5 Things I learnt hiking 100km in Central Australia
I was not really a fan of camping growing up.
In fact, I don’t even think I did much camping growing up. The same goes for hiking, so the Larapinta Trail was very much out of my comfort zone.
I am 15 years old and I just spent almost 2 weeks hiking in the great outdoors with 30 other teenagers from Marrara Christian College. And it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
Year 9 camp is a rite of passage for many high school students around the country. School camps have been around forever!
This one was probably a little different to the traditional Batchelor School camp lots of Darwin people are used to.
This one involved getting on a bus (my dad, the chaperone, included) and driving down to Alice Springs for 20 hours. Then spending the next two weeks in the freezing cold trekking 100km through Larapinta.
These are the top 5 lessons I learnt:
1) Not only is this a physical challenge – it is a mental one!
The Larapinta Trail is great for both mental and physical health. It gets you fit while being able to observe the magical scenery around you. Some days I would look at the huge mountains around me and say “wow” to myself. It is just that breathtaking. Overall, it really depends on who you are as a person. If you love the great outdoors, extreme hiking, and Alice Springs weather, then this trail is definitely for you. I found it mentally challenging due to the fact that you have to find courage in yourself. Without spirit and hope you might never finish the hikes. I had to believe I was going to reach the end.
Demelza sets off on her hike
2) We all take the luxuries of day to day living for granted
Throughout my intense walks, I realised how much I take things for granted. I really started to miss things back at home. Special things like my family and home, and even silly little things like the air conditioner (it was hot ok!). You do not realise how valuable an item or person is to you until you are suddenly away from that item/person. I experienced this with everything I had back in Darwin. I was only 3 days into this camp and I already wanted to go home.
3) My dad will always have my back
I really found that I was able to bond with my dad on this hike because of how we hiked everyday together. We both really struggled through this journey, but in the end we both made it out alive! My dad and I both experienced the same thing, and now we can share the same story with others.
Demelza and her dad Loukas
4) Having good friends in life is important
Although your view of everything in this camp is very personal and individual, having friends along the way was super helpful. I was not one of the popular kids on the camp, but with just a few friends I had an amazing time. We all laughed, cried, complained, and hiked together so far away from home. It was tough but we did it together.
5) I can do anything I set my mind to!
Going on this huge camp made me realise that after almost walking a 100km in just 12 days, I am now capable of many things! And that I will no longer whine about silly little things. If I can hike huge mountains in a limited time, then I can achieve any goal I set!
