A Peak!!

With a month gone the score stands at, Mountains 1 : Me 0 (Also it appears I am about as good at regular blogging as I am at getting up mountains)

Glacier Explorers ensured no Icey swim was required

So when Silvia asked me if I wanted to try Nuns veil with some of her friends I (unusually, I normally find a way to talk my self out of going into the mountains) said "yes". Little did I know what I was getting into. 

After some discussion about gear, there is always some discussion about gear, we settled on Bivying so as to be light weight. Silvia would carry the rope, and me the cooking gear, I definitely got the better end of the deal, but then I needed to as I suspected I would be a little less fit than the rest of the team.

A great spot for a sleep (and Whisky)

Turned out that the trip was actually a rescheduled CMC trip, and a race, or at least thats what it seemed like to me. Well more specifically a race where I was last. After waiting for the Glacier Explorer guys to give us a lift across Lake Tasman, we had a good old wander up the hugely unpleasant Gorilla stream. Progress was slow, for me, but eventually we reached the bivi site, not our bivi site but the one usually used. At this point we were driven on by Nina, the trip leader and from here on referred to as "the slave driver" to get to her goal a high bivi one a level bit of glacier 500m below the summit.

In all seriousness this is how I would chose to do the mountain every time. Her slave driverness picked a great route and climbing it from the high camp made it a much more pleasant (tho still quite horrendous) walk out the next day.

Down climbing from the summit

We set up our Bivi site and had tea and Whisky (rum for Silvia) and after a amazing sunset settled down for the night. Up at 3 away by 4 was the decree of the slave driver so after a decent 6 hours sleep we rubbed the sleep out of our eyes and got our gear on, leaving our bivi's and tents in place we set up of the first easy snow slope. Progress was easy at first, well technically, my "fitness" was still not where it could be but we made steady time until the slope steepened up. At this point a few of the party decided to call it a day and head down to try a smaller rocky peak, unfortunately time pressures did not allow us to use the rope the long suffering Silvia had carried to here, to take people less confident on steep ground to the summit. Some more steep ground and a time consuming traverse took us to the final snow slope to the rocky top of Nun's Veil.

Mount Cook in the morning sun

Thanks to our early start we saw an average sunrise and the amazing sight of the suns rays sliding down the face of Mount Cook. We headed back to our bivi site, then into the valley. The long trudge back towards Tasman Valley was every thing we (I) had feared but every step closer to home felt great.

Finally leaving Gorilla stream

21 hours after waking up on a glacier and climbing a peak I had never really heard of 2 weeks previously I was tucking my self into bed back in Christchurch. Being in the mountains reminded me why I moved to NZ.

Months 2, Peaks tried 2, and 1 Success

Due to all of my lagging behind and lack of a "real camera" all photos are from the slave drivers camera, she had plenty of opportunity to take lots of amazing photos while waiting for me, Thanks heaps for the photos and the trip, check all Nina's amazing photos out at ninadickerhof.smugmug.com/

MIA

So... Your probably asking, Where's is January's Peak?

Well about that, After a failed attempt, well not so much an attempt as a idea and some purchasing of Back Country Food, on Mount Aspiring over New Year, the idea started forming in my head, inspired in no small part by my much more keen (well about four times more keen) flat mate's plan to run 52 Peaks in 52 Weeks that perhaps the goal of a mountain a month was something that I would be more interested in, was achievable and would get me into the outdoors more.

As with all good New Years resolutions this was something that I had tried and spectacularly failed at before (3 years ago, I climbed Mount Torlesse in January and that was as far as it got) but this year I was a little more determined to actually make it through till the end.

The nicest part of our trip, the walk up the valley.

So that my challenge was not identical to Mat's but with less peaks I decided to put some rules into the mix as well, the first was that the peak had to be over 2000m, and crucially to make things interesting had to be a peak I have not climbed before.

Two weeks into January I got a text from a mate asking if I was keen to get away that week end and give something ago. He suggested either something near Temple Basin ski field, Phipps Temple traverse possibly, or having a crack at Mount Speight. Having already done the first I gamely said I would be keen for the second and a plan came together. 

Reaching our Bivi spot, our intended route behind us.

We drove over after work on Friday evening and set off up the Waimak, not quite making it to our planned bivi before dark we decided to stop where we were rather than river cross / venture into the bush at night.  We rose early the next day and set off up the valley, dropping our gear for a planned bivi on our return off the mountain. Then the bush happened. After heading into the bush (very much the wrong way) we headed up harper creek and set off for the flat spot on the spur with the final goal of the ridge which runs up to the Speight snow field. Eventually.... really .... eventually we made it out of the bush, at this point we had a bite to eat and a discussion, our slow progress through what from above looked like the thickest bush we could have ventured into, combined with our early night was likely going to leave us out of time when we came back down the mountain. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour we set off back into the bush and returned to collect the bivi gear. The walk out down the Waimak was hot and highlighted just how unfit I have become in the last 6 months... If nothing else these peaks should improve that.

Oh and in the aftermath I changed the rules again, I have to do 12 mountains in 12 months (Still high still un climbed by me) and I have to try 1 a month, but given the nature of mountaineering, Failure is a option.

A New Blog

Well this may be the latest New Years Resolution ever..

I own frankly a lot of very lovely outdoor gear that for the most parts sits in boxes in my garage and does not get used as much as it deserves.

This blog is an attempt to embarrass me into taking the gear (and myself) out for more mountaineering and other outdoor shenanigans. I need to Wear Gear Out..... Get it (some people will hate me for that)

To this end I have set my self a challange, in 2013 I will be attempting to climb a new 2000 meter or over mountain in New Zealand every month and hope to manage 12 in the year.

I will write these up so I can be called out on their potential lack of existence and it will also be a option for me to learn the skill of blogging (what ever that means). As far as blogging goes I have always wanted to try and log the outdoor activities I do and the lets say.... loose style of writing afforded by blogging seems a suitable way of achieving this. Also the blog can act as a inspirational gallery of the sort of mediocre photography and movie making that can be achieved in the digital age.

I obviously have a bit of catching up to do with it being February already but that's for another post.