Page 78 of Straight to Me

We’re surrounded by rough terrain, and I envision the trail is just as wild. My stomach suddenly aches. The enthusiasm to walk hundreds of miles rapidly diminishing.

“I’m guessing we’ll be climbing a bit as well?” I ask.

“Oh yeah, you’ve got to climb up a waterfall.” I laugh and realise he’s looking at me deadpan.

“You’re joking, aren’t you?”

“No babe, deadly serious. But hey, if you don’t think you can do it, we can always do a flat old person's walk.” His eyes are teasing.

“No. I can do it.” I don’t want to. But challenge accepted. He laughs and together we get out our sleeping bags and roll mats in the tent before gathering what we’ll need for our hike.

An hour after setting off, we’ve walked all the flat parts. I can feel a slight incline stretching my calves. I start blowing heavy breaths.

“You okay?” VP asks.

“I’m fine,” I blow. “Not all of us are built like you.”

“I work hard for this body you know. Got to look good for my girlfriend.”

Girlfriend? I smile and realise he’s making us official. I can’t help but look at him, admiring how lucky I am to have found him.

He chose to leave the leather cut locked in his van but replaced it with a Rippers MC hoodie. Wearing black shorts, walking boots and a baseball cap on his head, he looks truly magnificent.

“You’re staring, Mads.”

“Can a girl not admire her,boyfriend?” He drapes his arm over my shoulders, his thumb stroking my arm as I walk next to him.

“Admire away.” He smiles and kisses my forehead. I link my arm under the backpack around his waist. “Right, see that up there?” he says, pointing to a ridiculously high rock face. “We’re going up there. And to get there, we need to climb,” we walk around a bend at the end of the path, “up there.”

The bend opens up to a beautiful waterfall, surrounded by high, jagged rock faces where moss drapes in the places sunlight hits. The ground looks like pebble dash, only with larger rock boulders, fallen down over the years from the edges of the cliffs. They blanket the entire route to the gushing water. Looking like ants, I see people in the distance attempt to climb the slippery, wet rock adjacent to the waterfall.

“Are you sure that’s the best way?” I ask, now gripping his hand tight in mine.

“We can go around it, but four hours turns into eight if we do.” Not fancying that at all, I summon the bravery needed to give this a go.

“So, what do I need to know? How do I do this without killing myself?”

“Simple. Don’t let go.” He’s serious. That’s the only advice he’s going to give me.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” He kisses my head. “You’ll be fine. Don’t overthink it. Come on.”

We tread carefully over the rocks, making our way to the bottom. Waiting our turn, the man before us fails to make it over the top. I rub my temples, a headache forming. VP notices and says, “You’re stressing.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Like I said, don’t overthink it.”

Laughing at himself, the gentleman before us bows out of his attempt. My turn. “All you need to do is make sure your feet are secure, then pull up with your arms,” VP says, and smacks my bum as I walk past.

Okay, secure my feet, pull with my weak arms. I manage to get five meters off the ground, then the rock bends back on itself, meaning I have to use all of my upper body strength to pull myself around it.

“Shit. I can’t do it!” VP’s right behind me, his hand gently pushing my bum, giving me some support.

“Yes, you can. Push with your legs when I push you.”

I do as he says, pushing with my legs as his hand guides me upwards. “Now grab that rock ledge there.”

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