Getting Into Adventure When You Have No Gear, No Idea, and No Friends (Well, Adventurous Ones)

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which this adventure takes place who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants, for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

I’m a float and flirt kind of surfer, an enthusiastic hiker, and an outdoorsy girl for sure. But when it comes to adventure activities I deem to be risk-prone, I prefer two feet on the ground, firmly planted.

But after a few months of European travel, I decided to embrace my ‘daredevil’ streak.

The We Are Explorers team must have extra sensory perception because a week before I flew home, I received an email from them asking if I was up for a few adventures back on Aussie soil thanks to Adrenaline. ‘YES PLEASE!’ I responded.

Monday – The Week of Adventure

10am

Sian from We Are Explorers gives me a call and we discuss the ins and outs of my Adrenaline adventures. I’ll be attending alone because I have no friends … who are available.

‘Just a reminder, I’m not hardcore … seriously,’ I say.

I’m not the type of woman who owns a 4WD with a rooftop tent, a kayak or a mountain bike. I’m the type of woman who happily borrows tents, a loyal car passenger who moves through the world on a cheap bike with a wicker basket.

Sian and I agree on some Adrenaline experiences – definitely kayaking, and either abseiling or rock climbing. I laugh off my fear of heights.

‘It’ll make for a good story,’ I say.

Friday – Kayaking Day

10am

The weather app promises thunderstorms later; it’s so often wrong I decide to disregard it.

1pm

I guzzle down a bowl of drunken noodle soup. I can’t help but look at the noodles and feel a kinship with them. My upper body strength is lacking. Kayaking will be fine, right? 

2pm

The Adrenaline booking confirmation has a ‘what to bring/wear’ section and like a diligent, fresh-ish Explorer, I follow it with gusto. I throw on clothes I’m happy to be potentially drenched in – an oversized tee and loose shorts. 

4pm

I follow the directions sent to me by Adrenaline and arrive at Riverlife Adventure Centre by Kangaroo Point Cliffs and the staff are gorgeous; I’m greeted with big smiles and hellos. 

Watching the storm roll in

It’s still light out so I wander the location taking photos, bartering how far away those grey clouds will stay. Let’s not worry about them for now. 

5pm

The rest of my kayaking tour group arrive, and we make small talk. A woman asks me when the last time I went kayaking was and I tell her it was a few weeks ago in Portugal. *Gulp*. I can confirm I’m the girl who talks about Europe. 

Determined to focus on the present, I tell her I’ve never kayaked along the Maiwar / Brisbane River and confess my distaste for bull sharks. She tells me the sharkies keep their distance from vessels. This soothes me to the point that I tell her my real fear is dropping my phone in the river. And before you know it we’ve bonded. 

Pre-travel, there was something about being on home turf that made me less likely to pursue new friendships. Now though, I’m open to friends who appear in the most unlikely places, like on a timber deck above Maiwar / Brisbane River. 

We listen to the safety directions and equipment demonstration from Riverlife instructor Mitch: big scoops of water like ice cream; rotate the paddle like we’re revving a motorbike; and if we fall in, don’t panic, swim to our kayak, and then, with a manoeuvre that seems like something I could never achieve, flip the kayak back over, and climb in. 

I select a dry-looking lifejacket, a paddle, and a light for the back of my yak. The sun’s setting. 

This is feeling very real all of a sudden

6pm

We begin hauling ourselves one by one down the ladder, bum first into our kayaks. I get my bearings and tuck my phone, protected in its plastic zip lock covering, in my underwear. 

I climb down and find I’m able to manage the kayak with a certain level of finesse. My prior concerns evaporate and I privately congratulate myself.

Ladder? Check. Kayak? Check!

At once, we’re off. Kayaking is peaceful – being close to the water satiates my longing for nature. I often feel suffocated by the city so there’s something therapeutic, methodical, about the left-right motion of my paddle. 

The Citycats and Kittycats keep the trek interesting. They create waves that I face headfirst into, upon Mitch’s instruction (waves? It’s like I’m in Portugal again!). 

7pm

Eventually, we make it to the Story Bridge. It’s lit up in red tonight. The colours bounce off the water’s surface and the current makes them wink. I bravely snap a quick video before the plastic seal/undie tuck happens again. 

I shouldn’t have worried about my noodle arms as I’m using my core more than I expected to. Maybe I should kayak more regularly? 

My tour group and I help each other avoid sticks or boats and laugh when we accidentally knock into one another – bumper cars, kayak edition. 

The serenity is broken by an unfortunate crack of thunder and the race is on back to location. We make it before the clouds give way. So, the weather app was right for once. 

8pm

Overall, I’m thrilled! I relish in the post-kayak endorphin kick, the new friendships, and the fact I didn’t fall in. And the rain – though not ideal – makes me feel like I really earned it, wet clothes and all. I pushed myself, and this excites me for my next Adrenaline experience. 

New hobby? All signs point to yes!

Saturday – Abseiling/Rock Climbing Day

10am

I wake up confident. One adventure down, one to go! The weather app promises sunshine and a clear night; maybe it’ll be right two days in a row.

1pm

A chicken sandwich and lots of water. Carbohydrates, protein, leafy greens. I’m effectively an athlete at this stage.

2pm

I don’t bother to check the ‘what to bring/wear’ list today. I know the drill.

4pm

I arrive back at Riverlife Adventure Centre, and my decision to not read the fine print comes back to haunt me – I unconsciously slipped my Docs on my feet instead of my runners. I text a different sister and she brings me a pair of her runners like a true hero.

Sneaky shoe swap

The sun is kind today with generous lighting so I canvas the area for shots again. It’s a beautiful day to scale a cliff.

5pm

Mitch is my instructor again so we walk together to the selected cliff. He reveals I’ll be rock climbing, not abseiling, but that I’ll abseil down once I reach the top.

‘Sounds great,’ I say.

It’s just me for the twilight timeslot so I make the most of the one-on-one guidance. I casually explain my fear of heights that I think I’ve put to bed, followed by a heads up that the adrenaline could manifest itself in some heinous ways. Not in a blubbering way, more in a frozen-in-time kind of way.

Mitch explains how to climb, and I realise, naively, that my hands will probably be sore after this. No chalk or calluses to help me out.

6pm

The sun falls and the lights at the base of the cliffs turn on providing visibility and illuminating my nemesis, the cliff itself.

Gulp

Mitch reveals it’s a Grade 14 climb which is … achievable? Will the rocks crumble at my touch? Mitch explains that the cliff was made by humans a while ago, which might inspire confidence in others, but doesn’t quite work on me.

My hands, I discover, are much too soft for the surfaces they greet. But there’s nothing like other people climbing near you to nudge you into action. Turns out to climb, all I need is unintentional peer and/or social pressure.

7pm

Mid-way through the climb my feet slip and my stomach flips and bubbles and makes every squirmy, squiggly, feeling you can imagine. So much so, I squeal aloud and tell Mitch I’m scared and then laugh at myself, so he knows it’s okay to laugh too.

I find my footing and somehow – I think I blackout – I make it to the top. My legs are shaking, and my diagnosis is fear or adrenaline, but it’s likely the latter.

Anyone who has a fear of heights knows the number one rule is don’t look down. I, of course, look down because I’m a sucker for punishment, or perhaps because I’m overcome by the fact that I, a woman with a fear of heights, am at the top of a cliff alone.

Have I actually done it? Really?!

I look out and the city lights twitch like fireflies. For a moment, I forget about my crippling fear and take in the view of Brisbane City. And I’ll tell you what, it looks pretty darn good from this vantage point.

‘It’s time to come down,’ I shout down to Mitch. And here comes the fun part. I kick, legs straight against the wall. Feeling like a slinky as I descend, I decide maybe heights aren’t so bad after all.

I reach the ground and dramatically fling myself to the grass touching it to know I’m secure and safe now.

8pm

Apparently, the route was 18 metres high and I’m chuffed. I’ve achieved something I wouldn’t consider in the realms of possibility for me. But thanks to Mitch’s guidance, patience, and expertise, I was able to push through those fears (and my lack of gear and adventurous friends) and literally climb above them. I would never have been able to do this on my own.

So watch out folks, it looks like I’m a cool climbing girl now, and I’m not mad about that at all.

Will I adventure again?

Did my clothes get wet? You betcha. Are my wrists sore? Absolutely. 

It’s cool to discover my days in the homeland (rather than on some far-flung beach) don’t have to be routine, predictable. I can plan outrageous, adrenaline-fuelled activities and add spice to my weeks. And heading out on adventures with Adrenaline means that the specialised gear, intimate knowledge, and adventurous friends are taken care of for me!

So, will I adventure alone again? It’s a yes from me.