We’ve heard a couple of awesome stories from our community so far… and this is no different! Our next adventure community tale comes from Sally Preston as she recounts her first adventure out to Werribee Gorge, one of our classic day hikes. If you’re feeling at all uncertain about joining us on a hike, have a read of Sally’s story to see how you can fit in and have an exciting adventure just like her.
It was one of those mornings. Will I go or not?
A week earlier I couldn’t sleep and used the waking hours fruitfully booking a Take Shape Adventures short walk at Werribee Gorge. Then I couldn’t sleep some more as I was excited about the prospect of a walk I’d been warned was a bit tricky and best not done alone. I’m not an experienced hiker.
The day of the walk dawned with fog and rain. Was this going to be a good day to come along, make new friends, and reconnect with nature? The blurb on the website assured me it was, so I ventured off into the gloom, heading to the meeting point a one-hour drive from home.
Standing by the river, eating a well-deserved snack that our knowledgeable guides carried for us, the whole group was engaged in finding the lion’s head in the cliff face.
Conversation amongst erstwhile strangers flowed easily, as points of interest were pointed out and speculated on. The short walk back to the car park was comfortable and companionable. Some of the group were quiet, just enjoying being in nature. Others chatted like old friends.
I’m glad I made the decision to go on that gloomy morning. I arrived home feeling a sense of achievement, a bit tired, and very grateful that Take Shape Adventures had afforded me a great day out.
The sky became brighter and brighter and my hopes lifted. Upon arrival, I was greeted by two enthusiastic guides and an assortment of walkers of all ages. Yet I was the oldest in the group! No problem, the guides informed me, we would walk at a comfortable speed.
Of course, the first hill was, and always will be, the worst. The cheeriness of the group and the varied fitness levels gave me the enthusiasm to punch it out. The common goal of having a fun time and enjoying our surroundings was more than enough to fuel our tanks.
The gorge itself wasn’t what I expected. It was comparable to walking through a sculpture garden carved miraculously, eons ago. The burbling river was the soundtrack.
Scarpering over the rocks and along the ledges made me grateful for my well-soled shoes. The degree of difficulty was just enough to excite but not frighten.
Thanks for that excellent story, Sally! We hope that a few of our new adventurers have found some comfort and solidarity in reading your story of feeling nervous and concerned, but biting the bullet and doing it anyway. Doing something hard is impressive, doing it scared is even more so!
Do you have a wonderful story like Sally’s that is inspirational, exciting, funny, or maybe a little bit embarrassing? If you’ve been on some of our adventures, we bet you do! Send your story to hello@takeshapeadventures.com.au and we might feature it in a blog or on our community page. If you’ve got a few photos to go with that, that would also be great.
