Journal Day 1 & 2
Here I am starting the trip of a life time. I made it through the air ports just fine but had a little trouble in Sydney with my luggage and customs. On the flight to Sydney I finished The Alchemist which told of a story about finding and following your personal legend and heart. It reminded me alot about love and the reasons of the heart.
The flight on the 747 to Sydney was great. I sat right on the wing and it was dark most of the ride so the starts were incredible. Upon landing in Sydney Airport we flew in just inside the clouds so you could barley catch a glimpse of the connection between water and land... always something about it that makes me tingle.
All of the companions I have met so far are all awesome. Yet I don't remember many of their names. I will figure them out sooner or later. The little town of Broome is located on the West Coast perched on an area that jets our from the main land like a little finger. (curved) The Tarmach was just compacted dirt and every were I looked there was red dirt and palm trees with some sort of coconut looking things hanging high atop.
The Kimberly Klub is a walking distance from the airport and can be described as a backpackers bar with a couple shacks spotted behind it. (Ends up that there were actually quite a few rooms in that small little bar... I was impressed) Once in my travelers checks would not be accepted so I payed cash and am now practically broke... Well I guess when you in the bush you don't need much money.
Day 3
It is 6 oclock right now and it is dark with an awesome moon lighting the sky. An awkward looking bird is out side my window making all sorts of strange noises. I did talk to a girl today who seams to be pretty laid back. Her name is Jamie and she is a book worm and dosnt like to associate with people much... At least I don't think... Maybe I am just weird (What eva). I also met Bede today- a larger guy and the only Aussie going on the Trip. We headed down to the beach and swam in the ocean for a couple hours and when I got a little adventurous I went exploring the reef around the waters edge.I checked everything out for a while and came upon some really cool shells which were like a typical shell very cool and fun to look at. I grabbed as many as I could find and I figure I can sneak them home. O and there were camels as well... Yes camels the ones that spit in your face and have large humps on their backs. And I cant find my leather-man. I think I left it at home or its in one of the many pockets... Sweet Tarts Rock! Most of the food here is weird and I find lettuce is the main course in most all meals. Its not normal I say. Not normal at all- Nate (Everyone likes my hat!)
Day 4 & 5
At 6 we get up and headed down to the NOLS base camp about 5 miles away from the KK. Its a nice place, mainly a massive shed with most of the food and equipment inside. A area out back for some lessons and eating. There are also a bunch of shed like things called "Dongers" were the instructors live when they are not in the field. All day we did rations for our 75 day trip. It was incredible seeing that much stuff. We had to pack most everything so we split up and started packing the food into 500 kg or 750 kg weights. I was on powdered mild and brown sugar. Quite rough I say cause the powdered mild smells similar to what I would think puss from a large infection would smell like... It took all day to finish the packing but by the end it was done. Once finished with the food we learned more about the trip in a Q and A session and also picked up our Mozzie Domes (tents). We had some really good spaghetti and headed over to the caravan park were we were going to sleep. The mosquitos are crazy and long pants and a long sleeve shirt are a must! I set up my dome and hit the sca. Woke up every hour because of the dew making everything wet. We woke up at 6 again and I grabbed a shower accompanied by a symphony of birds and animals. Dam things are loud!!! We got back to base camp and ate a really good brekky for the first time in a couple days. And now I am here siting on my backpack with the flys and the bugs. We are doing equipment today. (My Hat is still a hit!) - Nate (So Full, a little Tired) (Starting to look like a mountain man... ALREADY!!!)
Day 5 Afternoon
Its 1 PM and hot! We finished up packing our packs and I am still wondering how I am going to live these 75 days with one pair of pants a long sleeved shirt 2 pair of unders, socks, a hat and a pair of shoes... Kind of exciting if you ask me. We are having lunch and I met prob the coolest guy here in the OutBack. His name is WAZ and he is an instructor full time. While packing I found I had WAY to much stuff and also not enough... My goretex things are all way to hot as Waz says so I had to get some others. it sounds like we are waking up at 4 tomorrow and driving down to the start of our kayaking section which is about 12 hours down the coast. I am going to read - Nate (Flys are everywhere, work done, ready to go)
Note to self- Dad Vegimite is SO BAD DAD!!! I believe SOS is precisely the phrase for it! Eh Mate!??
Day 6
Its twelve oclock right now and we have been on the bus for 6 hours now stopping every 100 KM for bathroom breaks and snacks. Tyson: I watched the Breakfast Club...and yes it was a good one! "Can you describe the rucus??"Every night so far I have woken up to some bad dreams. I guess I am just scared and home sick, yet most are about what will happen next... I am worried about it all and I cant keep my mind off of it.
Dampere, the city we are headed to, is about 4 hours out from were we are now. I have found a really good drink down here called SOLO... Pretty much lemonade but has a kick of some kind. We are stopped now... by a train so long you can not see the back nor the front for as long as the eye can see. Its very flat our here and everything is red and a dried out green.
"Every search begins with beginners luck. And every search ends with the victor being severely tested" -The Alchemist
7:42pm I just finished up my first meal camping stye. We made a really good stir fry with rice out here on the beach. The plan for tomorrow consists of learning the emergency precautions for the kayaks and then hopefully we will be able to get out into the ocean.
The bugs out here are getting a little annoying so the only refuge spot on the camp is the mozzie dome which is were I am now. It also sounds like we might be able to get to sleep in tomorrow until 7:30.
My Monkey man fleece is awesome.All I can do to feel a little less home sick is to write so that is what I will do. This really does help!
From the past two nights there has been a large amount of dew that builds up on the dome and then drips all over the place... So I pulled out the ol poncho over the dome trick. I will see how it works for tonight. Thats all for now. I love you mom, dad, bro. Good Night ;) (Homesick, fatigued, the coast is incredible)
Day 7- Sea Day
We finally made it out to the beautiful sea/ocean/body of water. This morning we made some cereal and casadillas for breakfast. The milk was powdered and quite gross but the brown sugar helped a but... still its was pretty bad. Once packed up we hot the road again with the kayaks. About 30 min later we came upon our camp spot on the beach in the middle of nowhere. 3 or 4 miles up the road is the Aus. natural gas plant. We went and toured the plant and watched a movie on how it all was made. The flames are huge from were we are camped and all the lights are amazing.
It just struck 7pm and the ocean is 10 feet away on high tide.After a little lunch of the basic snacks and ginger snaps. I headed out on the rocks and water and searched the sand for my little shells I fist found on the beach up in Broome. I did a little research and they are called Limpets. I want to collect enough of the same size to make a really cool necklace or anklet.
After finding a few limpets we gad our poo class (ya... don't worry to much about that) and then headed out to the water. We did not actually go paddling but practiced our rolls and exits. It was freezing because of the wind and we did not see the sun all day.
Mac and Cheese was what my cook group made tonight and Justin was in charge and decided to boil the noodles in salt water so it turned out pretty salty. ;( I can not wait for tomorrow.
I wonder what everyone is doing back home... I hope my family knows that I miss them. My arms and legs are bitten even tho I am doing everything I can think of to stop the little bastards.Good night and sweet dreams all (another dream about the life last night... This time it was good)
(Nose stuffed, wind is blowing, saw a large lizard!)
-Nate
Note to self - Tolle The Power of Now... Read it!
Day 8 (morning)
It is 6 o clock and the wind blew hard last night. I did not sleep much because of it. the weather sucks and there is a good possibility of rain and wind for the next 5-6 days. I am going to make some hot coco and try to warm up.
8:52 Night of day 8It was an incredible day out in the outback. We were technically in the ocean for a better part of the day so ya. There is so much to tell of just this day. We started out with classes on kayaking an packing and also deadly animals. Once finished we packed up camp and put our things in the boat which was a rough effort for all of us. Then we headed out on the water for 4 hours straight paddling around the horn and into the choppy waters of the ocean. The wind was blowing hard the whole time making the kayaking a bit more challenging. I have gotten the hang of it and I hope to learn and experiment with the eskimo roll soon. We headed to a second bay to find a good camp spot and ager some time we found a suitable spot to land. The salt water has taken a toll on my hands and will most likely be hurting tomorrow from all the paddling. It is incredible out here under the stars with no lights around for miles.
It is very odd liking this kind of lie with out any civilization around and no one but yourself to rely on. The wind is still blowing hard. It is blowing my dome around and making it very hard to sleep. I lost a bead on my bracelet. Everything is salty and wet. I hope I get use to this soon because I miss my family and friends.
Good night all! Talk to you tomorrow!
Day 9 2:30 PM
Last night was a very long night because I did not sleep at all. the wind was out of control blowing fine bits of sand through the mesh and into the dome. Other then this I was so worried my things would be blown away that I just sat up and watched them. It is really incredible the harshness that comes with the beauty of the ocean. About 10 miles of shore there is a natural gas rig and from the looks of it, its getting bombarded by the waves.
I am using my new binocs and they are working great.We had a class this morning on the history of Australia and they gave us three assignments to complete before the end of this section. Mainly just teaching some classes and things like that.
Midway through out lesson a food bag was spotted out floating so Was jumped in the kayak to go get it. The tide came in so fast and so far and no one expected that our stuff would get caught... But it did. Good thing we got it cause food is kinda a good thing to have...
I just cooked myself some home style ramen noods and am now sitting at the tide watching the gulls and the ocean behind them getting whipped by the wind. The wind is to strong to get out kayaking and I am guessing it is going to stay like this for a while.
The people that I am with come from all over the US and they all seem to have had a lot of fun in their lives. It is odd to feel so out of the loop with all of them. They are all outgoing good people but they just have a way about them that sometimes aggravates me. I am going to have to get along with them soon cause if not these next 3 months are going to be no good. I feel almost childish here not knowing what the others know. The one thing I have on them tho is my ability to think on my feet and adapt to situations.
It is incredible the amount of shells I am sitting on right now. It is what make up this beach. They are all amazing colors and I am still finding my Limpet shells.
I hope to get back on the water cause thats were I thrive!
(Ears are full of sand, nose is still stuffed, beaches are beautiful)
-Nate
Day 9 Afternoon
While we were finishing the scout for a new area to sleep we were to called into our first cooking class. The Pizza!!! And after many failed attempts at completing the pizza with all toppings melted cheese and a brown (not black) crust, we got it right. Sadly we were only able to make one good one because we ran out of dough.
-Nate
Day 10 a double digit
Finally day 10 has arrived and I am started to get use to the environment, the time difference, and the way of life. We all took a hike today into the bush to the opposing coast of Dolphin Island. We saw a good array of life out here including many kangaroos and a rare little flower called a Stuarts Pea. It a fun little flower with bright red petals and little black peas inside. The roos are all smaller then I expected but I found that its because we were seeing a different type then those normally seen on TV. The larger roo is called a western red, and it stands to 6+ feet tall.A dolphin was also seen today off the coast of our beach. The wind has dies down to a partial standstill and I am more comfortable with some of the group. We will be getting out on the water tomorrow to head to a new island. I cant wait to get back on the water. My goal fro the trip has been laid out; find or open my heart and create a bliss between myself and my mind.
The stars are immaculate tonight and I have a new favorite constellation. The Southern Cross.
Good Night for now
-Nate
I am starting to get it all...
Day 11 New creatures
It has been an a amazing day today! We got up at 6:30 AM and ate some brekky then quickly headed to the boats to pack. Setting off from our beach we headed towards Dophin Island paddling with a head wind of about 17-24 knots. Once into the stretch tho the wind died down to a nice 6. Waz taught me how to really get technical with my kayak and learned some more advanced things like J turns and eskimo rolls (Assisted)... It was a good time and a pretty fun challenge! Once onto our new beach we did some exits and entries classes then headed in for some SOS which I literally butchered. We had not any shingles but a lot of shit for sure!
When headed out to the clean the pots I found a large knok shell and then when you shuffled your feet there would be a crazy blue glow that came from some sort of alge. It was kinda like a star. And finally coming back from cleaning up the dunnies I started seeing lots of flickering shiners on the ground. Turns out all of them are small spiders that are clear in color. All in all a successful day I presume. I found a pearly looking shell on the ground so I decided I would cut it into a heart. Kinda crafty. Reminds me of me!
(Animals sounding, hands are dry, a little lonely)
-Nate
I cant wait for a new to day every day!
Day 13 6-25-08
8:13PM
It was a good day today! We got our re-ration about noon and reworked our cook groups. My cook group is awesome, so much intelligence is in it.
We all work together pretty good.
We practiced our non assisted re-entries in the kayak but we are staying on the same beach tonight because of the late re-ration. I am finding out so much about the different lifestyles people have. Yet there is so much more to learn about people in general. Me and Smiley talked for awhile about this and he seams to have a lot of knowledge! Big move tomorrow to Legendere Island.
-Nate
Blank Mind
Day 14
We are headed to the light tower at the end of the island to camp.
It is 8:30 and we are camped at the western end of the island near the light house. The food was great tonight and I think I might have redeemed myself from the SOS incident. Once on the island we had a lot of free time so I went fishing with the hand line for a bit. I did not catch anything but I did get a bite. There was an amazing number of turtles and stingrays and sharks in a mile section of shallow mangrove . A truly incredible experience.Saw a spider with its many young on its back. Scary... but cool all together.
-Nate
(Dark skinned, Thoughtful, loving everything so far!)
Day 15
It has truly been a great day today. Starting our with classes and picking out our Team leaders for the first time which took till about 12. We needed to wait for the tide to rise because we were siting on a sand bar. We headed off the Island and started toward turtle ally, we stopped at the mouth for 5 and then stared through the pass. It was a high current with the wind at our back. So we just sat back and chilled along the mangrove trees watching the wild life and just relaxing in the easy heat.
I am still pretty bad about my jacked up tan!
-Nate
Day 16 (Poetics)
The waves crash along the distant shore line and beneath me the turtles and sharks roam together in the vast body of water known as the ocean. I sit an think of what is to come of me in the near future. The rocks I sit on now have been carved by the beauty of the ocean for centuries upon centuries. Its past and stories that lay within are forever engraved for curious passerby's like muself to read
What stories are told when a curious passerby looks at my face, my eyes? What about the most importaint, My Heart? Will a human find me in the very distant future and say "This man has found peace in his life"?This is my hope. To have the stories of my life deeply engraved into my heart so all will know that I have lived a full and prosperous life.
"Your eyes show the strength of your soul" - The Alchemist
I will have a strong soul so I myself can have an impact! -Nate Last-
Day 18 My Dream
While I sat and waited; I found Peace. Once it came; I found Love. Once it left; I found happiness.
A truly amazing lifestyle.
It is 2:45 and we just finished lunch. I am heading back out at 3:00 for the high tide. Int he beginning it was rough but I believe I will et the hang of it on this next outing where I now know some tricks and I figured out what i was doing wrong! The beach if of the purest sand. Unlike any other beaches that were made of shells and rocks this is made of just ground sand.It is sunny out with just a bit of cloud covering, which is nice to have. We are having pizza tonight and I did my class today which went over great! (Coral Reefs)
-Nate
Continued-
Day 20 A Move, A Beach, A Fish, Holy Balls!
An incredible day it has been. I think the best day out here so far... Except the Dawney (Surf) we went on yesterday morning before the sun came up . The surf was amazing at 6:30 AM and the sunrise was even more incredible. I sat on the beach for hours writing to the family.
We used snails off the rocks for bait which you crush you crush the shells and pull the snail out. They worked like a charm! Something I will have to try out back home!
I casted out and found that the smaller fish quickly snagged all of the bait off the hook... Ya cant really do anything about it so I baited up my size 6 and casted again only to loose more bait. As the sun went down and after many a cast and re bait I found my line tugging. I YANKED... a wiggle and I knew I had a good one! I struggled hard with the thick hand line and finally pulled him to the surface. It was a Snapper! The best eatin fish in the Indian Ocean! The best part was it was of size so we could cook em up. I wondered how such a small fish could struggle so much. It really felt like a 20 lb fish dragging my line were this one only looked about 8 or so.I noticed something strange... The back half of the fist was... GONE! I did a full on double take and found the unusual half of a fish dangling just above 3 good for nothing 4 foot black tiped sharks! Dam thing came up and swiped my prize from my grasp! (SWIPER JUST SWIPED ME!)
So... I teased it! Well... them... they were just circling under the dead half fish... I played with them mean lookin good for nothing 4 foot black tipped sharks just to piss em off like they had me! Well that was till these smart little bastards ganked my other half all at once and dragged my line out with em! I braced the line and pulled. The string snapped and slapped my in the face... GRRRR
But all in all the China Red was good eatin after I stripped it and fillet it on the grill. Little bit of lime snauce... Good tucka for sure!
Nate
I am full and seem to be sleeping on a rock... O wait... I am..
Day 21 Revenge on that DAM shark/sOk its been an awesome day. We haven't been doing much. a couple of classes this morning then I fished till 3 then more classes. After that I fished again and started killin em. One after another; Blue bones and China Reds yet they were all not big enough to eat!... :( Well at least until... A MONSTER caught the line. Finally a Snapper! The same fish that the stupid shark took from me yesterday. I was very happy to see it was of size since they are very hard to find!
We cooked dinner and after I filleted my new prize very carefully we cooked em up with some like and salt and pepper. Best fish i have ever had! Thanks to gramps for teaching me how to cook and prepare fish! Tonight it helped!
Every one loved it.
Early Morning tomorrow. We have a long crossing to do. Good Night
-Nate
