Peak 7, Big Ben was actually plan B. but as it turns out, Plan B can still be as much, if not more fun than Plan A.
I had been studying the weather forecasts and knew Monday was going to be windy wherever I went. This was to be followed by a large front carrying A LOT of precipitation. Plan A was to head to Lake Sumner and summit Hooligan and Mons Boreas then staying the night at Cold Stream Hut before walking out Jollie Brook.
After some decision making I voted to not play chicken with mother nature.
For my journey Hamish from work asked to join me of which I was not one to refuse. We left mine at 6:15am and headed for the hills. We were expecting winds along the flat but were pleasantly surprised as we headed up Dry Acheron River we were actually below the terraces so had little wind to deal with.
Hamish did have one slip up along one of the many creek crossing. He took a fall but brushed it off like a champ although his finger was causing him some grief (more on this later).
Finally we reached the base of the climb. With little more than 2km straight line we were to ascend nearly 800 metres. When we say the mountain loomed overhead, it really did. This thing was steep and relentless with no real trail to follow, just orange markers dotted along the ridge.
The forecast was for winds to develop throughout the day and when you mix that with Hamish and I gaining altitude….it was one hell of a recipe. As soon as we began our climb we were battered by winds. As a non sponsored plug, I was genuinely beyond stoked that I had such a good quality rain jacket to protect me from the elements. My Stoney Creek Tundra kept the harshness of the winds off me but still allowed my body to breath as we climbed.
One thing I have learnt from family, friends and my degree is when you head into the outdoors, you should always have a high quality outer layer which you can rely on to protect you from the elements.
The higher we got the windy it got. With a final push to get to the summit, Hamish and I were stoked to have gotten to the top. The winds felt like they were ranging in the 100 – 120 kilometres per hour. We both found it very difficult to walk often finding our feet being swept away from under us. Resulting in us stumbling our way around the place. It was so much fun!
We took some photos but opted to not spend much time due to how strong the winds were and headed back down. We hustled our way down and with the terrain being so steep it was easy to make up some time.
The walk out was a little tedious and both Hamish and I were a little buggered thanks to both the constant exposure to the winds and the length of the walk. Safe to say we were both happy to see the car, sit down and take our boots off.
The next day Hamish let me know that when we took his fall in the creek he had actually torn a few of his ligaments in his small finger! Not ideal but a trooper none the less for pushing on with that being as it was!
#7 Big Ben – 1,416m, 18.10km, 6 Hours 10 Min
With snow levels now a lot lower thanks to this front we have had come through, I may need to be strategic with where I head to next!