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In the winter edition of our Trek
Times newsletter we launched a story writing competition.
Many thanks to everyone who entered. It sounds like
many of you have had some amazing adventures around
the world.
We've received loads of excellent
stories which made for some really enjoyable reading
but also some very tough judging.
Katy has won her choice of any two
week TrekAmerica or Footloose camping tour. And here
is Katy's winning entry from her Americana Road Trip:
"TrekAmerica seems to do funny things to your
system. You board the plane an average person in need
of a well-earned holiday and BAM! Within hours of
arriving you are transformed into an invincible action
hero. Number one mission: Adventure.
I don’t know what came over
me. I’m a primary school teacher by profession-
the only “action” I’m used to is chasing
(and dodging) rogue balls in PE! However, all of a
sudden I was overwhelmed by the desire to discover
new places, meet new people and experience so many
new things, no matter how crazy they appeared to be.
I’ve been on loads of holidays before, but TrekAmerica
was different. I could sense it from Day 1. Ever since
I returned home, I’ve been trying to put my finger
on the reason for my sudden need for adventure. I
can only think of a few suspects:
"America itself. The land
of Hollywood action films and amazing backdrops.
Just standing in Monument Valley makes you want
to leap on the nearest horse and ride bareback through
the red dust (not that I can ride a horse, though).
The USA is a country of contrasts. From the beautiful
scenery of Yosemite National Park and the wonder
that is the Grand Canyon, to the dazzling neon lights
of Las Vegas and bustling New York City. You can’t
help but get excited about where the Trek bus stops
next. There’s not a chance of getting bored!
My fellow Trekkers. An interesting,
if somewhat slightly mad, mix of people from different
backgrounds all eager to unleash their inner action
heroes. Their infectious spirit rubbed off on me
in minutes. If you can’t beat ‘em, join
‘em!
The activities. What can I say?
I listened to the little voice (MY inner action
hero) who told me to do every activity on offer…….so
I did. After four hours of quad biking through the
Utah desert and then riding in a Hummer over giant
rocks, I decided to get up at 6:00AM the following
morning to jump out of a plane from 10,000 feet
before spending the rest of that day hiking through
Arches National Park in the blistering heat. Fun?
Definitely! Tired? You bet! That was all within
a crazy 24 hours. The other 27 days were filled
with hikes by the Texan-sized bucket load, extreme
downhill mountain biking, horse riding, tubing,
jet skiing, alligator wrestling……OK so
maybe I lied about that last one, but with the adventurous
streak I suddenly developed, ANYTHING was possible!
I’m finding it hard to pinpoint
the reason for my new-found thirst for action and
adventure. It’s still in my system and it’s
hard to get rid of it. I was infected upon commencing
my TrekAmerica tour. Coincidence? I don’t think
so!
Although the side effects of this
do have you gazing at your photographs and yearning
to travel back in time, and also frequently have you
thumbing the brochures for new treks, I would thoroughly
recommend the feeling. You can’t beat it. After
collating this evidence, the only conclusion I can
come to is this: TrekAmerica- I blame you!"
Katy Anderson - Americana
Road Trip
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