the trees in the area. Very artistic. As we were nearing the summit, thunder was rumbling in the distance. This was very ominous and we started getting worried that we may not make it to the top before an unsuspecting thunderstorm hit. However, we didn’t let the loud sounds deter us and pushed on

even faster, sometimes running. We eventually reached the top (not before Elaine spotted a snail and named him Gary, after the snail in Spongebob, on my suggestion) and it was gorgeous! I wouldn’t say it’s was as fabulous as McAfee’s or Dragon Tooth’s view but it was amazing! Since we were on the ridge of Sinking Creek Mountain (which by the way, you could basically hear this creek during the entire hike), you could see both to the left and right of the ridge. Meaning, you had two different valleys to choose between. One valley was more visible than the other and you could see mountains upon mountains upon mountains in the distance. It was wild! And you could really notice the pattern of the closest mountain – seeing how little hills and valleys came together to create it. Really gave the mountain some character.
       As the thunder clouds drew nearer, we decided that it was time to scadattle. We didn’t get to spend as much time at the top as I had hoped, but with the lightning closing in we couldn’t take any chances. We threw on our raincoats, began to descend, and the thunder was ROARING all around us. We were scared out of our skin. So we did what any human would do in the face of danger....RUNNNNN! We ran down the mountain so fast that the trees looked like a blur. The wind began to whip all around us and I thought for sure a tornado was about to form. As we outran the storm, we were very careful around the rocky surfaces, but Elaine and I both rolled our ankles a few times which was quite painful. After this we slowed to a quick walk but soon after that, rain droplets began to fall. At this point, I wanted it to rain because I was burning hot. We heard a crash of lightning close by and the thunder grew even louder. Elaine was very frightened and wanted to keep running but I told her we needed to be more careful otherwise we would get injured and with no cell reception, we would be stranded. So I started singing Favorite Things from the Sound of Music to calm her down. I then came to the lyric where it says “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” and Elaine chimed in with “Raindrops keep falling on my head” and BOOM. A torrential downpour began. IT WAS AWESOME!! But also terrifying. We began to run again because with the rain kicking in it was going to be too dark to see the trail soon. As the rain was pelting us in the face, I couldn’t help but smile. I know these are times when most people would hate their life, but these are the moments I live for. We were on a grand adventure that scared me silly but we were living on the edge – out of our comfort zone. These experiences make my blood pump. Literally. I was shaking a little and my legs started to go weak. I started laughing just because I was having such a good time and Elaine thought I was crazy. She eventually came around - embracing the greatness of it all and agreed that it was awesome. The rain started to let up and we started walking again. By this point, we had run halfway down the mountain which is approximately 2 miles. My legs were about to collapse. We had escaped the storm but now darkness was closing in. We reached the shelter shortly after that and debated staying for the night even though we had nothing to camp with. The thru hiker we bumped into earlier was at the shelter and exclaimed “Oh good you girls made it! I was worried you weren’t going to get back in time. I didn’t want to go back and rescue you. But I would have.” What a nice guy haha. We had 1.5 miles left to go and it was running close to 8:15PM. We began to strategize. The first two miles down the mountain, we ran and covered in a half hour but now we were traveling more slowly since everything was wet. We figured we could make it to the car by 9 so we trekked on. There were some parts that were very dark and I started getting worried. We did have flashlights, but hiking in the dark is never a good idea.

Especially since we had run into a bear earlier. The trail, like McAfee’s Knob, seemed to draw on for ages. Finally, I caught sight of the road through the trees! We were close!! We screamed war cries of accomplishment and triumph as we reached the car. We got in and I swear those car seats were the most comfortable of my life. We took an “after” picture of how attractive we had become and pulled away from the most dangerous hike I have ever done. We made it!! Celebratory chocolate Frosties were enjoyed upon arrival in Blacksburg.

Australian Adventures (2)

This is another entry straight out of my daily journal from my study abroad in Australia last summer. It describes my scuba diving experience in the Great Barrier Reef! This was a very magical day and was the toughest to describe.

DAY 15 7/5/12
       We went to the Great Barrier Reef today! Oh my goodness the experience was beyond words. I woke up at 7:15AM when Britt’s alarm went off because for some reason my 7AM alarm never sounded. We all got ready and met at the bus at 8:15AM. The ride to the docks was very short and then we boarded our own private boat! It was gigantic. I have never been on a boat so big. Scuba gear was hanging everywhere which only made me more excited. We all sat down on the sides and got a brief overview and were assigned flippers and such. We all took seasick medication – Dramamine – before we headed out. Supposedly it was gonna be rough – real rough. I didn’t get a grasp of how rough until we actually left the port. It was a somewhat overcast and very windy day. We were out on the open water and the people who were certified were given an overview and as soon as we anchored, we were to start our dive. The certified ones were me, Megan, Allie, Sam, and Bryce. Megan decided not to go today because she wasn’t feeling well. I was paired with Allie. After the debriefing we had some down time so I went to the top deck of the boat. The ride took about 2 hours total. We all looked like a bunch of drunks trying to stabilize ourselves. It was quite difficult. The rough water really did a good job. Water was flying everywhere. I’m pretty sure a lot of people on the top deck got soaked. It was a thrilling ride that’s for sure. Especially since my only boating experiences were with Dad and friends on the bay. The one time Jess, Kawiki, and I drove a boat to Yorktown was nothing compared to this. Every time we wanted to move about the boat we would have to work up the courage to cling to the nearest handrail and hope for the best. People were being thrown up, down, backwards, sideways – you name it! I think many of us became closer today. At least physically. Charlie was throwing up the whole way, the poor guy. That would really put a damper on things.
       We finally anchored the boat and we certified divers went in and managed our buoyancy.

Right before I got in, I saw a giant fish! I’d say about 2 feet long. The water was super-duper clear! I then went under and discovered a whole new world. Aladdin’s song would be appropriate here. I could see for miles! Well, not really. But compared to my prior experiences it was absolutely beyond belief. Visibility was about 35 feet and in every direction there was something to fix my eyes on. It was THE most incredible sight. Coral was everywhere, as were hundreds of fish of all shapes, colors, and sizes. I wish I could have had my head on a swivel. Gorgeous fish were surrounding us and it went on forever. It was really neat because the fish didn’t swim away or anything. They completely ignored us and treated us as one of them. I saw Dori fish (surgeonfish), a lionfish that the guide pointed out (hiding in a crook), a sea lobster, an oyster in action (blue with shimmering blue/green insides), angelfish, big parrotfish, and the list goes on and on. I loved being able to observe the interaction of the fish within their community. It was surreal. I also got to hold a sea cucumber. It was softer than I imagined. During the dive, my mask got a little water in it so I cleared it successfully but I think some got in my eye because I started crying every time I blinked. Thankfully, it went away

after a bit because I could hardly see anything. We swam for about 40 minutes and only resurfaced because we hit 50 bar which is ¼ a tank. Time passed so quickly down there. I thought it had been 5 minutes when really it was 20 minutes. I was very careful not to touch anything because I didn’t want to die. You could tell how much the reef had been bleached which is kinda sad. However, swimming next to these fish and seeing how they live really urged me to be sympathetic toward them and do all I can to preserve this place. I can’t believe the guides get to do this every day and get paid! So jealous. I got back onto the boat and was freezing cold! I was shivering like a little helpless popsicle. Upside: there were these delicious little coconut bars. I think I had 4. I sat on the boat and tried to warm up in the front cabin but it was a very slow process. I took a little nap, as did many other people, and then lunch was served. There were heaps of good looking food items. I made a sandwich with the huge bread

Monster sandwich after intense scuba diving

and added practically everything on the table. I may have gone overboard. I was eating it and about halfway Allie yells over at me “Oh my god Julie that’s a huge sandwich!” I never actually finished it but she said she was proud of me haha.
       After that we were told we had an hour of free snorkeling. It was a hard decision considering how cold it was on the boat but I decided to go for it. I wanna take every chance I can get. I gave Erin my camera to take photos and she did a very nice job. Snorkeling was a lot more fulfilling than I thought! I was still able to see heaps of fish and coral. It’s wild how close the coral grows to the surface. It was seriously almost as good as diving which is crazy to say. I saw a giant brown fish under some of the coral and tried pointing it out to people. Some people brought their waterproof cameras out (which I should have done. Tomorrow.) We were swimming pretty far away from the boat and then

everyone went Michael Phelps on me. Jimmy (our guide) took off at super speed and everyone followed. We were swimming our lives away knowing something good was ahead. I was expecting a shark but it was a sea turtle dude! I only saw a little bit of him as he swam away but some of the others saw him up close. SO COOL! Hopefully I can see one tomorrow (or a shark). We all snorkeled for an hour until we had to get back on the boat. I could have stayed out 2 hours, I was so mesmerized. It was difficult going out in a big group because everyone was kicking and hitting each other accidentally. There were times I almost ran into the coral and freaked out a little because I assume everything will hurt me (according to Jimmy). There was very little clearance sometimes. Oh and I saw a dogfish! It was so comical. It seriously had the face of a dog I couldn’t believe it. We got back on the boat and shivered and went to sleep. I fell asleep on Rebecca. We arrived back at the apartment and just relaxed and watched TV. I took a little nap and we all want to go to sleep now, but it’s only 8PM! So exhausting being thrown around on a boat. I can still feel the rock of the boat and so does Hannah. I’ve never appreciated land so much. I’ll probably read my Course Reader and go to bed around 10:30PM. I CAN’T BELIEVE WE WERE SWIMMING WITH FISH IN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF TODAY!! (Yes, those caps are necessary) And we get to do it tomorrow too! Fingers crossed for sharks! That scuba certification at Tech was totally worth it even though it was a pain in the ass. Oh and I held a starfish!! Night.


Below are pictures that one of my friends took with his underwater camera (click on picture to view larger):

Australian Adventures

This is an entry straight out of my daily journal from my study abroad in Australia last summer. It was one of the most remarkable days during the trip :)

DAY 8 6/28/12
        Isabelle came in and woke me up for my camera and then Megan woke us all up officially around 8. Our farmstay families were coming around 11:30 to take us all to their homes. I checked my clothes that I hung out to dry the previous day (since the dryers were full) and they were still wet :/ I left them out there as long as possible and then put them in my suitcase. We all were supposed to read our course readers in the morning but I think everyone was struggling from last night. I sat outside and tried to read but I couldn’t concentrate. I walked into the hostel and at that moment Jared called a group meeting. Buggas (Aussie term). They told us that we could all work on the ethnographic study together but write our own discussions. That was a relief. We then rushed outside because everyone was being picked up to go to their respective farmstay families. I got in Lisa’s (my farmstay mom) car with Christina, Taylor, and Allie. Lisa took us to an Antique store, Subway/grocery store, and a bunch of her friends’ places. A country store her friend owns, her friend’s farm (Sharon who had the most ADORABLE puppy), and we stopped by a little tomato stand where you just drop money in a basket using the honor system - so neat! The whole car ride was incredible because we were in a Land Rover and the scenery looked a lot like Blacksburg. We would drive through a couple little towns as well. We finally arrived at her place and it was so picturesque. There were some cattle on the side of the road and there were baby ones too. Lisa says, “They cut off their weeners.” Then we go, “They cut off their what?!” Lisa, “Baby cows! Weeners.” We all laughed and started shouting “weeeeners” It was hilarious. The cattle would run out of the way when we were driving and since we were in a Land Rover, we drove through little streams and rivers! The girls and I would give a little scream when we were coming up to cattle and then they moved away at the last second. Such daring animals. Then Lisa started telling us about all these things we can do/will do. We picked out our rooms and then we mounted 4-wheelers to tour the area. It was unbelievable.
All three of us were seriously speechless. These three phrases were cycled over and over: “This is SO cool. I can’t believe this. Holy shit this is awesome.” Lisa is quite a character. She speaks her mind and is freaking hilarious. She reminded me slightly of my technical writing teacher, Neilan. We came back and I hung up my wet clothes in the sun. Then we set out to go fishing. We grabbed some goods (beer and doritoes) and 4-wheeled to the creek. The dogs were running alongside us and the cows were too. It was literally unfathomable. We drove through a creek, some fields, and then some hills. The landscape just kept getting more and more beautiful by the second. It reminded me of one of those crazy outings on The Bachelor that never happen to real people. I felt so lucky. Riding through this area was seriously like a scene from a movie. I was on cloud nine.

       We got to the fishing spot and we threw out our lines. We didn’t use rods but rather spools of line. We sat down and Taylor kept thinking she hooked something. Stupid imaginary fish.

 Then, Allie caught an eel!! It was ginormous! And disgusting. Lisa said Aborigines ate eel and I said “Of course they do” and everyone laughed. Allie re-cast her line up on a hill and a few moments later she started screaming, “A huge ass leech is on my ass!” She started running toward us and slipped in the mud. Her and her line fell into the water as the leech clung to her buttocks. Lisa yells, “Well, it’s all gone to shit now!” One of the funniest moments of my life hands down. We helped removed the leech from her tush, which wasn’t so hard to do - leeches don’t attach themselves very strongly. Unlike ticks *shutter*. After all that excitement, Lisa decided it was time to head back. As we were driving back, we stopped along the way to burn some dead grass. This was the farmer’s way of regenerating the vegetation. This was pretty cool because we had been reading about the tactic and the Aborigines in our course. I lit fire to the grass...something I would NEVER do in America. But it was common practice and it was beneficial so I allowed myself to do it. Oh the exceptions in Australia. The topic of paralysis ticks came up and Lisa mentioned one of her mates died from one and that it’s not too uncommon. And here we are walking through tall grass...Eeek! Like I said before, Australians play the whole death thing down tremendously.

       We got back to the house and I was gonna drive the 4-wheeler(quad) while everyone else stayed, but Sharon’s husband was bogged (stuck). Lisa told us her idiot friends needed her help and we offered to assist her. We all went except for Taylor. I would have stayed back with her but Lisa said it would be a kinda dangerous outing so naturally I wanted to go. Danger in Australia seems unavoidable anyway. Before we got in the car, all us girls went to the right side instinctively and Lisa yelled at us since they drive on the right side in Australia. Whoops. We squeezed in her tow-truck looking car (with me in Christina’s lap) and had an icebox of beer on the floor. Lisa asked for a beer and kept driving while she was drinking it! She’s crazy. I love it. I love sitting on a couch at home (sorry that was random. I’m sitting on one now as I’m writing this) We were driving and it was getting super uncomfortable for us three girls so Christina went in the bed of the truck. It was super bumpy and adventurous and thrilling. I’m so glad Lori matched me up with Lisa. It’s so spontaneous and exciting. Lisa kept calling the guys idiots and such. She’s so funny. And we saw wild kangaroos! We couldn’t stop though because we were on a mission. We came up to one gate and another and another...at one point, we reached a guy at a gate, Jeff. He jumped onboard and I passed him and Christina beers from the front. It was like we picked up a fugitive and welcomed him into our posse. It was unreal. Lisa was joking that he and Christina would hit it off. She told Christina to ask if he had a farm (since her dream is to live on farmland). We came upon the rest of the blokes (look at me using Australian slang!) near a creek crossing. They looked like such goobers and immediately asked for beers.

They jumped in the back too with guns in their hands. Casual. We reached the site of the mishap and pulled up to their car. A big man was there waiting and Lisa goes, “Holy fuck, no wonder they are stuck, look at that huge ass man!” Like I said, she’s blunt as can be and I love it. We pulled them out in about 30 seconds and the guys let us have a few shots of their guns. They were just tossing ‘em around to us like no big deal. They were so casual about it, it was funny. Australian lifestyle I suppose. Basically they threw the guns into our arms and urged us to shoot. Christina went first and she aimed for a giant anthill. It was super loud...and wicked awesome. I went next and I’m glad I had experience with Jim at the shooting range in Blacksburg because I knew to expect a kick. I was scared to pull the trigger and I don’t know if I even hit the anthill because the power of the gun pushed me back a step. I just remember saying, “Holy shit” afterward and they all laughed. Lisa was pushing to leave for some reason (it seems she’s always ready to move on to the next activity) Allie shot and then we headed back. We gave Christina a hard time about Jeff and at some point our cars were side-by-side and Lisa told Jeff to jump in the back of ours. I peered into their car and all I could see were guns, beers, and goober faces. Priceless.

        We got back to the house and prepared dinner while listening to country music (eh). Then Jeff called the house to talk to Christina and she said she “let him down easy.” Evidently the joke turned into reality because he had the hots for her! We ate outside and it was a delicious meal. We had lamb with gravy(which I called chocolate cake batter gravy), potatoes, zucchini, vegetable bake, bread, and wine. It was fantastic. Lisa then forced us to watch a corny Australian movie about Aborigines – Bran Nue Dae. It was really lame haha. I then took a shower and went to bed around 11:30PM. It was a PHENOMENAL day. So many adventurous and thrilling things; I can’t wait for tomorrow. :)