The Castle Summit View (East), Budawangs, Morton National Park, New South Wales, Australia

"Australian Landscape Photography":http://www.chockstonephotos.com by Michael Boniwell. All images copyright. This is image is suitable for enormous prints. "View Larger on Chockstone Photography":http://www.chockstonephotos.com/Australian-Print.asp?ID=976 The Castle is a rocky mountain that rises out of the Budawang Range in Morton National Park and offers amazing views if you can manage the gruelling hike. Late one autumn I made my second attempt on this peak, and this time managed to summit. I spent a freezing night out on the top, sleeping rough on some rocks (sans tent or sleeping bag to save weight) so I could capture both sunset and sunrise. The route begins with a river crossing. Shoes and pants off, I waded over, making a heroic recovery after a wayward boot floated downstream during my hurried preparations. That dealt with, I headed up, and up and up. It is seriously steep, with many sections requiring clambering over obstacles, hauling on tree roots, crawling over and under boulders, and slushing through mud or undergrowth. This time I avoided the popular tunnel path, opting instead to ascend to the ridge crest and follow the summit track from there. A wise choice I believe, given I was carrying a large pack with heavy camera gear. The technical scrambling to the top then involves solo climbing some exposed boulders using old fixed ropes which proved challenging. Eventually, quite late in the day I managed to top out, and was rewarded with amazing views over a spectacular landscape. Exhausted, I set up for a sunset shoot, and was treated to a grand display of light and colour. I had dragged six litres of water up the mountain, and was grateful for that now. I ate some tea, and just relaxed. Sitting on the top of the world, all alone in the wilderness, it felt truly magical. Before long the temperature dropped, so I layered up, putting on all my spare clothes and cast about for a flat bit of rock on which to sleep. My pack, with its foam backing, made the ground more comfortable, but I did get up in the night to warm up from time to time. When the sun rose I was in position at my chosen dawn composition, and managed to capture this image looking east towards the flat topped Byangee Mountain and distant Pigeon House Mountain. The clouds had departed, but a little fog in the valley below added some atmosphere to the morning glow. Feeling renewed and happy, I headed back down the mountain that day, getting to my car in good time. What an amazing experience. One I will not forget.

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