Blue Mountains

[Charlie's note:  we were in the Blue Mountains on 29 April.]
Today we took a hike to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are dissected sandstone plateaus that use to be connected but were worn away by erosion from streams. They are called the Blue Mountains because the Eucalyptus trees that are contained within their forests emit a gas that gives off a blue tint, making the mountains look blue. Australians like to give simple to the point names to things! This makes things pretty easy to remember, for the most part. At the blue mountains we were guided by an Australian tour guide named Dindy. It was a pleasure to spend the day with her, and she gave me a real feel for how much Australians appreciate the natural beauty of the land where they live. She took us for a hike in the mountains and explained a lot about the vegetation at different parts of the forests, about the wildlife in the area, and the weather difference that occurs when you travel from top of the plateaus and into the canyons and gorges. On top of the plateaus it was warm and sunny, but once under the canopy of the trees and in the gorges there was a bit of a temperature drop and the sun light was blocked quite a bit.
Dindy even said that once when it was super windy she brought her boys to walk withing the gorges, and the canopy completely blocked the wind. While on our walk we got to get a look at a large waterfall, we got to see it from a couple of different perspectives. We even got to see a lyre bird, from afar at least. One thing that I will not forget is that Dindy warned us about being in the mountains during a storm. Much of the rock in the area has iron in it, so during a storm that has lightning it is a bad idea to take cover in the rocks because this will attract the lighting. Some travelers lost their arms because they made the mistake of taking cover in a cave full of rock with iron, and grabbing onto railings. I will be sure never to make this mistake! I learned a lot today and am very great full to  Dindy and her wide base of knowledge about the Blue Mountains and everything in it.

-Kathleen D.