"Not all those who wander are lost.": You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl...

...and by that statement I mean the following:

I love the buzz of a city; I like the hustle and bustle, the city lights, the sounds, the entertainment and the excitement. But I grew up in a small town where camping, fishing and just being in the outdoors was the best past time. It is impossible to ignore that yearning for serenity and beauty that Mother Nature offers. For me, being in the great outdoors is in my blood and an adventurous weekend was just what the doctor ordered.

Before my weekend adventure began, I had an awesome visit from a friend, Gareth, who I met through the wonderful world of travelling. It was a day like we had that makes me love city life and everything Melbourne has to offer. After enjoying a Melbournian day complete with cafes, yoga, street art, relaxing in the park and parma (Chicken Parmesan with fries), I was excited to explore areas outside of the main city.

Melbourne street art at it's finest. This is at Hosier Lane.

So what do you get when you have two Canadian (correction, British Columbian) girls itching for adventure? Just that! My friend, Nina, and I decided to have a weekend away and planned our journey the night before (typical...). We wanted something epic but were not sure if anything would compare to the mountainous ranges in B.C. After considering our options we decided on the Cathedral Ranges for an overnight camping trip.

First things first, we have to get there. It's time to face the fear of driving on the right side..well the left side..wait, how does that work? Anyway, opposite of Canada! And I must say, I think I did a pretty stellar job but props definitely go out to Navigator Nina. It took awhile for my eyes to stop drifting to the left and hugging the curb. Thanks to Neens for politely correcting me :) Eventually, I got the hang of it and by day two it felt quite natural.

The road into Cathedral Range State Park. This is Bernadette (Bernie), our rental for the weekend.

After two hours of driving through the beautiful Yarra Valley (this is wine country!), we reached Cathedral Range State Park. Using a hand-drawn map and memory, we parked Bernadette at Ned's Gully car park, hoped we wouldn't get ticketed, threw our 35-pound packs on our backs, and off we ventured into the unknown range.

Up the hill we began and I soon realized that I haven't hiked a mountain for approximately eight months and forgot what a completely different form of exercise it is. Must work on cardio - noted. We had a short little break to enjoy the scenery (aka my heart was beating out of my chest and my lungs were shouting, "Amateur!"). As we munched on granola bars, both Neens and I spotted something in the bush. I felt my heart rate increase (which I didn't think was possible at this point) and I felt that pit in your stomach feeling. Basically, I was scared! It was very hard to make out what creature was lurking but resourceful Nina was able to identify it as a Lyrebird. Very cool!

After about another hour of hiking we then reached the peak. My expectations were non-existent as to dismiss any potential disappointment but I can tell you, it was seriously breathtaking! Sure, it's cliche, but I really felt at home.

So here I think that the hard part is over but the real hiking hadn't even began. The next two hours consisted of some serious scrambling which I totally love but perhaps was ill-prepared for considering I was carrying a stupid amount of weight on my back. About an hour in, my legs had started getting a bit shaky with trying to balance myself through the never-ending ridge.

Ascent complete! And this is why hiking is so awesome. The rewards of breathtaking views are always worth it.

**Warning** Mom, don't read this next paragraph.

I seriously almost fell over...and I don't mean scrape your knees fall on a rock, I mean tip over the ridge down the rocky cliff. And not once but twice. At the same spot. Where it felt like I was tight rope walking. On a cliff. I lost my balance and my pack felt like it was pulling me to the right and for a brief moment, I felt my stomach leap into my mouth. I steadied then literally four seconds afterwards, I almost lost it again. I managed to recover before tumbling down the embankment and good news: I'm alive! And honestly, I am stoked to go back (maybe not so much on my back next time though!).

We finally made it to the site and set up camp for the night. Dinner consisted of salami, cheese and spinach bunwiches, Shapes, carrots and of coures goon (meaning cheap boxed wine). After making some friends who had a (illegal) campfire, we were both knackered and decided to head back to the tent. Did I mention it was 7:30pm?

The night did not end there though. So yes, I am in Australia but yes, it does get freakin' cold! I woke up in the middle of the night and had a memory of a camping trip a couple years ago on May long weekend that saw us waking up to snow in the morning. It felt that cold here. I then hear a shivering, desperate voice say, "Trrr-rr-acy? C-c-c-an we spoon??" I shiver back, "Y-yy-yesssss."

After a bloody cold night, morning arrived. We packed up camp and started our trek back. We took an alternate route; to be honest, I didn't feel like experiencing near-death again. As we walked down the road back to Bernie, the sun was shining, the trees were lush and green, the birds were singing a tune and I had a "How amazing is this?" moment. Sometimes I forget. I am in Australia. I live in Australia. And there we were. Just two friends on some beautiful and unknown road in Oz. Literal. And metaphorical.