The Outback

It took me 2 hours to walk completely around Uluru. The temperature had fallen to 98 degrees. I didn’t notice a difference. My clothes were wet with sweat and red with dirt and I had been out of water for the last 30 minutes. I hadn’t talked to anyone for the last hour and I felt inspired. I felt like I knew myself a little better. I was sad that it was over. I had definitely experienced much more by not climbing. The real thing about Uluru is listening to everything around you. It is only then that you truly understand how sacred this rock really is.

Steve, our guide, drove us 20 minutes away from the base to a place that claimed to be the best viewing area of the sunset. There are only 4 minutes in the AM and 4 minutes in the PM to capture the color the world sees in postcards. As you observe, it is easy to see the moment come and go. The entire rock lights up as if it’s on fire. We stood in awe after the color had finally faded. Not really believing what we had just seen.

We arrived at camp soon after the sun set. It consisted of a tin roof held up by four wooden posts, a picnic table, and a sink with drinkable water. We prepared pasta and garlic bread cooked over an open fire.

I slept in a sleep sheet tucked into my swag. A swag is basically a sleeping bag with more endurance. I was feeling brave and decided to position my swag on the outskirts of the camp sight. When the fire finally died down the stars were endless. I lay there staring up at the Southern Cross, Orion’s Belt, and the Milky Way. This is what Steve had meant by our campsite being not a "five star hotel" but a "billion star campsite". There was nothing but swag between me and nature. I could hear the wind swirling in circles somewhere close by. I slept with my head, shoulders, and arms outside of my swag. It was morning when I heard that a dingo had circled our campsite at 3 AM. I was bummed that I had missed it!

I watched the sun rise over Uluru and then we went to The Olga’s. It would be a shame to visit the Outback and stop after Ayers Rock. Olga’s is far more impressive. There is a 1 ½ hour hike hike into the gut of this mountain to "The Valley of the Winds" which leads to "Look Out Peak". I found the rock chalk the aborigines used to paint. We made warrior marks on our arms. My only request was to make me a higher rank than my travel partner. We picked lemon grass and spotted a baby dragon. We saw prickly needles of a tree that aborigines use to heal warts. We saw a dead dried up frog that didn’t make it underground fast enough to hide from the harsh sun. I ate a bush plum. I broke away from the pack and let myself believe I was a pioneer, discovering things for the first time. The terrain was rugged. Some parts were heaps of broken rock that must have fallen from a mountain that had once existed, creating a 4th mountain to the standing three.

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