Don't Look Down

This week was just another an average week with Pacific Discovery (meaning nothing short of extraordinary). We spent it rock climbing alongside a gorgeous mountain lake with spectacular views during the day and retreating to a beautiful lakeside campground for the nights.

Our fantastic climbing instructors, Loz and Frankie, had the incredible ability to challenge everyone from the beginners to the climbing elite while still keeping us all together. We very quickly discovered that this week, no matter how experienced you are, was about getting out of your comfort zone. While the majority of students focused on improving the basics, some of the more experienced climbers learned how to lead climb which set the path and rope up for the rest of us. I had the opportunity to step back and watch the rest of the group and see how much they were improving. The look of satisfaction on everyone's faces was truly a sight to behold when they realized that in a short two and a half days they had learned a new skill and accomplished things they never imagined they could.

The theme of this section of the program was perseverance. Even when you think you're stuck 30 feet in the air on a totally flat-faced wall, there is always a way to keep climbing. Sometimes you might have to ask for help along the way, but that's not a bad thing. Nobody showed perseverance more than Helen and Lukas. Every time that I saw Helen get stuck and ask to be let down, she immediately changed her mind and committed herself to finding a way through the jam. And Lukas... well he only spent 30 minutes climbing a 20 foot wall that looked smooth and flat; even from the ground, I couldn't see a single foot or hand hold, yet somehow, he made it up.

From our lakeside paradise, we moved on to living the city life for a couple of days in Queenstown. The adventure capital of the world boasted some great entertainment for the group. I personally decided to hang glide. Hang gliding was unlike anything I've ever experienced. The feeling of soaring through the mountains like a dragon was other-worldly.

That night, the whole squad reunited for the luge. Ramming into each other while speeding along a concrete track down a mountain turned out to be a great family activity. It was made even better by the track operator who randomly gave some of the group free rides which they graciously donated to Connor and I. By the end of the evening, some of us had done nine rides because of the kindness of the track operator. Our time in New Zealand ended with the whole group together on the patio of the lakefront hostel celebrating a great first half of the trip. What a week!