Faerie Land

On our last full day of spring break in Cairns, Queensland, we were to take what was described on the itinerary as a “rainforest walk.” As I had moderately injured my foot several days prior, I was slightly concerned that I would have difficulty maneuvering this activity. As it would be revealed, it was less of a rainforest walk and more of a slippery-rock-river crawl.

The “walk” was actually on a concrete path at a minor incline for about ten minutes; this was not the difficult part. As we marched onward, the view around us became increasingly scenic. A river appeared to the right and began to unwind itself before us as our path climbed higher and the river remained at its original elevation. Before long the blemished surface of the opposite cliff had grown lush and verdant. At the end of our walk awaited a picturesque surprise: a cascading waterfall and accompanying still water pool. The only problem was getting to the spot.

We first had to climb down off of the walkway, down the side of the cliff, and leave our belongings on dry rocks. Then the most difficult part (at least for me, as my center of gravity was off) was climbing over hundreds of feet of slippery, mossy rocks. The action required to do so was a hybrid of crawling, leaping and swimming, and it did not do much for my foot. Finally my crippled self reached the serene area of the waterfall. A friend of mine described the place as “faerie land,” which were the most accurate pair of words one could use. It felt like a scene out of a fantasy film. The water was crisp and clean, and unfamiliar trees stretched as high as the eye could see. Heaps of people were gathered on the rocks and in the water, and I imagined that this would have been a more popular spot in the days before technology restricted us to the indoors. Though it was a struggle getting to and from the waterfall, it was positively worth it.