The Hike

So, the big walk! Done and dusted! 32kms.

We left Sydney at 5.00am on Thursday morning, and arrived in Jindy at about 11.00am. We went via McDonald's at Goulburn (obligatory stop).

A quick stop at Paddy Pallin (adventure store, so an appropriate stop for adventure girl) where I bought a Camelbak, as we realised we hadn't gotten around to grabbing me one!

We arrived at Lake Crackenback resort, and it was lovely. We checked into our own Studio, which was part of a bigger Chalet with shared laundry and cloakroom facilities (because this is officially adventure-land accommodation)

The room was lovely, and we unpacked, but were then confused about what to do. We didn't want to do too much before our big walk the next day, we had little energy from a big drive and early morning.

Our choices were

• Golf (nine holes)
• Archery (puh, if you don't do it in normal land, why does it appear in adventure land?)
• Paddle boating on the lack
• Canoeing
• Trampolining
• Confidence Course
• Hiking
• Mountain bike riding
• Sleeping

I was a bit perplexed, because you think of resorts as lying around, beaching, cocktailing etc, but this was a ski/adventure resort. But it was summer, so we weren't skiing. But we weren't relaxing either, because it was not hot and there was no pool or cocktails. The bar didn't even open until 5pm. Strange.

Finally we worked it out. We were there for The Hike (summer alternative to skiing), and while waiting for this time to come, our options included the above. I chose paddle boating, which I subsequently realised hurt my knee (which I've just received three weeks of physio for, in time for The Hike) and Sam chose golf. Yes, I played golf. To be fair, I smacked the living crap out of a few golf balls, and pretended to call it golf.

Anyway, The Hike day arrived. Our briefing was firm - we had chosen the hardest hike there was. There was no time for dwalding, if we wanted to get to our (already prepared with food/beds ready and waiting) campsite before 10pm that night. "But you all look super fit to me," our Guide said, "so let's go!"

We put our day packs on and packed our overnight gear for the 'porter' to carry into our campsite ahead of us. We had wet weather gear, cold weather gear, aqua booties for crossing the Snowy River with, lunch, baby wipes [me only] etc etc the list goes on.

We travelled 40 mins by car and were dropped off on the side of a deserted ski resort in Guthega.

Something that made this hike special was the passion which our Guide had of the alpine region. Our Guide was a self-confessed environmentalist. We hiked by the law of 'leave no trace'. We left nothing, not even our toileting deposits. We learned about the winter skiers who 'bury' their toilet matter and paper in the snow, for it to reappear in summer when the snow has melted, and thereby polluting the alpine region. We learned about leaving a minimal impact, not camping near fresh water resources and walking in 'harder' areas rather than wet or spongy areas, so as not to destroy the plant life. We learned every type of flower, grass, tree and insect, and to respect the alpine environment as a very special and unique part of Australia's land.

This is a long story ... and it will get much longer. I've decided to not write in too detail about The Hike. I can't describe the scenery, the pain, the weather and the alpine region in such a way as to do it justice. Check out the photos (with more to come from our Guide, who was the only one to take the photos throughout). Here are the dot points

• Wild flowers galore during the first part of the day, many of which are endemic (can only be found in this alpine region, and no where else in the world) and include buttercups (four varieties)
• Start climbing first mountain. About 1800m above ground. Need to cross steep cliff of snow. Guide goes first, leaving foot steps for us to use. Again, 1800m above ground. Falling means you land on rocks 20m below, and then continue down the next 1780m. I slip. Scared, no confidence, Guide grabs my hand and hauls me up cliff.
• Lunch - smoked salmon sandwich. Sam and I don't eat smoked salmon.
• Climb, climb, climb. Day pack is heaving, boots are heavy, it's warm but the wind is amazing, you can't hear anything and the gusts are huge. If I was ten kilos lighter, I swear I could be forced off my feet Mary Poppins style.
• We get to the top of our first mountain, and see Blue Lake, a glacier. It is beautiful. Everyone makes a trip out onto a ledge, but I know myself enough to know that my fear of heights will kick in, and I'll be shaking for the rest of trip. I stay on the grass (soft, spongy alpine grass - there are no trees as we are too high for any trees to grow now) and re strap my knee.
• I fall down, roll a bit, and enjoy the soft spongy grass. Quickly get up before anyone sees, and decide to make use of the walking pole we were given.
• Crossing the Snowy River, the stepping stones are exposed, so we are successful in keeping dry. Up heartbreak hill, and the final 2kms to the campsite.
• A majestic evening. We're camping on the site of a mountain, overlooking Mt Kos in the background, Mt Clark and Mt Etheridge. We've freshened up, changed into thermals and trackies and beanies and gloves. We're drinking vanilla bean lattes out of mugs, and eating antipasto. We don't use the 'lounge room' tent, but bring out our comfy chairs to sit outside the kitchen tent, while Guide keeps the stove going. We chat and watch the sun set over the mountains. It's two hours later before we remember we haven't eaten dinner, and the Guide bar-be-ques dinner: salmon steaks (we learn to love these) with chutney and fresh salad. Cheese cake for dessert, more vanilla coffees.
• In bed by 10am, the wind has picked up and with the wind chill, it's 0 degrees. We're glad to be in our super strength tents (made in NZ, for climbers of Everest!) and it's too hot to sleep with thermals etc. Crazy. I go to bed thinking, I have to do this all over again tomorrow. It's hard ... I'm tired ... but surely it will be an easier walk.
• We wake with a view from nowhere, eat muesli, fresh fruit and pancakes and use the poo tent. I'll tell you about this another time.
• Walking, 16 kms to go. We get to the top of Mt Kos, highest peak in Australia, and the view is again amazing. I'm worried about the increasing wind. I'm seriously worried about being blown off the mountain (I never said being scared of heights involves a reasonable thought process). We then walk off the southern side of Mt Kos. I'm scared. I keep seeing large amounts of snow drifts along the edge, and I'm worried how I will get off the mountain without falling. We go right to the edge of the mountain, where a snow cornice can be seen, and I loose it. The wind is blowing, Sam is near the edge, and I can't stop the fear of height consuming me. Although I'm sitting on a rock, I walk away from the group and Sam helps me to calm down after 5 or so minutes.
• During the day, I realise my ears are very sore. I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my ears during Day 1, and with the serious medication I am taking, my skin is overly sensitive and my ears have burned severely. I end up with a huge blister on my right ear, and wind burn across my face.
• We walk down the mountain, find a plaque among the rocks commemorating the death of a climber (Seaman, which only approx 100 Australians have ever noticed) and we play in a river at the bottom of the mountain.
• We walk up the side of the neighbouring mountains, using an old cattle track, which may have been a track used originally by Aboriginals. We spot a bird's nest in the side of the track, with eggs ready to hatch.
• The rest of the walk is through kilometres of grass, soft and spongy, vast stretches of rocks, grass, snow drifts and little running creeks nestled among patches of alpine bush and flowers.
• We take the Dead Horse Gap track, through acres of burnt out Snow Gums (from the 2004 fires that destroyed the alpine region) and beautiful flowers.
• The final stairs take us down a steep track into Thredbo, where our ride is waiting to take us back to the resort.

We celebrate the walk with a shower followed by a ridiculously expensive meal at nearby Crackenback Cottage, cooked by an award-winning and former chef of Bathers Pavilion. We're full, tired and fall asleep as soon as we get into bed.