Amazing Ayers Rock and the cool Olgas!

348m up in the middle of nowhere! Feels great!
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Well, my two day adventure into the heart out the Outback started at the crack of dawn. But, Uluru (the aborginal name for Ayers Rock) is over 400km west of Alice Springs. There's pretty much nothing from Alice to the rock - so I was preparing myself for flat, desert land with nothing to look at for hours on end. But, surprisingly the Outback (which is known for being the 'red centre') was quite green. Because of all the rain in the past week - greenery had sprung up everywhere and the whole drive to the rock was basically red dirt or sand and small bushes or trees. I expected a rainfall of kangaroos - but surprisingly I didn't see any. Much to my disappointment. But, I have learned they are nocturnal animals (probably because of the heat) - and just like deer back home pose a threat when driving - here the saying is: Roo in headlights!

First shot of the day on the way to Uluru - check out that red sand and the salt lakes in the background!
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I was off with a small tour group - and some cheerful Aussie guides that nicknamed me 'The 'Mounty' - because I was from Canada. The were informative on sights as were driving and helped us spot the rock from about 70km away. It still stood out and looked huge being quite far away.

Wow! What else could I possibly say?

Our first stop was in the national park where a small tourist hub has been established - there is no touristy stuff right beside the rock besides a small aboriginal learning centre.

Welcome to the Outback - but why is it so green? Must be all the recent rain!
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Then we were off to explore the Olgas - other monoliths about 30km away from Ayers Rock. They looked pretty cool from far away as they are like rolling rock in the middle of the outback and also stood out fairly well. I thought they were more awe dropping from far away just because I had never seen them before and they get much less buzz than the infamous rock gets. We took a short walk up one of the gorges there and that was my first taste of the hot weather. It was scorching. The gorge itself was spectacular - it was huge to. Very high and really neat rock that I had never seen before. I guess it was different from what we have back home. And, because the Outback was at one time covered by the ocean - I think that had an influence on why its formations were so different.

A bit of info on Uluru, aka Ayers Rock.
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After the Olgas we jetted over to the base of Uluru - and toured around the cultural centre. The rock is also a sacred place for the aborginal people. After visiting the centre I felt really guilty in the fact that I wanted to climb the rock (which is not encouraged, but hundreds of people do it when the rock is open). Well, I decided I would climb it if the sight was open (as it is often closed for heat and wind). And, apparently being open in the summer is quite rare. Well...it is summer and the hike is open. Looks like I was going to climb. Uh-oh. Only 3 people from my tour decided to climb including me. The rest were sane people that wanted to leisurely enough Ayer's Rock. Perhaps that is a good thing.

There's apparently a slim chance of climbing Uluru in the Aussie summer...we'll see how my luck is today. Not sure which way I want it to go.
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So, off we went to climb the rock. You first climb up a really steep side, then up some more but not as steep until you reach the top where it is like rolling rock hills.

The beginning of the hike was fine. I was jetting my way up the side - thanking the people at Northface for making some grippy boots. And, then it got steep. A chain link rope was introduced and I stopped looking around and started getting a little shaky. The fact that 35 people have died on the rock was all I could think of. The fact we had to climb 348m fairly quickly - with the chance of falling down - terrified me. I have never been afraid of heights...until today. I was more or less scared of falling back or to the side. Not to mention afraid of the thought of coming back down as you encounter terrified people coming back on your way up. Well...it was hot, you didn't want to drink because that meant you would have to take your hands off the chain, and I had a set deadline to climb the rock from my tour guides. No pressure.

A shot of the Olgas - other monoliths about 30km away from Uluru. They actually look cooler in my opinion - but get way less attention and tourists.
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Well...upon reflection I have decided that there were a variety of rock climbing stages for the hike: 1. 'Keen' on starting the climb 2. 'Confidence for the first 5 minutes are fairly easy 3. 'Oh god what have I done' as the chain is introduced 4. 'Scared and shaky' as you've gained elevation quickly 5. 'Anger' mostly at yourself and Uluru for being so steep 6. 'Tiredness' as it was a physical climb 7. 'Sadness' as you've decided you will be stuck on Uluru forever or helicoptered out 8. 'Compassion' as you meet fellow climbers in the same situation 9. 'Awe' as you didn't expect it to be this high or steep 10. 'Eagerness' as you have passed the majority of the tough parts 11. 'Triumph' as you have made it to the top for the spectacular views 12. 'Pressure' as you have limited time to get down 13. 'Focus' for you have a goal and you are going to do it (get down in one piece!) 14. 'Happiness' as you are motoring your way down faster than you thought you would 15. 'Jello' because that's what your legs feel like when you know you will live another day after climbing Ayers Rock.

View of the gorge we would hike in the Olgas.
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Overall, the hike was great. I was super proud to have climbed it and survived. And, the view were awesome - it really is flat in the Outback. Plus, I don't have any regrets in passing on the hike (as for all I know that could be my only trip to the red centre- hopefully not!).

Watching sunset on Uluru was amazing. The rock really does change colors and there was not a cloud in the sky - which was great as only a few days before water was pouring off it due to all the rain.

The next day I went to King's Canyon - which is located.