Day 1 – Scenic world to Mount Solitary via the Furber stairs (13.5km)

On a warm Friday morning, we met up in Katoomba where our hike would begin. Parked outside scenic world, we packed our packs and checked our gear ready for the days ahead. With enough water to last us till the second day, our packs certainly did not feel ultralight.

Before long we were descending the Furber steps, stopping at the lookouts to see the three sisters and Mount Solitary in the distance. We even caught a glimpse of the abandoned railings up Orphan Rock, which was closed off due to a landslide in 1974 but used to be a more popular attraction than the three sisters.

At the bottom of the stairs we briefly passed through the swarms of tourists getting the cable car from scenic world. Even on a Friday, it was too loud and we were out of there in no time.

For the next few hours we walked along federal pass, enjoying the single trail hiking with minimal elevation and nice views of the valley. The trail was mostly shaded and prevented us from cooking in the sun.

Soon after, we passed the junction to the Golden Stairs and were on the lookout for a nice lunch spot. There were several camp sites near the base of Ruined Castle to stop at, however we were surprised with the the amount of used toilet paper that had been carelessly discarded.

After lunch, some of us went up Ruined Castle while the rest of the group who had already seen it walked around. Ruined castle campsite had 3 large rain water tanks, in hindsight we could have saved a fair bit of weight refilling water there instead of carrying it in all day.

Not long after, we hit Cedar Gap which was the last bit of somewhat flat track before the steep climb up Mount Solitary via Knife’s Edge. The ascent started with stairs which looked brand new, wattles and warratahs were in bloom all around.

Soon the stairs lead to a large amount of rock scrambling. The views going up were spectacular, we caught panoramic views and even saw Warrgamba Dam in the distance. It was not easy with heavy packs but we managed alright and got everyone up without much drama.

After about 1km, we were close to Chinaman’s Gully. We noticed a sign to not drink any water up here because it had been contaminated with poop. We checked out the caves and pushed forward looking for camp site with a view.

We settled on a spot not too far from Chinamans. It was just big enough for us and we made it work. Before long the tents were up and mats inflated. Surprisingly, there was plenty of fallen wood to make a nice fire. We had our dinners around the fire and played a game of guessing riddles that got old fast.

Day 2 – Mount Solitary to Jamison Creek (9.6km)

By 7am we were up and eating breakfast, packing up camp and getting ready for day 2. Today was going to be very hot so we wanted to get moving quickly before the worst of the heat.

We set out walking the rest of Mount Solitary, coming across a few camp sites that were much better than ours on the further end. Oh well, there’s always next time.

On the far end of Mount Solitary, we stopped at a few lookouts and could see Warrgamaba Dam, the chimney of Katoomba and Kedumba campground in the distance. The descent was very steep and we were surprised to see trail runners sending it up and down the dusty track.

The heat was kicking in and we were very keen to get to Kedumba river. The river was not too far after the descent. We arrived and jumped straight into the cool, refreshing water. The water was clear and we were able to fill up bottles.

After a relaxed few hours at the river, we slogged it up a hill carrying all the extra water weight which eventually opened up to a fire trail. Once on the firetrail, it was mostly downhill towards Jamison Creek. In hindsight, we filled the water too early and could have carried less.

By 4pm we were at the creek, we found a wonderful beach campsite with a nice spot to swim. The water was extremely refreshing and quite deep. There was enough space for a few tents and a fire pit. We were lucky this campsite was free because the other groups that came after us had to settle for much worse spots.

As the day came to a close, we enjoyed our dinner around the fire and playing a guessing game.

Day 3 – Jamison Creek to Scenic world (11.2km)

Day three was set to be the most grueling day with the majority of the elevation, well over 1000m. We all got up by 6am to start walking before the rain began.

Packing down camp took longer than day two but we were walking by 7:30. Most of the morning was a slog, hiking up steep the firetrail through the Jamison valley. We were grateful for the cooler weather, meaning we could carry less water.

After several hours and several leeches, we were walking along federal pass and glad to be off the firetrail. Exiting required going up the Furber stairs ending back at the cars.

We ended the trip with delicious pizzas at station bar, the thought of which provided our motivation for the day. A trip that ends without food and beer is a trip ruined.