Hiking the Blue Mountains

On Saturday morning I awoke to a beautiful day in the Blue Mountains. I packed up my gear and put it in a locker at the hostel and grabbed a quick breakfast. I walked southeast through town to a gravel fire road access along the cliff. I walked down the gravel road for a half hour which was variably boring and scenic. At the top of the cliff it was extremely windy which made it a chilly walk. At the end I arrived at the entrance to the Golden Staircase, the trail down into the valley. It was a steep descent and I had to take it slowly. The trail was well maintained and I was able to reach the Federal Pass trail in a half hour. The temperature rose as I descended and was comfortable once I began walking on the trail. The Federal Pass Trail is a relatively flat trail that wound through rainforests and forests of eucalyptus trees.

After about forty-five minutes I arrived at the entrance to the Ruined Castle, a hill separated from the main ridge. The trail up was slightly steep, but it did not take too long to reach the ridgeline of the Ruined Castle. Trees prevented an unobstructed view, but between the trees there were brilliant views of the surrounding mountains. I climbed up on a rock along the top and ate a snack while enjoying the view. I returned back down to the Federal Pass Trail and headed back towards the Golden Staircase. Along the way I passed a few fellow hikers, a few even greeted me with a "G'day".

After reaching the Golden Staircase, I continued on the Federal Pass Trail. The trail was more forest until it opened out into a rocky terrain. It became very similar to hiking in a desert climate with rocks and scrub brush. Without the trees, the views of the mountains and cliffs were spectacular. I soon reach the site of a massive old landslide. It is still very evident where the earth slide away from the cliffside. The trail is open to the public again, but it was difficult to find in a few places. I had to pick my way through the rocks and find the trail as I went. It was a little surprising to lose the trail because the rest of the trails are very well made and maintained. I made it safely through back onto the trail.

After not seeing anyone on the trail for quite some time I reached the site of the old Katoomba coal mines which is now part of Scenic World, a tourist trap that brings tourists down on a scenic railway. All of a sudden I was surrounded by tourists which was a different after hours hiking on my own. I considered taking the easy way back to the top on the scenic railway, but I decided to keep going on the trail and walk up myself.

After leaving Scenic World, I arrived at the entrance to the Furber Steps the steep trail back to the surface. The Furber Steps is a mixture of stone steps, dirt steps, and metal steps. At first it was not too difficult and once I got above the tree line the views were terrific. I have a small fear of heights, but while the steps were steep in some places it was not scary. I stopped at a few of the lookouts along the way to catch my breath. The steep climb finally got to me as I neared the top and I was ready for it to end. I finally made it to the top with a sense of accomplishment of completing the trail. I walked the short distance back tot he hostel and collapsed on their couches after a six hour hike.

After a short rest, I grabbed my bags and coaxed a little more walking out of my exhausted legs to get me to the train station. I took the train back to Sydney, but due to track work the train could only go two thirds of the way. From there they put us on a bus the rest of the way to the Central Train station. It added a little time to the trip, but the route they took us went over the Harbour Bridge which was a treat. On our arrival I walked back over to the Sydney Central YHA for one more night's stay. This time I was in a room with three bunks, but I was barely in the room. Too tired to walk much, I ate dinner at the cafe on the ground floor and then spent some time on the internet before going to bed.

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