Govett's Leap to Perrys Lookdown (two day hike in Blue Mountains)

This is an absolutely wonderful hike of 21 kilometers, descending steeply into the Grose Valley, then walking along a river to the breathtakingly beautiful Blue Gum Forest (where you can camp), then ascending very steeply indeed out of the Grose Valley to Perrys Lookdown.

Here I am, the intrepid hiker, ready to embark at Govett's Leap.

Govett's Leap provides good views of the Bridal Veil falls which are the highest falls in the Blue Mountains.

Stopping off for a breather on the way down Govett Leap's steep path into the valley.

The steep path descends to the base of the Bridal Veil Falls. As I reached the valley floor, the vegetation along the river turned to forest with tall trees and lots of beautiful ferns.

As I walked down the valley, the river widened and provided some great spots for a dip.  This was very welcome as it was a hot day.

Finally, after a long walk through the valley along the river along a path that at times was very overgrown (so much so that I wondered if it was the right one), the hike entered the famous Blue Gum Forest.  It was beautiful and peaceful and the perfect place to stop and contemplate life.  I must thank Lizzy for telling me about this place.  It must be one of the most beautiful and tranquil places in Australia.

As recommended by Lizzy, I decided to camp in the Blue Gum Forest.  Here is a photo of my new, very lightweight one man tent.  I met a very nice guy in the camp site who is a passionate hiker and he gave me lots of tips for other great hikes in the area.  He was taking a two day sabbatical from his wife and kids.  He said the had spent his whole Xmas with his in laws and had earned the break!

The valley was full of these beautiful yellow flowers and they were very popular with the local insects...

...like bees

and moths...

...and little white butterflies who also feasted on the nectar.  I was chuffed to get a photo of two of the little butterflies mating.  It's quite an acrobatic aerial affair.

In addition to the yellow flowers, there were some other beautiful leaves and berries and plants.

The only drawback to camping in the forest were the flies.  There were a lot of them (though only at dusk, strangely enough) and many of them bit.  Bastards!  Here is a cute little fly I managed to photograph.  This particular species was pretty harmless and did not bite or I would have killed it, not photographed it.

Then there was this cute lizard who I managed to photograph before he leapt into the undergrowth.

After a very restful time camping in the Blue Gum Forest, it was time to hike out of the steep valley.  Here I am before the steep climb, still looking happy and fresh.  Man, was that about to change! 

The walk out of the valley to Perrys Lookdown was three hours of non stop steep uphill slogging.  And I was not just carrying my pack but my camera equipment too - about 16 kg's in total.  And I am not the fittest I have ever been.  And I am now 40.  And, for some silly reason, I did it at the hottest part of the day.  To say I struggled would be a strong understatement.  I was absolutely bushed and had to make constant stops to catch my breath.

Finally I came out at the top, and the view from Perry's Lookdown kind of made up for all the pain.

So all in all, a really fantastic hike.  The highlight is the Blue Gum forest.  It's an awesome place to relax and unwind.  The only drawback is if you camp, you have to carry your equipment up the steep path out of the valley.  But in retrospect, it's well worth it.  Within a week, I reckon I won't remember the pain and I will be itching to do this hike again.