The Uluru Pilgrimage

We decided to climb Uluru as part of our pilgrimage to the centre. The vastness of the landscape and magnificent colour of the dirt continues to mesmerise us. It was amazing to look ahead at Sam climbing just like anyone else and I couldn’t help be choked up at how far this child has come. He was a little trouper trusting his Dad to guide him all the way. Sam made it up and down with no dramas – can’t say the same for his uncoordinated mother. On one of the steep rock faces – about 14 feet high – I lost my footing and just couldn’t find anywhere to put my feet. Far harder too when one starts to panic. I was clinging to the rock with my fingernails wondering how many broken bones I was going to accumulate at the bottom when a man’s arm reached over the side and grabbed on to me. I was really relieved until I saw the arm wasn’t attached to Gary. Then it was just sheer embarrassment at how heavy I am. He couldn’t move me an inch but at least I wasn’t sliding downhill towards broken bones any more. (Note: Don’t climb in shiny Nike tracksuit pants – they act as an inbuilt slide.) Meanwhile, Gary was securing Sam to Rachel then came back, leaned over and grabbed my other arm where I was unceremoniously dragged up the face of the rock like a beached whale. Every vertebra in my back was stretched – it was like being on a torture rack. Strange man thought the whole episode very amusing – I hope he doesn’t live in Melbourne – don’t want to ever see him again as long as I live– how humiliating. Same rescuer waiting at the top to say how well I’d done making the distance in one piece!

Amazingly the rock at the top sounds hollow when you tap it. (Maybe they do inflate it before sunrise just for the tourists!) The rock and surrounds are not just about the scenery – you really do feel the spirituality of the place. It’s sad that the majority of people only spend 24 hours here and keep moving. Having the few days to leisurely soak it up and finally slow us down has been a real gift. I’m still amazed at how fit and agile the kids are and grateful for my mid-life crisis when I turned 40 and took up running. Can’t imagine doing the climb and hikes we’ve been doing ten years ago – it just wouldn’t have been possible.