Date: 28+29/11/2025
Trip leader: Brian Mak, Ryan Clarke
Party: Brian Mak, Ryan Clarke, Felix Li, Dingxin (Sophie) Yang
A camp saved from the fate of cancellation, but revived to the passion of its participants
Three of us, Brian (leader), Dixin and I, gathered at Central station for the 8:55AM train to Katoomba, where a shiny Mariyung D set picked up our group, heading for Katoomba. Ryan, who accidently boarded a wrong train, managed to catch up by boarding our train at Parramatta station. We arrived at the Katoomba station at 10:47AM, and after a short bus ride, the hike officially began at 11:00 AM.
The once camping trip was cut short when Brian announced the sad news that he no longer wanted to do a two day camp, sending the trip to near cancellation. However, Ryan decided that he would continue with the original camp, and fortunately enough he gained me as a camping buddy.
The first part of the walk via the fire trail was accompanied by the relentless sun, flies, breathtaking views of the blue mountains, and a cone we found on the side of the road. Amused by this wondrous discovery, I decided to retrieve the cone from the bushes, and carried it until I was too tired to continue.
At approximately 12:30PM, Ryan decided that a swim in the river would be a desirable option, so he and I embarked on a bushbashing journey down the side of the hill for the river. Unfortunately, we quickly deemed the river unswimmable, since modern physics cannot allow us to stay afloat in water only 5 centimetres deep. The disappointment was quickly followed by a bushbashing trip out, with me silently regretting that I should’ve left my backpack on top of the hill like Ryan did.
The journey continued shortly, with an unexpected duo paying me a visit: A series of sneezing at the pace of a fully automatic tommy gun, and red liquid coming from my nose. The group was then forced to stop, which I treated my nosebleed with my experience from St Johns and my personal history.
We arrived on the “Golden stairs”, a sharp descent down to Ruined castle campsite, spanning just under 6 kilometres. It was a fun journey down, even though some members complained about the ordeal of walking through slippery stairs, I also had the chance of capturing some photos along the way.
Eventually we reached the campsite after an “easy” two hour hike along the “Golden stairs”, just after settling our bags on the ground, we decided that a trip to the ruined castle would be desirable. It was an easy trail spanning just 600 metres, while 100 metres of those involves traversing through an easy ascend of approximately 100 metres. I had some solid fun climbing the last few metres to the top, bringing me back to the days I spent on the rock climbing wall. And just as I expected, the view was breathtaking, a panoramic view of the valley below. I took pictures, had a short 1 minute nap, chats with the brothers who stood with me and returned to the camp, meeting with Dixin who returned to the campsite before she could reach the top.
It’s now time to say goodbye, since we are still in two teams with different missions in mind. Before our not so emotional goodbye, Dixin was kind enough to offer me her packet of tissues, saving just one for herself, a selfless act of sacrifice honoured by my respect. After wishing her and Brian good luck on her trip out, we separated and they started their march back to Katoomba.
The night was fun as me and Ryan cooked dinner (with my stove lol), had chats and even met some friends: A group of DoE students camped in the same campsite, as well as a Sydney Uni student named Roxie, who happened to have the same itinerary to us. It was a fun and well spent night with still a few nosebleeds, burning through the last of my tissues. The DoE students also claimed that Ryan was roasting them too hard, which he completely disregarded and continued his roasting streak.
The second day commenced with a short trip to the ruined castle. Ryan, me and Roxie attempted to see the sunrise at 5:45 AM on top of the ruined castle, but only one of us reached the top before the sun could rise. Even though I hiked being half asleep and hoping I slept longer than 6.8 hours, it was a fun trip up, and I certainly don’t regret wearing a thick coat because it was freezing on top of the mountains
We finished breakfast at 7:50 AM, a shockingly late time for an early start. The DoE campers packed up and left, leaving just the three of us: Me, Ryan and Roxie in the campsite. An equipment check revealed that all three were running low on supplies, effectively ruling out a trip to Mt Solitary. Soon after, a unanimous decision was made, that we were to pack up our tents and bags, and head out via the Golden stairs route — Same route we came in.
At 10:10 AM, we departed the campsite with full water, a painting by Roxie and the little supplies we had left. An hour of hiking along the bushwalk proved to be easy, though I struggled with a surprisingly early call from my stomach. Roxie was kind enough to offer me her leftover wraps, and with gratitude, I devoured one with the last of my electrolyte water. Ryan and Roxie talked about all kinds of wild topics, such as “would a plant have feeling” or “Career choices”. Their backgrounds truly surprised and engaged me (as well as the interesting topics), effectively making the trip back a lot easier.
The staircase was far from easy, but I marched onwards knowing that a tasty lunch would be awaiting for me in Katoomba. Shortly after we cleared this section and the fire trail, we saw civilization again after almost 30 hours: A bus back to Katoomba from scenic world, and Subway: Our dreams and motivation. Ryan even went to the brewery to buy beer, and was thoroughly surprised by the $46 price for just 4 bottles. I sincerely hope his wallet can recover from this.
We waved Roxie goodbye at the train station, before a vintage intercity V set picked us up — which made me happy, knowing that these trains would be no more in a matter of years. A snooze on the train, music, and the idea of home cheered me up, until Ryan said goodbye to me at Strathfield station, promising that we would meet once more.
Overall, this is truly an unforgettable experience. It is my first time camping in Australia, and I can proudly say it’s a marvelous first time. I returned with most supplies empty, but a heart so full, for everything I saw on the trip, for everyone I met, and for every moment I spent. The first breeze atop of the ruined castle, the tissues from those who cared, the chats amongst the fireflies of the night, all would stay in the vast ocean of my memories, for as long as time lasts.
Thank you, to everyone who made this trip possible, and I look forward to seeing all of you again.
Felix Li
