Blue Mountains hike

I had a chance to go for a hike in the mountains. When I was invited, I had the understanding it would not be a very difficult hike. When I got to the meeting place to head out, I was asked if I was going "bushwalking" and by the time we were done I had climbed down and back up many hundreds of feet along narrow trails with "stairs" made of rocks in the path, some of which were challenging enough I needed to help some of the other (shorter) people to make it down. We spent 3 hours walking in some incredible scenery. It was so good.


View from the top of the highest point in the Blue Mountains. The reason they are called the Blue Mountains is the blue haze you see from a distance (like in this picture). The haze is caused by oil coming out of the leaves of the Eucalyptus trees that cover the mountains.




We walked down to the bottom of this canyon on the other side of the mountain then walked back up to the point this picture was taken from. Although the mountains are very small compared to the Rocky Mountains, the views are still spectacular and the views along the trail were amazing.






There were many views like this as we walked along the bottom. There were also many rocks haning over the trail and some caves along the way making for some interesting sites and a few heads being bumped along the way.







This was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it's the best I could get. It's a small stream about half way through our walk; right at the bottom of the canyon.



It was a tiring walk but well worth it. I was really energized by being out in the fresh air, away from the 4 million people of Sydney, enjoying God's great creation with a small group of friends. Given the chance to do it again, I will jump at the opportunity!