Geez, can’t wait to get back to the mountains for a climb. The virus has kept me away for a couple of weeks, but another week to go and we are going to have a go at climbing “Tom Thumb”…
Hey, check out the countdown to New Zealand – 29 days to go. Hell, talk about getting excited!
And remember, if all else fails, remain out of control and see what develops…
Brother-in-law, and fellow adventurer, Ray Tong, and I decided to save the train fare and walk.
The walk commences in Sydney’s Central Business District and the first couple of days are spent walking through the inner and outer northern suburbs of Sydney, mostly along bush tracks, before arriving at the Hawkesbury River.
There are two ways to get to the other side of the Hawkesbury. One is via a ferry to Patonga, and the second on a train. We elected to take the train, and its departure marked our moment of truth as we stood there, back-packs loaded with twenty kilograms of gear and water, another seven days ahead of us.
The half-way point of the walk was marked at the small locality of Yarramalong nestled in the Central Coast hinterland. And similar to previous this day it had its fair share of hills, gullies, and at times, open forestry trails.
We were greeted to the sleepy township by a scarecrow at almost every house, part of the area’s welcome to spring celebrations.
I’d venture to suggest that had we stood still many would have been forgiven for mistaking this couple of weary and dishevelled walkers as just another pair of scarecrows.
As we turned in for the night Ray suggested the next day was going to be a real slog and that we should get an early start. But when the alarm clock went off a two-thirty something in the morning I was left to ponder, half comatose, just how far this days walk was going to be if we had to rise so early.
It turns out the alarm clock in the next room, which was unoccupied, had been set for this time, and Ray was still blissfully asleep as I lay there listening to the mind-numbing sound for two hours leaving me an hour’s sleep before needing to rise and get underway on the day’s walk..
The walk took us along a quiet country road to Cedar Brush track head, the point from which we would launch our assault, and long climb, into the Watagan Mountains.
After six full days on the walk you would think the hills would come just a little easier, especially as our fitness levels were increasing each day. Our walk to Barraba Trig threw a number of hills and gullies at us, but it saved the best till last. This was an hour and half’s walk up the side of a hill that got steeper with every step we took.
The Watagan Mountains is a beautiful place with many walking tracks and fire trails to be explored.
The view from our campsite was magnificent and took in parts of the Hunter Valley wine growing region.
The next day was spent wandering in quiet contemplation along shaded fire trails before arriving at Heaton’s Lookout, and a wonderful panorama of the hinterland through to the ocean.
From here we could even see our destination, a mere forty-five kilometres away.
However, before we could wind down for the day and relax at the cabins located at Heaton’s Gap we had to negotiate our way down a steep power line track. The bottom of the hill would signify a couple of things though, a refreshing shower, and importantly, we would be rid of some of the gear out of our back-packs as we were to be joined by Janet, my partner, and our son TomO that evening.
In fact, we even had a visit from friends Michael and Emma, to see how we were going. The term ambulance chasing did come to mind briefly after all this was day eight. Michael had actually walked the same trek some months earlier and was well aware of how we might just be feeling right now, and the night quickly passed though with good company, ample food and plenty of good humour…
However, there is a downside to most things, and over dinner Michael casually mentioned that with the sign suggesting it was only forty-one kilometres to the Brewery Pub at Newcastle, yes the walk finishes at a pub, that we should give consideration to knocking it off tomorrow instead of over the planned two days.
There was an awkward, but silent moment, as Ray and I caught glances, and Michael with a hint of a wry smile on the corner of his mouth recognised the bombshell he had just dropped.
I thought, that confirms my thinking, and Ray had a look of disbelief and no doubt was hoping that I hadn’t actually heard what Michael had said.
But the penny had dropped!
The next day we were greeted to a lovely sunny spring day and with a hug and a kiss from Janet and TomO we headed off on what was to be our last day on the walk.
Oddly, there was no discussion of Michael’s suggestion; I didn’t want to raise it too early, and Ray surely didn’t want to remind me of what Michael had said. But like an irritating blister on the heel of your foot I raised it with Ray just as we walked into what was supposed to be our night’s rest spot at Warner’s Bay.
There was an animated discussion at that point.
But to his credit, Ray, a Kiwi, pushed through the pain of his blisters, egged on by my promise that I would have us sitting at the Brewery Pub downing a pint of lager as the sun set over Newcastle harbour.
Michael joined us at Burwood Beach and walked the final six kilometre’s to the centre of Newcastle where Janet, TomO, and Leah we waiting for us, with a pint of beer…
And remember, if all else fails, just Like The Landy on Facebook, remain out of control and see what develops…
I didn’t push myself on the 10,000-metre row, preferring to simply let me body find and regulate its own pace. Consequently, this wasn’t my fastest or strongest row, in fact it would more resemble something I would do as a warm-up, or warm-down.
But you know, it didn’t matter, this was one of my best rows ever, after all it signalled my body was getting stronger once again, back to normal.
And yes, as I headed back down to the usual spa bath and cold shower I had a beaming smile on my face.
Truly, even in the face of adversity, there are no ordinary moments, no ordinary people, no ordinary lives…
But of course, if all else fails, simply remain out of control and see what develops…
That trip was a true eye opener as to what lies ahead.
Mt Aspiring is known to the Maori people of New Zealand as Tititea, the glistening one, rising 3,027 metres out of the landscape to tower over anything nearby.
It is described as having sheer faces and graceful lines.
We will travel from the headquarters of Adventure Consultants in Wanaka to Bonar Glacier by helicopter as it is usually a 12-14 hour walk otherwise. We then have a 2-3 hour walk on the glacier to reach our destination, Colin Todd hut. And depending on how many people are at the hut we may need to camp out in our bivvy bags on Bevan Col.
The first couple of days will be spent acclimatising and revising cramponing skills, ascending steep snow and ice, and of course, importantly, crevasse rescue. I have spent a lot of time on rescues in the Blue Mountains in recent times and I have a strong belief that you can’t do enough of it – it may save your own, or someone else’s life and the skill needs to be second nature.
Prior to an attempt on the summit of Mt Aspiring we will spend a day climbing some smaller peaks in the area, such as Mt Bevan. It stands at 2,030 metres and they say the view from the top is glorious. It was also the scene of a rescue of a number of people trapped on Bevan Col and recounted in the book by Paul Powell, Men Aspiring.
There is something like 27 different routes that can be taken to the summit of Mt Aspiring all of varying degrees of difficulty. Many of these routes will not be available to us due to the time of year we are attempting it.
We are anticipating our route to the summit will be the classic North West Ridge route, but a final decision will be made at the time.
Ascent day will begin at 3am in the morning and may finish as late as 7pm that evening and we can expect a mixture of snow, ice, and rock as we progress towards the summit.
After spending 7-days on the glacier, and hopefully with a successful summit of Mt Aspiring under the belt, we will return to Wanaka where I’ll be joined by Janet and TomO for a few days of rest and relaxation, before once again heading into the mountains.
The second week in the mountains will most likely be spent in the Mt Cook region, where we will concentrate on some ice climbing as well as a number of ascents over the course of the week. The structure of the week will be decided at the time and where we climb will be dictated to by the prevailing conditions.
There are a number of possibilities, including Mt Aylmer which stands at 2,699 metres, Mt Elie de Beaumont which gives commanding views of the Tasman Sea from its 3,109 metre summit. Other likely climbs include Mt Green and Mt Walter, which both stand just under 3,000 metres.
After making our way back to Wanaka once again, I will be meeting up with Janet and TomO who will also be full of tales of adventure after their week travelling around in the Southern Alps. They are planning a helicopter trip to Fox Glacier as well as taking in the fabulous Southern Alps…
Before we leave for home, we will strap ourselves in the world’s largest canyon swing located near Queenstown. TomO can’t wait, and he’ll go twice he says, a tandem with both Janet and myself.
I am hoping to achieve as many summits as possible on this trip, especially Mt Aspiring, however there could be many reasons why a summit is not possible. Above all else, what I am looking to achieve is safe mountaineering as that is what will assist me the most as I head to Nepal at the end of 2013 – but that is a story for another time, for now it is simply, one step at a time!
It was an ominous sign that went unrecognised …
Sunday night I woke up feeling cold and I was starting to shiver despite it being a reasonably warm night, but I didn’t think much of it.
Janet rolled the other way mumbling something about me being hot.
I just said, “I know!”
By Monday something had taken hold of me and was giving a real good kicking, so I rested in bed, sweating profusely.
Perhaps this is what Janet meant when she called me hot, I thought?
There was a rapid deterioration on Tuesday and our family doctor sent me straight to hospital where I was admitted for assessment and observation. It turns out I had contracted a form of pneumonia called, mycoplasma, the “walking pneumonia”.
Well, at least that is how they are treating it…
After 24 hours on an intravenous drip and blood tests showing some improvement, especially in terms of hydration, they elected to send me home for some more rest…
Some rest?
Crikey, I had to look that term up…
I thought you got to rest when the “big guy” upstairs blows the “full-time whistle” on you…
Anyway, I am well on the way to recovery thanks to the wonderful medical team at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
And I’m back home now and in Janet and TomO’s tender care! The little fella was a bit upset at seeing his Dad all hooked-up to a machine last night, but he gave me a big long-hug and told me to get better soon!
Geez, he was brave, and he made me feel real proud!
And Janet, she winked at the nurses and said don’t worry I’ll make sure he rests, with that look that you never cross! So rest it will be…for a few days anyway!
And how is this for a co-incidence, as the wardman was taking me down for a chest x-ray, I said how lucky I was that it didn’t happen on a climb I was doing on the Sunday.
He said, “Yeah, that’s for sure”
“What were you climbing?” he asked,
“Sweet Dreams”…
Awesome was his response, he had climbed it just recently so we were able to share a discussion on the climb while I was getting x-rayed!
But, geez, just how lucky was I that my condition didn’t become acute 12 hours earlier while I was half-way up Sweet Dreams. It has been a good reminder to me that you must always consider your physical well-being at all times when undertaking something like mountaineering and climbing, or any activity that exposes you for that matter…
Not that I didn’t consider my well-being mind you, I felt fine, but it did highlight what might be lurking just around the corner, anywhere, anytime!
And on those other times in hospital?
Well, I did break my “bum” in 2008 in a mid-air incident whilst skydiving, which resulted in doctors’ needing to reattach my hamstring to my right butt and a spell in hospital! And what a great job they did, it just so happens that a local surgeon is world renown for this very type of surgery…
And the one in dispute?
Strewth, I was 5 years old and I feel that I fell victim to a misdiagnosis. Well that is the way I’m calling it.
I threw up mum’s cooking one night and she swore there were “toadstools” amongst the “throw-up”.
Stone the flamin’ crows, how would you know what was in that mess I made?
I swear to this day I never ate them on the way home from school, but worn down by the constant questioning I simply said; they just “popped in my mouth” – what else could I say?
It got me a 5-day hospital sleepover whilst under observation!
Crikey, I don’t remember eating them, and maybe that was just the point.
Anyway, as usual, if all else fails, just remain out of control and see what develops…
Ps: I’m all good!
Strewth, I must tell you that is how it feels sometimes!
And the first section today certainly challenged me.
But I’m pleased to say my skill base continues to improve ahead of my attempt to climb Mt Aspiring in New Zealand’s Southern Alps in just over a month’s time.
Today, I climbed with Rachael from the Australian School of Mountaineering, which is based in Katoomba and it was at her suggestion we climb Sweet-Dreams, situated at Sublime Point near the village of Leura.
I have to say we had a lot of fun and laughs as we scaled the 110-metre wall in 5 phases; a pitch is the technical term. We walked into the start of the climb, which is 100 metres above the valley floor, so by the time we reach the top of the climb you are over 200 metres above the ground!
Throughout out the climb we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the Blue Mountains most spectacular rock formation, The Three Sisters, and I have to say, I never get tired of that view…
Geez, you just wouldn’t want to be dead-for-quid’s!
And by crikey, the temperature was quite warm and whilst we try to keep gear to a minimum on these climbs we had plenty of water with us, but let me tell you, by the time I got to the top my throat was as dry as a pommie’s bath towel…
And remember, if all else fails, remain out of control and see what develops…
We are so lucky to have this outdoor playground right on our doorstep where abseiling, canyoning, and climbing are popular recreational activities.
Tomorrow, my climbing partner, Rachael, and I will climb, Sweet Dreams, situated at Sublime Point.
Sublime Point is a west-facing cliff standing about 200 metres above the valley floor and is very spectacular looking.
And the weather is forecast to be fairly warm, with bright blue skies, as we nudge closer towards the start of summer…
And remember, if all else fails, just remain out of control and see what develops…
Strewth, you’d have to be to put up with the antics of two boys in one household who spend most of their waking hours egging each on!
Anyway, she isn’t the sort of person that will race across New Zealand in some adventure race, or for that matter, done a backpack and walk some ridiculous distance in 24 hours, just because you can. But she’ll be there to support you…
But she does like the finer things in life and has a wonderful family and circle of friends that she spends time with in between looking after her boys.
And talk about looking after us, crikey, she has to be the best cook around, even Out and About in the bush.
But let me tell you, when it comes to having fun, Janet is no wall flower. I mean, she’ll have no hesitation abseiling off a skyscraper in Sydney’s Central Business District, or hopping behind the controls of an aircraft.
And speaking of aircraft, perhaps she hasn’t flown as much as myself, but strewth she’ll have no hesitation in putting on a parachute and beating you out the door of one!
Talk about if you can’t beat them, just join them, that is her mantra…
And without a doubt she is one of the most courageous people I have ever met; some of the things I do she worries about, but then she always sends me on my way with her blessing and support – that takes tremendous courage!
Anyway, I looked at this photo, quite a few times and to my surprise, there I was sitting on a ledge, where eagles dare!
Janet, TomO, and I looked at this photo numerous times and none of us noticed me sitting there initially (story of my life!).
The photo was snapped by Nick, my climbing partner, after he lead climbed to our next pitch while I belayed him.
It reminded me of the special moments that TomO and I have had looking at his Where’s Wally books that I bought for me him. We loved them, and spent many hours flicking through the pages. And I was actually pretty good at it, maybe that is because I am colour-blind or something!
So, can you pick out “Where’s Baz” in the photo…
Okay, yes, it is true, my boss does occasionally read this, so I like to toss him a bone every now and then!
Anyway, today, TomO managed to get through his first date emotionally unscarred, Janet read the Sunday papers on the couch with a hot cup of tea and Milo the wonder dog kept her company…
And long before they surfaced to see if the sun had risen today, I was on my way to the Blue Mountains for a day of abseiling and climbing. It was a fantastic day abseiling from Boar’s Head, and then climbing back out. It is quite a remarkable rock-formation situated not too far from downtown Katoomba.
I have been trying too do as much rope handling, abseiling, and climbing as I can ahead of the ascent of Mount Aspiring, in New Zealand’s Southern Alps this coming January.
The Blue Mountains is a fantastic playground, with something for everyone, and if you love adventure you could get yourself lost there for a thousand life times!
Crikey, I was just looking at some of today’s piccies and thinking, strewth Baz, you can’t even tie your own shoelaces and you’re hanging off the side of a cliff, with a rope you tied a knot in!
Clearly, I’m having better success with rope climbing knots, thankfully!
And speaking of his mother, I did mention it to Janet, as there was some risk of tripping over as I led her arm-in-arm down the aisle on our wedding day. Believe me, I’m assured of tripping at least once a week with the way I tie my shoelaces. Imagine the wedding shots with me sporting a black eye in them, all because I tripped on a rogue shoelace that had come undone.
I’m sure many would find the recounting of such a story funny, but I’d be the brunt of endless jokes down at the local football club.
“Hey Baz, you didn’t even get down the aisle and you’re sporting a black eye already”. Bluey and the boys would be on to me with the ferocity of a ‘pit-bull terrier’ nipping at your heels…”
I ran the gauntlet when playing football as a pre-pubescent teenager growing up in Townsville. The other boys were always impressed my mother turned up for every single game we played, always on the sideline cheering away, but of course I never told them that mum and I ducked around to the back of the sheds before the game so she could tie my boots up.
Only a loving mother could do that, and boy it saved me from embarrassment at a very delicate age. We won every game that year and the boys nominated mum as our lucky charm.
I think I can even trace back my life-long habit of sleeping without bed-clothes, you know, in the nuddy, due to this problem, despite telling Janet I was just a new-age type of guy. It did start a trend though…
Remember those flannelette pyjamas, the ones with the draw-cord that you had to tie off?
I still have nightmares over them and go into a cold-sweat whenever I pass a rack of jarmies at our local K-Mart store…
I used to tie them off in my usual way, but after a few tosses and turns in the bed my bow would become a knot. Invariably I’d wake up needing to visit the little room, you know, the call of nature, make a quick dash down the hallway worried I might only just make it, only to find the knot at the last critical moment.
Talk about panic, sheer panic!
No one ever owned up to who hid the scissors in the little room, although I think mum has always suspected me. Perhaps the tell tale sign was a severed cord in my pyjamas, but funny as it seems now, she never asked why I didn’t need any new pyjamas from that moment on.
And what about Dunlop Volleys, I had stacks of those in my young adult years. The first thing I did when I opened the box was to rip the laces out and throw them away, problem solved. I thought it looked so cool walking around in them without laces. Mind you it should come as no surprise that I would put that sort of spin on it.
It did look cool, didn’t it?
I mean Janet never said it didn’t, but back then we were freshly wedded and you know how those things work, nodding yes, but thinking no! Mind you she never criticised those yellow pants I used to wear, well not back then anyway, but she’s managed to toss that one out there a couple of times recently…
These days if I had a pair of the old Dunlop’s on without laces someone would be offering me 5 bucks to buy some and telling me to keep the change to get myself a feed.
While we’re on shoes, how good are running shoes these days? The ones with the Quicklace for one pull tightening, no need to tie anything. I was right on to them when they first came out.
My running mates were impressed and I was singing their virtues so often that I’m sure they must have been thinking I was on some sort of retainer from the company. The unfortunate downside is they made my stockpile of Dunlop Volley’s redundant, after all how am I supposed to offload a dozen pair without shoelaces?
So by now you are probably thinking, okay Baz, bravo, but what’s with it? I’m sure there are others with a similar problem even if we’ve never come across them…
Well you see any mountaineer worth his or her salt will have a repertoire of some complex knots that they can perform blindfolded. And I’m sure there is one knot for every letter in the alphabet, and then a hundred more!
The girth hitch, a water knot, a figure eight fisherman’s knot, the munter hitch, and something called a stopper knot that sounds like it’s a pretty important one.
On a recent abseiling course my marker was finally called in…
I had a quick mental debate over whether I should admit to our instructor that I couldn’t tie my shoelaces, but thought better of it because it might be me first up on the rope after I’ve tied it off.
Besides, I’m sure there is a climber’s creed that says something like, you tied it, you try it!
And it would save them any embarrassment when under cross-examination in a coronial inquiry.
Imagine having to defend a fact that you allowed someone who could not tie their shoelaces to tie off the anchor points on top of the cliff that lead to the sudden demise of some poor family man with a dozen mouths to feed.
Yep, there’d be no doubting they’d be too smart to be caught out like that, so it was more likely to be me abseiling at 100 kilometres an hour with one end of the rope in each hand.
Mind you I did think of mum, but a fear of heights ruled her out. Besides, would I really want my mother with me asking have I got my handkerchief just as I’m about to abseil over the edge?
So here it was, my moment of truth.
Actually it wasn’t too bad.
They all thought it was a great joke and everyone laughed loudly. Even though this was serious business it could still be fun and there is nothing like a rope joke to break the ice.
But the laughing floated away into the valley below when I explained it was true!
I could even see a couple of them processing this and clearly questioning in their minds whether it was in fact a tree root I tripped on as we made our way down to the cliff-face from the carpark. And like wandering eyes drawn to the busom of a woman in a low cut dress, they spent the rest of the day fixated on my shoes.
Our instructor was quite good about it really and offered some comforting words and said I shouldn’t worry as there are probably many people like me, and thinking they probably weren’t abseilers though.
As soon as I turned my back he was right on to those knots I tied. Strewth, I would have been if I was him, especially as he was clipped on a safety line that I had just tied-off. The colour drained from his face as he stepped back from the cliff edge, shaking visibly!
But we did work away at those knots; the figure eight was popular, very strong and guaranteed to hold everything in place, just as long as you got it right. I practised away, at times feeling like I had a fistful of thumbs as I worked on those fisherman’s knots. But I was mastering it, on my way to becoming a pro!
And my rigging was successfully put to the test; but mind you I still have a problem of sorts.
I’ve been working so fervently on my climber’s knots that I still haven’t got around to working out how to tie my shoelaces.
Remember as a kid when you got your first pair of shiny black shoes?
I do. I refused to take them off for a week, even insisting on wearing them to bed despite being offered as much ice-cream I could eat in return for removing them.
You see I’ve been practicing my fisherman’s knot on my work shoes (Doh!) and anyone with even a basic understanding of knots will know the fisherman’s knot is designed to never come undone, something I overlooked as I was high-fiving TomO.
The penny dropped as I headed for a shower and I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, and a couple of those naughty words did slip out.
But there we have it, tonight it looks like I’m going to bed with my shoes on for the first time in years and no amount of ice-cream is going to save the situation. I just need to broach the topic with Janet.
It’s kind of funny really; here I am dressed to the nines for bed in just my work shoes. Who would have thought my mountaineering journey would have a twist like this in it?
Am I alone on this one, or is there a huge group, inspired by my confession, about to come-out?
The Akubra is a fur hat made in Australia for over 130 years.
To be worn with pride, worn like a favourite pair of jeans, until threadbare and falling off…
Anyway, TomO has had two Akubra’s in his 12 years, the first he received on his 2nd birthday, and more recently a couple of years back ahead of an outback trip we made.
Janet, my partner, also joined the discussion and we had a good laugh about the time he walked into the pub at Cameron’s Corner, which is out the back of whoop-whoop, and Adrian, the publican, simply quipped “strewth, there goes a walking hat.”
His hat was larger than him and took on a life all of its own…
As you’ll see, he’s a handsome little bloke.
In fact he’s already come to the notice of the daughter of one of our close friends and the feeling appears mutual. I saw a bit of a twinkle in his eye the other day when they were having a chat. This weekend a group of them are heading to the movies.
We speak fairly openly in our household so I asked him whether he liked her.
He said, “sort of…yes”
“And do you think she reckons you’re alright?” I asked…
“How couldn’t she like a good looking bloke like me Dad” he said, with a wink.
“Hell, Janet where did that come from” I whispered…
“No point whispering Baz” Janet mused, “You know perfectly well where it came from”…
Crikey, it seems only yesterday he was disappearing under his Akubra…
Anyway, I could rabbit on here about it for another few paragraphs, but why don’t I just let the pictures do the talking…
We did pass some of my favourite climbing areas on the drive, but this weekend was about relaxing, eating, and eating, and relaxing, with Janet, TomO and family friends.
Crikey, did we eat or what?
And don’t you just love camp food prepared in a camp oven and dining under the stars beside a crackling camp fire…
Now I must say, Janet and I both love experiencing different foods from around the world, and enjoy a night dining out. But it is hard to beat cooking up and dining on some camp grub!
And no camping trip would be complete without Janet knocking out one of her (world famous) dampers. Lavished with Golden Syrup, or Cocky’s Joy, as it is commonly referred to, it is simply the Bees Knees. From the time it is pulled from the camp oven, to the time when the last piece is devoured, you won’t hear a whisper from anyone, just the sounds of the Australian Bush punctuated by the groans of delight as the Golden Syrup trickles down your hand…
Joining us for the weekend were our good friends The Todd’s; Bob and Annette, and David and Stephen. They’re like family to us and we’ve been travelling this great country of ours with them for as long as we can remember. A work colleague of Bob’s also came along to experience the Australian Bush…
The Todd Boys, The Boys, as we affectionately know them, are like brothers’ to our son TomO, and talk about being as thick as thieves.
Apart from growing taller, The Boys and TomO haven’t changed much. Although, the conversation seems to have moved from toy cars and teddy bears to girls these days…
Bob and I go back a long way…I even got to spin a few tales about him in my role as “Best Man” on their wedding day.
Together, we’ve cut a path along the Kokoda Track in the wild jungles of Papua New Guinea and paddled the Papuan Coast extensively on our kayaks.
Strewth, we’ve even spent a great New Year’s Eve on the small island nation of Nauru, at the Nauru Phosphate Club, helping to de-stock the Nation’s supply of Foster’s Lager, but heck that is a yarn for another day, if I ever get around to remembering it.
I’m sure Bob was a pyromaniac in another life-time, but rest assured he can set the best camp-fires ever and then cook up a storm in his camp oven. The Todd’s feasted on roast lamb and vegetables, while we settled for a good old rump steak on the barbie.
Now I must do a couple of call-outs here.
I have been fortunate enough to have found a fantastic blog called Picture Real Food, by Marisa, which has some wonderful recipes. This weekend I tried out her Bull’s Blood Mushrooms, and all I can say is if you are into mushrooms give this a go…and if you’re not into them still give it a go, because you’ll end up a convert!
The other call-out is to a mad-as-a-cut snake New Yorker who goes by the name of Icescreammama. Recently she had some really nice things to say about some Aussie bloke so I drank a toast to her on his behalf and the recent success she has had in a writing competition.
Geez, I actually had a couple of beers, a bit unusual for me ahead of my preparation for next year’s full-on mountaineering calendar.
Blow-me-down, I thought people like Icescreammama only existed on those American sit-coms you see on the Telly, when it is working. But there she is, larger than life. Mind you, I’m betting she is one of those New Yorkers’ that drinks cor-fee instead of coffee.
And did I get around to mentioning one of my favourite parts of any camping trip.
Brekkie!
And this is after we get our fill of vegemite on toast, after all it wouldn’t be Australian to leave it at home!
There is something that is good for the soul about a lazy start to the day, getting a fire going, and then throwing a couple of jaffle irons onto the coals with your favourite filling stuffed between two slices of bread!
Janet made up some savoury mince, and her jaffles were the ant’s pants; seriously to die for.
And no outing would be complete without someone falling into the water. Usually it is TomO, because he was a fish in a previous life, but this weekend it was my turn as I filled up the water bucket – it must have been those two beers I had the night before that gave me a wobbly boot.
And what a change that is to only one week ago when I was climbing in the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s south island. It was freezing cold at Pioneer Hut, even the thought of extracting yourself from a warm down-sleeping bag took some effort, and food was basic camp food.
Not that I’m complaining about that mind you, after all there is something very comforting about camp food, a warming tea, sweetened with sugar, before heading out onto the glacier.
My week of instruction under the guidance of Dean Staples, one of New Zealand’s most accomplished high altitude climbers was fantastic. And with eight Everest summits to his credit it puts him in a very elite club, so I count myself very lucky to be able to tap into his knowledge.
After a gear check at Adventure Consultant’s Wanaka headquarters, the nerve centre for its climbing operations that span the seven continents, Dean and I headed for Foxtown on the west coast, a drive of around 3 hours that takes you over the top of New Zealand’s dividing range.
It was a great opportunity for me to hear about the climbing that Dean has done around the world. It also enabled me to discuss my climbing ambitions and what I was looking to achieve during the week ahead.
We spoke of Cho Oyu and Mount Everest in a way that there is no reason why either won’t be possible for me to achieve. Ambition, mental drive, fitness, and climbing skills can be achieved by those who desire it badly enough.
It is all up to the individual!
Originally we had planned to fly into Pioneer Hut by helicopter on the Saturday afternoon, but low cloud in the valley meant this would not be possible, so we stayed in one of the Alpine Association’s huts at Foxtown, or Fox, as it is known to the locals.
The Fox Glacier is the town’s drawcard and there are numerous helicopter companies offering flights over the glacier, which is situated very nearby.
We managed to fly into Pioneer Hut on the Sunday morning, along with Caroline from Adventure Consultants, who was taking a few days off from work to ski in the backcountry with her friend, Aviette.
The 15 minute helicopter ride straight up the glacier was spectacular, in fact it is hard to find the right adjective to best describe it, so I’ll leave it at spectacular!
I had to take a couple of deep breathes to take it all in as I stood there watching the helicopter depart, apart from the air being a little thinner, the scenery was simply breathtaking. We wasted little time and headed out for some time on the snow, to give Dean a chance to assess where my skill levels stood in terms of glacier travel, cramponing, and ice-climbing. We did a little of all these things, including climbing a small peak, before heading back to the hut in the freezing cold and deteriorating weather.
It was a great opportunity for me to test out some of my new gear and those thousand dollar boots…
It all worked perfectly and those boots were as warm as a piece of freshly popped toast!
The following day was snowing and visibility was severely limited so we spent the day doing some skill-based training in the hut. Dean literally had me hanging from the rafters, prussiking and doing self-rescues.
The rest of the day was spent in the warmth of my sleeping bag!
But we were rewarded with great weather on the Tuesday and with snow shoes strapped on we headed towards Grey’s Peak. Now I must say judging distances across the snow is perhaps a learned thing as it didn’t look that far away, but it still took a number of hours to get to the summit, and travel slowed as we made our way across the glacier.
Dean had to slow my pace from time to time as I was trying to push it too hard. He was quick to point out that good mountaineering means travelling at a pace that you can go all day and the higher you go the harder it becomes, adjust your pace was his catch-cry, advice well heeded!
The hut was quite full on Tuesday night with a couple of other groups flying in and swelling the number to nine. But the atmosphere was fantastic as we had our evening meal, before settling into those warm down-sleeping bags for the night.
I would have loved to stay another night, but as I was leaving for Fiji in a couple of days I could not afford to be “snowed in” at the hut. And the weather looked like it was deteriorating once again.
Note to self, next time you climb in New Zealand’s Alps do it just before heading back to work, that way you can happily be snowed in, on the boss’s time!
Wednesday morning we made our way down the glacier towards Chancellor Hut, a distance of about 8-kilometres, although distance is better measured in time. Travel was slow initially as the snow was deeper and the slope made travel in snowshoes too difficult, especially with some ice in parts.
And how was that view!
We stopped on the glacier against the backdrop of Chancellor Dome. We were debating whether to climb it, which would take around 3-4 hours up and down, or find a suitable crevasse to do some ice climbing and rescue training.
We decided on ice climbing and rescue training, eventually finding the perfect spot for it. I’m glad we elected to as it was a lot of fun. It did wonders for my confidence and helped build on my skill base.
Closer to Chancellor Hut travel became slower as the snow was much softer by now with the temperature rising as we descended in altitude. And despite still being near sub zero temperatures, travel across the glacier was hot and hard work, especially with a 25-kilogram pack on my back!
It was a wise move to choose to leave Pioneer Hut on the Wednesday as the cloud base was sitting not too far above Chancellor Hut on the Thursday morning, and around 8am we could hear the thump-thump sound of the helicopter making its way up the glacier towards us. Loading the helicopter with our gear probably took longer than the ride back down to Fox.
By mid-afternoon we had arrived back in Wanaka and after saying our good-byes I was on my way to Queenstown and an early Friday morning flight back to Australia.
And as I cleared customs, Janet and TomO were waiting eagerly, glad I had a great time, and wanting to know all the details…
It was a great week and one in which I can anchor my climbing ambitions to.
The feeling of standing on top of Grey’s Peak, a small peak by any standard, was one of great satisfaction and something that will remain with me forever, no matter where my climbing takes me…
I want to achieve an extremely high standard to ensure that when I am in Nepal next year, and eventually on an 8,000 peak, that my rope handling skills are completely second nature and can be done, quickly, safely, and confidently…
Under the watchful eye of the Shane and the fantastic team from the Australian School of Mountaineering I am well on my way to achieving this standard.
In less then two months I will be back in New Zealand for an attempt on the summit of Mt Aspiring, and without wanting to wish my life away – I can’t wait! But the journey can only be made one day at a time, and what a day it was.
There is nothing better than putting yourself in a position where you must simply trust the set-up you have built and locked yourself onto it…
The confidence to do this comes from practice, and the rewards are great. Simply lying back “into thin air” and going over the edge is exhilarating.
The Blue Mountains provides such a wonderful natural backdrop to pursue this activity.
Boar’s Head, a natural rock formation was our abseiling destination of choice today. It is a short walk-in from the main cliff-drive not too far from downtown Katoomba. And the vista at the start of it is spectacular, overlooking Narrow Neck, a prominent plateau that stretches to the south…
The total abseil is around 250 metres and we used two 60 metre ropes to drop to the valley floor in five pitches. The walk-out required some “scrub bashing” to join up with the main Devil’s Hole track, that took us back up to our transport.
The thick undergrowth made for a humid traverse of the gullies, before we started our climb up through Devil’s Hole.
Okay, Ray is a Kiwi, but hey, he’s still a good mate none-the-less…
Now we’ve participated in many things together, mostly recreational, with a smattering of competitive events here and there. And yes, there is always an underlying competitive streak between us, but that’s just good old fashioned Aussie versus Kiwi rivalry…
You couldn’t expect anything less!
Anyway, we tend to spend a lot of time out in the bush, walking and trekking and many of these have taken on mammoth proportions. We’ve walked from Sydney to Newcastle together, bush-whacking it 240 kilometres through the “scrub” – mind you if you drive, it is only 140-kilometres along the freeway.
We’ve spent countless hours on the water together…
I chased him from the West Coast of New Zealand to the East Coast, a journey that saw us cycling, running, and white-water kayaking the 240 kilometres over two-days.
We’ve run rapids in our kayaks together, and even struggled through the mud in “Tough Mudder” helping each other to the finish.
We’ve pursued paragliding and skydiving…
And then there is the most dangerous of them all, the notorious Newcastle Bike Ride.
The “NBR” as it is known colloquially…
It isn’t for the faint-hearted.
This is an invitation only event open to those who can demonstrate superior time-trial qualities on a bike.
It covers a two kilometre sprint on a racing bike from Ray’s home in Newcastle to the Albion Hotel, followed by an endurance test of being able to drink at least half-a-dozen schooners of beer with lots of bellowing laughter, the city and back home.
The ride home is always used as a warm-down and should be done at a leisurely pace, unless of course you’ve stayed for one too many had a few flat tyres out on the road and your arrival is long overdue. In which case, the every man man for himself rule applies.
Many have tried, few ever rise to the occasion…
On the many trips to the pub time-trials we’ve done in Newcastle we’ve had plenty of time to solve the problems of the world.
As one does!
Nothing is sacred, all topics covered.
Okay, we don’t touch Rugby ‘cause it always upsets the Kiwi’s when they lose the Bledisloe Cup, and there was one time when Ray wanted to discuss a problem he had after a “real” bike ride where we spent a long time in the saddle – haemorrhoids.
I told him I couldn’t touch that one and best to take it up with Leah, his partner, the sister of my partner, Janet.
Did I get that right?
Confused myself there for a ‘sec.
What I tried to say is we married two sisters, Leah & Janet…The “Fawthrop Girls”.
Yes, “The Fawthrop Girls”…
So anyway, perched atop the bar-stools down at the fountain of all knowledge; The Albion Hotel, our bikes during these training sessions we’ve covered many time favoured topics.
On our last NBR only a week ago sometime back we started comparing notes on what we share in common.
As you could imagine there was plenty of back-slapping and congratulations going on as we reviewed the impressive list, after all we were on our 3rd 6th schooner of beer each…
Strewth, we’ve been cloned, we chorused together in unison as we considered the similarities.
Kneaded expertly and pressed with a cookie cutter; a cutter passed sister-to-sister, a cutter revered like one’s very first training bra.
Okay, yes, somehow I came out the better looking of the two of us, you know, a bit like pulling freshly baked cookies out of the oven, some are perfect, others possibly a little overdone and a touch rough around the edges...
Anyway here we were, seemingly virtual twins…
To be honest, I took some comfort in this as I was a little worried that Ray might have been thinking he should have married me given we had so much in common.
I mean, he gazed looked at me just a bit too longingly for my liking as we waited for our next beer to be poured. But I just put it down to the beer haze fogging his mind a tad…yeah, that’s what it was, a beer haze, yeah…
And as we rode sprinted home on our bikes, the wind gusting so hard that it’d blow your dog off its chain, the most favourite Fawthrop Family saying resonated loudly…
You don’t know how lucky you are!
Yep, there is no doubting it, we are both partnered to Angels, and we’ll put that to the top of the list, for sure…
And while you’re here hang around and take a squiz at this You tube video…a little bit of that “cookie cut-out” adventure!
It is some footage of Ray flying a sky-diving canopy on the East-Coast of New Zealand in the early 1990s. It was quite out there at the time, for a Kiwi anyway!
And following is what us Aussies do, jump first, then fly…
Just pulling Ray’s leg…what they were doing was ground breaking at the time. He is wearing the white helmet!
Adventure, comes in many forms, and you’ve just gotta love it!
And while I’m on the universe, have you ever wondered where the centre of it is?
Well, I got to thinking as I looked at all the stars, no matter where they appeared, I was at the centre, all points back to me – pretty cool hey?
But maybe that’s a little deep for this time of the day.
I’ll be back in a sec, another set of squats to do.
I’m back…
Sorry, that took a little longer as I needed to set-up for my next group of exercises, the bench press.
Geez, where was I?
Oh yeah, right, speaking about being a little deep for this time of the day. I was flicking through my iPod thinking what should I listen to this morning?
By the way, did I tell you someone stole my iPod from Red Rover the other day? Okay it was parked out on the front driveway of the house, and yes it was unlocked, but crikey, thieving mongrels! Vent over…
Anyway, back in a sec…
Pearl Jam, there it was, obvious, why not put on Pearl Jam’s “Ten”? One of my all-time favourites.
Don’t worry; I haven’t got it cranked up too loud. Well, just slightly louder than I should probably have it for this time of day. But, I think I’ll get away with it, after all, Theo, our good friend and next door neighbor is a touch deaf (I think), either that or he doesn’t mind the music I play, cause he never complains!
Another set to do, don’t go away…
As I was doing that set there was a clash of sounds happening. A guitar rift squealing out of my set of Bose speakers, a kookaburra heralding in the first rays of light on the eastern horizon, and the sound of half-a-dozen wines bottles being emptied into the garbage truck outside our house.
Today is rubbish bin day and they turn up at the crack of dawn. And by the way, I don’t drink wine (okay a glass here or there!) so hey, if Theo hates that sound on (every) a Thursday morning he can take it up with Janet, my lovely wife!
And speaking of the rubbish truck, and that Kookaburra (he’s still going), I couldn’t help but snicker smile at the thought of all those people rolling in their beds right now pulling that pillow over the head to drown out those sounds.
I have just tweaked up the sound on the iPod a smidgeon; after all at least there is a melody happening here…
Garbage truck, Kookaburra, Pearl Jam? Take your pick…
Best I move this yarn and training session along a touch here…
Strewth, a light has just come on in the house and there are signs of people stirring and it isn’t even 6am yet (unheard of in our place!).
Crikey, Janet is up, and looking just a tad unhappy. Mind you, she’s a pretty happy go lucky sort of person…usually!
Oops!
One of a couple of things happening here.
She’s been woken early by the sound of those wine bottles of hers Pearl Jam’s Ten cranking out on the iPod, it can’t be the Kookaburra even if they have a habit of waking you up because she loves wildlife, especially birds, or she’s found that new pair of mountaineering boots I bought.
Yes, another pair of mountaineering boots, but that story is best kept for another day ‘cause Janet usually reads my blog most days, and I don’t want to “dob” myself in yet, just in case it is just the sound of those wine… Pearl Jam that has woken her.
Okay, catch you lot later, I’ve gotta quickly finish this last set of weights, and go and jump in the hot tub make Janet a cup of tea, give her a kiss and tell her I love her…
But just quickly,
Wadda you reckon?
I’ve had a shot of caffeine, a dose of Pearl Jam’s Ten, and pumped a few ton of iron and it is only 6am in the morning.
(Hint – Amped up!)
We hadn’t been to Turon Gates for quite some time, so after TomO, our son, finished his Saturday sport at school we headed off in The Landy with the T-Van in tow.
I’ve often been asked where The Landy name comes from, well it is a Landrover Defender that we have rebuilt for long-range touring in Australia. The T-Van is a rugged camper trailer designed for travel in extreme places, and it does live up to its claim, we can attest to that!
And The Landy is no speed machine, which suits us perfectly, so it was a slow drive up and over the mountains and towards the wine growing area of Mudgee.
TomO wasted little time becoming acquainted with a group of kids who were there for the weekend and played a game of cricket while Janet, my partner, and I set up our camp. Mind you, that is a fairly quick affair as the The Landy is always in touring mode with everything stored inside, including a inflatable boat with a mercury outboard motor, and the T-Van is ready to sleep in with little set-up required.
The Turon River meanders through the property and it wasn’t long before TomO was in the water beckoning me to join, which I did. It was refreshing to say the least.
Janet spent time sitting on the river bank watching and speaking with another group of campers who we joined for a few drinks and a camp fire later…
My usual training partner, brother-in-law Ray Tong, and I have been practicing our Eskimo roll in his kayak, the same type of boat we used in this year’s Speight’s Coast-to-Coast adventure race across New Zealand. The race involves a 67-kilometre kayak leg, and includes around 35-kilometres of white water to be negotiated.
We both had an unintentional swim in the cold Waimakariri River during the race…
And whilst we are not intending to line up for next February’s event we are keeping our options open and want to perfect our technique before heading back down the Waimak River.
Did I say perfect?
We’d settle for being able to roll up a little more consistently without half-drowning each time!
Anyway, we have been having a lot of laughs as we go about this training, and hats off to Ray, he spun the boat around so fast at one stage that he went around twice, the look on his face was priceless and the source of much laughter.
We’re almost ready to hit Penrith white-water stadium once again. This is a purpose built white-water course covering around four-hundred metres of grade three rapids. It is fair to say both Ray and I have spent plenty of time upside down through the rapids on this course…
And while we were at The Haven, TomO, my son, was expertly catching waves on his rescue paddle board, in between riding his skateboard down “The Skillion” a large grassy slope that features prominently in the local landscape. Laying down on his skateboard he rode it down the hill like a Luge.
He had the Go-Pro camera on the helmet to capture his daredevil exploits and is already working on a short video, coupled together with background music he has composed. We can’t wait to see the result as he was travelling quite fast and it looked fun!
Speaking of training, I’m back into the mountains this weekend to further my rock climbing and abseiling skills, along with general rope handling. My intention over the next few weeks is to do multi-pitch abseils off Boar’s Head in the Blue Mountains.
Boar’s Head is one of the most recognisable rock formations in the Blue Mountains, situated not too far from downtown Katoomba. It is a popular place to do multi-pitch abseils and involves around five pitches, the second and third into a large chasm, with a relatively easy rock climb back out at the end.
Janet said she is looking forward to another weekend in the mountains and as much as she loves the outdoors and seeing me advance in my training, she can’t wait to get back into the small boutiques after all it has been a couple of months.
So I look forward to updating the ongoing saga of a “Dope on a Rope” over the coming weeks!
The highlight was a concert given by the local school children, it was hard not to be moved by their warm hearts and loud singing! And TomO, our son, presented a box of school books, colouring pens, and other school aids that he had purchased in Australia in anticipation of our village visit.
And TomO was invited back to the village the next day, Friday, to take part in the schools sport afternoon. A game of soccer with the village children. He loved it and said it was one of the highlights for him on this trip to Fiji. And the village children welcomed him as one of their own…
I took some footage of the children singing, so please enjoy!
But the whistle has been blown and it is time to knuckle back down into training for my next climbing expedition to New Zealand in January. I have a good feel for what I need to focus on over the next three months and with summer time and longer days ahead I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Lots of high intensity cardio, and hill climbs with a 30-kilogram backpack. And the kettle bells will get a solid workout along with the C2 rowing machine. I’ve just finished a 10,000-metre row and must say it was refreshing after a three-week hiatus!
And January seems a long way off, but the weeks will speed by and Mt Aspiring beckons!
Cheers, Um with a mineral water today!
Janet, my partner, found a great recipe, Blue Swimmer Crab and Black Pepper, which we prepared over a few ales and a couple of wines. A lovely Gewurztraminer from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Fitting as I was climbing in New Zealand’s south island only a couple of weeks ago.
And just as I was relaxing into my third, or was it my fourth bottle of Stone Wood, a boutique ale from the Byron Bay region of New South Wales, the phone rang.
Yep, caught in the act!
It was my brother-in-law and usual partner in crime for all kinds of activities that usually involves some form of strenuous exercise. And occasionally our infamous bike ride.
Infamous only because it is a one kilometre ride along a pathway to Newcastle‘s Albion Pub, not that we do it too often…but I’m digressing!
He was on to me, my animated state was a dead give-away, after all I had a few of these wonderful beers under my belt by now. I just knew he would be suggesting some sort of exercise, and he would now make it harder knowing I was having a couple of beers!
He did just that, bloody Kiwi’s are like that…
Ray, and his partner Leah, Janet’s sister, live with their son, Aubrey, in Newcastle, a city about two hours drive to the north of Sydney. And we visit regularly to kayak, swim, and train along the beach, or in the mountains to the west.
There was a snicker in his voice and little doubt he was going to make me earn the beers I was enjoying. You’d think he’d be over that 20 kilometre walk that I turned into a 40 kilometre walk, but that was some time ago. Clearly he is still traumatised by it.
Heaton’s Gap is a favourite training area for us and involves a fairly steep climb up the side of a hill along a power line track, followed by a run back down as fast as we can travel.
I was praying that we would only do “one lap” as I was feeling some effect from the wonderful meal of blue swimmer crabs and the beers and wine from the previous night!
Phew, one lap only…
He does have a heart after all.
Or so I thought!
Over dinner last night he casually mentions that I should be up and ready at 6am this morning for a 10 kilometre run down along Newcastle’s picturesque harbour foreshore…
Strewth mate, I’m thinking to myself, I’m still on holidays, but dutifully I was at the front gate ready to go at the appointed time. And I must say we put on a cracking pace, in fact we were both surprised at our time, especially after Heaton’s Gap yesterday afternoon.
The helicopter trip to Pioneer Hut takes around 15 minutes and you travel approximately 15 kilometres to the top of the glacier, climbing from sea level to around 8,000 feet.
A number of helicopter companies operate from the township taking tourists on a short ride to view the glacier and if you ever get the chance be sure to take a ride…
Crikey, you couldn’t pay enough money to see such a show.
The Caves, the setting for the 1980’s movie, Blue Lagoon, were spectacular; we swam inside the outer cave, before diving underwater to access the inner cave. It was quite dark inside the second cave, but equally as spectacular.
And if you are ever going to be shipwrecked in the South Pacific, this is the place for it too happen.
And what a change that is to only one week ago when I was climbing in the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s south island. It was freezing cold at Pioneer Hut, even the thought of extracting yourself from a warm down-sleeping bag took some effort, and food was basic camp food.
Not that I’m complaining about that mind you, after all there is something very comforting about camp food, a warming tea, sweetened with sugar, before heading out onto the glacier.
My week of instruction under the guidance of Dean Staples, one of New Zealand’s most accomplished high altitude climbers was fantastic. And with eight Everest summits to his credit it puts him in a very elite club, so I count myself very lucky to be able to tap into his knowledge.
After a gear check at Adventure Consultant’s Wanaka headquarters, the nerve centre for its climbing operations that span the seven continents, Dean and I headed for Foxtown on the west coast, a drive of around 3 hours that takes you over the top of New Zealand’s dividing range.
It was a great opportunity for me to hear about the climbing that Dean has done around the world. It also enabled me to discuss my climbing ambitions and what I was looking to achieve during the week ahead.
We spoke of Cho Oyu and Mount Everest in a way that there is no reason why either won’t be possible for me to achieve. Ambition, mental drive, fitness, and climbing skills can be achieved by those who desire it badly enough.
It is all up to the individual!
Originally we had planned to fly into Pioneer Hut by helicopter on the Saturday afternoon, but low cloud in the valley meant this would not be possible, so we stayed in one of the Alpine Association’s huts at Foxtown, or Fox, as it is known to the locals.
The Fox Glacier is the town’s drawcard and there are numerous helicopter companies offering flights over the glacier, which is situated very nearby.
We managed to fly into Pioneer Hut on the Sunday morning, along with Caroline from Adventure Consultants, who was taking a few days off from work to ski in the backcountry with her friend, Aviette.
The 15 minute helicopter ride straight up the glacier was spectacular, in fact it is hard to find the right adjective to best describe it, so I’ll leave it at spectacular!
I had to take a couple of deep breathes to take it all in as I stood there watching the helicopter depart, apart from the air being a little thinner, the scenery was simply breathtaking. We wasted little time and headed out for some time on the snow, to give Dean a chance to assess where my skill levels stood in terms of glacier travel, cramponing, and ice-climbing. We did a little of all these things, including climbing a small peak, before heading back to the hut in the freezing cold and deteriorating weather.
It was a great opportunity for me to test out some of my new gear and those thousand dollar boots…
It all worked perfectly and those boots were as warm as a piece of freshly popped toast!
The following day was snowing and visibility was severely limited so we spent the day doing some skill-based training in the hut. Dean literally had me hanging from the rafters, prussiking and doing self-rescues.
The rest of the day was spent in the warmth of my sleeping bag!
But we were rewarded with great weather on the Tuesday and with snow shoes strapped on we headed towards Grey’s Peak. Now I must say judging distances across the snow is perhaps a learned thing as it didn’t look that far away, but it still took a number of hours to get to the summit, and travel slowed as we made our way across the glacier.
Dean had to slow my pace from time to time as I was trying to push it too hard. He was quick to point out that good mountaineering means travelling at a pace that you can go all day and the higher you go the harder it becomes, adjust your pace was his catch-cry, advice well heeded!
The hut was quite full on Tuesday night with a couple of other groups flying in and swelling the number to nine. But the atmosphere was fantastic as we had our evening meal, before settling into those warm down-sleeping bags for the night.
I would have loved to stay another night, but as I was leaving for Fiji in a couple of days I could not afford to be “snowed in” at the hut. And the weather looked like it was deteriorating once again.
Note to self, next time you climb in New Zealand’s Alps do it just before heading back to work, that way you can happily be snowed in, on the boss’s time!
Wednesday morning we made our way down the glacier towards Chancellor Hut, a distance of about 8-kilometres, although distance is better measured in time. Travel was slow initially as the snow was deeper and the slope made travel in snowshoes too difficult, especially with some ice in parts.
And how was that view!
We stopped on the glacier against the backdrop of Chancellor Dome. We were debating whether to climb it, which would take around 3-4 hours up and down, or find a suitable crevasse to do some ice climbing and rescue training.
We decided on ice climbing and rescue training, eventually finding the perfect spot for it. I’m glad we elected to as it was a lot of fun. It did wonders for my confidence and helped build on my skill base.
Closer to Chancellor Hut travel became slower as the snow was much softer by now with the temperature rising as we descended in altitude. And despite still being near sub zero temperatures, travel across the glacier was hot and hard work, especially with a 25-kilogram pack on my back!
It was a wise move to choose to leave Pioneer Hut on the Wednesday as the cloud base was sitting not too far above Chancellor Hut on the Thursday morning, and around 8am we could hear the thump-thump sound of the helicopter making its way up the glacier towards us. Loading the helicopter with our gear probably took longer than the ride back down to Fox.
By mid-afternoon we had arrived back in Wanaka and after saying our good-byes I was on my way to Queenstown and an early Friday morning flight back to Australia.
And as I cleared customs, Janet and TomO were waiting eagerly, glad I had a great time, and wanting to know all the details…
It was a great week and one in which I can anchor my climbing ambitions to.
The feeling of standing on top of Grey’s Peak, a small peak by any standard, was one of great satisfaction and something that will remain with me forever, no matter where my climbing takes me…
And for sure they’ll be a copy of last weeks Sunday paper to read and if you’re lucky maybe even a ten year old copy of Reader’s Digest, if you didn’t bring your own reading material. Crikey, you might even hear a gecko calling its mate and they’ll be a couple of hens scratching around the back, cackling as you go about your business. There’s something comforting about that. And fair dinkum, the flies, you can bet there’ll be a couple of thousand of those things buzzing in unison, hanging around like a morning fart under the sheets. And don’t tell your Aunt, but if Uncle Ted’s been up there before you, he’s bound to have forgotten his copy of last month’s Playboy magazine, but mum’s the word. Let’s face it, no one’s goin’ to admit to it, but we’ve all been curious enough to have a bit of a squiz at it while sitting around on the throne… And at the risk of getting a little off track, have you ever-watched one of those American sitcoms? I do, occasionally. Everyone must be constipated or something ‘cause you never see anyone going about their daily business. And I don’t mean we need a full account, but when was the last time you saw someone head for the dunny in one of those shows? Has anyone else ever noticed that, or is it just me? But I’m digressing yet again… Anyway, there is a reason to this talk about outback dunnies. You see when I was climbing in New Zealand last week we had an outdoor dunny up at Pioneer Hut on the Fox Glacier and it was situated right on the edge of a cliff… 
Seriously, it looked like one of those old-fashioned phone boxes. A ridgey didge example of the sort that Doctor Who hangs out in. It even had a view out over the glacier, nice one I must say, if you were lingering, but crikey this was the coldest place on earth and the term brass monkey’s comes to mind. The only thing worth contemplating was getting out of there as fast as you could and back to the warmth of the hut. And there was little chance that a red back would be biting you on the bum, the little blighters would be frozen to death before they could get their fangs into ya butt. Strewth, it was so cold I didn’t even bother checking for them… But here’s the thing… Last time I headed for the outdoor dunny I reckon I had a pair of thongs on and the most dangerous thing I had to contend with was a bit of chicken poo on the ground, or maybe a dunny door that swung open at the most inopportune time. They seem to have a habit of swinging open just as you stand-up with your pants still around ya ankles… 
Geez, up on that glacier as I tripped down to Doctor Who’s pill box I had to wear my $1,000 buck pair of boots and even then I thought I was going to slide over the edge and into oblivion… 
For crying out loud, every time I stepped foot on that glacier I was tied into my climbing partner with 60 metres of rope and a dozen different knots. And that was in broad daylight. But here I was heading down that icy track to the dunny in the middle of the night, possibly never to be seen again, while everyone was tucked-up in a down-sleeping bag snoring away in la la land… Did I miss something or is climbing safe at nighttime? Okay, the climbing in New Zealand was serious fun and I’ll be back again in a couple of month’s to further develop my skills and to climb Mount Aspiring. And I can’t wait to catch up with the friendly mob at Adventure Consultant’s in Wanaka. The Kiwi’s are a fun bunch with a great sense of humour, even if they are still are a little bit dirty over that under-arm bowling incident all those years ago.
After a relatively short flight of fours hours from Australia, and another thirty minute flight in a small aircraft we arrived at the beautiful Yasawa Island Group in Fiji.
The welcome was warm and friendly.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner accompanied with a few wines, a restful sleep, before heading off for a snorkel this morning.
We weren’t disappointed!
Our week ahead promises to be one of fun and laughter, perhaps romance, with Janet, my partner, and TomO, our 12 year-old son. TomO has taken an active interest in girls over the past few months, and with a couple here around his age it will be interesting to watch…
After all, this was the setting for the movie Blue Lagoon…
Va cava tiko: How’s it going!! (Pronounced vah-cah-vah-tee-koh)
Mind you, my sister, who turned up yesterday to look after the dogs while we are in Fiji, snapped this shot at the start line.
It kinda has that look about it that suggests I was saying what the (insert naughty words) are we doing here!
It was run just to the north of Sydney on a rural property, and crikey, I don’t know where they found all that mud, but let me tell you, there was lot’s of it over the 20 kilometre obstacle course…
Anyway, I’ll leave you with a couple of photos of the event, ’cause I’m heading for the showers, you know, to clean myself up…
P.S. Note to self, suggest to Janet that I’ve found the perfect beauty treatment that only costs about a hundred bucks. The last time I saw the bill for the day spa, and mud pack, it cost a multiple of this…
But I need to get through Tough Mudder first which is being held to the north of Sydney tomorrow…
They say running 20 kilometres, being zapped by 10,000 volts, jumping through burning hay bales, after swimming in ice cold water is fun – I’m hoping so!
On Saturday I will be flying into the back-country by either helicopter or ski-plane with Dean Staples, Adventure Consultants Chief Guide for New Zealand. He has a first class climbing and mountaineering pedigree with 8 trips to the top of Mt Everest under his belt, and numerous other 8,000 metre peaks, including Cho Oyu, which is my goal for 2014.
Anyway, there will be no communication access, other than satellite phone for emergencies, so I’ll let you know how it goes, along with some pictures, when I return.
And, strewth, at the moment there is plenty of snow falling and the wind is so strong it would “blow ya dog off its chain”…
Incidentally, the day after I get back I am participating in Tough Mudder, which is billed as the “Premier Obstacle Course Series in the World”. I will be lining up with my partner in crime and brother-in-law, dare I say, fellow adventurer, Ray Tong.
He’s a bit soft, a typical Kiwi, but I’ll get him through the day…and to the beer queue!
It is fair to say there is an unstated, vigorous, but friendly rivalry between us so it should be interesting. Ray will blow me away in the running, but I’ll have it all over him in the strength department…
Mind you, that is the beauty of these events, it requires teamwork to get you through.
And when I say return, what I really mean is that I will be updating from a near deserted island in the South Pacific. Yasawa Island in the Fijian Island Group.
Janet, TomO, and I fly out the day after Tough Mudder. So we’ll be lazing back on a coconut fringed beach for a week…
Okay, well TomO and I aren’t really known for just “lazing around” so we might find some adventure.
I’m sure we will…
And Janet, well we’ll make sure she is pampered in a manner deserving of such a loving partner, and mother, like royalty!
Strewth, we’ve had our fair share of them over the years, but we are lucky to have great neighbours all around us these days!
But I’ll share a yarn about one neighbour that we had not so long ago.
We were out touring in Far North-Queensland, FNQ (pronounced ef-fen-Q), up in the Gulf Savannah Country where Janet, my partner, has her roots. Mott’s are still grazing sheep and cattle in that region to this day, and for me, growing up in Townsville, this region was my backyard.
Over the past few years we have made the 7,000 kilometre round-trip to one of our most favourite spots in the Australian bush, Lawn Hill Gorge.
Now let me tell you, this is one heck of a beautiful spot that we first visited back in the 1990s. It was literally a flying visit in an aircraft we owned, a Piper Arrow, call sign Foxtrot-Tango-Hotel. This was before the little tacka, TomO came along, and we flew it extensively over the Australian outback before selling it some years back.
These days we enjoy the drive north through the outback in The Landy just as much as we did flying over it.
The Aussie Outback, it’s a great place to just stand still and take it all in, a place where the barren land and ochre red soil meets the deep blue of the never-ending sky…
Anyway…
Last year when we were up there we had no problem securing a great spot beside the creek, which surprised us as there were a few others around at Adel’s Grove, a small tourist resort that caters for travellers just nearby to the main gorge.
It was our neighbour, a magnificent Olive Python that measured about 5 metres in length. A beautiful specimen it was. Apparently, only known to eat small children…
Just kiddin’…
It had taken up residence just on the bank where we had set up camp. These are not an aggressive snake, despite their size, and not venomous. And we have our fair share of those venomous ones.
Crikey, we’ve got a bagful of the world’s most deadly snakes, and none of those “rattling” things that they have elsewhere, just hard-core mean and downright dangerous ones!
Okay, fair’s fair, the North American rattle snake does make it into the top ten…I don’t want to turn this into a “mine’s bigger than your’s thing”…
Most passing by our camp were totally oblivious to it being there, many who saw it thought they were about to be eaten alive, others were curious at a seemingly chance encounter with something so wonderful.
Late in the day, as the sun drifted low into the western horizon and shadows started to cast long, it would move on, returning first thing the next morning to take up its position once again.
Ps. For those who might be wondering, Janet loved it, she was the photographer. Um, I must’ve been busy with something…
Earlier this year I competed in the Speight’s Coast to Coast Adventure Race, a race that starts on the West Coast of the country at Kumara beach on the Tasman Sea, takes you over the Southern Alps, and finishes on the East Coast in Christchurch at Sumner beach on the Pacific Ocean.
It is billed as the world’s premier multi-sport event and the benchmark by which all other multi-sport events are judged, both in New Zealand and overseas.
It covers a total distance of 243 kilometres comprising 36 kilometres of running, including a 33km mountain stage that climbs almost 1,000 metres, two cycling legs totalling 125 kilometres, and a 67 kilometre kayak down the Waimakariri River, through the Grand Canyon of New Zealand, the Waimakariri Gorge.
If you’ve got a spare 5 minutes take the time to have a look at the video, it showcases the race and is very inspiring.
The winner in this year’s one day event took line honours in just over eleven hours.
The cut-off times for the one day event were too severe for me, so I competed in the two day event and Janet my partner, and Tomo, our son were my support crew. They did a great job!
The scenery is amazing, and despite being in a race I made sure I took it in, especially the views as I made my way up over Goats Pass on the 33 kilometre mountain run.
The kayak leg takes you down the fast flowing Waimakariri River, a braided river that has a 33 kilometre section of white water as it passes through a long gorge. Spectacular country, and I rolled twice in the gorge as I negotiated rapids, usually about the times I relaxed to take in the view!
But what makes this event truly great is the camaraderie of all the competitors. Whilst it is a race I found the support given and shown throughout the event is unparallel in any other event I have competed in. The sportsmanship shown was fantastic, although, being an Aussie I did get some friendly ribbing from my Tasman cousins, as you’d expect!
And how is this for inspiration, Neelusha Memona a 27 year old who lost 70 percent of her sight after a brain injury in 2000 competed and finished the two day event assisted by a support crew…
The people of Christchurch are amazing. Almost one year to the day of the start of this year’s race, its 30th running, the city was struck by a devastating earthquake that destroyed a large part of the city centre, many people died.
But as we passed through the city on our bikes, racing to the finish line, ushered through traffic lights by police as though we were royalty, the people of Christchurch lined the streets and cheered us on.
I read many stories about people competing in triathlons, running, and cycling events, even kayak races.
I say, if you love adventure, exercise, and have a panache for travel – take the time to have a look at this event, you might find yourself drawn towards it, like a magnet. And truly, you will be rewarded by a great experience in a country full of spectacular scenery and warm friendly people.
I was, and if I can convince “the boss” at work to give me more time off I might just get back for next February’s start.
Mum was a little hesitant at first, after all this was her little man going on to the mat, putting his body on the line…
But like when he first started playing football, Rugby Union that is, Janet has warmed to a sport that teaches respect, self-discipline and encourages a high level of fitness. And in a controlled environment that can’t be a bad thing?
He loved it!
After the tournament we asked him what he was feeling as he went out onto the mat…and he said,
“Dad I was pumped and ready, a little nervous, like it is hard to explain, but I just said to myself, here I go”…
TomO was a little behind in the points initially, but started to pick-up as the bout progressed.
But just as TomO spun around in a 360 – degree kick his opponent crouched slightly and it unintentionally connected above the other boy’s shoulder.
Unfortunately, this lead to an instant disqualification for TomO as under the rules of this competition hits above the shoulder or to the head area are not permitted, and rightly so!
His opponent was not injured and was fine with what transpired, there was no malice, just an unlucky hit. TomO bowed, shook his opponents hand and thanked him for the bout.
TomO accepted it for what it was, and although slightly disappointed at the way it ended today, he said he’d learnt a lot by competing, was better for the experience and can’t wait to get back into practice this week to prepare for his next competition.
Whilst in New Zealand I’ll be climbing under the instruction of Dean Staples who is Adventure Consultants Chief Guide for New Zealand.
Dean is a highly skilled IFMA Guide and has guided many expeditions around the world for the company. These include three ascents of Cho Oyu, two times to Ama Dablam, and the Vinson Massif.
He’s also travelled to the Antarctic Peninsular.
If that all sounds very impressive, get this, this year Dean summited Mount Everest for the eighth time, yes that’s right eight times.
My current goal is to summit Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth largest mountain peak, which measures in at 8,201 metres (26,906 feet). But there is plenty of preparation and training to be done before I head off on that expedition, hopefully in 2014.
Under Dean’s guidance I’m hoping to learn some very valuable skills during my week in New Zealand, or N-Zed, as us Aussies affectionately call it…
We will spend the week in either Westland National Park, Mt Cook National Park, or Aspiring National Park, depending on where conditions are best suited. And as it is still very cold we will be staying in mountain huts rather than camping on the glaciers.
We will fly into the glaciers by helicopter or ski plane and at this stage we are planning to fly out at the end of the week, but that will depend on the weather and aircraft availability at the time, otherwise it will be a hike out.
Our focus over the week will be on crampon and ice axe skills, and crevasse rescues, with a few other mountain skills thrown in for good measure. So there should be a fair amount of ice-climbing.
This is designed to prepare mountaineers for climbing the “seven summits” the highest peaks on each of the world’s continents.
I’m also going back to N-Zed in January for a summit attempt on Mt Aspiring.
What makes this a real challenge for me is that I grew up in tropical Northern Australia, my playground was the Australian outback, and the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
I was almost thirty years of age before I even set foot on snow, and I’ve never snow skied in my life.
And as I confessed in an earlier musing, I can’t even tie my shoe-laces! But I can tie quite a few mountaineering knots, lucky that!
And what of Everest you ask?
Well let’s see if I can get to the top of Cho Oyu first…but Janet, my partner, has penciled it in the diary already, saying she knows me too well.
For me, I will be very happy to get to a position of where I could reasonably contemplate having a go for it…
And thanks for the vote of confidence Janet…I’m taking it as tacit approval for the funding of that trip if it ever eventuates…
If you’re inclined, I’ll be updating Facebook when I can, check out The Landy there, just click ‘like’…
A few of the world’s problems were solved, and Janet, my partner, managed to organise a major shopping trip with her girlfriends whilst I’m climbing in New Zealand next week.
And then somehow we got on to a discussion about ‘what have you broken?’
Now don’t ask me why, it just did.
Bob kicked it off by saying…
“Yeah, I fell out of a tree, broke me arm”
Ray, a rugby-mad Kiwi, has a nose that’s been moved off-centre courtesy of failing to catch a high ball…
There was a couple of broken legs in their somewhere, I can’t remember who, but let’s face it they are kind of “dime a dozen”…
Jeff managed to break a finger in a schoolyard dust up. Mind you, it would’ve been a brave person to take him on, the bloke is about six-foot-six and has shoulders as wide as Beyoncé’s booty, and a bit firmer as well.
And hey, don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with her booty!!
Kimbalee, bless her, broke a couple of nails and had to spend half-a morning in the beauty parlour sipping lattes while a team of specialists worked their magic on her.
Eventually it got around to me,
“Baz, how’d you go, you’ve bound to have broken something?”
Janet, her cheeky grin barely contained, egging them on…
“Yeah Baz, tell them what you’ve broken”…
Blushing,
“My bum”.
Maybe it wouldn’t have been so funny any other time, but this was a crowd that was only warming up. They laughed so hard and long that many were in tears…
“Thanks Janet…”
My broken bum had its making back in the early 1980s at a Sunday session at the Brekky Creek Hotel, in Brisbane. Back in those days the pub only opened for a short time on Sunday’s and it was a case of getting as many beers into you in as short a time possible.
I’d like to say that I was responsible in the way I approached these sessions, but I can’t…
Anyway, they were always very sociable and fun affairs…
After a few jugs of beer, the boys decided we should go and learn to skydive, sounded awesome, I was in for sure.
And thinking that I could always claim ‘beer talk’ if I needed to back out of it…
No chance, Bush-rat, as one of our mates was known, saw to it that wasn’t going to happen, and by the next Saturday we had done our first jump out in the Brisbane Valley at Toogoolawah.
At the time it was only a fledgling drop-zone. Today it is a major skydiving centre run by the bloke who tossed me out that very first time, Dave McEvoy.
Customary as it was, we had to shout the bar at the Toogoolawah pub on that Saturday night.
It was a big night…!
We went on to do quite a few jumps over a couple of years and enjoyed the shenanigans that was part of the skydiving scene, a crazy bunch by any standard…
It was fun times back in the days when sex was safe and skydiving was dangerous.
How things have changed!
Eventually work commitments saw us all head our separate ways, and skydiving tended to take a back seat to other activities…
Fast forward to more recent times and I thought it would be good to go back and do some more skydiving.
I sounded out Janet, who was right on to it and wanted to go also.
Back in the early 1980’s she was literally the girl next door, and yearned to go skydiving with us, but was to shy to ask. All of eighteen, and sweet as…
There was no such shyness this time around.
And, yeah, I did marry the girl-next-door…
We signed up to do an accelerated free-fall course, which went well…
So how about the broken bum they chorused?
On a jump I deployed my chute as I was diving away, it was a little sloppy really, and my foot got caught in one of the lines as the chute was opening and it flipped me through my harness.
The upshot was I went from 200 kilometres an hour to zero with one leg above my head, stuck in the line.
It was a leg split that even the most practiced ballerina would’ve be proud of, unfortunately for me it ripped my hamstring right off my bum…
The pain was intense, but I managed to land safely…
A couple of weeks later and after a few thousand dollars changed hands it was sewn back on again!
There was quiet around the table, I was hoping they would simply move on, no such luck, it was just the calm before the storm erupted with a burst of laughter!
Xplore 