Winter in the Budawangs: June 2008

This is another retrospective post. It's the trip the Sons did up to the Castle on the classic Kalianna ridge route from Long Gully. There were the core Sons (which include daughters, of course) and Nick Shea and Lina Eriksson (the Captains Indomitable, as we'll call them).

We set out up the ridge: Lina was complaining of being a little ill driving down. Only after the whole trip including her leading the party that made it to the top of the Castle did we discover she was well and truly pregnant! That's indomitable.

Anyhow, here we are at the start looking forward to it all:



It was wet for most of the trip. The next morning (at Coyoyo creek campsite) dawned foggy and wet:



But the sun peeked out and the fog began to lift soon, giving a range of amazing vistas from the rock platform just a short way from our camp:







The sun gave us a chance to dry out. Paul is always the most efficient at hanging stuff out to dry:



Here we are, busy packing



It's not that much later and the mist has lifted on the iconic Budawangs view of Pigeon House:



There are some gorgeous flowers near the creek:



Now we head off to try climbing the castle. Here's the view of the Byangee walls from half way up:



Some of the grasses are spectacularly large:


Here's a view back over the southern tip of The Castle:



Paul, Nick, and Lina go for the top and triumph, picking the rest of us up at various different points of wimp-out. We pass through the cool little tunnel that avoids having to go back to the pass, and as we come out on the path to Kalianna ridge one final marvellous view greets us:



Then we have an eventful but solid walk out. And the tradition of Winter in the Budawangs is born.