Lake Daniells

We couldn't decide where to go this weekend. After getting up way too late and finding it was sunny in Christchurch, we headed up to Lewis Pass to see where we would end up. There were basically three options; The Zampa tops from Ada Pass (my blue sky request), Lake Christabel or Lake Daniells (the easiest).

In the end we choose the easiest. The weather (it started raining at the top of Lewis Pass) and time (it was well gone lunch time when it started raining) helped make the decision. Admittedly, by the time we had dropped a hitch hiker at Springs Junction the sun had come out again, but then it was only a few kms back to Marble Hill which is where the Lake Daniells track starts from. It turned out to be a great little over nighter.

The track to Lake Daniells is of a high standard all of the way and took us around two hours without trying particularly hard. All of the streams are bridged, though we were up to our ankles in water on some larger puddles simply from the amount of rainfall. Strenuous it most certainly isn't.

We soon reached the 24 bunk Manson-Nichol's Memorial Hut, right by the lakes edge. The hut is named in memory of three trampers who were killed in a mud slide on the opposite shore in 1975.

The setting is superb and it is hard to believe that you can get to somewhere this beautiful so quickly. We had read that the hut can get particularly busy and with the location and ease of access it is easy to understand why. We were only 6 in total, a very friendly and good group of people which made for a very pleasant evening, in front of a warm fire playing cards.

If anything the early morning light was even better than the evening before. At least one of the other trampers made it in for a swim, but we weren't that brave. However I tried increasing my cold water resistance later at the Maruia Hot Springs by testing the cold pools there (managing about two seconds before jumping back in the hot pools). We rounded off the trip back with coffee and cake at Pukeko Junction cafe, which finished off the weekend nicely.

Mount Richardson

Quick walk up Mount Richardson in the Foothills yesterday.
Up the Richardson track and back down the Bypass Track.

No snow up there, but suspect that has all changed today.
Good views from the summit ridge across to Lees Valley and Mount Oxford.

Good to be back in the NZ bush and as an added bonus bumped in to a work colleague on the way up. Forgot to take the camera though so no pics.

Back in NZ

It was a great trip, but I'm really happy to be home!

Dolomites - Col Bechei

Our final walk in the Dolomites was to climb Col Bechei. Once again we started from Pederu, this time climbing south east to the Fannes Refugio, about an hour and a half from the start. This hut is situated in a wide open basin and remains in the sun all day.

Behind the refugio the track (a mixture of foot trails and 4 wheel drive roads) climbs to the small but beautiful Lago de Limo. From here the summit still looks a long way off. The track then climbs across the southern slopes of the mountain to reach a high shoulder from where you can look down on Cortina.







The route climbs directly from here to the summit, up a loose gravel ridge, with a small rock band to negotiate near the summit. The difficulty is never too great however. As with the other mountains we had climbed this week, the views from the summit were superb in all directions, in particular we could see the Tofana massif to the south and the route that we had walked earlier in the week Croda del Beco.













We returned the same way, taking our time to enjoy the scenery and stopping for a well deserved beer at Fannes for a late lunch.

Dolomites - A circuit around Putia

This was an easier day which all the kids walked as well.

From Ultia de Borz we walked up to Munt de Fornela, before making an anti clockwise circuit of the mountain. The first section is the steepest and the children had to pay attention on the narrow path crossing several scree slopes, however this was soon safely negotiated.



From the Forcela de Putia I took a side trip to climb to near the summit of the mountain itself. This was about an extra hour, walking at a good pace. I had planned not to go to the true summit on account of its difficulty, but on refection and after seeing it I think it would have made a straightforward scramble, with chains helping to protect the narrowest sections.





Back on the main route, the easy path swung around through alpine meadows before eventually crossing the east side of the mountain. The return trip was more enclosed, passing through sections of pine and rocky grottos.

Dolomites - Croda Del Beco

Our second walk in the Dolomites saw us climbing Croda Del Beco from Pederu.


Pederu is 16km up the road from San Vigillio and you have to pay to park. After a quick coffee we took the 4 wheel drive road up to the Refugio Senes, which sits in a high mountain pasture. The road is a continuous series of switchbacks which climbs besides a sheer rocky cliff and is quite a feat of engineering.









From Senes we continued on easy tracks climbing to Refugio Biella alla Croda del Beco. This is a delightful area with alpine meadows and the flowers were in full bloom. We heard the shrill cry of the Marmot and spotted them watching us whilst perched on rocks above us.





The Refugio is the same colour as the mountain, so is quite hard to spot, despite it's large size. Carolina's Mum sunbathed on the col above the refugio whilst we climbed the steep east ridge to the summit of Croda del Beco. The drops to the south were vertical and there was one long chain section on the most exposed part of the climb. On the summit itself there are fabulous views in all directions. We stopped on the top for lunch and to sign the visitors book.











Once back down at the col we carried on down past Lago Gran de Foses to create a circuit. We headed back down to Pederu with more stunning views across to Tofana and met Carolina's cousins on the way down.

Dolomites - The Tre Cime

In Italy we had almost a week in the Dolomites with Carolina's family in San Vigilio
There were 13 of us in total: 6 adults and 7 children. Most of the family were already in the mountains and on the drive up from Udine we stopped at Moso to have a look at the Tre Cime Di Lavaredo, one of the most famous mountains in that area.



From Campo Fiscalipo, in the midday heat, we climbed up to Refugio Zsigmondy-Comici. The track was easy and well marked. The views of the towering cliffs and mountains were outstanding. The route up to the hut is very popular and with it being a weekend as well there was almost a constant line of people on the way up.







After the hut things quietened down a bit as the route split in several directions. We headed across to another hut: Refugio Pian di Cengia, which gave great views across the north face of Croda Dei Toni









The most exciting stage of the route then followed as we crossed steep scree slopes below Paternkofel. At all stages though the path was wide and the exposure minimal. It takes longer to get to the final refugio on this route (Refugio Tre Cime di Lavaredo) than you would expect. This hut is so large that it appears you are closer to it than you really are.





Once at the refugio the Tre Cimi pop in to view, a great spectacle that many people had come to see. We took afternoon tea at the refugio, before heading down Val del Sasso Vecchio - a steep sided valley with less views and then on back to the car.