This weekend, I was one of them- traveling with a backpack, spending a night at the hostel and getting back on the train at my own time.
While there, I also hiked to the 'ruined castle,' a place that I had badly wanted to go when I was there with my family but couldn't because of the tour schedule. It was a 6 hour hike (about 12km round trip).
We first descended to the bottom of the blue mountains through stairs. Along that descent, we saw waterfalls and breathtaking views of the blue mountains. That was the trails (either convicts or miners) took when they were working in the mines, decades ago (possibly in the 1800s).
When we got to the bottom, the air was dense with rainforest humidity; the forest floor wet with mud, soaked in rain. As we spished and sploshed through the mud, I wondered how much my mother (who used to be a mountain hiker) would have appreciated this hike. I also wondered how fun it would have been if my brothers where there with me. (I think coming back to Sydney wouldn't have been bad, bros).
The rainforest ceiling cleared up after about an-hour of walking and we got to a barren, rocky terrain. Dodging through the cracks of the rocks and stepping up and down, we walked through those rocks and admired the colors and textures...
Then, it was splishing and sploshing again in the mud trail before reaching the peak, the 'ruined castle,' which is a rock structure that we had to boulder up. The view from up there is just amazing. An expense of rainforests and blue mountains, a river meandering through the valley. I felt like we (me, Niko, and Colleen) were the only human beings on earth then!
Three hikers at the top of ruined castle.
Colleen climbing through the cracks to the ruined castle.
Me at the bottom of ruined castle. See the enthusiasm on my face?
The view from the top and my mud-dyed shoes.
When I
