We decided that on our last day we would do one more hike. This hike was on a path called the Great North Walk.
We took the train to a town called Brooklyn. It was about a 90 minute ride from the central train station.
Brooklyn was north of Sydney. The trail would take us from Brooklyn to Cowan. It was 10 miles long and the initial climb would be steep.
The trail started here
Rough beginning to the trail.
After the initial ascent, the trail followed a fire route and opened up to be quite wide. It was close to 90, very humid and the trail was not close enough to the shore to get many views. The sounds of birds and insects were quite loud. The sun continued to beat down on us.
About 90 minutes into the hike I suggested we turn around and head back. It became clear that we were not prepared with enough water to complete this hike and they wasn’t much to see. If we got hurt, civilization was not close. We turned around and had our lunch while hiking back. Luckily there was a pub in Brooklyn. We stopped and had a drink while we waited for the train.
One of the smarter moves we made. We were quite exhausted from the heat. The train arrived and we road back to Sydney. We got back to our room and began to pack. We had some dinner and then prepared for a long day of travel tomorrow.
I got a call from my daughter about 1 am. My mom had passed away. My brother contacted me the day before and told us she was near the end. I was able to call her and said my goodbye. My kids and their cousins did the same. We knew when we left in December that she would probably leave us on the trip. Since the blog represents our memories on these trips I decided that I would put this on here.
A picture of mom and dad shortly after they were married in 9-11-1954. My dad had just finished high school in June of the same year. I really can’t imagine anyone getting married so young these days. My mom was a few years older than my dad. My brother was born late in 1955 and he was the first of four. It seems that most couples are delaying having children these days. They may be smart but it does make parents a lot older when kids are grown and there are grand children to enjoy. I think this couple is the epitome of responsibility and fortitude.
We have finalized our plans for next year and will be visiting southeast Asia on a 28 day cruise. We begin in Singapore and make stops in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. We will doing another blog to record our journey. If you would like to join us, we leave on December 20, 2020.
Thanks for sharing this trip with us!
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