Originally written in 2024
I was desperate to break my routine, so naturally I decided that what I needed was a challenging hike. 
Seven of us headed to Green Cliff Falls yesterday.
For some of the group, parts of the hike were scary and difficult. Green Cliff isn’t the kind of waterfall you simply stroll up to. There are rocks to negotiate, steep and technical sections, and places where you have to stop and work out the safest way through.
But everyone made it.
And once we finally reached the base of the waterfall, all the difficulty seemed to disappear.
Standing there beneath Green Cliff, surrounded by rainforest, enormous rocks and rushing water, we all felt incredibly privileged to have reached such a beautiful place.
Of course, reaching the waterfall was only half the journey.
We still had to get back.
On the return trip, we decided to float along part of the river instead of repeating some of the technical sections.
At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea.
It would be easier.
It would save time.
And floating down a beautiful rainforest river sounded far more pleasant than scrambling over rocks again.
Except none of us had enough experience navigating that particular stretch of water.
And what seemed like the easier option very quickly became the most dangerous part of the day.
We made a serious mistake.
For a while, I felt completely helpless watching the situation unfold.
It was one of those moments when you suddenly realise that something you thought would make the journey easier has put everyone in a much worse position.
Thankfully, we all eventually made it back to the cars.
One member of our group had a visible injury, but considering what could have happened, we were incredibly fortunate.
What surprised me afterwards was the mood of the group.
Nobody blamed anyone.
Nobody became angry.
Everyone remained remarkably positive.
If anything, what happened seemed to create something between us.
We had relied on each other.
We had seen one another under pressure.
We had helped one another through something that could have ended very differently.
And somehow, out of that came a stronger sense of trust, respect, camaraderie and friendship.
It certainly wasn’t the adventure I had planned.
I only wanted to break my routine and spend a day at one of my favourite waterfalls.
Instead, Green Cliff gave us beauty, challenge, fear, relief and a lesson none of us were expecting.
Oh, the surprises of life…
Stories Along the Way 