(For some wonderful reason I have a habit of being “trapped in paradise” anytime a storm or event occurs that causes me to be ‘stuck’ somewhere longer than anticipated. J )
Ahhhhhhhh, fresh mountain air! Gimme some lovin’! The brightest of sunshine, the softest of snowflakes, the climb…. Up and up, til we were higher than how high we actually stood!
Unexpectedly re-united after our brief chance to chat and share our love of the outdoors and passion for adventure during our short road-trip from Picton to Nelson about 5 days earlier, I was stoked to find out that Rachael’s bus was still in Franz Josef when we arrived. At this moment I had all-fingers crossed that we may be able to take off to the mountains together for some sort of activity… “be careful what you wish for”… you may just get it!
“Trapped” in paradise (due to the largest snowfall the area’s seen in 8 years, & the closing of Haas Pass, left us faced with very important decisions… which trek should we venture to on this LOVELY day?! Rachael’s recommendation – Alex Knob… a small looking peak that sat snow-dusted in the foreground of the larger snow-capped peaks that line the sides of Franz Josef Glacier. A quick little day-hike – so-to-speak… 6 hours on trail… 7 round-trip from the township of Franz Josef… trail-runners would be our choice shoe (especially considering my much-loved trekking boot selection is sitting in a nice row in my attic in NY – how convenient!!!)… bivy sacs (emergency wraps), headlamps, water, matches, utility knife, loads of yummy snacks, and extra socks & mittens… decked out in our thermals and wind/rain shells… so ready to go have a little fun and enjoy our unexpected extra day in Franz Josef! The climb up was consistently… a climb! We enjoyed some lookouts that were just spectacular – they overlooked the glacier in its entirety... the fern palms (I already forgot their kiwi name) were drooped covered in heavy, snow clumps… the path was wet from the melting snow on its lower sections, and as we gained elevation (and grander vistas!) we found ourselves stepping into deeper and deeper snow… until we were post-holing (stepping in w/shoes/boots, not snowshoes) up to just above our knees… and mid-thigh a number of times too – which had us catching ourselves as we sank on both the uphill & downhill… and also had us laughing & giggling like little kids with all the fun we were having! To top it off, we had the mountain/hill (whatever you choose to call it!) to ourselves for the entire day! Once we reached the summit… we had a 360degree view of the approaching storm clouds, glacier from an apparently equal heli-height, and views of the town of Franz Josef way below… so high that the bridge we crossed looked like a short line pretty much! It was cold – so, so cold, as we stood exposed to the wind – and it was gorgeous with the golden grasses of the tundra-like bush and wavy-shaped snowdrifts that had accumulated along the narrow trail. A few spots offered a long drop down if we didn’t care for our steps, which just added to the excitement… and reinforced my inner desire to skydive again! With very wet feet, pants and mittens, we happily returned to the warmth of showers and heated rooms just before darkness settled in. The Blue Ice Bar would await us an hour later for some tasty, warm pizza with our friends (who had taken to other activities around and on the glacier for the day,) before we all crashed for the night… missing the All Blacks Rugby game v. S. Africa & the America’s Cup too… as we were well into our dreams by 1am!
Ahhhhhhhh, fresh mountain air! Gimme some lovin’! The brightest of sunshine, the softest of snowflakes, the climb…. Up and up, til we were higher than how high we actually stood!
Unexpectedly re-united after our brief chance to chat and share our love of the outdoors and passion for adventure during our short road-trip from Picton to Nelson about 5 days earlier, I was stoked to find out that Rachael’s bus was still in Franz Josef when we arrived. At this moment I had all-fingers crossed that we may be able to take off to the mountains together for some sort of activity… “be careful what you wish for”… you may just get it!
“Trapped” in paradise (due to the largest snowfall the area’s seen in 8 years, & the closing of Haas Pass, left us faced with very important decisions… which trek should we venture to on this LOVELY day?! Rachael’s recommendation – Alex Knob… a small looking peak that sat snow-dusted in the foreground of the larger snow-capped peaks that line the sides of Franz Josef Glacier. A quick little day-hike – so-to-speak… 6 hours on trail… 7 round-trip from the township of Franz Josef… trail-runners would be our choice shoe (especially considering my much-loved trekking boot selection is sitting in a nice row in my attic in NY – how convenient!!!)… bivy sacs (emergency wraps), headlamps, water, matches, utility knife, loads of yummy snacks, and extra socks & mittens… decked out in our thermals and wind/rain shells… so ready to go have a little fun and enjoy our unexpected extra day in Franz Josef! The climb up was consistently… a climb! We enjoyed some lookouts that were just spectacular – they overlooked the glacier in its entirety... the fern palms (I already forgot their kiwi name) were drooped covered in heavy, snow clumps… the path was wet from the melting snow on its lower sections, and as we gained elevation (and grander vistas!) we found ourselves stepping into deeper and deeper snow… until we were post-holing (stepping in w/shoes/boots, not snowshoes) up to just above our knees… and mid-thigh a number of times too – which had us catching ourselves as we sank on both the uphill & downhill… and also had us laughing & giggling like little kids with all the fun we were having! To top it off, we had the mountain/hill (whatever you choose to call it!) to ourselves for the entire day! Once we reached the summit… we had a 360degree view of the approaching storm clouds, glacier from an apparently equal heli-height, and views of the town of Franz Josef way below… so high that the bridge we crossed looked like a short line pretty much! It was cold – so, so cold, as we stood exposed to the wind – and it was gorgeous with the golden grasses of the tundra-like bush and wavy-shaped snowdrifts that had accumulated along the narrow trail. A few spots offered a long drop down if we didn’t care for our steps, which just added to the excitement… and reinforced my inner desire to skydive again! With very wet feet, pants and mittens, we happily returned to the warmth of showers and heated rooms just before darkness settled in. The Blue Ice Bar would await us an hour later for some tasty, warm pizza with our friends (who had taken to other activities around and on the glacier for the day,) before we all crashed for the night… missing the All Blacks Rugby game v. S. Africa & the America’s Cup too… as we were well into our dreams by 1am!
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