By Viv (a first time GBH Leader) June 1999

A GhumBy trail is a track/road that is preferably dirt and more to the point, not the way a normal person would usually take to get where they are going. It has to be viable and safe and if you're lucky and its been raining it will definitely have mud and there will always be a hill or a mountain involved.

To quote my friend GhumBy, "My ways are not the natural mans ways!" With this in mind a one word definition of a GhumBy trail is Adventure! 1999 sees me GhumBy trailing to the max. In the past 5 months I have had more adventures than I have had in the last few years all together.

Picture this:

You're riding your mountain bike. You're on a Trail through thick bush somewhere in the middle of nowhere. This is the first time you've ever ridden your bike this seriously since you bought it the year before. You're not sure what to expect - when it starts raining. You go to find your raincoat. You feel a little happier now, you'll stay dry and your clothes won't get too muddy.

You start to ride off down the track when you hit mud. This is no ordinary mud puddle. It's very slushy and clay like and extremely slippery. Your shoes are now caked in mud and to add a little more drama, so are your tyres and brakes. "Great!" you think. "How will I get through this???" "I'm going to kill him!!!"

You make it through the mud, it starts raining again and it starts to wash the mud off your bike. You start to feel a little better when all of a sudden you have to stop. The creek is 1 - 2 feet over the bridge. "It wasn't flowing that well last year," he says. "Take off your shoes and socks," you are told. You do it and then your bike is taken down the 45 slope to the person at the creek where it is then carried across the creek and up the other side. You put your shoes and socks back on at the top of the hill and off you go again only to find the next bridge washed away. A couple of old railway sleepers later (to make a bridge wide enough to cross) and you're really starting to question yourself as to why you agreed to come on this hike anyway. OK!?! Back on the bikes and you're off again.

"YAY!!!" That's the end of the forest trail. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!! Yes!! "You want us to what???" With rain bearing again, to your dismay, you're taking a shortcut down another muddy road this time through a construction site.

Finally you see the campsite ahead. Sheer and utter relief! Now you have to find your dorm and your gear and set up your bed before dinner. In the midst of all these tasks a friend comes over and talks to you and tells you that that was a very tame 'GhumBy trail'. "Tame!!!" You go to find GhumBy - man is he in for it! He finds you first. "how are you faring?" he asks. "Great Trail, hey?" Now that you think about it - "Yeah, it was!"

After dinner you go off to the showers to set yourself straight and get as much mud and grease off as your soap will allow. Now you're feeling better about it you're feeling a lot more confident and adventurous than you were 3 days ago.

Life is an adventure! Most would say that, "life is a roller coaster with its ups and downs", but since my efforts over the Easter holidays, I would have to agree with my friend GhumBy. Life is truly an adventure! Thinking in this respect, my life has been a huge adventure, especially the last 4 years.

My adventures over the last 4 years have included being in a totally wrong relationship, 2 hospital stays, dropping out of University, being healed of my C.F.S., and spending a year at Bible College - 1058 km away from home. All these adventures I thank God for - even the horrible.

In life there are few things we need, but the most important things that kept me going and helped me through all this and more are God, love/encouragement of friends and adventure. So stick to your yellow brick road take the risks and enjoy the adventure!

I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts…..

Life is a highway….. don't get hit by a bus!!!

Life is a stage….. don't get stuck in the audience!!!

Always follow the Yellow Brick Road and don't risk missing your GhumBy trails!!!

Life is a GhumBy Trail!