Wednesday, April 18, 2007
bringing tassie to you

Let the journey to Lake St Clair begin!


The journey there was awesome. Wonderful scenery along the way. And I was playing with Ib's camera and happily taking picture of just about everything. [I still cannot believe I forgot to bring my holga.]




And on the way there, we saw cows! No not cows grazing on grass on the pastures by the sides of the roads but cows on the road itself. They were walking just in front of the bus, a whole lot of them. Interesting stuff.




And so we arrived at Lake St Clair. A very scenic place to visit. The lake was huge with mountains on the other side. The water was clear and calm. If it was not so cold, I would have jumped into the water for a splashing good time. My only regret is not having put my feet into those waters.
Now indulge in the pictures of Lake St Clair.








We set up our tents and made it all cozy.

Still, it was not as cozy as the kitchen. That's the coziest place just because it has a fireplace. Nothing else... not even our thick cushy sleeping bag can beat that.


First activity for the day, Treasure Hunt. It was good fun and we got to see people do all sorts of silly things. They counted a whole lot of beans although we ourselves do not even know exactly how many there were. =p But the groups knew their members better and grew closer over the games so mission accomplished.

After that, we went for a walk on the Aboriginal Trail and saw how the aboriginal people made used of the nature to make themselves a home. The colours of the plants that grew in the area seems brighter than elsewhere in the area and somehow I felt that everything in the environment seems to remind me fire. Trees look burnt and the soil were bright orange, looking like it could burn you.







We headed out for a walk on the first night with our torches, exploring a place we've never been to. The moon that night was glowing in all its glory. The reflection of the full moon in the water only doubled that magnificence. It was a splendid view from the shorelines and even more so from atop the hill. Accompanying the moon of course was a blanket of stars shining with all its might. All of them out to show what they've got; none hiding behind the clouds. Strolling on mud tracks surrounded by trees and bushes with the lake glistening beyond the trees on the left, animals scattering in search of food in the bushes on the right, the moon and the stars above in full grandeur, and there I am appreciating the splendor of nature in the night. Bliss.
[I'm sorry I've got no pictures of the moon and its reflection to show you guys tho coz my cam just does not work for such scenes and it’ll only spoil the beauty of the picture I have in my head.]

When we returned, everyone just huddled around the campfire. Never really knew the purpose of a campfire besides sitting around and singing guides songs but now we know. Around the campfire was one of the best hangouts when you are out there on a chilly night. Keeping warm is of utmost importance and just about the only thing anyone cares about.

That night I tried to sleep but could not. It was just too cold outside and even in my sleeping bag. It's supposed to be able to withstand the temperature range 0-7 degrees Celsius but still I was freezing in it despite having don multiple layers of clothing including my thermals. I was too tired to move or to get up. I was just praying for morning to come fast. When morning finally came, I went to take a heavenly hot shower. We were only given a token each for a 6 minute shower. The amount of water that came out of the shower was miserable but still I enjoyed the hot shower.

Second Day
Here's my group all set for the 6 hour hike up to Shadow Lake and back.


Let's enter the nature and begin our adventure.


The climb was steep at some points but I found it so much easier than having to climb up the slope back to apartments after school. The route that we took was very scenic. There were a few changes in landscape and in the trees that live on it, making the walk exciting because you never know what you'll see next. It was like going into the foliage and coming out into the desert, then going into the foliage again and appearing in the savannah, then in to the foliage and reappearing on green pastures, land of botak trees, and outback with aussie wildflowers, and then entering the foliage and emerging by the lakeside. Immersed in nature once again and enjoying every sight and sound.

The birds here don't chirp; they sing and they laugh. It's the music of nature, all you have to do is listen. There were as many kookaburras at the campsite as there are mynahs back home. Pretty little birds that seems to be happy all the time laughing their little hearts out. We even saw one fly right into the lake, swoop down into the water, catch its prey and fly back up to indulge in its catch. Gracefully done.
Possums were running around at our campsite, brushing at our feet and peeking at our campfire. Adorable little creatures they are. Wallabys were hopping around looking for food. But they are much more shy than the possums and tend to hop away from the tracks at the sign of human activity. A snake was even spotted on the trail because the sun was out and the day was warmer. Wild!































Arriving at Shadow Lake...






The second night, I stayed in the kitchen by the fireplace all night. Even then, it was too cold to sleep. We went out early the next morning to watch the sunrise but we saw no sun. It was not all a lost though. We got to see the lake covered in mist. It was the most beautiful scene for the trip. The mountains and the trees on the other side vanished in the mist and all you could see was the water slowly disappearing under the mist. It adds a dreamy effect to it. The lake was beautiful with the mist. I managed to get some alone time at the lake to just breathe in the chilly morning air, watch the mist take over the lake and go into my lalaland.







Then, pack-up and it was time to head back to Hobart. But before that, the trip just wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t throw someone into the Lake. So down into the Lake went the President of SSS. Hooray! End of Easter Camp.



Before I go, let me leave you with some pictures of the people who have been with me through this wonderful experience.
here are the photographers waiting in line to capture a picture of...
the wonderful people who organised this trip!

This is the SSS Committee 2007 and I love working with them.
A bunch of jokers really and meetings are always filled with laughter.

And here are all the people who made this camp possible.
All the wonderful supporters of SSS.
Without these sporting people, the camp wouldn't have been this fantastic.

and these... are the people who have been sticking with me right from the start.
love you guys! =)
Will be bringing you more of Tassie as it comes. Enjoy home!


~*~SpRiNg * tAmZ~*~ bloomed MySpace Layouts
4/18/2007 04:26:00 pm.