Leader: Brian Renwick
Well, I would say it is a minor miracle this trip flew. It was an on again, off again sort of affair in the week leading up to it but there was a flurry of last minute conversations, preparations and gear collection. In the end, four of us eagerly set off from Mount Robert car-park about 9am on Saturday morning. For three of us, this was our first foray into the world of winter tramping with an ice axe and crampons. We were excited and a bit nervous, but under Brian’s experienced leadership we got along fine.
The track heads straight into the steady climb up Pinchgut track (many of you will know it well).
With the over-supply of food I was carrying and trying to keep up with Brian and Tom’s long stride this time was no exception! But we gained the ridge none the less and enjoyed a break and a munch at Relax Shelter.
The cloud hung low over the tops for most of the day as we made our way along Robert Ridge, but it never dropped low enough for white-out conditions. Patches of sun came and went, beautifully highlighting various ridges and peaks. The wind, though cold, wasn’t strong. The snow was soft and crampons were unnecessary on our way to the hut. However I was thankful for my ice axe on the traverses.
We kept a pretty slow pace along the tops due to cramping muscles and some of us being new to these snowy conditions. Brian was super patient and encouraging and it’s a credit to him that we all made it to Angelus Hut. In all it took us about seven-and-a-half hours.
On reaching the hut we were greeted enthusiastically by Mike and Steve who, in spite of having had about two hours’ sleep after their moonlit walk along the ridge the night before, were looking cheerful and bouncy. In true club style they had hot water waiting for us and we enjoyed a welcome cuppa. At the hut Mike’s ingenuity was on display in the form of a table upended and tied to a bench seat to make a back rest. It was quite effective and rather tickled my fancy!
The evening passed all too quickly with shared snacks, discussions over maps, dinner and chats around the fire. After a freezing cold dash outside to the loo and to top up water bottles from the partially frozen water tank, we headed off to bed reasonably early. It wasn’t long before I was sound asleep even amongst a full orchestra of snorers.
We woke early to claggy tops, then rolled over and enjoyed another hour of rest. By the time we got up the cloud was full of beautiful sunrise colours and the tops were clearing a little.
We were treated to some gorgeous views as we climbed away from the hut and back to the ridge. On our walk out we also had the pleasure of Steve and Mike’s company – top blokes, those two!
As we reached Robert Ridge proper, we stopped for a while to practise self arrests and techniques for walking on steep slopes in crampons. Both the newbies and the old hands had a good few practise runs. It was helpful to get feedback from those with experience and I appreciated being with people who have such a wealth of knowledge and skill.
Later in the day we stopped for lunch over looking Third Basin. Steve dug us a salubrious bench seat in the lee of a knoll and we all agreed it was an excellent lunch spot. We were treated to some of Mike’s homemade muesli bars – yum! But it wasn’t a place to linger; even tucked away out of the wind we quickly grew cold.
Although it clagged in, the rest of the ridge passed pleasantly with good conversation. Before we knew it, we were on the Pinchgut Track again heading through the bush. Brian and Tom raced down, testing themselves on the snowy track while the rest of us followed at a more sedate pace.
We celebrated an excellent trip with hot drinks and slice at the Alpine Lodge cafe in St Arnaud before we parted company for home.
Trip Members: Brian Renwick, Emily Wallace, Tom Otjens & Katie Gray (scribe).