A return to the top. Just more wind.
In November of 2017, myself and a few friends trekked down to Jindabyne to climb Mt Kosciouzko. It was a great little weekend getaway and a welcome bonding experience with people I love. So, why not do it again?
Our trip was, again, from a Friday to a Sunday in early November. Meeting up with my friends early Friday to make the 5 hour drive, we began in good old Campbelltown. Our first stop was in Goulburn, before heading onto Cooma and then eventually Jindabyne itself.
The trip got us down there just after 3pm and we decided to grab food before heading to our accomodation. We got the essentials for the hike on Saturday, made sure we got the super essential weekend supply of beer and made our way to the house.
Boy was it nice. A chalet just outside of Jindabyne with fireplace, spa, kitchen, plenty of bathrooms and the best addition, a sauna. It was great. We loved the place, it helped make the weekend that much better.
Figuring we were staying in a house with an oven, we decided to have a baked dinner. Lamb, potatoes, pumpkin, veggies. It was going to be good.
Then the oven decided it didn’t want to work.
“No worries!” we thought, “why not just grill everything up on the stove top?” No that didn’t feel like cooperating either. We thought we’d have to grab a pizza or something. But after a check through the cupboards, we found an electric fry pan. Our chef for the weekend found, with the help of Google, the instruction manual and discovered we could cook a roast in that! The day was saved. And while it wasn’t the most roasted of roast dinners, it was great none the less. Having a meal with friends and family reminds you of what’s really important in life.
After a late night sauna and some fine whiskey, we retired for the night to get an early start for the next day.
Waking up early Saturday, we grabbed some breakfast before heading to Charlotte’s Pass. We were worried as the day before we weren’t able to see a lot of, if any snow. But as we came closer to our destination we saw more and more patches of the stuff and it was lovely.
What wasn’t lovely was the wind.
I’d never dealt with so much wind and was not ready for how strong it was. And it continued to grow stronger and stronger as we climbed up.
The hike itself is 18km long from Charlotte’s Pass. 9km up and 9km down. It’s a beautiful walk, and easier than you expect. We kept going along, taking in the sights, throwing snowballs, sliding on snow and taking photos. We eventually got to Seaman’s Hut about 6km up and stopped off for a quick break and to warm up. There’s a small amount of provisions in the hut so we took some wine and chocolate, adding a few snacks of our own as compensation.
Once we warmed up we continued to the top with a new surge of energy and a little wine in us. The snow thickened and grew as we climbed further and closer to the top. The wind gained strength and as we got into the clouds it was almost too much to handle. But we came here for a reason and the elements weren’t going to deter us now.
The five of us ascended and the last small stretch was filled with slippery snow and wet socks but we didn’t care. We just needed to reach the top.
And we did! We’d scaled the mountain and conquered it once more, some of us for the first time. We captured a photo for the memories and had a quick food break before starting the trek back to the car.
After a solid 6 hours of walking, talking and photo taking, we made it back to the car and set back to our holiday stay. It was a great day and we capped it off with more beer, pizza and a sauna.
The sauna was well needed. The heat soothed our aching muscles and calmed us down to a point of pure bliss. It was great. We continued on with the night with some more whiskey and a few rounds of the excellent Windjammers before setting off to bed.
I woke up early the next day and got the most out of the sauna before we left. It was extremely energising and refreshing to start the day sweating myself stupid in a steam filled box. Once that was done, we all packed up our things, threw it in the car and headed out for some bacon and eggs.
Our trip home included a detour into Canberra to meet up with a mate, have a burger and a chat before continuing home. It was sad to drop everyone off back where we started and bid our farewells.
A weekend of good friends, fresh air and a relaxing time were well needed. Last time I climbed the mountain, it felt like a major accomplishment, and a weight lifted off my shoulders due to a lot of things going on in my life at that time. This time I didn’t have the weight lift off, mainly due to life becoming a bit more clearer, but it provided a moment of reflection on where I had gone in the past year. Had I grown since last year? Had I regressed? What had I learnt and more importantly, where will I be going?
The answers to those questions might not be clear, or even make sense, but I was happy, healthy, and had people in my life to help me continue on my path. And in the end, maybe the answers weren’t what mattered.
Brendan
