Blue Mountains & Blue Skies

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Arriving in the Blue Mountains to a heavy mist & 2 meter visibility wasn't the worst of it...it was the rain & the cold that was the killer...so no more begrudgers at home!!!.....Follow this with a quirky hostel with an out-dated heating system & we were very quickly looking at alternative options if things didn't brighten up. Apparently summer has been slow to arrive here in the Blue Mts & there has been about 3 weeks of rain which isn't the best for business & sun-worshipping backpackers......not so much that we bake ourselves under the sun all day but our tolerance for environments less than 20*C isn't what it used to be!!

Needless to say we started to eat to reinforce our blubber layers.....it's a more backpacker-friendly way to carry your warm clothes.....& thankfully there are 2 gas fires here so it was a case of sticking the arse up against the fire for the night...never mind the burning legs....isn't it heat, what the body craves!!! But credit to the weatherman, the sun came out & shone brightly for the next 2 days so the exploring began in earnest.

We're staying in a place called Katoomba. It's appeears to be the most developed of the towns up here in the mountains. There are loads of cafes that you'd love to sit in for the day & watch the world go by.....but apart from that there isn't a big social scene here. On our first day out I did as any responsible walker should do...extra set of warm clothes- my only set!, ample food supplies- always!, water.....750ml, matches in case we got stranded & had to build a fire in the forest.....or create a smoke signal....depending on how our survival skills faired, also they'd be handy for burning off leeches & finally a torch....to see the path & creepy crawlies in the dark. Loaded down, off we trod.

Day 1 we walked from Leura cascades to the Ruined Castle & returned vis the Golden Staircase. We saw all the sights...the 3 Sisters, Echo Point...etc, etc. All was fairly easy until we went on the more challenging Ruined Castle trail.....at one point I was singing & Grace was slapping the rocks to warn snakes that we were coming....it was real rocky country & a good spot for sun-loving snakes to bask! The Golden Staircase isn't as wonderful as it sounds...it's by no means golden. It's about 823 steps upwards along the cliff & because it had rained so much, it was like trodding through a stream at some points. It gets the heart going anyway. Come the top we were hanging out for a drop of water but all I had was 2 mouthfuls left. Now it's not that we're complete eejits; we'd expected there to be a water fountain along the way at one of the lookouts but becaue this is such a tourist spot there are none???....so we'd been walking about 5-6 hours at this stage & were on the final straight home & decided that we'd save this last drop for an emergency. Not too far along the road though there was an elderly lady out doing her garden. She very kindly obliged us & filled our bottles straight from a chilled bottle sitting in the fridge....it was like raindrops on parched soil......we guzzled it. She even tried to send us off with a bottle of beer each....oh she very sweet & it kept us going on the long uphill walk back to Katoomba. Moral of the story....bring a bigger bottle of water!!!

The track was pretty wet in most parts & at one point Grace spotted a leech. It was very long & she stood there staring at it for a few minutes laughing at it. Now I hate these parasites but she hates them even more. So I reckon she brought on her bad luck when a leech attached itself to her runner. Being the good friend that I am......I assisted the panic-stricken Grace & bashed & gouged at her runner until the stupid determined sucker would let go...oh I would hate to have one of those stuck to me....they stick like glue. Anyway the crisis was everted. I am now worthy as a friend. We continued on as learned walkers; occasionally taking a glimpse at the surrounding scenery but diligently surveying the legs & ankles & constantly wiping the mud away in case a cute leech had attached himself.

Day 2 & we headed in the opposite direction to the previous day. We walked from Katoomba to the next town called Leura & then on to Wentworth to see the waterfalls. The scenery was really spectacular all around the mountains & we were so blessed to have such fine weather.

Day 3 was Sunday & rain was forecasted so we used this day as God meant it to be used....as a day of rest!! Late start...visits to the shops to glare at the nice food, cinema...the Bee Movie (it's good) & Christmas carols. Anyway don't think our bodies would have been fit for our final day of walking if we hadn't rested. On the forth day we headed to a town called Blackheath where there is a walk in the Grand Canyon. It was the most fun of all the walks because it's the most adventurous of them all.....you traverse streams on cute stepping stones, scale cliff-tops & wander under massive overhangs that splashes water down as you pass. However there are at least a million steps up, down, around, in, about & under to master before you finish as a panting, sweaty yet rewarded walker. After that we finished off on the Pulpit Rock walk & from there we'd well & truly done all the walking that had to be done & covered the Blue Mts quite thoroughly!!

Day 5 was another day of rest because we had one more day to spend up here before our acommodation starts in the big smoke of Sydney. Had a splash in the local pool & wandered around but nothing too taxing. So this has been our Blue Mt experience. It has been lovely getting back to doing adventurous stuff again & being away from the party hostels that are packed with 18-year olds just getting pissed every night & waking you up. A challenge was nice.

Anyway think I best be heading. Moving on this morning to Manly so it'll take me a while to sort out the belly with breakfast requirements, snacks etc before we catch the train. And it's an uphill walk too with the rucksacks....

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