Yesterday I alluded to a change of plans and that was to come to fruition. The weather forecast was for a fairly severe sort of day. Strengthening wind and that old Alps classic- snow down to 1500 metres! The walk as described goes over the 1700-odd metre peak called Mt McDonald. Having asked several walkers about the route over this peak, it did not sound like one I'd want to undertake in a whiteout, let alone howling winds or settled snow. The decision was an easy one, another 18km day, but this time a road bash including the intriguingly named Son of a b**** Spur! I hoped the name didn't match the walk. It was steep and a little gnarly but I think the spur's been hard done by!!
In all, it was a good call because as I walked up the final pinch to the top of the Son of a b****, I walked into the white stuff. The snow was blowing across my path at about 1400mtrs! For the first time ever I had an incredible view of what is referred to as the atmospheric freezing level, in simple terms the height at which the rain turns to snow. Normally this happens with a white background but this time the dark green of the eucalypts showed the line exactly. I was on it, below me the precipitation was rain, and at and above me was snow. Amazing to witness.
This was one of those hiking days where being drenched through to the skin is just par for the course. It was a particularly gnarly day on the weather front with everything from the aforementioned snow, to hail, sleet, drizzle and my personal favorite torrential wind driven horizontal rain. Not a day that encourages stopping! Every time I did stop to begin lunch preparations the rain would begin again and a hurried retreat and stuffed in mouthful of scroggin (for the uninitiated- high energy snack food, mum's dried fruit, nuts and chocolate etc).
I reached a spot known as Low Saddle. This was one option as a campsite, but if I pushed on and made the climb up Mt Sunday, that would be 3 less kilometres and 500 vertical metres I would not have to achieve tomorrow. It was an easy decision. Thankfully on the way up, there was a sodden section of track that suggested some tapable water nearby. The guidebook had recommended a mandatory scrub bash on the way up to find water as the summit had none. I conjured my best Bear Grylls and set about constructing a rock dam so as to create a washbasin sized pool. To this I added a bark overflow gutter held in place by another rock and rigged a rock stand under this to collect the water in my drink bottle. At one point I turned expecting a camera crew!! With seven litres (7 kg) on board I turned my tired legs and feet back to the climb. The climb was on a freshly cleared track which was extremely pleasant, for a while, then it got steep, properly steep! The final 1.5kms had that 'when will it end' sort of feel.
It did. I'd arrived at my final hiking campsite for the walk. It was sleeting. I hurriedly pitched old faithful and clambered in to bunker down for what I expected to be a seriously cold evening. As I finish writing my thermometer reads 0.1degree, mmmmm gotta love an alpine summer blast!!