Blue Mountains

At least once per month I try to get away by myself for 48hrs on September 12 I headed off to the Blue Mountains.

Summary.

• Time from Sydney: 2 1/2 hrs by Car

• Stayed at: Mountain Heritage Hotel

• Activities done:

  • Walk – Three Sisters

  • Walk – Katoomba Station to Cascades

  • Walk – Castle Head

Reflections.

The purpose of these trips is to spend time by myself and get perspective on things.

These are some of those;

The hardest thing is to get started

Being in the middle of nowhere with an uncertain track and path I was really hesitant to getting started, the first five minutes I was not sure if I had chosen the right path, if had everything I needed and if I was actually going to be able to-do it, but after that things were great.

Lesson: Start things faster

Its worth a detour once and a while

On the way up the mountain there was a detour that looked like it went somewhere interesting, I avoided it on the way up as I was more interested to get to my destination. I luckily on the way down decide to take the detour and it was the best view of the whole trip.

Lesson: Look for interesting detours they can make your day much more fun.

Got to work outdoors more

I got to a lookout and decided to sit down on a bench and do some work. With the power of 5G and a Snapdragon laptop I found not only did I get a lot more work done, I enjoyed it more.

Lesson: Look to work outdoors more.

Look around the corner

Not being able to eat or drink immediately makes you dismiss the opportunity to enjoy what restaurants and cafes have to offer. The hotel I was stayed at had a great restaurant looking out over the Blue Mountains and if I could eat or drink I would have been there for dinner and breakfast enjoying the views over a meal and/or Coffee. I immediately dismissed this as a possibility for me and went to my room. As I was checking out I discovered they had a whole lounge area where I could have comfortably sat with no obligation to eat of drink.

Lesson: Look for the opportunity to enjoy an area, there might be somewhere close at by which offers the same experience.

Better secure my PEG tube

The cap came off while checking in and I had a stain down the front of my shirt as I made my way to the room.

Lesson: Use an extender to make it extra secure or find a double clamp somewhere.

Dumb work things still get on my mind

I have been challenged lately by a work issue that has been on my mind. While I was doing this walk I found myself giving the issue way too much thought, the result distracting me from what I was experiencing and taking positivity out of the walk. I found that when I focused on what I wanted to achieve in the immediate and short-term it helped me enjoy things much more.

Lesson: Make sure to have things to focus on what you are doing and the moment your in to help distract you from the larger stresses in life.

What I did on the trip

Day 1

I left Sydney mid-morning and apart from a 20 minute stop outside the Blaxland Scout Hall to address an urgent work issue and have some Peg food I arrived in Blue mountains at 1:30pm and headed straight to Three Sisters for a walk

After paying $12 for an hours parking I did a the short walk to the Three Sisters and enjoyed the views and enjoyed the views of the Blue Mountains.

It was then off to check into the Mountain Heritage Hotel which was built in 1908 and was said at one time to be ‘the largest and most palatial guesthouse in the southern hemisphere’. Its definitely not that now, but the rooms were comfortable and it definitely had character. 

There was not much else to report for the day as I went through my normal afternoon routine and caught-up on rest, work and planning for the day ahead.

Day 2

I awoke to a cold 1 degree morning and heading off at 7:30am on my first walk. A walk that was a mixture of time in the woods and time walking the streets of Katoomba.

The weather was amazing and it was great to see the history of the place, it really looked like Katoomba at one time was the place to be. Unfortunately it all looks a bit tired now however it is easy to imagine what a great place this used to be.

It was then back to the hotel where I went through my normal morning routine and checked out at 11am with great ambition for the day ahead.

Before I could start I had some important work to catch-up on and quickly found a great spot to-do that from.

It was then off on the hike to Castle Head. A great walk with LOTS of hills. I found it really challenging but enjoyed it.

It was then time to get in the car and head back to Sydney.