“Get it off me!  Get it off me!” yelled Aletta, dancing on one foot and shaking her other one in the air.  Rob, our ranger guide, went over and plucked off a long black leech.  It was pretty icky.  After that, I found myself glancing more often at the leaf debris through which we were walking than at the splendor of the canopy above.

Perched on the rugged eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, Dorrigo National Park contains magnificent stands of lush rainforest and spectacular scenery. The hike we took descended a long way down, each step a reminder that I would have to climb back out but I was determined to do it.  After all the eating we’ve been doing…well…this was a small price to pay and it wasn’t going to pay for much of the eating either.

Along the way we saw a choking fig, pictured as the braided roots climbing up one of the trees. Eventually, it will choke the life from the tree.  The fig will remain standing, and the other tree will rot away, leaving a cavity inside the fig’s trunk.

At the bottom we came to a gorgeous waterfall dropping from the heights into a lovely pool, seen on one of the photos.  Ranger Rob told us that in their younger years, he and his wife used to come down here for a swim.  Long way to go for a little frolic.  Now there’s a new suspension bridge easing the trip across the little ravine and this was the turnaround point.  We could either go back the way we came, or make a loop that added an extra kilometer to the hike.  One couple had turned back earlier, and of course I was opting for the shorter route and Penny said she’d come with me.  “But what if I get leeched?” I asked.  “Don’t worry, I can get rid of a leech for you.”  So off we went, and Jenny joined us.  There was another group of 3 or 4 just behind us.

Since I couldn’t walk and talk, but Penny and Jenny could, they walked behind me so I could set a more leisurely pace and they could talk and I could listen.  I wanted to talk, but you know, it was one or the other.  When I stopped for breath I’d gasp out my comment on what they were discussing, then we’d resume our pace uphill. 

Then I felt something chilly  and wet on top of my foot. Glancing down, I saw a wriggly black leech.  Instinctively I tried to brush it away with my finger, whereupon it came off my foot but attached itself to my finger.

“Help me!  Help me!” I shouted urgently, shaking my hand in a frenzy trying to dislodge the leech.  Everyone backed away from me.  “Rub your finger on a tree,” Penny said.  I did and the leech came off.  Later she told me I was shaking my hand so violently she was afraid the leech would fly off and land on her.