Monday 7 December 2015

A wet day on Mt. Gower

Now I don't want you to think that Lord Howe Island is all sunshine, abundant bird life and tropic fish.  I can also be rather wet, slippery and muddy.  My ego tells me that I fell over a few times because my boots were defective - the truth may be less flattering!

During the entire 9 hours of the trip up and back down there was water falling from the sky - sometimes with a little more determination than others, but it never really let up.  The cloud base popped up on a few occasions just to tease up with views, but the top of Mt. Gower was determined not to yield a view of any kind.

You can see that in a couple of places a rope is provided both for security and assistance.  The roped section shown here is called The Low Road and takes you under the face of Mt. Lidgbird.  In the steep sections - and those sections were pretty steep - the rope was very handy indeed; both on the way up and possibly more so on the way down.

The upper slopes of Mt. Gower are covered in Mist Forest - the place really was magical.

The Low Road - note the rope on the RHS
Upper Slope Mist Forest 
A rare view north along the island
Another section of The High Road
Not the view we wanted!
It feels a bit out of place moaning about a wee bit of rain when friends of mine in the Lakes in the UK are dealing with real floods.  So, I hope you are all drying out and getting things sorted, although I know that will take a while.

You can find more pictures from around the world at Our World Tuesday.  Cheers SM

23 comments:

  1. Magnificent!
    Have a great week!
    Lea

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  2. That third shot is awesome!!

    (I love cloudy skies)

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  3. Wow, it reminds me of the Pacific Northwest here in the states. The high road is cool, love the scenic views. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!

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  4. That is beautiful but I don't think I would be climbing up there!! Diane

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  5. I wasn't so sure about the first rope photo but the second one makes it look not so daring. The second photo looks like our Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, Washington.

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  6. Holy cow!! What a trek!! Reminds me of the coast of Kauai, Hawaii (without the fog of course).

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  7. Oh, yes, I do agree with Eileen, this does indeed remind me of the Pacific Northwest!! So dramatically beautiful!!! And what a climb!! Thanks as always, Stewart, for sharing the beauty!! Have a great new week!!

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  8. Whoa - that upper slope does look rather - exciting!! But I'd do this hike in a heartbeat. It looks amazing.

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  9. Wow! What a place and what an adventure ~ great photos!

    Wishing you the magic and love of the season, xox
    artmusedog and carol

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  10. Gorgeous pictures never the less..I hope you didn't hurt yourself..looks a bit treacherous..Lovely views..Thanks

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  11. OMG those are so beautiful but scary. I can't imagine how you crossed that path in the 3rd photo with the rope hanging in there without a ledge to step on! I saw an area going to Milford Sound, NZ that looks like the 2nd photo, but of course that is outside while we were in the bus. And i laughed out loud on your mention of the ego thoughts.

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  12. It does look like a Pacific NW rain forest. What an adventure you had Stewart!

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  13. Wow - beauty and drama all rolled into one. Gorgeous shots.

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  14. Wow! Congrats for getting up there. Double congrats for doing it in the rain. I didn't attempt it even when I was younger. Love the photos though.

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  15. How did you keep your camera gear dry? That trail is not for me. The forest photo is pure magic!!!

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  16. Fabulous view from up there, but I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to travel that road!

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  17. The scenery may be even better than the birds, IF you can make it to to the top. Thanks for letting us see if from out armchairs.

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  18. Wow! The views are great from above. I can't believe the trail you showed. It is a bit nerve racking.

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  19. Wow!!! Not sure I'd want to walk along that path, rope or no rope!!! Beautiful!!!

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  20. Wow, what a walk. Rain or not, I would have loved to have been there wit you. It looks like the kind of place tat remains unchanged since the dawn of creation - other than a rope I guess!!

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  21. What a hike! Were you wearing helmets? Was this a guided hike?

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  22. Que de paysages différents, mais si beaux, merci Stewart

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