helicopter!
The King's Canyon hike was great. It has a killer staircase out of stone that they call 'cornary hill' at the trail head. It pretty much takes you tot he top of the mountain formation. Once up there the hike is pretty resonable. You go around this gorge area with lots of really cool geomorphs and funky rock formations, sheer drops, and other neat things. It was kind of like the west of the US, actually. Camera got a workout.
We then drove to Uluru, or Ayer's rock. We set up camp and watched the sunset over the rock. It's hard to decribe this giant rock that just rises out of the middle of nothing. It has lost of caves and niches and is just an odd shape. About 1 hour before the big rock we saw a flat toped mesa-like mountain that was bigger, but not the same mysterious shapes or color of Uluru. We had suprise champange and crackers and cheese at the lookout. It was really breathtaking to watch it just light up with colors.
Today we woke up really early (before dawn) to see the show in reverse and watch the sunrise on the other side of the rock. Not as magical, I'm sorry to say. But then I'm not a AM person. Then we went to hike AROUND the rock. I did not climb it, since it is a sacred site of the Aborigionals who live and are the caretakers of the land. They ask people not to climb but don't forbid it, but so many people sadly chose to do so. It's also a hazard to climb and people die, which also saddens the tribe, who according to their laws, feel responsible for the deaths.
We went on a 2 hour guided tour of about 1 KM around the rock to start, where an aborgional ranger told us about some of the artwork on the rock and the stories that go along with some of the caves and crevases. Then we went along the base of the rock 10 km walk, that was much more interesting then climbing along the top like a bunch of 'ants'.
We then went to the cultural center, which I honestly was a bit disapointed with. The museum at Kakadu was better, but this place was award winning and has rave reveiws.
Tomorrow we hike the Olgas, a sister fomrmation down the road. Then my tour is up.
Oh, but that night I chartered a helicopter to go over the Rock and the olgas at sunset.
HELICOPTER!
*excited&
We then drove to Uluru, or Ayer's rock. We set up camp and watched the sunset over the rock. It's hard to decribe this giant rock that just rises out of the middle of nothing. It has lost of caves and niches and is just an odd shape. About 1 hour before the big rock we saw a flat toped mesa-like mountain that was bigger, but not the same mysterious shapes or color of Uluru. We had suprise champange and crackers and cheese at the lookout. It was really breathtaking to watch it just light up with colors.
Today we woke up really early (before dawn) to see the show in reverse and watch the sunrise on the other side of the rock. Not as magical, I'm sorry to say. But then I'm not a AM person. Then we went to hike AROUND the rock. I did not climb it, since it is a sacred site of the Aborigionals who live and are the caretakers of the land. They ask people not to climb but don't forbid it, but so many people sadly chose to do so. It's also a hazard to climb and people die, which also saddens the tribe, who according to their laws, feel responsible for the deaths.
We went on a 2 hour guided tour of about 1 KM around the rock to start, where an aborgional ranger told us about some of the artwork on the rock and the stories that go along with some of the caves and crevases. Then we went along the base of the rock 10 km walk, that was much more interesting then climbing along the top like a bunch of 'ants'.
We then went to the cultural center, which I honestly was a bit disapointed with. The museum at Kakadu was better, but this place was award winning and has rave reveiws.
Tomorrow we hike the Olgas, a sister fomrmation down the road. Then my tour is up.
Oh, but that night I chartered a helicopter to go over the Rock and the olgas at sunset.
HELICOPTER!
*excited&
posted by Sherry W @ 12:32 AM
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