Exhausted and happy

First, I'm typing with my new bluetooth keyboard. Its a mini, so driving me a tad crazy. BUT i do love my gadgets. Wholeheartedly. So I started my morning with a 430 text from Greg, thank you for that. I got up and had my breakfast and packed my stuff from the camper van and headed off to climb bluff knoll. i was excited at this climb, as it was my first climb by myself. I got disapprovals from the ranger at the gate and the gentleman checking me into "my retreat." although the guy at the retreat was helpful. "you'll know when you get to the top. you cant go any further." I stopped writing, took a deep breath, tried not to let him see me struggling not to roll my eyes and said, "thank you." he was being serious. The hike was a struggle a bit. straight up hill from the start. no real breaks of level ground. if you want to tire out an over active girl, strap a bag to her and send her up a hill. hahaha. the markers were killers. every 1/2 km it reminded you that you had only gone 1/2 km. It took me two hours to the top and one back down. 1/2 way to the top i kept saying to myself, the good part, is you get to come back down. water had damanged some of the trail so that you simply couldn't walk on the trail, but for the most part, it was a fairly easy climb. I started the climb with my ear phones in. then i got a whiff of something maybe a flower? and thought, wait! if volunteering at wild mountains and reading about mindfulness has taught me anything, i need to enjoy this walk, smell things, see things, hear things! so in a defiant way [to myself] i took my ear phones out, stopped and smelled leaves, listened to the different birds chirping, and paid attention to the wind blowing. a person though can only change so much over time, so that last awhile until i started to power walk up this cliff again. but i didnt put my ear phones in again until i was decending. it was a perfect day to climb, the sun was shining and it was cool. Clear blue skies. Ha~ as i type this i can hear the kukooburrow {sp} screaming away. my second climb of the day was going to take me an hour one way off my path, so i veto'd the idea. I have a couple more places i want to do anyway, so i dont feel as though im missing out on much. on my way back down, i passed couple after couple. there was a couple sitting so i stopped to chat, they were from brisbane! mt gravett to be exact. they have been traveling oz for the last year and in june will be headed back home to meet a grandbaby. Im in walpole for the night. At a backpackers called tingly all over. i remember seeing this place last year as we were traveling through. this year, i pulled in to stay. Six days into my roadtrip and six left to go. This girl is extremely happy that so far is so good. This was huge for me. traveling like this alone. i needed it. im so happy. its not that late, 6pm, so i need to figure out a way to stay away for the next few hours so i dont wake up so early tomorrow! alright, im signing off for now. xoxoxoxo