Peak Bagging
“Light is my inspiration, my paint and brush. It is as vital as the model herself. Profoundly significant, it caresses the essential superlative curves and lines. Light I acknowledge as the energy upon which all life on this planet depends.”
- Ruth Bernhard
During the summer break Cyan and I did a four day walk at the top of Australia. We walked a bit on track and most off track. We camped very high with majestic views out from our very tent door.
We got into some peak bagging. Which in the past I have often joked about as ‘Peak Bragging’. The basic idea is you summit lots of mountains just because you can. So later you can brag about it.
We actually got 11 peaks. Not all named. But in doing so we ticked off the following named ones:
- Mount Twynam: 2195m
- Watsons Crags: 2136m
- Carruthers Peak: 2145m
- Mt Northcote: 2131m
- Alice Rawson Peak: 2160m
- Mount Townsend: 2209m
- Abbott Peak: 2145m
- Mount Kosciuszko: 2228m
- Ethridge Ridge 2180m
It was something very special to do with my son. He enthusiastically joined me in the challenge and being younger and fitter than me easily kept up with my slow pace. It really was another dry run for our Cradle Mountain walk this July. Carrying similar loads of cold and wet weather gear, alpine tent and stoves.
Cyan romped it in. His dream to walk to Lake St Clair from Cradle Mountain is now only months away. Nearly two years ago he rang me from Cradle Mountain to ask me if we could do that walk. Well. We are finally ready. And we will do an early winter traverse before the snow sets in. I can’t wait. The ferry is booked and we are going. Just a few more things to buy in preparation.
I used to bushwalk with my father. In fact they were my first walks. We didn’t do many multi day walks so the ones we did do are very very special to me. I only can wish we did more.
The accompaning photograph today is from this trip in January with my son. The view from the tent. Well almost. You know me, a few extra meters to get a better shot.
Looking west from the main range Kosciuszko National Park. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2019
