I know it's cliched to say so, but time really does seem to be passing at lightning speed these days. Where did July go? Out of nowhere, August was just around the corner, and it was my last weekend in Melbourne. And what better way to spend it then camping on a snowy mountain?...
Again, we have Nick and Wendy to thank for bringing a little exercise- and excitement- into our lives! They invited us on their weekend hiking/snowboarding trip to Mount Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria at 1980m. It all started with a 2 hour hike on Friday night, with only our head torches to guide us up the steep, bushy dirt track. Poor Patrick had a massive snowboard to contend with as well! Miraculously, I managed to reach Michel Hut without tripping- unfortunately can't say the same about the way down on Sunday! Once we reached the hut, the hard work wasn't over; we still had to put our tents up, still only with the torches to guide us. With a little help...OK, a lot...OK, OK, Nick practically putting our tent up for us, we settled down for the night.
Despite spending most of the night trying to figure out why I was so damn cold (and then finding the massive hole at 5.30am- fantastic), I was feeling pretty perky on Saturday morning. It was a beautifully clear morning, with panoramic mountain views and stark grey trees all around...the perfect Winter scene. We had 9 in our group- Derek, Sven, Emily and Sam all cross-country skiing, Patrick and Wendy snowboarding, and Nick and I hiking 5km with the skiers to Cleve Cole Hut. As the title suggests, I discovered the joy of snow-shoes- metal clamp-ons that look much more difficult to walk in than they are. Saying that, I had to fight my pigeon-toed walking instincts in order to not roll back down the mountain. The photos below show some of the stunning views along the way...a very different side to the Australia I've come to know.
Though the snow-shoes seemed easy on the way up, they revealed their develish side on the way down; hiking downill is not my forte at the best of times with my poor balance! It's fair to say I was pretty knackered when I returned to Michel Hut that evening, which is why I lost- badly- the card game that Emily taught us (nothing to do with the rum of course...or the fact that I'm pretty bad at card games...). Having forgotten his tent, Sven built himself an epic igloo to sleep in for the night, complete with hallway and step up to the 'bedroom'. Unforunately, this then became neglected when he realised he had the warm hut to himself...and the sleet outside. See below for a picture of the igloo in all its unsung glory!
Soon after sunset on Saturday, we had a little friend who wanted to join us in our tent, kind enough to poop in our doorway by way of greeting...a mountain rat! Not as gross as city rats, it has to be said, but that didn't stop me screaming like a banshee when it ran towards me from under our tent's outer cover. Though I was much warmer that night, I occasionally woke up uber-paranoid by the wind-induced rustles, turning my head-torch on, convinced our little ratty friend had somehow nibbled his way in.
Despite optimistic weather forecasts, we woke up to fog on Sunday- which actually made for some cool, atmospheric snowboarding pictures (see below). So, after a little walk up the hill to watch Patrick and Wendy in snowboarding action, we decided to head back down to the car. It's funny how different a route can look in daylight; my imagined enclosed walking path was in fact quite exposed! I only have 3 bum bruises from slipping on ice on the way down, which I take as quite an achievement.
Enjoy the pics below! Be warned, they're in a higgeldy piggeldy order..the ones in the dark are from Friday night, the ones with clear weather on Saturday, and the snowboarding foggy ones on Sunday!
So, an awesome, unexpected weekend...my first experience of hiking up a snowy mountain. Huge thanks to Nick and Wendy for inviting us...and generally for their amazing hospitality over the last month. You've made us feel so welcome in your home...and introduced us to some great new activities!
A hectic few weeks lie ahead- home on Thursday, Patrick arrives on Sunday, France next weekend for my cousin Sophie's wedding...then Fiji bound! I can't wait to show Patrick my homeland; I hope the pubs live up to his expectations! Also very, very exciting about Sophie's wedding...I haven't seen my cousins in the longest time, and it will be the best way to catch up! So, I'm signing off from Melbourne- though if last time is anything to go by, I'll probably be back here sooner than I think. See you back in Landan mate...
Again, we have Nick and Wendy to thank for bringing a little exercise- and excitement- into our lives! They invited us on their weekend hiking/snowboarding trip to Mount Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria at 1980m. It all started with a 2 hour hike on Friday night, with only our head torches to guide us up the steep, bushy dirt track. Poor Patrick had a massive snowboard to contend with as well! Miraculously, I managed to reach Michel Hut without tripping- unfortunately can't say the same about the way down on Sunday! Once we reached the hut, the hard work wasn't over; we still had to put our tents up, still only with the torches to guide us. With a little help...OK, a lot...OK, OK, Nick practically putting our tent up for us, we settled down for the night.
Despite spending most of the night trying to figure out why I was so damn cold (and then finding the massive hole at 5.30am- fantastic), I was feeling pretty perky on Saturday morning. It was a beautifully clear morning, with panoramic mountain views and stark grey trees all around...the perfect Winter scene. We had 9 in our group- Derek, Sven, Emily and Sam all cross-country skiing, Patrick and Wendy snowboarding, and Nick and I hiking 5km with the skiers to Cleve Cole Hut. As the title suggests, I discovered the joy of snow-shoes- metal clamp-ons that look much more difficult to walk in than they are. Saying that, I had to fight my pigeon-toed walking instincts in order to not roll back down the mountain. The photos below show some of the stunning views along the way...a very different side to the Australia I've come to know.
Though the snow-shoes seemed easy on the way up, they revealed their develish side on the way down; hiking downill is not my forte at the best of times with my poor balance! It's fair to say I was pretty knackered when I returned to Michel Hut that evening, which is why I lost- badly- the card game that Emily taught us (nothing to do with the rum of course...or the fact that I'm pretty bad at card games...). Having forgotten his tent, Sven built himself an epic igloo to sleep in for the night, complete with hallway and step up to the 'bedroom'. Unforunately, this then became neglected when he realised he had the warm hut to himself...and the sleet outside. See below for a picture of the igloo in all its unsung glory!
Soon after sunset on Saturday, we had a little friend who wanted to join us in our tent, kind enough to poop in our doorway by way of greeting...a mountain rat! Not as gross as city rats, it has to be said, but that didn't stop me screaming like a banshee when it ran towards me from under our tent's outer cover. Though I was much warmer that night, I occasionally woke up uber-paranoid by the wind-induced rustles, turning my head-torch on, convinced our little ratty friend had somehow nibbled his way in.
Despite optimistic weather forecasts, we woke up to fog on Sunday- which actually made for some cool, atmospheric snowboarding pictures (see below). So, after a little walk up the hill to watch Patrick and Wendy in snowboarding action, we decided to head back down to the car. It's funny how different a route can look in daylight; my imagined enclosed walking path was in fact quite exposed! I only have 3 bum bruises from slipping on ice on the way down, which I take as quite an achievement.
Enjoy the pics below! Be warned, they're in a higgeldy piggeldy order..the ones in the dark are from Friday night, the ones with clear weather on Saturday, and the snowboarding foggy ones on Sunday!
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| Sven and his igloo! |
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| Our tent in front of Michel Hut. |
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| Getting used to snow-shoes! |
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| Wendy and Nick. |
So, an awesome, unexpected weekend...my first experience of hiking up a snowy mountain. Huge thanks to Nick and Wendy for inviting us...and generally for their amazing hospitality over the last month. You've made us feel so welcome in your home...and introduced us to some great new activities!
A hectic few weeks lie ahead- home on Thursday, Patrick arrives on Sunday, France next weekend for my cousin Sophie's wedding...then Fiji bound! I can't wait to show Patrick my homeland; I hope the pubs live up to his expectations! Also very, very exciting about Sophie's wedding...I haven't seen my cousins in the longest time, and it will be the best way to catch up! So, I'm signing off from Melbourne- though if last time is anything to go by, I'll probably be back here sooner than I think. See you back in Landan mate...
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