Rockin' the Rocks!

Neat picture, huh? Too bad, I completely posed for that one! Stefanie was sitting at the top of the cliff snapping pictures of everyone. I was only allowed to move at her command and here, I think I was told to look really intensely up toward the camera but not AT the camera. I think I made a pretty good model...

Wanaka, NZ

This was the view from our campsite. Absolutely gorgeous. Everyday, on our 3-day rock climbing trip, we would wake up and hit the rocks by about 9am. This trip was my first ever experience with climbing real, outdoor rocks. And-- I LOVED IT!! It's such a great challenge, and so rewarding when you get to the top. Basically, there's not much to tell about the trip, other than we did a lot of rock climbing. The stars were beautiful at night, and we learned a bunch of southern hemisphere constellations which was fun. The second day, it was rainy and windy, which makes for an interesting climbing experience... The third and final day was by far the best. I got to climb Tombstone. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but it was hard, straight up, and really high! It was so fun though. Especially when I got to the top, after thinking I wasn't going to make it.

This is Tombstone. And that is me sitting on the top. SO FUN!

The first day while our instructors were setting up our climbs, a group of us went exploring. We waded through a creed and then tried to jump up onto these rocks by the side of the creek without getting wet. After pulling our shorts up as high as they would go, this still proved impossible. But we didn't give up! Through a lot of teamwork, some mud and a little bit of splashing, we all got up so we could take this fantastic picture. As for getting back into the creek? Yeah, it was a disaster. We all ended up...wet.

And PS- I was wearing those striped thermals under the those shorts. In that very position, I succeeded in taking them off while staying completely modest. I know, it's pretty dang incredible! My talents multiply every day... :)