Whenever life leans in
Crushing
Turmoil
Strain
Remember
The dignity of the tall gum tree
The ageless serenity of the gorge
Cliffs of towering power
The sheer beauty inherent in nature
Enfolded in a flower
Remember the songs of birds
The sigh of wind
Trees sifting energy
Releasing it in leaves
that fall to the ground to dazzle with their abstract pinks and greens
lemons
and apricots…
Remember the stillness found on the trail
Counting steps between markers
All that matters
The next small triangle
Remember
And know
That all of this magic
lives on when I go
It’s part of my fabric now
I will always have access to
these memories
know the key
return here in my mind
constantly
*I recently (okay end of July) completed the Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk. Six days solo hike through the wilderness of the stunning and remote Carnarvon Gorge national park.
It was an amazing experience, a total immersion into the landscape through which I walked daily, setting up my little tent at night and falling asleep, waking into the sounds of the bush every morning.
The routine became simple. Wake, boil the kettle, eat, look at map, walk to next camp, lunch on a hillside with an awesome view somewhere along the way. Set up camp, eat, sleep. Wake. Camp. Walk.
I thrived, out of range of phone and email and every other modern device (I had a Garmin Inreach for safety). My entire system rebooted and as such I have been wary of spending much time online since returning – until now.
This writing is part of the process although I’m only now finding the ability to put a little of the experience into words.
The poem above fell into my head on the last day as I trudged along, my backpack much lighter then when I had begun, my body fitter but my soul not quite prepared to go home yet.
I could have easily stayed out there forever and will certainly be returning to do the walk again as soon as the merry go round enables another break.
In the meantime, I can always go there in my mind.
The best thing about life is that we have the experience, and then we have the memory. Which of course must be tempered with – the worst thing about life is that we have the experience, and then we have the memory, but in this case it was the former.
A couple of photos – not many, because I was so wholly present, they remain vivid memories in my head. And that is the best place to keep them.









An enchanting landscape.
Just beautiful Rosaliene.
Beautiful poem! Sums up a walk in the Aussie bush perfectly!
Thanks Anna 😊
How beautiful the poem and the landscape is breathtaking, I can image how one grows and becomes part of it. I felt like that when we’d go cruising on the sail boat.
I’ve never sailed – I’ve been on a boat, ferries and that sort of thing but never sailed, it sounds lovely Elle.
Oh Kate, what an extraordinary experience, and such a beautiful poem. You are courageous and open to experiences that many are not; I envy that. I imagine your life will never be the same after allowing such a beautiful experience into your life.
The changes are still coming to the surface Susan. For one thing, carrying everything you need to survive and even thrive for six days on your back and living with bare essentials made coming home to my big full home pretty overwhelming. I now have a gratitude and reductionist mindset. Lovely to hear from you, I hope you are well and writing.
It was very likely a dinosaur. 🙂 … what a beautiful treat to give your Self. 🙂
It was a beautiful treat and I gave it to myself as a birthday present. I walked out of the trail a couple of days before my birthday and I can say with all my heart it was the best birthday present ever.
😀
Powerful ‼ ‼ ‼
Thanks 😊