Wine Country: Hunter Valley

After visiting the koala hospital, we headed down to the Lighthouse Beach for a quick swim. We quickly discovered that the water south of Port Macquarie is cold! While it is generally colder than the water further north, it is even colder than average -- about 6 degrees celsius (about 11 or 12 fahrenheit) colder. (There is an upswell bringing the colder water from the depths of the ocean onto the coast. It was about 16 degrees C instead of a more reasonable 22.) I tried and tried but couldn't make myself duck my head under. So, no bodysurfing for a few days.

Instead we headed to Hunter Valley, one of the major wine centers in Australia. Hunter Valley produces some of the big name Australian wines that we get in the US, like Rosemount Estate. For various reasons, it is not the most celebrated wine region but it is the most approachable. We stopped at Peppertree the first day and got a good introduction to the region's grapes. The second day we went to Rosemount, which is way out in the middle of nowhere, only to discover they have moved their tasting room into Pokolbin in the Lower Hunter Valley. Given how many bottles of their Shiraz I have consumed over the years, I was a little disappointed. We took a picture of the sign and went to Arrowfield, a lovely estate overlooking the Hunter River, instead.

It was incredibly hot and dry in the Hunter Valley and we didn't take as many pictures as we should have. We did enjoy a nice respite from hostels and stayed in a hotel after four places refused to rent us because they didn't have air conditioning in their upstairs rooms. (Actually they would rent to Joey but not to me -- little do they know how grouchy he gets when he is too hot.) After two+ weeks of hostels, it was lovely to stay in an air-conditioned room with good linen and a real bathtub.

Australian Road Signs

Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie has (I think) the oldest koala hospital in the country. The Koala Hospital is dedicated to taking care of sick and injured koalas, generally with the intention of reintroducing them to the wild once they are healthy. Some of the oldest koalas in the hospital are permanent residents, too old or with permanent disabilities that prevent their release into the wild.

We arrived at 8am to see the morning feeding. Koalas in the wild subsist only on eucaplytus. (They also eat dirt, possibly to help with digestion.) At the hospital, they are fed milk twice a day to augment the eucalyptus diet. The koalas heal faster when given the nutritional supplement. (They are weaned off of the milk before being released into the wild.) We walked up to the outdoor enclosure in time to see Henry get fed. He quickly became my favorite. Henry is about a year old. He was found dehydrated. When we saw him, he was quite active and obviously not suffering any ill effects from his earlier bad health.

Koalas are not the brightest animals but they are incredibly cute. Unfortunately, they are often injured by run-ins with humans and their animals. Dog attacks and car accidents are leading causes of koala injury and death. There are signs throughout koala territory warning of koala crossings.

Koalas are well suited to their niche but they stress easily. Chlamydia infections are frequent in the wild; a stressed koala is less able to fight off an eye infection or a urogenital infection. Many of the koalas housed in the hospital the day we visited were undergoing treatment for chlamydia infections. One of the tasks of the hospital is to develop new treatments; when we visited four of the koalas were in a test trial of a new drug.

Some of the permanent residents in the hospital were injured in wildfires. A koala instinctively climbs to the tree tops when threatened (by fire, animals, etc). A large wildfire that spreads along the crowns can destroy an entire community of koalas. At the koala hospital, some of the permanent residents have damaged claws from burns but are otherwise completely healthy now. They do some impressive work.

The Day of Lighthouses, Jan. 20th

My dad is an inveterate fan of lighthouses. Many of our family vacations involved a visit to at least one lighthouse, if not three or four. My mom often jokes that he has more pictures of lighthouses than of his children; given his extensive collection, it might not be a joke. Since we could not be with my dad on his birthday, we did something that we think he would have enjoyed. In honor of my dad's birthday, Joey and I stopped off at three lighthouses on our drive from Byron Bay to Port Macquarie. We may not have hit every lighthouse on this stretch of coastline but we tried.

First stop, Cape Byron Lighthouse, Australia's most easterly lighthouse. Cape Byron Lighthouse was completed in 1901. It flashes every 15 secs and can be seen 27 nautical miles out. It is one of 13 major lighthouses built in New South Wales between 1858 and 1903, many designed by James Barnet. Cape Byron Lighthouse was actually designed by his successor, Charles Harding, though it is similar to a James Barnet lighthouse. I particularly liked the elaborate turret and the castle-like details (how's that for some architectural lingo -- this is obviously not my field).






Next stop, Smoky Cape Lighthouse. This lighthouse was completed in 1891. Although closer to civilization than many lighthouses, the construction of this lighthouse was still a major undertaking. In my opinion, it is not as graceful as Cape Byron but the octagonal shape is intriguing. Every 20 seconds, it flashes a group of three that can be seen 26 nautical miles out. The Keeper's house and Assistant Keeper's houses are now available as holiday rentals. The hike down to the beach -- or rather back up from the beach -- is a tough one but the beach is quite lovely and secluded.

Before we made it to our final lighthouse, we stopped at the Trial Bay Gaol. It had just closed so we didn't get to see the inside. However, the exterior is formidable enough. It was built to house convicts as they built a breakwater in the late 1800s but ended up only being used for a short period of time during WWII. Trial Bay was named after the wreckage of the Trial, a brig used by a group of Sydney convicts in an attempted escape. They wrecked in this bay in 1816. Thus, it is fitting to include the Trial Point Gaol in a post about lighthouses.

The final stop on our lighthouse tour was Macking Point. We didn't get there until after dark so the pictures aren't fantastic. Macking Point is about 8km south of Port Macquarie. It is located high on a headland so the structure itself is quite short. Macking Point light flashes a group of four every 20 secs that can be seen 16 nautical miles out. It is a rather stubby lighthouse but the views from the point are fantastic. To the south, Lighthouse beach stretches on and on.

Byron Bay

On the excellent advice of Laura Busch, we spent a few days in Byron Bay. We want to go back. It was absolutely gorgeous. The water was warm, the waves decent, and the beaches pristine. Joey is now hooked on body-surfing. (He can finally be admitted into the Carlson family -- I was getting a little worried that the whole wedding thing was for naught!) We both ended up a little sunburnt from indulging in "just one more wave."

Our days in Byron were perfect holiday days, basically spent eating, swimming, eating, lounging in hammocks, swimming, eating, walking on the coast. No major happenings to report on but an excellent reprieve after being sick for so long.

Our hostel, Belongil Beach House, was a bit north of town, located right across the road from the beach pictured below. It was far enough out of the hustle and bustle of town to feel like a true get away. The beach didn't hurt either.

I regret to inform Laura that the cafe at the Belongil Beach House is under new ownership and no longer serves banana french toast. The pancakes and latkes were quite tasty, though.

More pictures in the Yahoo Photo Album.

Crikey! Australia Zoo

(Sorry for the long delay. Here are some of our favorites but there are more good pictures of the zoo in the Yahoo Albums)

We signed up for a tour with Croc Connections to go to the Australia Zoo. Chris was a very knowledgable driver and host, and he had many tips for maximizing time in the Zoo. He even stopped off at a vege stand on the way back to Brisbane, so that we could purchase some cheap and excellent fruits and veges. If you find yourself in Brissy, it is well worth it to call CC's.

The Australia Zoo is fantastic. Since Steve Irwin's passing things have changed a bit, but he is still a prominent figure in the park, referred to with reverence and respect. Personally, the most moving part of our trip was a wall set up with lots of khaki shirts which were signed by fans. Steve was a wild and charismatic individual, and he obviously made an impression on folks from around the world. On the bus ride home, Chris played "He changed our world" and I'd recommend it if you would like to learn more about Steve-O.

First, we went to the Crocoseum to watch the daily show. The hosts showcased the snakes, birds, and of course the crocodiles. The crocs and snakes were cool but having parrots and other birds fly within arms length was incredible. After the show, we visited the crocodile area. Obviously, they don't let you pet the crocs, but you can get pretty close to them. During the show, we saw them leap out of the water by about 3-5 feet and in short distances they can travel very quickly. For safety reasons, there are two fences between the guests and the crocs.

Then we went through the koala area where we were able to pet them. Their fur is rough and soft at the same time. it reminded me of felt. Koalas don't have very big brains, and they don't do much more than nap and eat. Their claws look scary, but the zoo keepers said that they aren't dangerous at all.

We also walked through the kangaroo area, and were able to pet the roos and see some info about their habits and habitat. I was not surprised to learn that a baby kangaroo is called a "joey", but I didn't know that mommy kangaroos are only pregnant for about 35 days or so. I'm sure my sister Marla would be much happier if human gestation was as quick.

There is an area where they keep all of the poisonous snakes, and I have to admit we didn't spend too much time there. There are loads of poisonous snakes in Australia, and the collection reminded us why we didn't want to go tramping out in the bush. I had to think of Erin's mom Judy, because this is probably the only part of the zoo which she would not enjoy. (Erin's note: Mom, the taipan looked terrifying even behind the glass. I hope to never, ever see one in the wild.)

My personal highlight of the day was feeding the elephants. Twice a day, they allow guests to line up and feed three elephants. We missed the early feeding, which actually turned out to be a good thing because there were far fewer folks at the 3pm feeding. In fact, we went through the line 3 times. (Erin: I actually went through four times.) Their trunks can grab so gently and they have such dexterity. We were given small pieces of fruit, and they grabbed it right out of our hands and then put it into their mouths. (Erin: The contrast between their size (enormous) and the gentleness of their trunks was amazing. That's why I snuck through the line an extra time!)

We missed the bulk of the tiger show, but we hung out by the cages for a while and got a show of our own. The tigers have a large play area, and during the time of day that we were there they are more playful. They swam and jumped up onto a large platform. It was amazing to get so close to them and see how they spend their days.

All in all, the Australia Zoo was a highlight of our trip so far.

J

First Body Surfing Lesson - First Jellyfish Sting

Erin has been wanting to give me a body surfing lesson for a while - she thinks that once I have had some real surf time that I'll be hooked and we'll do beach vacations from now on. So, we went for our first lesson in a bay just outside of Lismore. It was beautiful surf with lots of crashing waves, and not too many people.

I got my first ride, and was really getting into it when suddenly my hand (specifically my thumb) felt like it had caught fire. We had heard reports of jellyfish further up the coast, but we missed the sign at the entrance to the beach which indicated that there were jellys in the bay (next time, we'll use the main entrance instead of walking around).

Anyway, I looked down at my hand and there was this really blue inky looking stuff on my thumb. At first, I thought it was a residue from the sting. I didn't want to mess with it too much, because I thought it might cause more of a problem. I went to shore and asked one of the lifeguards what to do about the blue stuff and he said "oh, you still have the stinger in your hand". He reached down and grabbed the blue stuff and pulled out what looked like a huge stinger (I'm sure my brain made it appear larger than it really was).

Final note - it burned like fire. I haven't been stung by a wasp in a very long time, but it was very much like that. After a few minutes on the beach, we decided that we were not afraid of the jellys and went back in for more swimming. To be honest, everything that floated by made me think that it was a jelly, but we swam for a while longer before getting out and heading on to Byron Bay (which is where the lighthouse below is from).

Brissy

We have found that many words are shortened in Australia. For example, Australia is often called Aussie or Oz. Brisbane is called Brissy. The list goes on and on. It makes it difficult sometimes to figure out what folks are talking about, because they will use the proper name the first time they mention something and then the shortened form after that. You must keep on your toes in Oz, otherwise you will not be able to figure out what anything is.

Brissy is a fun little city on the eastern central coast of Aussie. It is built along a river, and there is a very cool man-made lagoon/swimming area. It was fun to walk along the riverfront and visit the coffee shops and retail areas and then have an opportunity to swim.

We also visited the Queen street mall, which is the main shopping/tourist area in the city. We even took in a movie to escape the heat (Babel may have won a Golden Globe, but we wouldn't recommend it).

The Brisbane museum was also quite informative about Aboriginal culture and history. Of course there were dinosaur exhibits, and information about the oceans too.

Somewhere to Stay

We stayed in a hostel in Brisbane called Somewhere to Stay. The hostel itself wasn't that remarkable, but the room we had was nice. We had our own deck with a view of the city which was only slightly obscured by the palm trees. We had dinner and breakfast on the deck, and one night there were a couple of possums which came out to visit - probably to sniff our salads.

As opposed to New Zealand, possums are treated very differently in Australia. We even heard a story in NZ about a pub which gave away a free beer for every possum tail brought in. In Australia, they are a protected species. At first, Erin thought that they were two giant rats, but upon closer inspection we could tell that they were possums. The way they used their tails to hang onto palm branches while they ate tree fruit was an obvious giveaway.

Seal Colony

The west coast of the south island of NZ is so wild (wild west – get it?). Some of the areas are so remote that you have to pay very close attention to your fuel levels or you might end up on the side of the road waiting to hitch a ride to the next petrol station.

Not far from Greymouth, there is a seal colony and it is a must see. It is protected pretty well, and as you might expect there are lots of tourists who stop along the road to see the seals. It is a short walk from the parking lot, and fortunately the walking path does not go too close to the colony. It is still an awesome sight though.

According to the posted information, seal pups are born in December and we saw quite a few babies. It was incredible. You can kind of see some of the pups in the video and photos, but they are hard to make out (click on the picture above, because you can see them much better in the enlarged photo). In the video, you can see some seals fighting – they are likely just flirting with each other, as the mating season starts almost immediately after the pups are born.


This was another one of those sights that is free but is worth a million bucks. It was an excellent experience and if we hadn’t gone on a 13 mile hike the day before, we would have walked a little further on to see more of the coast. I wish I could have just lounged on a rock like the seals. Alas, we had to drive further down the coast before it got much later.

J

Horse Back Riding School

We have seen a few horse riding schools (or whatever you call them) along the way in NZ. Horseback trekking is a very popular tourist activity, but I’m also surprised by the frequency of the schools. There are often jumping hurdles and tracks which make it obvious that these are not for the tourist croud.

We are often reminded of Toby & Rosie, because they are taking lessons. So, we took a photo for the Una family as we were passing one of the schools. You probably aren't in training right now since it is winter, but we hope you enjoy riding once it starts back up again - even if you aren't jumping.

J

Batman in NZ

Batman must be the most popular super hero in New Zealand. We saw so many kids dressed up like him, it really isn't funny. OK - it's funny enough to post.

We also saw posters and books, etc all over the place. Here is one example of him showing up in an odd location. The van pictured below is a standard Volkswagon camper bus/van which can be rented, and of course Batman is painted on the side. Maybe the image prevents theft??

Pedestrian Mantra - Watch Out!!

In New Zealand (and we are learning in Australia), the car has the right of way - not the pedestrian. Even when one is raised to "look both ways before crossing the street," the traffic rules here are totally opposite of what we expect.

First of all, the cars come from a different direction than we anticipate (see previous post). Additionally, cars simply don't stop for peds. Even when there are marked crossings, you have to practically run for your life.

I asked a local about this. He laughed and said, "Didn't you see that blinking signal next to the traffic light? Look for the picture of the man walking." I assured him that I had looked, and the lights are the major issue. It is mostly when crossing the street in a cross walk.

I promise that we are looking both ways - TWICE! I've heard that traffic in other countries can get pretty harrowing, so NZ & Aussie traffic shouldn't scare us. Hopefully, we'll break the habit of assuming that drivers don't want to kill walkers.

Driving Mantra - Stay on the left

We hired a car, and it is uniquely difficult to drive "on the wrong side of the road". We are constantly reminding ourselves and each other to "stay to the left". There are a few things which are quite problematic, and I feel like I've messed up a couple of times even though we've read the tips on driving in New Zealand.

After a while, it got lots easier, but here are some lessons we've learned -- and continue to learn -- about driving:
- the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car (yes, we still go to the wrong side)
- the turn signal is on the right hand side of the steering wheel (we are constantly turning on the windshield wipers when we want to turn left)
- round-abouts are confusing, even to New Zealanders -- we've asked the locals and they also have no idea
- outside of in-city roads, the speed limit is almost always 100kph (62mph)... even on narrow, steep, scary, winding roads
- the yield to the right laws are slightly less confusing the round-abouts. In its most extreme incarnation, a driver turning left must yield to a driver turning right. This makes sense in the US, where a right turn is the quick turn; here a right turn crosses traffic and yet still must be yielded to. Strange but true.

Temporary Blogging Hiatus

Just when you thought we were getting consistent with posting, we're gonna need to take a break. Tomorrow we head to Christchurch and the following day, we are flying to Brisbane Australia. So, we are probably going to have less access than we have had recently.

For now, we have uploaded a few pictures on our Yahoo Photo Site. You can follow the link on the right side of the page, or use the links below.

Franz Josef

Te Anau

Southern Track (see penguins)

South Island

We have had a great time in New Zealand. Everything is so different and similar at the same time. We'll probably catch up with some final NZ thoughts as soon as we can.

We miss everyone and we hope all is well with you and yours.

J

Southern Track - BIG DAY

We drove from Te Anau down to the southern most part of the South Island, and it was spectacular. We saw so much and did so much all in just a short drive.

First, we went to the Clifden Caves (just outside of Clifden, surprisingly). Fortunately, we had done a little caving with Black Water, and this was a well marked path so we felt pretty confident doing it without a guide.

The only problem was that it had rained the previous day, so we got to a certain point which was flooded and we had to turn around. Technically, it was more fun because we got to do the whole thing over again. It's a good thing we had plenty of batteries.


Next, we visited Waipapa point, which has a lighthouse and there was a sea lion. It was just hanging out in the surf, and I thought it might be injured at first. However, when we got a little closer, it raised its head and started barking at us. Since the sign on the beach said that it might bite, we moved away pretty quickly.




We also went to Slope Point, which is the south most point of the South Island (this does not count Stewart Island). As you can see from the photo, it is pretty far South. The wind was whipping pretty hard and it was kind of cool, but not as cold as you'd expect a wind which last touched land in Antarctica.


Finally, we went to Curio Bay which has a Yellow Eyed Penguin colony as well as a petrified forest. We drove up to the shop and purchased a Snickers, and on our way back out to the car we saw a couple of sea lions. This sighting was even stranger than the first, because they were playing right in front of the picnic benches. As we drove by, one of the sea lions followed us to the road and actually chased us down the path as we drove away. Crazy!

We went a little further in Curio Bay and saw the signs for the petrified forest, so we pulled in and walked to the beach. According to the signs, the sea used to cover this area and a long dead forest was buried by volcanic ash, and other sediments.


The wildest part is that as we were tramping around, a penguin came ashore RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. It was so close that a game warden came over and warned us to move away. According to the Ranger, the penguins feel threatened by crowds and get scared way from their nesting grounds. We backed up, but only after snapping this cool photo and video.

J

Te Anau & Milford Sound

We stayed just outside of Milford Sound in a small place called Te Anau for a couple of days. First, we needed some extra sleep. Also, we wanted to visit Milford Sound. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans.

We scheduled ourselves for a kayak tour of Milford, which is a rain forest and sound (not much unlike Puget Sound, except a bit smaller and more rugged). We were going to take the "Twilighter" tour, which leaves around 3pm and returns around 9pm. Keep in mind that since it is summer here, we could see daylight until 11pm sometimes.

Anyway, the rain forest part of the Sound really kicked in during the morning of our trip. We watched the weather closely, and the folks who ran the tour said that they would make a last minute decision because it could change quickly. Needless to say, with all the weather there was no kayaking for us that day. I can't really say that I minded, but it would have been cool to get a little further out into the water.

We drove back to Te Anau and got our refund, which we promptly used on a excellent Italian dinner.

Queenstown & River Surfing

In Queenstown, there are many options for adventure activities. We were torn, but finally decided on river surfing. Basically, you put on a wet suit, helmet, and flippers with a boogie board and head into white water rapids. It is kind of like white water rafting, but you are actually in the rapids instead of just floating on top.

Our guides were pretty cool, and very good swimmers. I thought that I was a good swimmer, but the rough waters toss you around quite a bit. Fortunately, our guides kept an eye out for us and saved the day whenever necessary.

The trip was particularly cool, because we got to go twice - just over 6 miles of rapids! We even got to jump off of a small ledge into the river.

Franz Josef Glacier Hike

If it has not become apparent as yet, there are tons of tourist options in New Zealand. The south island is more into "adventure" activities, such as bungy jumping, mt biking, heli-hikig (they fly you to the top of a mountain, and you hike back), etc. We decided to check out the Franz Josef glacier on a 3/4 day hike, so that we could see more of the glacier up-close and personal.

The Franz Josef glacier is unique in a few ways: first, its terminal is practically in a rain forest (the base of the glacier gets an average of 18 feet of rain per year - in contrast, Seattle gets just over 3 feet per year). Additionally, it is very steep so the ice moves very fast (about 3 feet per day - in contrast to glaciers in North America which move closer to inches per day). Finally, the glacier is at pretty low elevation - the guide said we were only about 150 ft above sea level. All of this quick moving ice causes some incredible glacial behavior.


For example, we hiked from the bus for about 15 minutes to the base (aka terminal) of the glacier, and we were just getting set to put on our boot spikes when the glacier cave collapsed. The cave mouth opened by about 30 feet or so. For those of you who aren't into glaciers, this is an extremely rare treat. It is also extremely dangerous. Here's why: when the ice collapses it blocks off all of the water that is melting from underneath the glacier, and after the water builds up for a while there is a huge surge. As soon as the collapse occurred all of the guides started shouting for us and other folks along the creek bed to start heading uphill. It is difficult to say when the surge will take place and how much water will come out from the surge, so it is very important to get to higher ground.

Below is a video of the surge. You can see huge ice chunks floating by - they are the size of cars (no joke). It was so frightening and so exhilarating at the same time.


We hiked for about 6 hours, and yes we were quite sore afterwards. Fortunately, with the low altitude we didn't have to deal with any of the other difficulties of typical glacier climbing.

J

Penguin Crossing

On the road from Abel Tasman to Franz Josef & Fox glaciers we came across the sign pictured above. We laughed and laughed, because it looks so preposterous. It is not the season for penguins, so we didn't actually see any. But how funny would it be to be driving down the road and to suddenly have to stop because the road has a flock of penguins crossing.

J

PS - reminds me of a very corny joke: what's black and white and red all over? a penguin with a sunburn.

Happy New Year!

We spent New Year's Eve in Nelson. After our thirteen mile hike through Abel Tasman the day before, we didn't know how up to an evening of celebrating we would be. Um, we were up to it.

We enjoyed a late dinner at a Malaysian restaurant -- we figure that we should learn a little more about Malaysian food before we get there in another month and a half -- and then walked through downtown Nelson to find a good bar. We wandered passed a place called Liquid a few times before deciding that the music was just too good to pass up. We felt a little under-dressed in our travelling clothes but quickly relaxed into our usual bar role of critiquing the other patrons.

We lucked into sitting with three Brits, Jenny, Sarah, and Mike, for much of the evening. Jenny and Sarah are twins and are both doctors; one works in Christchurch and the other in England. Mike tags tuna for the UN. Very cool people, witty enough to spend many hours drinking and dancing with. Our evening ended at about 3am, right when many of you were getting up to enjoy your New Year's Eve day. We hope that our New Year's Eve experience sets the tone for the forthcoming year.

We wish all of you back home a happy, healthy, and exciting New Year.

Erin

Motueka -- Chemist

In New Zealand, and elsewhere we’ve heard, you don’t go to the doctor if you are ill. Instead, you go to the pharmacist (aka the chemist, as their sign says). It is a bit different than in the states, and it is actually an interesting system – it is certainly cheaper.

We aren’t really sure what caused it, but I have been having wicked allergies. Typically, a Claritin will solve any hayfever issues I have at home, but it has not been helping at all lately. So, we searched out a Chemist for some advice. (Note from Erin: I tricked him into walking into the pharmacy after enduring days and days of complaining. There was no "we searched.") After explaining my symptoms, the pharmacist said that I was having an allergic reaction to the uber-pollen of NZ. He suggested that I take a nasal spray, and since then I have been a new man. Now I am getting proper sleep, and I can actually keep up with Erin when we go for hikes, etc.

We were very impressed with the Chemist system, and although we have nothing against Drs – it was nice to only have to pay one person for the diagnosis and prescription process.

J

Abel Tasman

According to the friends we had dinner with the night before, Abel Tasman is a highway during the summer months. The three to five day tramp through Abel Tasman is incredibly popular with Kiwis and tourists. Our 13 mile day hike from the second Deparment of Conservation hut back to the park entrance made it quite clear why. Luckily, we started out late (bad planning is once again integral to an excellent experience) so we didn't even pass that many people.

We took a water taxi from the park entrance out to Bark Bay. According to our guide book, the trail from Bark Bay to Anchorage Bay is the most beautiful of the hike so we made sure to include it. The water taxi dropped us in the bay, and we tramped through crystal blue water to a lovely beach filled with sunbathers.

Some high points of the hike were crossing a suspension bridge, checking out some sea caves at our lunch spot, and checking out numerous waterfalls. The scenery was fantastic. It is a moderately easy hike and one that I can see doing again with full packs.