Finding Moksha: Hate

I hate JACOB LAMBERT.

He picked up a camera pretty much around the same time as myself two years ago, however his skills far outweigh his years. His blog is one of the reasons why I started this one, as I found myself constantly checking and being amazed at the stuff he captures. Is my hate for him fuelled purely by jealousy? Yes.

12 months ago, I was keen to get away for the Labour Day long weekend, preferably for waves, as the life of a young professional doesn't always allow for them. Looking at the forecasts during the week, I knew a little place 7 hours south could be worthwhile. Sending texts during the week to gauge interest ind availability from people proved to be a little dejecting. One person was out of town, another already taken for the weekend, one in bed sick, and Jacob who was 50-50 due to a combo of sickness and work over the weekend.

Knowing the potential of this place, and not one to let up on the idea, I knew Jacob would crack if I kept pushing him. Using all my weather and swell forecasting knowledge, I wrote almost an essay explaining how good it would be, and that the stars would align for us. After some shuffling around, he soon agreed and at midnight on the Saturday night I was in the car outside his place waiting for him with my board, esky and camping gear in the car.

I love road trips, driving for hours on end, listening to music, and talking crack with has always one of my favourite things in life. I'm not sure if it's the freedom, the excitement of what's around the next bend, or the nervousness of what the waves will be like, but they alway's provide a lot of chat and general good times.

6.5 hours after we set off, dawn was starting to crack, and we were still 20 mins from our destination. Farmland covered in fog lifted my confidence in my surf forecasting, knowing that the wind would be perfect, I was praying like a priest that the swell would have arrived.

Arriving down a dirt path, and driving my car almost onto the beach we arrived to see our very first wave of this trip (this is the first photo below). The rest of the day included 8 hours of surf, 2 hours of afternoon nap, campfire beers and baked beans for dinner and a night of well earned sleep (considering we didn't sleep on the drive down). The next morning we awoke to the same sight again, and after another 3 hours of waves we decided it was time to pack up and drive home.

As we were getting out of our wetsuits, we saw the first and only other people of the whole trip. A group of surfers rocking up with the same wide-eyed stoke we had experienced a mere 27 hours earlier.

This trip was one of the best I have been on, while the waves weren't big, they were certainly fun, but the fact that we didn't see another soul for 2 days, had no phone reception or connection to the world, really did make it a special trip.

The eeriest fact of this trip, was that 6 years earlier, I did my virgin trip here on the same long weekend with about 6 mates. It was almost the exact same weather and surf for 2 days, with no crowd and a lot of good times.

I do love Jacob's outlook on life though, and as a side note, check this site out, Wanderers and Vagabonds. It's a little project Jacob and another good friend Myles take care of.

Band of the trip through our combined appreciation of The Mountain Goats.