Mt Everest ‘Think Big’ Trek 2010

  
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”
Edmund Hillary

Next month I am off on what will be one of the biggest life changing experiences I may ever have!  

I’m hoping to completely overhaul my mind, the way I see life and business, develop my creativity, create new opportunities and contacts plus become even more passionate about all aspects of my business, my clients businesses and the importance of a balanced life style. 

I am now appealing to my valued clients for support and sponsorship of my huge task being the climb to Base Camp Mt Everest, a 21 day hike in what I would consider quite exceptionally different conditions to what I am accustomed to. 

If you would like to sponsor my trek any support would be most graciously appreciated …. Please click here for more interesting information about the trek and see how you can help and promote your business.

Gokyo Lakes Associate Sponsors

$ 250 – $ 900 (to date)

       www.jobsmart.net.au                      www.accountingnorth.com.au
          more info here                                         more info here

Now you know why I have been doing so much walking of late!

I went to Supre yesterday and bought $30 worth of tops and they kindly gave me a bag … I then when to the chemist and bought $67 worth of products and they kindly put them in a bag …. I then went to BCF (Boating Camping Fishing Hervey Bay) and brought over $200 worth of hiking goods and they asked me if I would like to buy a bag for $ONE DOLLAR (WTF); I said, “No Thanks” with a smile and scooped all this into my arms and walked out.

Now I can understand carrying one one or two things home with no bag or if you spend under $20 lol …. also working in closedly with printers I know those bags would probably cost them no more an 10 – 30 cents each when ordered in their big bulk runs … Talk about Tight + all the advertising they are missing out on!!!!!! Priceless!

Perhaps they could supply boxes like Bunnings does?

How funny …. Thanks but No Thanks BCF, I think I’ll stick to buying my hiking gear from Kathmandu and Mountain Designs as they always kindly give me a bag to carry my purchases.

Well this was a little gem I climbed on the weekend. Wild Horse Mountain is not far South of Maroochydore near the Glass House Mountains. The 360 degree view was absolutely amazing and well worth the short but steep climb! (top 9 photos)

Wild Horse Mountain lookout track (123m) – 1.4km return (Allow 1 hour) Class 3
The lookout is in Beerburrum State Forest, east of the Bruce Highway. Turn off at the Mobil Service Station and drive along Johnston Rd to the lookout. Named after the brumbies (wild horses) that once lived there, Wild Horse Mountain offers a paved track to the lookout from the carpark. Enjoy 360-degree views of Pumicestone Passage, coastal plains, the Glass House Mountains and forestry plantations from the sheltered fire tower platform.

The following day I climbed Cooroora Mountain at Pomona again. This is a fun but hard climb, you feel like you have had a great workout afterwards! This time is wasn’t poring rain … (bottom 6 photos)

This popular mountain walk that rises to 439m is a steep and difficult. Every July the Pomona King of the Mountain challenge takes place and the record is about 20 minutes to the top and back. Allow two hours and that will still be some effort on this steep climb with some loose stones.

NOT sure who to vote for? With just days to go until we head to the polls, news.com.au’s Vote-a-matic 2.0 can help.

The Voteamatic 2.0 asks you 15 questions based on policies announced during the campaign, as well as issues and beliefs associated with the main parties contesting the August 21 election.  Answer the questions and at the end you’ll see which party best matches your views.

Click here to find your result

Well my result was 42% Liberal!!! Yeah I vote for them anyway!!

On Sunday I ran in the first ever Cane to Coral fun run with some friends.

I came in 3mins under my projected time which surprised me as there were a few long hills and the heat was extraordinary! The temperature in Bundaberg on Sunday was 26.6°C during the day and we were running in the direct sun, no shade nor not much breeze for my 1:27min run. This heat is quite unusual for the middle of winter!

The race was very popular with over 2,000 entrants and was extremely well run and organised. Thank you to all the sponsors (myself included) organisers and volunteers! Especially Neil and Anita! Can’t wait for next years!

This event is organised by cane2coral incorporated with the help and support of many volunteers and sponsors to raise money and awareness for ‘The QLD Cancer Council’ and ‘Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club.

Now here’s an interesting FOUR hour walk I did last weekend!

The first hour was spent crossing the mud flats at Gatakers and Eli Creek. The waterproof boots had to be removed here as the water was up past the top to our shins. Thongs were also needed for the crustaceans on the sea bed.

We had another water crossing a couple of hours into the walk and ran through this one which was about 10cm deep and our hiking boots kept our feet perfectly dry!

After four hours we finally reached Goody’s Restaurant; it was like a mirage on the horizon. Emma & I enjoyed a couple of beers and a good laugh before being picked up by a friend from Hervey Bay!

This walk is a must do and on low tide only! I can’t wait to do it again!

I’m officially back in the country after an Awesome cruise on the Pacific Dawn. Cruising from Brisbane we stopped at Noumea, Lifou and Vanuatu.

Captain Neil Turnbull looked after us and the weather was very nice with only a couple of rough days, though it did take me a couple of days to get over my sea legs on return.

The food was delicious and as per usual I totally over ate!!!
There will be a lot of hardcore exercise going on this week and some sort of soup diet!!!

Once again another fun cruise with P & O.

Saturday night I attended the Tibetan Earthquake Benefit concert organised by my friend Kirsty Chenery at the Z Pac Theatre, Zepher St. Hervey Bay.

The evening started with a viewing of: ‘The Sun Behind the Clouds …..Tibet’s struggle for freedom’ Movie. This movie was excellent, clearly portraying the current and ongoing dilemma Tibetans and His Holiness the Dalai Lama face in trying to see a middle path so that Tibetans can live in their own country (currently overtaken by the Chinese), keeping their customs alive and the practice of Buddhism.
This was a special preview as the movie is not officially released till October so we very blessed to be given this viewing.

We then enjoyed some food as many brought along a plate to share.

Following our break we had a great live performance from Alena of some of her original songs. Alena is a student at our local Buddhist Sanctuary and this was her first ever live performance – The Oddiyana Dharma Sanctuary.
The theatre was also decorated beautifully with pray flags by Alena earlier in the day.

This was followed by an exciting performance by the very talented special guests Tenzin Choegyal and Tibet2Timbuk2.

Their music ranged from relaxing, to mesmerising, to captivating to upbeat I want to dance songs!  
Most of their songs are either written about birds, lakes or mountains!
They were very amusing making us laugh.

Tibet2Timbuk2 has an eclectic repertoire including group arrangements of Tenzin’s Tibetan songs, Marcello’s English songs, collaborative songs and instrumentals and even classical tabla solo.  The overall sound is full and organic, with all three musicians sharing bass, percussion, harmony and melody roles to create a solid yet easy groove.

All up over $3,000 was raised on this very successful and enlightening night!
Awesome job, Kirst xox and all who participated, helped and attended!
There was alot of love in the room!

Sunday morning was so gorgeous at 6am I went for a 3:20min, 15km walk from Enzo’s at Scarness to Gataker’s Bay Boat Ramp and back with a couple of friends along our beautiful foreshore. The weather was perfect and I hadn’t walked around this way since I was a child so there were a lot of fun memories plus I’d forgotten just how beautiful our foreshore is.

When walking on the sand I said to my friend, “Holy Cr#p check out the size of that dogs paw print!!” who was then kind enough to point out to me it was actually a kangaroo foot print …

We made it to the summit of Gataker’s Bay hill which would be approximately 20m above sea level! (For experienced climbers only ha ha lol)

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I went down to the Jazz and Blues festival at the Pier in Hervey Bay to catch up with Enrique who was doing a Free Zumba demo. We had an awesome 45 minute high energy workout with Enrique and guest Zumba instructor from the Sunshine Coast, Celestia Spong.

Classes on the Fraser Coast can be found here

Today we ‘Raced the Rattler’ in Gympie, being an 18.5km foot race against the famous ‘Valley Rattler’ Steam Train.

The train departed Gympie Station for Dagun at 8.00 am with the first 300 runners and the race back to the station began at 9.30am.
There was just over 400 runners in total.
The first runners crossed the finish line shortly after 10.30 am.

We were told the course was a little hilly but I think that was the biggest understatement of the year. The whole course was nonstop HILLS OMG!!!

What a fantastic challenge. We all had an awesome time with some very fast run times!

The countryside was beautiful with some trail running also on the course.

We enjoyed a lovely BBQ in the park afterwards before coming home.

Yesterday I decided to go on a11+km hike with my friends and tackled our local Ghost Hill in Hervey Bay! The 2.5hr walk through the country side and cane fields was absolutely gorgeous; our council should really consider running a bike path out there and also up Ghost Hill plus down the whole of Main St, it is just such an enjoyable and scenic walk. I couldn’t find any online evidence but I’m sure the hill is at least 20m high! Ha Ha (perfect if you are just starting out with looking for some adventure!)!

The Tale of Ghost Hill
In the early days when the timber getters were felling timber at Pialba, Ghost Hill was just called The Hill.

One night Mr List, who lived on The Hill near the top, was late home from Maryborough and his wife was concerned. She went out onto the road in her long white night gown holding a lantern to look for him.

At the same time Boyle Martin and Anders Christiansen were making their way back to camp at Bunya Creek after a night at the Hunters Hotel. Mrs List, on seeing the two men, ran for the cover of the trees and the two men thought they saw a ghost.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

Omg it was pretty cold this morning on the Fraser Coast and the temperature was only 8°C/22°C. (Unlike many I really feel the cold)

I’m glad none of my clients dropped in for an unexpected visit!

My cold weather uniform reminded me of an amusing commercial I had seen ….

I’ve never really supported the Fraser Coast “Pub Crawl” ….  I just don’t see the logic in using tax payer funded government grants to promote and encourage binge drinking to get into the Guiness Book of Records.
Alcohol causes so much distruction and damages so many people lives yet our Fraser Coast Council actively promotes and supports this behaviour on what I assume is tax payer funded website!

All our local Police will be attending the event plus more are coming from surrounding areas and Brisbane including a riot squad … who covers this cost?? The Tax Payer?

Gee Anne how RESPONSIBLE!!!
 “It is good news from an operational point of view… this ensures publicans are able to serve as fast as they can.”

Is this the only event in Australia that is still allowed to sell full strength alcohol?

MID-STRENGTH alcohol restrictions and mandatory water breaks no longer apply to this year’s World’s Greatest Pub Fest…. Liquor Licensing when it decided on Friday not to impose alcohol restrictions to Maryborough’s world-renowned event….. “It is good news from an operational point of view… this ensures publicans are able to serve as fast as they can.” pub fest committee chair and Fraser Coast councillor Anne Nioa said. Read more here.

I tend to agree with Father Kelly, the local Maryborough Catholic Priest on this one:

“I am not getting at the pubs but after observing part of the pub crawl last year I truly fear for the safety of people…..The change of name and various additions over the years, such as more water, suggestions of lower strength alcohol, a charitable ‘cause’, etc, really are just trying to minimise the basic nature of the thing as a pub crawl, with all its negative connotations……This community does not need what is really still a pub crawl in spite of the council dressing it up as a festival and adding charities and church water stations.”

… Father Kelly’s full article here

What I do support is the  Wide Bay Sexual Assault Association and the remarkable work the councillors do in putting lives back together due to the abuse and adverse effects of alcohol. 
I think the Fraser Coast Council should more appropriately use tax payer funds for a free website for the Wide Bay Sexual Assault Association so that those who are abused mentally, physically or sexually by alcohol related incidents can seek help and know there is support and recovery systems within our community and know what to do if they become a victim.

Wide Bay Sexual Assault Support Services are getting the message out there this weekend with the use of their display stand created by Design House – “Drink Spike Alert ahead of Pub Crawl!”

IT CAN happen in an instant but lead to a lifetime of pain.

Drink-spiking is common and women attending the World’s Greatest Pub Fest on Sunday are urged to beware and take care so the crawl remains a safe and happy experience.

Counsellors from the Wide Bay Sexual Assault Support Service visited every participating crawl pub this week to distribute coasters, brochures and wrist bands warning of the dangers and advising people how to stay safe. … click here to learn more (image & info from The Fraser Coast Chronicle).

What to do if you think your drink has been spiked.
It is important to tell someone you can trust, a friend, security staff, the police and go to a doctor or hospital. Your doctor or a medical practitioner can test for the presence of traces of certain drugs through urine or blood tests within 24 hours.

Report the Crime 000 – Seek Medical HELP!
Statewide Sexual Assault Helpline  1800 010 120
Wide Bay Sexual Assault Service   07 4121 5999

Not long now and I’m off trekking around Fraser Island for the 3^rd time on Saturday 17th July 2010.

The Fraser Island Challenge is a fun walk / run across picturesque World Heritage listed Fraser Island QLD in One Day to raise Money in the name of Australian Cancer Charities.

Unique in that participants can choose their cancer related charity to raise donations for AND it is the first event of it’s size run in a QLD National Park.

From the beautiful Kingfisher Bay Resort & Village to the beach front resort at Eurong 100 competitors follow a course on established tracks (25km) with an extension option for elite competitors around the lake Wabby circuit (total 50km)…. Click here to find out more or register in the event.

Competitors in this event independently raise funds for their preferred Cancer Charity using a custom donation tracker on the event web site, with 100% of donations going directly to the selected charity

Please show your support and sponsor me …

proceeds go to the Queensland Cancer Council.

Yesterday I participated in the Hervey Bay Quarter Marathon being a 10.5km run along our beautiful bike track foreshore with the Fraser Coast Runners Club who are a really lovely group of people. The event was very well organised.

There were a few of my friends from Beachfit also participating in the event. Three of them came second in their races. Emma and Mark came second in the female and male Half Marathons (21km) with PB times and Rebecca came second in the Quarter Marathon (10.5km).

Afterwards we had cakes, coffee and prizes. I won the very last prize being a stubbie cooler (you can never have enough of these!) plus a small tool kit (a lady never knows when she may need a sprocket set!)

We also enjoyed a free massage after the race from some Tafe students practising for their Diploma of Sports.

Friday night I went to see Patrizio Buanne live in Concert at the Convention Centre in Brisbane. What a thoroughly enjoyable performance. Patrizio’s voice is so strong and sounds like it has come from the heavens!
Add to that his moves, charisma, sex appeal plus 14 piece orchestra and you are in for one very sexy, professional, amusing and entertaining performance.

I just had to buy his latest album but unfortunately unlike when I went to his concert in 2007, Patrizio didn’t do a signing after his concert.

Patrizio Buanne spent his childhood between his hometown in Naples, Italy and Vienna, Austria, due to his parent’s restaurant business.

This multi-cultural upbringing sparked in Patrizio an early passion for languages, and by the age of 17 he already spoke fluent Italian, German, English, French and Spanish. It seemed obvious for both Patrizio and his parents for him to become an interpreter, and after graduation from school he went on to study Slavic languages at University and today he can add fluent Polish to his language tool kit. But whilst his aptitude for languages is admirable, a much greater gift, apparent even from the age of 4, was emerging – his gift to be able to sing and entertain people….

But what quality separates Patrizio from other great artists? Is it the natural grace of his voice, the “rugged” good looks, or the confident, casual, respectful attention that he gives to his audience? Or is it just the basic trust he evokes in people?

…..Click here to learn more.

A little disappointed I didn’t get a close up encounter with Patrizio this time, I was pleasantly surprised on my return flight home from Brisbane to see the all time Australian Legend Jimmy Barnes was on my flight.  

Not being one to miss an opportunity I had my photo snapped with My Cold Chisel Hero at the Brisbane Airport!!!

This weekend it was off to Noosa for my first Half Marathon.

Saturday after picking my friend Emma up from the airport we decided on an impromptu climb up Mt Coolum. The sign says experienced climbers only – 2hr return, well we must be elite athletes to do it in 40mins in our thongs! In hindsight we probably shouldn’t have risked an injury before our big run on Sunday morning.

We did it! Our first ever official half marathon, 21km without stopping!

We had a gorgeous day, leaving from Lions Park at Hastings St to Tewantin and back then a repeat of this.  Race map here.
Emma came in just under 2hrs and I was just over. Official time; Jeanette & Emma.
It was great to see the variety in ages, sizes and fitness levels all trying their hardest and encouraging each other on. This year our name was on our race number so spectators were cheering our names out loud as we ran past.
We burnt 1300 calories each during the run.

I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is be someone who can be loved.
The rest is up to them.
I’ve learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.
I’ve learned that it takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it.
I’ve learned that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.
I’ve learned that it’s not what happens to people, It’s what they do about it.
I’ve learned that no matter how thin you slide it, there are always two sides.
I’ve learned that you should always have loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you’ll see them.
I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

I’ve learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done When it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I’ve learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don’t know how to show it.
I’ve learned that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
I’ve learned that true friendship continues to grow even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I’ve learned that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I’ve learned that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I’ve learned that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I’ve learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I’ve learned that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I’ve learned that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.
I’ve learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I’ve learned that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves go farther in life.
I’ve learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.
I’ve learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I’ve learned that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
I’ve learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.
I’ve learned that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings and standing up for what you believe.
I’ve learned to love
and be loved.
I’ve learned…

by Omer B. Washington