Currently reading: Patrícia Melo – The Lost World | Peter Matthiessen – The Snow Leopard | David Foster Wallace – Infinite Jest (infinite project…) | William Faulkner – Collected Stories
Jay and I hit the trail in Blackheath again over the Easter weekend. This time we hiked Rodriguez Pass, setting out from Evans Lookout and descending into the Grose Valley via the Grand Canyon and Beauchamp Falls.
The cliff face rises on either side of the pass down into the valley as you descend along Greaves Creek
The same valley as captured on my 2015 traverse
The trees of Blackheath’s Grand Canyon boast an amazing array colours and textures [Editor’s question for Jay: is ‘amazing’ merely an ‘interesting’ substitute in this context?!]
The (not so) perilous drop has prompted the need for a handrail of sorts through this section, thought by many to be the most dangerous part of the walk – it may have felt more perilous had there not been a wire, so thanks to the NPWS trail maintenance crews for enabling safe passage and psychological support. The tape, however, seemed oddly superfluous…
One of many waterfalls that we encountered throughout the day
Walking was easy down on the forest floor
We paused for a quick bite upon reaching Govetts Creek
Last time I passed this way (June 2015), I found the following structure in the makeshift campsite where we stopped for lunch:
More stunning waterfalls on the section from Junction Rock to Govetts Leap – I managed to cross numerous creeks without incident on this walk (though I did take my shoes off on a couple of occasions just to be able to feel the degree of slipperiness beneath my feet, and the first crossing involved an extended slide across mossy rock – let’s call it practise for when Zoey takes me snowboarding later in the year)
I didn’t really take many pics while we were walking through the more densely forested sections, so this is a rainforest capture from an earlier hike
We stopped for a bite to eat at the base of Bridle Veil Falls before ascending to Govetts Leap. I took my shoes off and put my feet in the water for a spell and Jay had an encounter with a water dragon while clambering around on the rocks. It’s a pretty special spot…
After reaching Govetts Leap, we took the Clifftop Track back to Evans Lookout. All in all it took us about 6 hours to complete the full circuit. It was a good workout, but the trail into the valley from Evans was much clearer than I remembered from my previous visit so it was an easier hike than I had anticipated. For scenic vistas and that sense of immersion in nature that hikers are constantly in search of it’s one of my favourite walks in the Blue Mountains.
I’m testing out the idea of adding an audio track as background to posts. Not sure if it complements the visual experience or if it is just so much noise… Feedback welcome…
Music Credit: Air – Ce Matin La
Books / Stories Completed: Maurice Merleau-Ponty – The World of Perception | William Faulkner – Elly
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