The Escapades of Cryssie Jade

15/12/2015

****EDIT: My hike has been CANCELLED due to the Parks Vic staff being deployed to the fires in Lorne...all my well wishes go to everyone battling this horrific blaze, and I hope it gets under control very soon!!****

Hello everyone!!

I have some exciting news...I have been accepted into the Parks Victoria Volunteer Ranger Program!!

I will be long-distance hiking (again!!) over the New Year period, partaking in the Mt. Hotham to Falls Creek Alpine Crossing. It will take 4 days to complete, I'll be paired with another volunteer, and we get walkie talkies :D

We will be the 'friendly faces' of Parks Victoria on that section of track over New Years, greeting campers, answering questions, and carrying out light track maintenance.

I'm very excited about hiking my beloved Alpine mountain in the middle of summer!!

(And I know I am yet to do my write up of my Wilson's Prom hike, but I have misplaced my hiking journal!!)

17/10/2015

A big apology to my fans...I have had to throw myself back into work as soon as I arrived back into Melbourne after my hike, and have had literally no time off since...and won't for another week.

Hoping to have a full write-up with pictures of my Wilson's Prom hike in the next 2 weeks!!

04/10/2015

A very quick update...I'm back safely from my hike around Wilsons Prom Southern Circuit, and will do a proper write up with pictures in the next week or so!! I loved every minute - words and pictures can't even do it justice, but I will try my best. I am so blessed and grateful to have now fully recovered from my injury so that I could experience it!!

17/08/2015

Hi everyone, it's been a very long time since I have been around this page!!

I wanted to share a quick and informative update with you. Last I wrote, I was in Queensland. My aim was to live there permanently, but when the only town I ever wanted to live in (Agnes Water/1770) was a town with not enough jobs to go around, I realised fairly quickly that it would only ever be a holiday destination for me.

I had injured myself in Agnes Water/1770. At the time, I had no idea how badly. I had reached a point in my knee recovery that I had finally been cleared to go on long walks again. I was pushing myself HARD in my physiotherapy regime, and recovering remarkably well.

Suddenly, one night after a spell of severe dehydration - I fainted. As I hit the floor, I injured my left foot quite badly, unable to walk for a few days. This is the same leg as my knee injury, so Physio was out of the question.

After a few days, I managed to travel to Cairns, where a doctor saw me and told me I had a 'bad sprain', and cleared me to do my tour to Cape Tribulation, my snorkelling trip to the Outer Barrier Reef, and my trip up to Port Douglas.

I returned to Melbourne a week later, permanently. Still in pain, I got my doctor to run some tests on my left foot. Seven weeks, Two X-rays, an Ultrasound and a CT scan later, it was discovered that I had a fractured tibia and severe damage to my deltoid ligament in my foot. I'm still mystified as to why and how it could take so long to come up with such a serious diagnosis!!

It is now mid-August, and although my fracture has healed, I still feel pain in my deltoid ligament every day. However, I have been able to undertake a physio exercise regime that has allowed me to gain full use and flexibility of my foot, and get back on track with my knee recovery.

A month ago, I am THRILLED to announce that I got back on my skis for the first time, spending a week at Mt. Buller, My first couple of runs were tentative and shaky, but after 20 minutes, I was BACK and nothing could stop me. I almost cried tears of happiness and relief. It has been a long journey, but a rewarding one.

I have a trip to Mt. Hotham in the next couple of weeks for more skiing, to get back on the horse that knocked me down. Now I know I am healed enough to begin long-distance hiking again. I am planning my next hike already, most likely Wilson's Promontory for 5 days in September or October.

Stay tuned!!

29/01/2015

I arrived in Cairns last night, after a 22 hour bus ride - the last three hours of which almost claimed my sanity...seeing field after field after field of sugar cane and asking myself repeatedly 'Are we there yet?'. But I'm here now, so that's okay!!

I finally left the tenacious grip that Agnes Water/1770 and I have on each other. I was there a total of 3.5 weeks, enough to satisfy me this time around, but I will always be back.

The whole time I was there, I would go to the beach every day and thoroughly enjoy the feel of the sun and water on my skin, for this is what I live for. The peace and tranquility of the ocean is my soul's fire, and Agnes Water is the ignition. My housemate Annie took us all on a night walk along Spring's Beach to look for nesting turtles. We found a few nests, but no turtles. What we got was a magnificent night sky filled with galaxies of stars, and no moonlight to distract our eyes from enjoying it. For more than hour the water lapped at our ankles and our eyes were bright only with the reflections of the night.

We had one day where the wind was just perfection for kiteboarding, so we piled into my friend Ryan's boat and headed out to the 1770 sandbar for a session. My knee injury has eliminated me from kiteboarding for at least another 6 months, so I was the photographer. I just love it when my friends come close and do tricks for my lens!! I lived vicariously through them for the time being. Laying quietly in the sand watching the mud crabs scuttle around me was such a treat, all the while watching a storm closing in above us, and lightning crack on the horizon.

My last few days I was still bed bound with my ankle hurting, but I was determined to have a great time. On Australia Day, I got rescued from my bedroom prison and whisked away to Honeymoon Beach. We had to hike there because it's quite secluded...I was verrrry slow with my sore ankle but everyone was determined that I get there safe, so I had some help. You know the movie 'The Beach?' Just like that, but without Leo. There was skinny dipping, laughter galore, the waves annihilated us, and I ended up with sand in my nose after a wipeout!! Followed by an incredible Aus Day barbecue with chunky veggie kebabs, and playing charades all night.

The following night, I was finally strong enough to keep traveling north to Cairns. After not being able to do much for a week, I was ready to leave. I was sad to leave, but I held it together. I hugged my new family goodbye, but my housemate Bea came to the bus stop with me. When it turned up, she had tears in her eyes, and I stayed strong for her. I was listening to my Agnes Water song as the bus pulled me away from my favorite place and beautiful people. It was then that I allowed the tears to fall from my eyes...

I always say that if I remember a town's postcode, then it has become my home.

4677.

I will never forget.

23/01/2015

An update!! I was supposed to only stay in Agnes Water for 2 weeks, but ended up extending my stay (surprise!) The thought of leaving was too hard, so I'm still here.

Actually, I was supposed to leave here last night. But two nights ago, fate had a very different path for me. To cut a long story short, I suffered a spell of severe dehydration, fainted, and injured my ankle when I fell to the floor. It has taken two days for me to fully re-hydrate myself, but I am still laid up in bed giving my ankle as much rest as possible. It is very swollen and painful when bearing weight on it, but my crutches help a lot (my arms are very sore from using them though!!)

The doctor here is fully booked out (and doesn't have an X-ray machine), so if I want an X-ray I have to make a 4 hour round trip to the nearest hospital and sit in Emergency. So far I think I am okay, but if it gets worse in the next day, I will be taking myself to hospital. According to Dr. Google, it seems to be a sprain and not a break, but I am the kind of the person who has to know for sure.

I did say over and over again that I didn't want to leave Agnes Water. Be careful what you wish for - it didn't want me to leave either!! I'm here for an indefinite period of time now.

I'm unable to do much when I can't get around. My walks on the beach every day, walking Dude (the dog), throwing myself in the ocean, looking for shells, visiting the local shops, going to the library. But I'm okay with that, because I did that every day before I hurt myself. I was fulfilled, and I don't miss it. Which goes to prove that you should live each day as though it's the last, don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today, blah blah blah. I may sound like I'm preaching, but it's true. Seize the day

13/01/2015

Almost two weeks into my trip, and I am in love

29/12/2014

I am going on another adventure!!

On New Years' Day 2015, I am flying to Queensland for an open-ended trip with no return ticket. Stay tuned here for my travel stories, shenanigans and photos!!

04/12/2014

I haven't posted any new adventures for a long time...apologies to my fans!!

While on assignment at Mt. Hotham Alpine Resort over the Australian winter, I sustained a knee injury while free skiing, resulting in a torn ACL and bone odema (bruised and swollen bones) in my left knee.

As exciting as my adventures in intense physiotherapy are, I hardly think they are worthy of posting here. My incredible sports physiotherapist has me on a recovery plan that should see me skiing next Australian winter, if all goes to plan.

Until then, adventures involving skiing, snowboarding, kite boarding and long distance hiking are on hiatus for the next 6 months, at least.

For the moment, rehab is progressing well, I do NOT need a knee reconstruction, and I am working hard and staying positive!!

12/06/2014

My adventure hiking that I had planned for the next two days has been thwarted by high winds. Where I live, hiking in high winds is discouraged due to the risk of falling trees, volatile from previous bushfire damage.

But also...snow is coming!!

10/06/2014

Adventure #1 in Dinner Plain!!

Today I embarked on two walking trails - Room With A View (3km) and Dead Timber Trail (4km). Both were amazingly picturesque with stunning lookouts!!

31/05/2014

Five days until I move to Mt. Hotham and a new adventure begins!! There isn't much snow around yet, but I'll make my own adventures until then so stay tuned!!

07/05/2014

My next adventure begins in just 30 days, where I will be contracted at Hotham Alpine Resort, in Victoria, Australia.

I'll be working, once again, at Snowpix as a resort photographer.

I will be there until late September, when the snow melts and the season ends.

Plenty of fun times ahead, stay tuned for photos and updates!!

Our snow season will be here in literally ONE MONTH.