Blue Mountains – 29 Apr

Wow. So beautiful, despite the fact that there was a blanket of fog covering what we were there to see. Thankfully, later in the day, a portion of the fog lifted and we were now able to partially see the Three Sisters and the deep gorges and canyons of the Blue Mountains.
As you know, today was the day we hiked through the Blue Mountains, and of course, it was raining still. Therefore, everywhere we stepped, there was either an ankle deep puddle or an ankle deep mud hole, so, you guessed it, my shoes and jeans were soaked and dirty beyond belief. Why I did not wear shorts, I have no clue.
Anyways, back to the original point, where we hiked had such varying climates and geography. Deep in the gorges was a rainforest region complete with Cycads, Kingfisher Ferns and all the likes, especially bugs. High up on the plateau, the tops of the trees leveled with the ridge because of the wind. The vegetation at the top of the plateau had lighter green leaves than the ones deep in the canyons and gorges, which were of a deep green. This is because the trees at the top already had access to too much of the sunlight, so they then needed to reflect some of it away; hence the lighter shade of green. The vegetation at the base did not have it as easy, so to capture as much sunlight as possible, their leaves took on a dark, deep green to absorb that light and hold it. The Blue Mountains are also lush with animal life, especially bird life. Everywhere you could hear the annoying call of the Sulfur-crested Cockatoo and the familiar laugh of the Kookaburra. All in all, despite the wetness and fogginess, the Blue Mountains were absolutely stunningly beautiful.