Myoko Three Peaks (August 2015)

In the Spring, I was fit enough to do a day ski tour from Sasagamine, up over Hiuchi and then on to the flank of Yake-yama. A semi controlled fall down a chute below Yake shook me up a little though, and I didn't end up climbing to the top. It did however plant the idea of doing a loop over Yake and Hiuchi, and then adding on Myoko-san for some kind of local 3 peaks route. It wasn't to be in the snow (I would still like to try though), but the right day did come up to do it as a bushwalk / trail run. 

I parked by Suginosawa bridge, and started thrashing my way up the bushy Yake-yama trail. Yake-yama is probably my favourite of the local mountains. It has a lumpy, strong presense, and doesn't have an easy approach on any side. The summit is also very beautiful, with lush green jungle transitioning into hyper-coloured volcanic rock and scree. I slipped down the other side into the saddle below Hiuchi. At this point my legs started to complain, but I still had two mountains to climb.

By the time I reached Koyaike Hyutte my calves were particularly sore. Some food, a cold soft drink and some internal deliberation and I was on my way to Myoko-san. The path over to Myoko drops into Kurosawaike, climbs the crater, drops down again, and then finally climbs the West Bowl to the peak. It all took its toll, and I was well beaten by the team I hit the top. It was slow going back to the crater and across the lake, but I picked up again as I started down the hill to Sasagamine. I even managed to jog most of the road back to the start!

I collapsed in the back of the car, fell asleep, waking to make the journey down to 7-11 for some magnificent fried chicken and and ice-cream. A top day out. Unfortunately Yake-yama is now off limits due to volcanic activity. I hope the trails do not become disused like so many others in this area.

GPS track is below.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/875990628

The Legbreaker: Hannel's Spur (November 2015)

Back at work in Australia after a sabbatical spent in the mountains of Japan and Europe, I turned my attention to a few home trips I had been thinking over for a while. Top of the list was Hannel's Spur, reputed to be the biggest vertical climb in Australia at a leg withering 1800m. An old stock route for accessing the lush summer highland areas from Geehi, the track is now an overgrown former track linked together by scraps of fading tape. 

I parked my car and slept at Dead Horse Gap, waking early to drink a cup of coffee, roll down a big hill on my old mountain bike, and contemplate just what I was thinking. Some undulating terrain to the Geehi River warmed up the legs, and soon enough I was strolling across the flats behind Dr Forbe's Hut. 

Hannel's proper starts fine, but soon enough the track becomes hard to follow. In places I was following my nose rather than the track, and on numerous occasions I had to backtrack and search again. I remember sitting on a log half way up the hill, sweating, scratches on my legs bleeding, when a small bird landed on a branch next to me looking nonchalant. I'd genuinely been wondering if I was in over my head, but for some reason that bird calmed me down and I was off again. 

The feeling of coming out of the scrub and into the alpine was sensational. My legs were tired, but I got a second wind that carried  me up the peak of Kosci. I drank some water from a cleanish looking creek, took some photos, and quietly cheered inside at the thought that I was on my way back to the car. I managed a job down into Dead Horse Gap, surprising a brumby on the way. 

I drove back down to Geehi campground, soaking my legs in the river and eating a delicious home made stew and bread. My legs were sore the next day. GPS track is below.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/956970639

Floating up Fuji

It was a fitting end to a magnificent season of skiing. Like every tourist who views the sweeping curve of Fuji-san from the passing train, I'd admired the beauty of this mountain for some time. As a summer hiking destination, it doesn't really excite me. Huge crowds, expensive, and a mountain that shares its beauty best from afar. As a ski line though it does hold some allure. Wide, sweeping slopes, and the chance to impress almost any Japanese person you talk to 😀

I had a small window between organising my life in Myoko and picking up Mum in  Takayama. The weather forecast complied, and I drove across Japan in beautiful warm spring weather. It's quite something to get closer and closer to the mountain, and what looks relatively small but beautiful from a distance, becomes very impressive from up close. I watched the sun set across Fuji from above Motosu Lake, and then drove up to below the Fujinomiya toll-road for a pleasant nights sleep.

 

Fuji seems to hold a reputation for being dangerous out of season, so I was feeling focused as I woke to the sight of the huge white cone looking steeper than it does from far away. I'd expected to find a few backcountry touring types in the 5th station car park, but arrived to 100+ cars and a range of people from the experienced to the very inexperienced. Temperatures were marginal, and so I packed slowly to let the snow soften a little. Unfortunately the snow coverage on this (Southern) side of the mountain was not as extensive as I expected, and so the first 400m of vertical were summer trail mud and rocks. From there it was a relatively straightforward walk in crampons to the lip of the crater.

By this stage the sun was beginning to soften the frozen snow, but despite there being almost no wind 2000m below, strong gusts were ripping across the peak. By all accounts this is typical of Fuji, and I probably had conditions as good as could be expected. I walked around the crater, climbed the peak and chatted with a few other climbers. I had met another Japanese skier with DPS Wailers on the way up, and we decided to enjoy the ski down together. The ski down was a pleasant 35 degrees or so, although the snow was beginning to break up and melt away. From the crater I had seen the other ski routes on the North and East faces, and I suspect that on a day like this they would have been far more enjoyable from a skiing perspective. 

The climb and ski were relatively straightforward and went without much thought, but back at the car I did have a few quiet moments of reflection on the season. From being a beginner on-piste skier, I'd managed to drag myself to the level of being able to feel comfortable climbing and skiing a mountain like Fuji by myself. Not much in the scheme of things, but definitely something I felt proud of.

Monkey life

I've always done a little bit of indoor rockclimbing, mainly as a means of keeping fit, but more recently under the watchful eye of Lane Cove tough guy  Joran I've stepped it up to being a more regular pursuit. Inevitably this led to talk of doing some outdoors climbing (Joran has experience in this realm), and after my usual round of putting off and flaking, the day finally came when excuses could be sustained no longer. Plans were made for a day of adventure in the Blue Mountains, and the multi-pitch adventure of Sweet Dreams was selected as being the ideal introduction.

Naturally I was feeling a little nervous on a number of fronts (exposure, technical difficulty, fitness, general softness on my part), but before I could even roll through these issues we found ourselves at the bottom of a track down off Sublime Point and racking up for a climb. Wonderfully my concerns were completely unfounded, with relatively easy climbing and previous leading practice in the gym making for a controlled sense of adventure. The exposure and beauty of being out on a cliff was really something else, and the simple climbing of Sweet Dreams made this easy to appreciate.

A pair of climbers were tackling another multi-pitch climb on the same section of cliff, and it was great to watch them working their way up what looked like a relatively featureless face (certainly when compared to where we were). I was able to snap off some great photos that give a real sense of the insignificance of a climber when on these walls (which are the photos here). Something to aspire to in the medium term.

We finished the day with some single pitch sport climbing at Shipley Upper. It was good to work through a few more (relatively) challenging climbs, but it wasn't long before my arms were giving out. This has since been addressed through a comprehensive training plan, and I'll absolutely be back for more.

Spring turns (a fitting end to season 2014)

The October long weekend is becoming a bit of an annual event in my calendar. The opening of the road out to Charlotte Pass makes for easy access to the main range, reducing the slog out from Guthega to a much shorter walk up from the Snowy River. It also usually offers nice snow conditions, with enough cover up high for great touring and corn snow that makes for fun turns.

James and I headed out at a moderate hour on Saturday morning, with a few uncovered patches shortly after the river requiring skis off, but then solid cover up to the top of Carruthers. We made camp slightly below the peak, assuming that a small fin of rock would provide enough shelter for a pleasant night. We were completely wrong, and by around 6pm the wind direction had shifted the speed accelerated. We put up a rather poor little snow wall (that blew on top of me during the night), then settled in for some sunset photos followed by dinner. It was possibly the worst nights sleep I have had in a tent, with the nylon constantly flapping across my face. 

We managed some great runs, swapping the splitboard and tele skis regularly. I snowboarded down into club lake via the middle chute, then skied down into Little Austria. We also did a few easy runs on the north east side of Carruthers. On the Sunday we toured out towards Watson's Crags, and although we weren't able to ski any of the great terrain on offer, it has provided plenty of inspiration for future trips.

We ended the weekend sitting in the grass by the snowy river, enjoying a cup of tea and some crisps and soaking up the warmth of the sun. 

God bless America

The twin joys of my working life are the opportunity to tack on weekend trips to national parks whilst in the US, and the ability to accumulate vast amounts of ridiculously cheap outdoor gear through hotel delivery while on the same trips. My most recent spell hit these two notes magnificently, with a sackful of climbing and skiing gear waiting for me at the SF Westin, and the ability to spend a weekend in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks via a 4 hour, rather tedious drive from the Bay Area. 

After a tiring but largely uneventful week split between Washington DC, New York, Chicago and unpleasant airports, it was an absolute relief to jump in a rental car on Saturday morning and hit the freeway. I'm always amazed at the sheer volume of traffic on US roads regardless of the time of day, and this was no exception. Wall to wall cars on a five lane road. California is in the midst of a drought, and the hot, dry, dusty drive East was relentless. The ascent up to the parks from Fresno did however bring some comfort, with cooler temperatures and pleasantly green trees replacing the baked, hazy fields. 

I spent the Saturday afternoon seeing some of the more obvious sites: the big trees, Moro Rock and a range of lookouts. I've previously spent time in Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain NP, Yosemite and the Tetons, and the Sierras are no less spectacular. I hoovered down a pepperoni pizza and local ale at the Grant camp area, before taking a sunset night walk around the magnificent trees in Grant Grove. It was a different experience walking among the giant trees in the absence of the heavy crowds present during the day. The night  was spent curled up in the back of my rental Hyundai, padded by an air mat I brought over from Australia and kept warm by a great quilt I had delivered to my hotel by Enlightened Equipment. Ironically it was the best nights sleep I got on the trip.

I was up early on Sunday morning for the drive down to Wolverton. I'd done some reading that suggested this was a good area to hit on limited time, and was planning to head out to the lakes and/or Alta Peak On the drive out I managed to startle a bear sitting on the side of the road, my first close encounter with one of these beautiful animals. I was too excited to snap off any photos, but was energised by the encounter. 

From the trail head I decided to head out to the lakes, and from there try and scramble up to Alta Peak. It was a relatively pleasant run out (albeit largely uphill), with beautiful views over rocky peaks and canyons, contrasting with a small chain of alpine lakes towards the end. I rewarded myself with a cold swim in Pear Lake, then decided to set off toward Alta Peak. Although the route up looks a little scrambly, its essentially an unmarked but fun walk up. The altitude made things interesting, but it was relatively easy route finding to the top. 

From Alta Peak it was a pleasant downhill run back to Wolverton, with regular stops to chat to others out on the trail and to snap off photos. The views out to the main ranges of the Sierra were inspirational for future trips, and there were some beautiful gnarled fox-tail pines along the route. I felt completely relaxed on the drive back to SF, a wonderful contrast to the drive out. 

White's River Powder Harvest

There were numerous occasions on this trip when I had to pinch myself and confirm that it was indeed good old Australia that was putting on beautiful windblown powder in nicely spaced trees. Throw in the kind assistance of a high pressure system offering up perfect blue skies and gentle winds and this was about as good as it gets.

The original intention was to ski over the rolling grounds to Schlink or Whites River on Saturday, then ski back to the main range on Sunday for a nice night up high. Once we started skiing the trees around White’s River the plan quickly changed to getting in as many runs as possible (not to mention it was very cold and the lure of the hut was bordering on irresistible).

On Saturday night the hut was crowded, with around 20 people competing for two benches and a few measly logs generally regarded as dangerous for the purpose of seating. We made the most of it though, with more card game heroics and tales of adventure. It was to the tent (~tarp) for the night though, with the early morning cold quickly putting an end to any feeling I previously had in my toes. Sunday night I quickly secured some space on the hut floor, bush rats be damned.

The tour in across the rolling grounds was beautiful, as was the tour out on the Disappointment Spur trail. On the animal front the only sighting was a sneaky looking fox who has evidently set up home just west of Gungartin for the winter. He/she looked more surprised than I did. It will be interesting to come back to this area later in the season or in a year with less snow, but right now its firmly stored away as a beautiful destination for some nice tree skiing all in sight of a hut with a warm fire.