lord Howe Island Mt Gower - Australia Tours, Vacation World Travel https://www.youtube.com/user/World1Tube Lee Taylor takes on Lord Howe Islands Mt Gower with spectacular results lord howe island - balls pyramid IT is hiding behind a cluster of twisted branches, waiting to reveal itself and take my breath away. Daylight pierces through the treetops and onto the moss-covered floor, illuminating an opening in the forest like a door to another world. After 5 ½ hours of ankle-turning rocks, death-defying ledges and vertical assaults, the summit is finally within reach. Jutting out of the ocean like a gothic castle, New South Wale's Mount Gower is an 875m stairway between heaven and earth. But reaching the summit is one hell of an adventure. Standing on the shoulder of its smaller brother, Mount Litchbird (777m), the volcanic mountains dominate the southern tip of Lord Howe Island -- watching over the natural paradise like menacing doormen. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar. End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Pictures: The journey to the summit Whether you're exploring the island's turquoise and blue patchwork coral reef or relaxing with a book under the famous native kentia palms -- there's no escaping the glare of Lord Howe's own "Everest". Rated as one of the world's best one-day hikes, the 8-10 hour climb to the summit is said to reveal clues to the island's fiery creation, as well as unparalleled views of the entire 1455ha World Heritage-listed island. Guide books rate the climb as grade 10 and advise those with a fear of heights or with dodgy knees to just buy the "I climbed Mount Gower, and survived" T-shirt in the island's souvenir shop. A man called 'Mister' Having enjoyed a soothing massage at Arajilla Retreat and snorkelled the island's underwater world, I couldn't ignore the beckoning any longer and organised a local guide to take me to the top of the mighty mountain. My climbing partner, Malcolm Shick, was a wiry fourth-generation Lord Howe Islander who came armed with a knife and calf muscles the size of tree trunks. Known throughout the island as "Mister", Malcolm comes from a family of mountain guides and told me his father once climbed Mount Gower on the morning of his wedding day to pick a mountain rose for his bride. Embarrassed at coming over sentimental, Mister turned on his heels and set off for the summit... with or without me. The rocky path from Little Island to the foot of Mt Gower was a nervy warm-up before the all-out adrenalin explosion of the first ascent up the lower slope of Mt Litchbird. My heart pounded behind my ears as I heaved on branches and scampered to find a foothold in the dense rainforest floor. Roots were used as stairs as I hoisted myself from one to the other using the rope attached to a row of banyan trees. Shaded by curly palms and huge kentia palms, the damp, lush forest bore no resemblance to the jagged volcanic monolith seen from the ground. Stopping to catch breath, Mister told me the oldest man to complete the climb was a whopping 80 years old. "And the youngest was a four-year-old boy," he said. I felt my cheeks burn even more. A mountain of refuge A break in the forest brought us to Erskine Creek, a tranquil outcrop with a freshwater stream flowing from deep within the mountain, over the cliff face and out to sea. Between mouthfuls of a ham sandwich, Mister explained how the islanders would seek refuge here during World War II and look out for Japanese submarines. They would bring chooks and spend days camped out in fear of an invasion. With the first section of the climb complete, we emerged from the forest to dry hazy sunshine and a narrow grass track, which fell several hundred metres to the churning waves and rocky beach below. Bolted to the stark cliff face was a length of rope, which poked out from the mossy surface like a vein before disappearing around the ledge. Grasping the rope with both hands and carefully turning my back on the sheer drop I followed Mister's lead, gingerly feeling each foothold with my toes before applying full pressure. A salty breeze whipped along the rock face as we rounded the ledge and stepped onto a large grassy verge known as the Saddle. The rugged outcrop sits opposite Mount Litchbird and presented a morale-boosting view of the forest roof and the climb conquered so far. Lord Howe Island unfolds Sensing the summit, Mister set off like a bloodhound, skirting over mountain boulders and manoeuvring around more rope-lined ledges before tucking into the cool thick forest. Palms competed with flimsy ferns while moss covered every trunk, rock and patch of ground.

• published: 07 Dec 2013
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