Shrouded Gods by William Patino

Shrouded Gods by William Patino

I recently returned to the Budawangs with my friend and fellow photographer/hiker Chris Wiewiora. This was our third trip to the national park and very reminiscent of our previous treks with scorching summer heat, scratched up legs and some of Australia’s finest mountain and wilderness views. Summiting the Castle and Mt Nibelung on our last visits, we headed further north this time and ascended the ‘Shrouded God’s’ mountain. After a failed attempt on day 1 we ended up admitting defeat and sleeping inside a cave just a few mere vertical metres below the summit. With the protective shade from the cave, we both managed the one of the biggest sleeps we’ve had in years, waking refreshed and determined to make it to the top. We eventually made it up and were welcomed by much grander views than below. The thick scrub still made it difficult to traverse as far east as I would’ve liked so we made it as far as we could and set up camp tucked away in a cosy corner of scrub.
The weather fluctuated quite a bit through the next 24 hours and by sunset things moved very fast. Within an hour the sky went from 100% clear to visibility being reduced to just a few feet in front of us. Fortunately it was quite atmospheric and I managed to capture one image I liked just as the last light of day ignited the western face of the iconic Castle.

William Patino: Photos