IX A.M. AT LONG GULLY 1 CAMPSITE and it's time to make tracks. My destination's The Castle, the penultimate peak in the Budawangs, a rugged wilderness of boulders, spires and cliffs 200 km south of Sydney. The track to The Castle's summit is one of the shortest in this bushwalkers' paradise, just 6 km each way, but the most challenging - 780 m up. After crossing the swirling Yadboro River and climbing Kalianna Ridge, I duck and weave through car-size sandstone boulders and euca- lypt saplings that lean across the path to scavenge sunlight blocked by 100 m cliffs most of the day. Under the weight of my 30 kg pack, I take regular breaks to prevent total exhaustion.
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