Hiking in the Snowy Mountains

I spent a wonderful long weekend hiking in The Snowy Mountains with a lovely group of people.  It was almost a year since my previous visit to these mountains when Zante, Liz, Michelle and I met Gavin and our hiking group began.

Here are some some the highlights of the weekend ... 

• Delicious pizza on the first night after a 6 hour drive up with Srini and Lauren.   It was Lauren's final weekend before she heads back to South Africa for a year, so it was great to spend time with her.
• Climbing up to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko (a 17 km return walk to Australia's highest peak) on the first day in the mist, creating a surreal atmosphere.   So beautiful.
• The amazing flowers that were everywhere on the way to the summit and the way they changed as we gained elevation.
• The lakes and rivers all swollen with water after all the rain.
• Getting off the mountain and into the pub literally two minutes before the heavens opened and it bucketed with rain. We would have got so drenched!  The pub food was delicious and there was amazing live music which Srini filmed on GoPro!!
• A very chilly but invigorating swim in the river by the camp site on the 2nd night - much to the astonishment of some German campers.
• Struggling to start a fire with all the wet kindling but persevering till we had an awesome one to sit around and chat till late, staring into the flames.
• Waking up in the middle of the night after torrential rain to discover I was lying on a "waterbed."  My tent was on in a bit of a ditch and it had completely filled with water and I was floating on top of it!  It was pitch black and I suddenly worried I had left my i-phone out on the floor of the tent so I fumbled around blindly for 5 minutes swearing like a trooper. Finally I found my torch to discover I had put it somewhere very safe.  Then I had to move my tent and all it's contents to higher ground.  What fun in the middle of the night!! 
• Doing the amazing Main Track walk (a 20 km walk) on the second day. I had forgotten just how spectacular this walk was with its panoramic views and gorgeous alpine lakes. This is the walk, done a year ago, that fully ignited my passion for hiking.
• The view of Blue Lake from up on the ridge. 
• The sight of Sara walking over JC's back to give him a massage.  He loved it.  Perhaps because she weighs only 46 kg!
• The extraordinary power of the wind at the top of the mountain.  We were blown to smithereens at times and it was exhausting.  But it also made me feel intensely alive.
• The alpine lakes sparkling blue and green in the sun.  It was overcast on the walk a year ago.
• Walking off track into the valley to create a short cut.  We navigated using rocky outcrops and had to contend with swollen rivers and possibly snake infested thick grass and bush.  It was such fun.
• Gavin finding an enormous piece of marble in the river and insisting on carrying it back to civilisation in his back pack.  He was pretty exhausted by the end of the hike!
• A delicious meal of Thai Beef salad at a pub in Jindabyne.  One of the best pub meals I've had in  long time.  It was Graeme's birthday, and the girls took him up for a jig to the Irish music that was playing.

Day 1:  Climbing to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko

Our first challenge of the day was to walk up the steep track to the top of the ski lift. 

Srini and Gavin enjoying the first leap of the day.

Gavin being a little daft.

This rock had a very wide top, so I felt safe for a leap.

Embracing the view of Thredbo in the valley below.

Mount Kosciusko is a mecca for skiers in winter.  In summer, the ski lift serves the mountain bikers who come careening down the slopes at great speed.

Our group crossing the bridge to continue the climb up to the summit.

As usual, I loved the colours and textures in the rocks.  

With all the recent rain, there were rivers and streams everywhere we looked.

Taking a well earned breather on the way up.

As we gained altitude, the landscape became misty and beautiful.  It was perfect hiking in the cool temperatures.

More beautiful colours in the rocks.

I loved the shape of this rock. 

There were an abundant number of flowers out everywhere we looked.  They obviously thrive on all the moisture they get in this very wet part of the world.

Finally, we arrived at the summit.  At 2228 metres high, this is the highest point in all of Australia.  It was very misty so there wasn't much of a view.

Lauren's been wanting to climb this mountain for ages so she was very chuffed.

Srini and Gavin celebrating being at the top of Australia

... and me too.

Time for a group leap.

Gavin doing a mighty leap....

... then Srini ...

... then me.

An alpine lake on the way back down to Thredbo.

JC, the organiser of the weekend, gets some sustenance on the way up!  What a huge worm.

Some more people photos taken during our summit climb.

Me taking photos

We arrived at the pub in Thredbo (by taking the ski lift down) just as the heaven opened!  If we'd been a little later, we would have been absolutely drenched.  Instead, I feasted on delicious pasta.

Day 2:  Walking the Main Track

The Main Track is one of my all time favourite hikes in Australia.  It was such a thrill to do it again. I'd forgotten just how spectacular it can be.  And windy!

The Main Track starts from Charlotte Pass.

The first challenge was to forge this river which was more swollen than usual.

Here we are crossing the river.

JC, our intrepid leader, was on hand to help with the crossing.

A mini lake on the way up the mountain.

A place to stop on the way to Blue Lake.

The path meandered up and along.

Celebrating our arrival at Blue Lake, sparkling in the sun. 

Everyone had a lot of fun at Blue Lake. Sara gave JC an invigorating massage by trampling over his back.  He loved every minute of it!

From the Blue Lake, Gavin, Srini and I left the pass to climb an unmarked hill.  Gavin had heard it promised a spectacular view.  After a pretty gruelling slog, this is what we were greeted with.

The view was spectacular but the wind was extremely strong.  So strong, we had trouble staying upright.  It was really hard staying still enough to take these shots.

Despite the wind, Gavin managed to get in a mighty leap.

Beautiful rugged rocks.

 

Having fun with the panorama function on my i-phone.

I absolutely loved the multi-layers of mountain fading out into the blue.  So sublime.

From the top, we forged on, bracing ourselves against the wind. It was pretty exhausting and painful on the face despite wearing hoods.

A view over a gorgeous alpine lake alleviated the suffering somewhat.

Another alpine lake.  I was so glad the sun was shining this time, lighting the lakes up in a deep and beautiful blue.

How's that for a view!

We then left the path to forge our own short cut to the fire-trail that would take us back to civilisation.

The valley floor was festooned with rivers and little lakes everywhere we looked.  Beautiful.

Lots of little rivers to be crossed...

... and boulders to be scrambled over.

Photo by Gavin - a cracker

We came to this beautiful river and Srini had a swim despite it being freezing cold. What a crazy guy!

Gavin found this huge piece of marble in the river and was so excited, he put it in his backpack to carry home.  Another crazy guy!

Lichen on the rocks.

Soon after crossing the big river, we managed to clamber onto the fire trail and were welcomed by these beautiful storm gums.  Such colourful bark. 

Having a bit of a break along the way.  Me in my new glasses.  So much easier on the eyes.

Here are some videos to give some idea of the strength of the wind!

Camp life

Here we are after just having a very invigorating swim in the river.

We managed to get a camp fire going on the second night after a slow start. Lovely to stare into the flames and chat about the "five essentials for a happy life."  

Footnote

Gavin's cat being presented with his mighty piece of marble!  Apparently she wasn't that impressed.  

Srini's video of the weekend

Very cool.  I love it!

Farewell to Lauren

Lauren is leaving for South Africa for a year.  We'll really miss her.  Here we are at her farewell at a nice pub (The Dove and Olive) in Surrey Hills.

Life Overview

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Watching "Limbo" with Elna at The Sydney Festival

Elna and I watched Limbo on Thursday night - a sexy, astonishing cabaret full of superhuman antics which was part of The Sydney Festival.  The performers were extraordinary athletes - I've never seen physiques like it.  There was sword swallowing, body contortion and gymnastics like I've never seen.  All to very catchy music and songs.  A wonderful evening.  

The show took part in Hyde Park and I made use of the fading light before the event to get some photos of St Mary's Cathedral with my i-phone.  It sure is a beautiful cathedral.

Gavin's new car

Never have I seen such love and devotion.  What a beauty. And what an amazing colour!

The giants of Mount Field

The swamp gum, Eucalyptus regnans, is the tallest flowering plant on Earth and on the tall Tree circuit walk in Mount Field National Park, we got to meander through an impressive forest of these giants.  

I did this walk with Ally before in 2008, and once again, I was filled with wonder when standing at the foot of the trees and looking up.  

It amazes me to think that the largest of these trees were growing when Abel Tasman first sighted Tasmania in 1642!  It saddens me to think that some of these trees in Tasmania are at risk from the threat of proposed logging.

The Swamp Gums of Mt Field are so high that we had the opportunity to use a clinometer to calculate the height of the trees.

While doing the walk, we gave some impromptu assistance helping a couple find a geocache. Lauren's experience came to the fore and she found in minutes what they'd been struggling for ages to find. 

This is my favourite photo of the day. Liz always sets up the best tree photos!

Here's an inscription written on a board in the forest that resonated with me ...

Using all your senses 

Take some deep breaths and relax for a while.

Have you noticed any wildlife in the forest?  Have you heard the sound of the wind in the treetops or savoured the fresh air?

Our lives are not lived at the pace of the forest.  In our culture there is too little time for contemplation.

Why not take a seat?  Or lie down and watch the clouds drift past the tops of the highest trees.  Be silent.  See yourself as part of the forest.

In search of platypus

After our forest walk, we drove to a secluded spot with a river because we'd heard there were platypus there.  However, by then it was mid morning and they were nowhere to be found.  They like dusk and dawn.  Instead, we were welcomed by these gorgeous flowers. And some nice old abandoned buildings which I always love because they are a reminder of the impermanence of things.

Next stop

• For our next adventure, we moved onto Freycinet.

Places in Tasmania we visited

• Cradle Mountain National Park
• Lake St Clair National Park
• Mount Field National Park (The Tarn Shelf)
• Mount Field National Park (Tall Trees walk)
• Cathedral Peak (Mount Wellington)
• Freycinet
• Leaping in Tasmania
• Daily life on our trip
• Previous Tasmania visit (2008)

Photos by others in the group

• Lauren
• Liz
• Srini
• Zante