The 6 foot Track

Last week friday after school, i embarked upon a journey of discovery together with the Packett family. I had already packed my bag the night before, taking in consideration the fact that there is no electricity and that it would definitely rain. I was told that we would be staying in a an eco-lodge, a lodge purely based on solar panels and large water reservoirs. This lodge was apparently located in the Blue Mountains, a ring of huge hills surrounding Sydney and blocking access to the rest of the Australian desert. However, 1 hour into the car trip and i realised that we had not even left Sydney itself. Never mind the drive into the mountains, we haven't even made our way out of the city! I then realised that the best way to pass the time would just be enjoying the view. After having stared out of the windows for some time, i was beginning to wonder where the mountains where. I had this image in my head that it must be at a very high altitude, covered in snow or simply rock and dust. However, to my surprise i discovered that the Blue Mountains are actually rather overly vegetated, much like a mix of a topical jungle and a European forest. It was truly a strange image, you could be driving over huge fields and ranches one minute or on a road surrounded by tropical trees towering closely over your car and the next minute find yourself slithering around mountainsides with completely vertical tree trunks. We arrived at the lodge about half an hour after having entered the forested area and i immediately started unpacking and meeting new people and friends from Haberfield. We had some sausages and played poker and hung around the fire the rest of the night. The next day we were up and going with some early breakfast, grabbed our fishing spears and were off down to the creek. I spent the entire day diving into pools, climbing rocks, hunting for carp and catching lizards. We moved from one pool to the other, each time hooping from rock to rock, over small streams and swimming through string currents of water. We never managed to catch any fish that day but did get very close twice, unfortunately the fish managed to outsmart us every time. We returned back to the lodge only once for lunch but return back to the creek for some more relaxation in the downstream pools. In the evening we had dinner, washed up and played a couple of games of cards and went to bed exhausted. It was Sunday morning and most of us were already up and going at 9, ready for the big event that we had all been looking forward to; the six foot track! I packed my bags, grabbed my water bottle and pocketed my phone. After some delicious breakfast, i headed out with Chris, Pam and Penny as well as Tim and the Haberfield boys on a long journey through the blue mountains of 8 km. On the way we had sprinting challenges, sang Newington songs and i managed to take some nice Photos. Do keep in mind that it was raining all this time, sometimes a mere drizzle and at other times it completely poured. However, the rain didn't seem to bother us because of the rather warm climate and the contrast in temperature balanced it all out. So after a good and exhausting 3 hours of walking, we had finally arrived at our destination where the parents awaited us and spoiled us with wraps and drinks. We were all drenched to the bone so all of us quickly changed into some dry clothes, hopped into the cars and drove off. The Packetts and i however, were going to first stop at the three sisters, a nice viewing area that gives an overview of the valley in which we had stayed for the Week-end. It was truly wonderful, my phone was out of batteries but nevertheless i simply absorbed the breathtaking view. The sight of fog slowly rolling out over the dense tropical forest and then gradually soaking in was absolutely amazing. However, our appreciation of nature was abruptly interrupted by a heavy shower and so we ran back into the car and made our way to a local bakery. Here the Packetts treated me on a delicious potato and meat pie and a nice hot chocolate. That pretty much sums up my great weekend, yet another successful two days well spent in Australia!