A Hike: Pulpit Rock and the Little Zig Zag Track

A Hike: Pulpit Rock & The Little Zig Zag Track at Blue Mountains NSW. Photos by: Hai Trinh and myself, taken with my Canon 70D

Hello, my fellow Runaways. I'm back with another Hiking adventure and this time I'm taking you to Pulpit Rock and the Little Zig Zag Track in the Blue Mountains. From the top of Pulpit you can see the majestic Kanimbla Valley below - and it literally takes your breathe away. The track then descends down to The Little Zig Zag Track and loops itself back up to Pulpit.

I chose this hike knowing that there would be an opportunity for my boyfriend Hai to play with his Jeep Wrangler. I researched that there was a small Fire Trail to drive through before you reached the carpark. Unfortunately the Fire Trail was closed off so we walked our way down there which took about twenty minutes.

You end up at a sidetrack and to the left, it leads to Pulpit Rock lookout. Kanimbla Valley sits below, sweeping across the magnificent land. It is an amazing view - it reminded me of childhood movie Heidi (the Japanese cartoon version) and I could imagine Heidi herself running innocent and free among the green fields below.

Starting at the little Zig Zag track, it is as it is described and you descend a zig zag shaped trail. On the 6th turning ('third' zag) there should be boulder that says 'CAVE' and that side track leads to the Bushrangers Cave. Me and Hai didn't go down this way. But I hear its quite grande - a cavern that goes back about 20m into the cliff and is rumored to be a hideout for Bush rangers hundreds of years ago.

The track eventually opened up to some beautiful woodland and even mossy areas (which can be rare for hot dry Australia). We found ourselves on Reinits Pass Track walking along the creek to our right and we eventually climbed some mossy steps that lead to the open views of Kanimbla Valley.
We arrived at the base of the cliff and its a stunning burnt orange colour. There were two painted  arrows pointed in each direction, which confused me slightly. However, I found out that right leads to a small waterfall for your viewing. Going left meant you continue your path back to Pulpit Rock.

Soon enough, we found ourselves in a gully that leads to Ross Cave. And right in the middle was a tree with an old wooden sign nailed to it. I took a few moments to enjoy the silence and peaceful surrounding, slowing my breath. It only takes a few minutes to feel grateful that I am alive and in good health to be able to enjoy this gully. Me and Hai then spent a few more minutes admiring the sunrays peeking through the tree branches before returning to our hike

Don't get confused here - because that's what I felt when I realized I was staring at a dead end (the gully). But if you look over to your left, there is a huge boulder you have to walk around. It was hidden behind bush. Once you find the hairpin turn it ascends up and you end up at Pulpit Rock, giving you opportunity again to soak in the Kanimbla Valley views.
It was a satisfying feeling returning to the car.

To aid in this hike, I recommend this book: 'Blue Mountains Best Bushwalks' by Woodslane. Its an informative book that tells you the difficulty level, duration, starting points and highlights of many hikes. Its also small enough to fit into your back pack. Buy it and read through it, it will be your ticket to finding new adventures right in your own backyard.

In summary, according to my book, this hike is of Medium grade. It is a 3 kilometer circuit and duration is a minimum of two hours and also is suitable for all weather conditions.

If you yourself would love to do this hike, here are some helpful links:

Pulpit Rock Lookout: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Walks around Mount Victoria 
Kanimbla Valley: www.katoomba-nsw.com

Or of course, you can email me on lucyandtherunaways@gmail.com for any questions.

Bye for now, my fellow Runaways.