This time, I finally found the turn-off to this elusive mountain. 
The hike itself wasn’t particularly difficult for me, despite some descriptions rating it as difficult.
What made it difficult was the track.
Or more accurately…
working out which track was actually the track. 
Coming in from Smithfield Conservation Park, there are mountain-bike trails everywhere, and some of them can very easily be mistaken for the walking route.
I still don’t understand why there aren’t more markings along this section.
So although the climbing itself was manageable, navigating my way through it was another story.
Eventually, though…
Saddle Mountain!
The reviews I had read recommended doing the hike in clear, dry weather.
But this is Cairns in summer.
If I waited for perfect dry conditions, I might still be waiting.
I figured this was probably my best chance before the wet season became even wetter.
The view wasn’t completely clear.
On a good day, apparently you can see Double Island, the reef and the northern beaches stretching out below.
I had already seen some of that view during my previous attempt anyway, so I wasn’t particularly disappointed.
Because this time I got something different.
I watched the entire landscape change as clouds moved across the mountain.
One minute I could see the coast and the ranges.
Then the cloud would roll in and everything would slowly disappear.
The reef vanished.
The mountains vanished.
And eventually, I was sitting inside the cloud itself.
It was blissful.
At one point I stretched out on one of the huge rocks and thought:
I could stay here forever.
There was something incredibly peaceful about being up there with the cloud moving around me.
Everything felt quiet.
Soft.
Almost enclosed.
Then suddenly…
I started shivering.
It was freezing.
Apparently “forever” lasted only until my body temperature dropped.
So I got up and left in a hurry.
Still…
after struggling to find this mountain on my previous attempt, finally reaching it — even in cloud — felt completely worth it.
Sometimes the clear view isn’t the only view worth seeing.
Stories Along the Way 