I finished week-old arguments with colleagues while fashioning a hiking stick with my pocketknife. Besides rapping, I picked leaves and created origami concoctions while stopping for water breaks. ![]() Coated in sparse vegetation that bakes beneath the tropical Queensland sun, there’s little to provide shelter for its vast array of slithery inhabitants – snakes, geckos, and me.Īfter having found Nemo on the Great Barrier Reef and eaten my way through a series of food-related tourist traps in the Daintree Rainforest, I was ready for a new challenge – one that nearly killed me.īecause I was hiking alone (which I don’t recommend for inexperienced climbers or basically anyone smarter than me), I had to devise ways to keep myself psychologically engaged. No amount of squats in the world prepared me for that.Ī short drive south of Cairns, Walsh’s Pyramid is an intimidating structure – not the least of which because it’s the highest freestanding pyramid in the world. I also might have paced myself a little better for a hike that takes experienced bushwalkers between three and four hours to ascend, but took me six and a half. Or long-sleeved attire that would protect me from the brutal sun (and possible snake bites), instead of the fast-wicking apparel I usually reserved for my gym class. If they had, I might have known to wear actual hiking boots, instead of Nike trainers with white rubber soles. ![]() In body pump, the weights could be adjusted, and 45 minutes of high-interval training would be followed by a nice, relaxing stretch that made me feel good about myself again before meeting up with girlfriends to eat pizza.īut Les Mills’ full-body weights and cardio workout never required knowledge of rough, jagged terrain, inland taipans (the world’s most venomous snake), or any number of bushwalking survival hacks that I should have studied before tackling one of Australia’s most unforgiving hikes. I had always shied away from physical tasks that required long-term commitment and unavoidable amounts of pain. Up until then, the most challenging feat of athleticism I had faced was managing to make it to a gym class three days a week. I headed up the trail one step at a time, with Sir Mix-a-Lot as company. “I like big butts and I cannot lie…” I started singing, while clapping my hands half-heartedly, and stomping my feet as loudly as I could. It was only a 3,097ft (922m) hike to the summit, but a near-vertical climb that would challenge even the most experienced bushwalker…or, in my case, body pumper. Hawks circled overhead, and kookaburras guffawed from the surrounding shrubbery. ![]() ![]() A thinly defined path lay before me, covered in layers of crunchy brown bush and long, dried sticks from which various creatures darted in and out. We hung up and I faced the dry, barren brush of Walsh’s Pyramid on my own. “But you know, just stomp your feet, clap your hands and sing to give them some warning of your whereabouts, so they can scamper off, and you’ll be fine.” “Wait, are there snakes on this mountain, ya think?” I asked my friend over the phone, who had graciously volunteered to accompany me – in spirit, at least – on the first few steps of my hike. Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
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