Oh what a few weeks! Phoenix Enduro was a great hit and after nearly a week has been, my first chance to get back into the mountains came….but don’t expect good views on this one!
Mal hit me up Thursday night asking where I was going on Friday and after a quick chat, times were put in place to meet at mine. The days goals were to tackle Foggy Peak (1,741m) and Castle Hill Peak (1,998m).
Looking at the forecast I knew we wouldn’t be getting rained out but the low clouds would result in poor visibility. I was bang on with my forecast reading and we were in cloud from the bottom of Porters Pass.
We left the saddle not being able to see more than 50m ahead of us. I then was thankful of knowing where we had to go!
As we began climbing, that heavy mist you get when being in the clouds started to cling to us. Not long after 1,300m we put on our rain jackets just to avoid us getting saturated. It was short lived as once we got pass Foggy Peak the moisture in the air had passed and we were able to take our jackets off.
The traverse along the ridgeline was pretty cool with it being rocky with a few major features jutting out along the way.
Visibility dropped to around 20-25m which was rather cool to be honest. Having good company along the way helped pass the time. Before we knew it we were looking at the final pinch to the summit.
Making the top we took some photos then dropped onto the leeward side of the ridge to have some food.
I had just finished saying how Dad often has a knack of calling me when I’m at the top or on my way down of one of my peaks, when my phone starts ringing. Wouldn’t you know it, it was Dad calling.
We had a good chat then after finishing lunch we jumped up and made our way back down the ridgeline.
We made it back to the car stoked, albeit a little wet and ready for a Sheffield Pie.
#15 Foggy Peak – 1741m, 11.4km, 5 hours
#16 Castle Hill Peak – 1998m, 11.4km, 5 hours
After Sunday, I now have the next week off so definitely intend on heading high into the mountain tops!
Cam