first things first:

I want to be this guy:

On to more serious things… like the awesomenessnessness of the hike!

So we walked for about 45 minutes and took a break on the edge of a cliff. it was kind of strange to take a break that early as we were just getting into it and stuff, but it was really pretty and we got to introduce the others to cherry-berry Game (go isotonics!) and test-drive Leia’s incredible trail mix.

From there we walked until we had a break right next to a “Gevaarlik'” sign before going into the forest/ravine/jungle/I-don’t-know-but-it-was-awesome area. We got to figure out how to negotiate some slippery paths and rocks (I survived thanks to C falling/slipping before me and yelling warnings, and she survived through Leia’s superior catching skills), we got to climb over waterfalls on ladders (I’d been stressing about this until I got there and had a ‘Bring. It. On.’ moment).

At one stage the path was far too slippery so Leia and C anded up doing a bum-slide across and around a corner. I sat down to do the same but felt very insecure and so decided to stand to take my pack off and hand it over the slippery patch to Leia on the other side. As I rested my hand on the nearest tree to balance myself I realised that there was a rope…

and so the bum-shuffle-bum-shuffle-ROPE chant was born…

More tomorrow, I’m off to battle traffic before tai chi and watching a poker game. Ah these things I do…

and as an aside: how cool are these? Candice and HOMSI had them and now I’m jealous…