The Great Boxing Day Deluge of 2016 - Mulu Edition

The day started out well. Both Anita and I felt healthy. Her nausea was gone, I could bend at the waist again without the assistance of Robaxacet. We lolled about for as long as we could, but restlessness won out. I wanted to go to the waterfall.

Down we trotted, along the all too familiar Boardwalk, 1.7 kilometres until we got to the sign that took us off road. Anita in her sandals, me in my runners. I like the support. Raincoats, towels and water bottles in the backpack. The waterfall was 1.3 kilometres along a dirt path. There were some muddy bits. Nothing special.

The path itself was familiar. Except for the hanging vines, it could have been in Lynn Canyon or half a dozen other west coast parks. The path was lined with large stones, making it easy to keep on the track. It was very pleasant. Very pleasant indeed.

When we got to the waterfall, a modest affair, it started to rain. Fortunately, there was an elevated shelter, and we took advantage. The birds tweeted, the raindrops bounced off the river. It was all very scenic. I took a video, for the sounds.

The rain was not letting up. It was getting stronger. Oh well. Guess we better make our way back before dark.

That's when we discovered that the rock lined walkway was in fact a channel for water to flow progressively faster. Remember Anita was in her sandals?  She had an easy time of it, ploughing through the new creek. Having once experienced a heavy rain in my shoes, I picked around the deep bits. Needless to say, it took me twice as long to navigate the way as Anita.

It was a joy and a relief to finally hit the boardwalk. Our normal pace was almost possible. Park staff regularly pressure wash the boardwalk, to maintain safety for the visitors. However, in the rain, there were still some slippery bits. We held on to the railing when necessary.

And we ran to the shuttle when we got to the park entrance. Phew.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures. The reason why in the next instalment.