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Disoriented…exhausted…muddy…sweaty… feeling stupid, angry…all these emotions swirling around in the stomach. Can you relate to these feelings/emotions? This is what happened to me on the 29th of February 2020. This foggy and chilly morning at 5am, I decided to go for a hike to take a picture of the sunrise over the Mount Tauhara, a dormant volcano reaching 1088 metres above sea level. A mixed feeling of excitement and fear for my first ever 5am hike– various questions cropped up to my mind: what if I don’t know my way up there? Is it worth going? Better enjoy the warmth of my comfy bed than facing the chill morning? Yet, I decided to fight these thoughts, and after a short 10 mins car drive, I reached the dark and foggy parking. With no lights, except for the light torch of my phone and just a backpack with a small bottle of water and 1 muesli bar, I started to look for my way up there. I was looking around for any sign or mark to indicate the entrance, nothing. Luckily, a runner was going up too and guided me to follow him. I had my phone light torch, allowing me to see like 1 metre around me. The more I was climbing, the foggier it was becoming and more challenging to breathe. Finally, after 1 hour of ascension, I managed to get to the top. But the clouds were hiding the beautiful sunrise, and I managed to click a few great pics of the dawn. After a 30 minutes break on the top, I decided to climb down and to be honest, was feeling hungry at that point. I was also feeling proud of the fact that I have smashed my fear out. Dodging the trees and various branches, 25 minutes in climbing down, I was starting to feel that I was going the wrong way. My heart rate started to increase and thought “did I took a wrong turn?”. The only things I could hear was birds singing and trees ‘whispering’.Trying to trace my way back and in the panic, I accidentally went into a muddy stream. The bushes were so dense and pricky that I didn’t see and there I was: STUCK. Imagine yourself that half your left ankle in mud and your left hand desperately holding on to a branch with several spikes. Though it was painful and I managed to pull myself out of it and slide down a small steep slope. I started to shout out for help at the top of my lungs but no response. Beaten down, no way out, looking around where everything resembles, I took a deep breath and decided there must be a way out. I am not going to die here!!! Come on, Deva, you can do this!!! Hence, I looked upwards and found a dead-like tree high enough with clearing, and I thought that I could get cell reception up there. Walking another 20-30 minutes towards the tree, I managed to get there with more bruises and cuts. Finally, up there, I called on the emergency number, which transferred to me to the police. They asked me for several details, including my coordinates (use my phone). By then, it was 9.30 am. They told me to stay put, and as luck was on my side that day, it started to drizzle. However, I focused on the positive and started to look around and admire the nature. I finally dozed off on my tree (my comfy bed) while waiting for them. My ‘nap’ was interrupted by a message by the police; however, I could not respond to the message, and my phone battery was dying. After spending 3 hours on the tree, I was becoming restless, and that’s where I learned about being patient and having faith in the positive side of life. After one more phone call, two volunteers who were helping the police finally found me at 1.11pm. It took us another 40 minutes to get back on track and another hour to reach the car parking. I finally arrived after a 10-hour ordeal – bruised, cut, tired yet happy, relieved and proud.