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It was a really really beautiful train ride from Sydney to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains yesterday the sun was out and there was a clear blue sky the whole way! I got on the train and am obivoulsy carrying around my backpack and little rucksack so I was actually taking up 3 seats and the people sat on the other side of the train had put all their bags on the fourth seat. At the next station a woman got on and asked if I could move all my stuff...well for starters they aren't all mine and why did she have to be awkward there were pleanty of other spare seats!!!! She went on to say when she found out that they weren't all my bags that she had thought I was some kind of Bag Lady - NO!!!!!
After a nice easy downhill walk from the train station, that wont be as nice on the way back, I got to possibly the nicest hostel I have been in so far! Has a lovely homely feel and there is a huge lounge area with TWO open log fires!
Today I walked fro 7 hours I started walking at 8.30am setting off from the hostel towards Echo Point where I climbed down the Giants Stairway - 911 steps! This took me from the top of the cliff right down into the valley! Here I joined the Federal Pass which took me through very foresty areas with lots of ferns and all sorts of little waterfalls. After a while I turned off onto the track leading towards the Ruined Castel - not actually a castle just a bunch of rocks that looks like one. Up until this point I had hardly seen any people and it was lovely and peaceful now I caught up with a really loud Aussie couple who I overtook and walked as fast as I could to get away from them! As I was marching on I saw a Lyrebird which is a little bit like a peacock only it is brown not blue and has less tail feathers. I was just about to get a good photo when the Aussie woman catches up with me "OOOOOOh a Lyrebird" Well not anymore....it was scared off before I could get a decent snap!
Walking through the bush there was some amazing birdsong and I could tell there was lots of wildlife around as I kept hearing rustling in the ferns. I walked past the Golden Stairs and onto the Ruined Castle Track. It came out onto the side of the valley wall and at this point for about the next hour of walking I had to scramble over a rocky "path" at some points having to climb rather than walk over rocks! Back into the forest after this and I soon came across a sign saying "Ruined Castle - steep hard climb" and Track in VERY poor condition. It wasn't too hard a climb and I had my chocolate reward at the top!!!!! (In Australia they add an agent to chocolate to give it a higher melting point - it doesn't taste quite as good as British chocolate!!!!!)
Little did I realise that the top was actually my destination - the ruined castle I was too busy trying to find the path that I didn't realise where I had got to.....the path back down was pretty lethal but Mummy already said she didn't want to hear about this so I wont worry you Grandma!!!!!! You would probably have held onto my hood!!! But I am still all in one piece so it is fine!
I had done the walking faster than I had expected and so I added on a 45 minute boardwalk circle through the trees and then climbed the Furber Steps to get back to the top of the valley. The walk in total was estimated to take 11 1/4 hours....I did it in 7. 25km later I was glad to be back at the hostel in front of the fire with a big mug of HOT ribena :)
The woman in my dorm tonight was trying to talk me to death and half of what she said was complete and utter rubbish!!!!! I had a small argument with my backpack while the other two people in my room read to each other.....it was looking like it would be a long long night!!!!!
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