Following in the footsteps of Hillary

It is hard to find the words to even begin describing the last 3 days. I had no idea that I would experience such an adventure on this trip, or even ever do such a thing in my life time...

I have a feeling that this is only the beginning, and I am already planning my next mountain trip post Base Camp.

I set off on Thursday morning to begin the first day of our ascent towards The Ball Pass Crossing. http://www.alpinerecreation.com/ballpass.html

An 8 hour hike led us steeply upwards as we passed milky grey glaciated lakes, winding our way up through the deep valley dominated by views of the majestic Mount Cook, which Hillary first climbed in 1948. He then went on to be the first man to summit Mount Everest in 1953-what better a way to continue my training for The Everest Test, than to follow in the footsteps of this legend in his own country?

It was my first experience of carrying a proper pack for any length of time (not quite the same as the luxurious Kilimanjaro trek when our packs were carried for us) and a valuable training exercise for the 18 days of it which lies ahead in April. We carried multiple layers of clothing, food, walking boots, crampons, ice axes, helmets, walking poles, at least 3 litres of water each, and most importantly the joint of beef for dinner- it was a very hot climb as we continued up the valley, the steepness of our ascent now obscuring the view of the face of Mt Cook.

We continued into the afternoon towards our goal for the end of our first day and our refuge for that night- The Caroline Hut; the base for the ball pass crossing which sits along side the notoriously dangerous Caroline Face of Mt Cook at 1800m. http://www.alpinerecreation.com/huts.html

As the hut came into view as a dot on the horizon, I was spoiled with one of the most incredible views I have ever seen. The icy facade of the Mt Cook Caroline face towered above us, menacingly vast yet graceful and jaw droppingly stunning- casting us into shadow and making us realise the power and magnitude of the nature around us.

We were now close enough to hear the thundering roar of the snow avalanches as they threw tons of ice and snow down the mountain face, a real spectacle and one which we were lucky enough to see repeatedly throughout the evening from out vantage point in the Caroline Hut.

Reaching the hut gave us a real sense of achievement- it sits perched at 1800m and is the closest refuge to the Ball Pass Ridge, 2121m, which we would be attempting the following day, weather conditions permitting. The hut was bathed in sunlight as we reached it and looked forward to a well earned cup of tea - a simple yet cosy log cabin with 12 bunks and a 'kitchen'. It was certainly the best view from any kitchen window I have seen and I have already logged my request to become 'hut chef' next year for a few weeks. I treated myself to a bowl of fresh and freezing mountain water for my 'shower', washing away the grit and grime from our 8 hour hike. I perched myself on the edge of the hut balcony, to one side staring down to the valley through which we had walked far below, a grey and moon like landscape of massive ice bergs, hundreds of feet high, floating in terminal moraine lakes a kilometre accross and hanging glaciers joining the valley floor. To the other - the dazzling pristine face of Mt Cook which was bathed in a soft golden glow as the sun softened and prepared to sink below the level of the mountains surrounding us.

After a hearty supper we were all treated to an evening of spectacular natural entertainment - we sat together wrapped up in our sleeping bags with whisky and tea, watching the sunset change the incredible surrounding landscape from a pale golden haze to a smokey purple light, the peaks of Mt Cook and neighbouring Mt Tasman illuminated by the last of the suns rays as the rest of the valley was cast into shadow.

The thundering noise of the avalanches continued sporadically as we sat trying to quickly spot where they were happening on the mountain face ahead of us, it provided a dramatic soundtrack to the slowly emerging stars in the deep blue canopy of the clear sky above.

Despite being toasty warm, full of whisky and the mountain air, and exhausted from the days adventure, sleep was far away as I lay wide awake - overwhelmed by the days adventure and excited about what lay ahead. At 2am I decided to creep outside to see the star show, it was deafeningly still and I could see the silhouette of Mt Cook ahead lit by a flood of stunning stars above. The milky way was directly above the hut, and the dark purple of the sky was scattered with more brilliant stars than I have ever seen - the southern sky is certainly a treat worth waiting for. The snap of cold which woke me up even more was well worth braving, and I returned to bed in greater awe and even more alert than ever.

We rose at 4,45am to have breakfast and leave at 6am as the sun was rising and throwing a brilliant tangerine glow onto the peaks of the mountains above - a great start to the day and again a spectacle which left us all staring in bewilderment at our surroundings.

We climbed high above the hut, equipped with helmets in case of rock fall, and steeply up towards The Ball Pass ridge. As we moved from rocky scree slopes to the awesome 50 m thick glacier and neared the ridge, we donned the crampons and ice axes to prepare for the climb ahead. A breathtakingly steep hike to the top of the ridge with the brilliant clear blue sky and blinding white snow made the surrounding views magical, the hard work of the climb was hardly noticable as we stared around us in wonder. As we pushed ourselves in a last effort up and over the lip of the Ball Pass, we had managed the crossing and were treated to the most awesome view below us - The Tasman and Hooker valleys stretching out ahead, marking the path for our long and steep descent.

Now came the tricky part- the descent of the ridge - and the scene of a tragic accident a few years ago when a highly experienced guide (from the company which I was climbing with) fell to her death along with the 2 clients she was guiding. Knowing that really focussed the attention as we followed our guide Andrews' steps exactely and didnt look down too much to the icy slopes reaching far below.

As we descended slowly and made it to a safe rocky scree slope, we were all overwhelmed by what we had done. We still had 8 hours of downward treking ahead of us as we picked our way carefully through "The Gut" a treacherous deep and narrow valley which slices through the rock of the sorrounding peaks and leads to the Hooker Valley and lake below. I didnt want the day to end and found it hard concentrating on my feet and where to place them with such mind blowing scenery surrounding me. It was only 11am and already we were looking back up to the ridge high above us with Mt Cook still visibile. Each of us had achieved something incredible, I had an overwhelming sense of achievment as I stared around me in utter wonder, and already felt as though I had been in a dream for the last 24 hours.
Completing the Ball Pass Crossing has been the most wonderful experience I have ever had the luck of being able to take part in and I still find it hard to express the feelings that I experienced in the short space of time.

I leave tonight for my last adventure in NZ (for this trip anyway) as I start The French Ridge Hut walk tomorrow morning on my own - a personal challenge in itself to achieve something solo. Although it is by no means a massive or dangerous undertaking, it will be an 10 hour hike through the valley below Mount Aspiring, climbing up to 2000 ft to reach the French Ridge where I will spend the night in another mountain hut, before the descent the following morning.
I am told the views are spectacular and the location of the hut very special, and another night in a mountain hut watching the sun rise and sun set is reward enough for me.
http://tramper.co.nz/?1605

Next post coming soon...