Christmas Holidays. They are meant to be fun, right? Time away from work, you can spend a few weeks catching up with family, relax, refill your soul tank, maybe get away somewhere? Or, if you have kids, it may be a vast abyss stretching in front of you, where the idea of keeping them alive/amused/happy can be, ahem, quite daunting.

Make no mistake, i really love my kids. They give more meaning to my sometimes mundane life, and they make me laugh a lot. I'm proud of them every day. But, im not just a dad, and the idea of having nearly four weeks off work and not doing something, even if it is small, kinda depressed my aventurier spirit. I also want my kids to know that their Dad has that spirit in him still.

So I decided to act on an idea that has been scratching around in the back of my mind for a long while now.

Knowing that driving to work, then walking for five minutes to the office doesn’t really give us a stern test of a bag's performance (see here for my previous review of the SLOT backpack), i decided to join a few mates and climb Mount Kosciusko, the Australian mainland’s tallest peak.

Tall, you say? The reality is, Kosciusko stands at 2,228 metres (7,310 feet), and is by far the shortest of the Seven Summits (the highest mountains on each of the traditional seven continents). From the top of the Thredbo chairlift (Kosciusko national park contains several ski fields) its a straight three to 4 hour round trip on a mesh walkway, with only about 500 metres of ascent. There are even Australia’s highest toilets facility at the base of the final climb. Make no mistake, this is one of Australia's most popular walks, and there ain’t nowhere to hide up there when you need to go number 2.

So far, so civilised.

A few weeks earlier, I contacted some mates that had recently moved to Canberra. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hey, just before Xmas I want to go down to Thredbo and climb Kosciusko. You guys keen?

Mates: Yep! We’re in!

Easy as that.

The drive from Canberra to Thredbo should have been a relatively boring highway cruise, but for some reason, Apple Maps decided that going off road for most of the journey was what we really wanted to do. Lucky for us we were in a Volkswagen Amarok on chunky tires, so it wasn't really a problem, besides adding several hours and mountains of red dust to the journey. Our bags were in the tray at the back, and when we arrived, they looked like they had journeyed through the desert for several days.

Something interesting to note: as you get closer to Thredbo, the lane markings on the road all change to a bright mustard/gold colour, better to see when it’s snowing presumably.

Thredbo in the summer is quite a different beast. In winter this little resort town would be pumping, car parks full, line ups of people waiting to get on the ski lift, struggling to get into restaurants and cafes after a big day on the slopes, etc etc. In summer, it feels like a town that has experienced a massive recession. Cafes and restaurants are closed, shops that are open shut up early, and there is an overall hush to the town. We checked in at our hotel, and the open community spaces around the reception (the fireplaces, the lounges, the relaxing areas with beautiful views of the mountains) were all empty. Dead silent. It felt like staying at a library. At closing time.

We decided to go for a walk around the town, and scope out what was going on. Turns out, not much. So, we decided to go for a drive instead, as one of our crew had spotted a nice camping spot the last time he had come through here, and wanted to check it out again. We piled back into our dusty steed, and kept heading south-west, further into the interior of the national park.

As we peaked Dead Horse Gap, sunset. Wow. The sun was a deep cadmium, and just starting to creep behind the mountains. Views like this are why we are here.

After way too long we got going again, driving into the increasing dark until we found a little campsite just off the road, a small stream going past, snow gums towering overhead.

Next day.

The initial plan was to complete the longer Charlotte Pass route, which starts at around 1800 metres of altitude, and basically hops along the top of the range all the way to Kosciusko. Trouble with that was, we were staying in Thredbo, and to get to Charlotte Pass meant driving back the way we came for an hour in the morning, then driving for an hour again at the end of the day. Which didn’t make sense when there was a walk right there in front of us!

We are going up that hill.

Another option was take the chairlift from Thredbo village, up the side of the mountain to the top of the escarpment, then complete the 13km return hike to Kosciusko. But, the 5 minute chairlift ride is $65 each, which is insane. And besides, we came here to challenge ourselves a little bit, so why not walk straight from the village? (And, we are tight asses)

After a buffet breakfast, we set off from Thredbo village along Meritts Nature Track. At this altitude, the forest is still heavy and humid, with the sun heavily broken up by the foliage. We were quickly sweating, as the track started to go up immediately.

Within the first five minutes, we had seen a lovely little waterfall, and a lovely little python.

The climb continued, with plenty of stairs to get the thighs burning. This was a good pre-Christmas hit out. After about an hour, the forest started to thin out, and the nature of the trees changed. The typical thick green forest was giving way to snow gums, more bare ground, and larger rockier escarpments. And more views. The views!

We weren’t in any particular rush, so anytime there was a view to be had, we were stopping for photos and selfies.

As we neared the top of the ski lift, the temperature started to drop, and the wind was picking up. It was still comfortable though, especially when climbing.

Thredbo has quite the mountain bike scene in summer, and during the course of this climb we got to see multiple riders of all shapes and ages thundering past us over the various routes.

The Slot backpack was performing well at this point. By performing well, i mean, couldnt feel it on my back at all. I had attached a Peak Design Capture V2 to the PALS webbing on the straps, and attached to this was an old Nikon 1 JS that I had borrowed.

Hey we are in the mountains, I should at least try and take photos in the mountains with some real intent. I had set myself the challenge of leaving my phone in my bag, and only taking photos with the Nikon (this would have ramifications later on).

Just before reaching the top of the chairlift, we passed Black Sallees, which is a bar/japanese restaurant set on the side of the mountain. It is only open during the snow season though, so its weird to see an establishment that looks like everybody left on a Friday night and no one ever returned. Everything was buttoned down and packed away like they had gone out of business.

We finally reached the top of the climb after 90 minutes, 4kms and about 600 metres of ascent. The top of the climb coincides with the top of the chairlift, so it was a busy area as mountain bike riders departed the lift, gathered and waited for their friends, and set off on their next blast down the mountain. It was also where most Kosciusko climbers start the climb after the chairlift ride.

As we are were all powered by caffeine, we took this opportunity to have a coffee at Australia’s highest restaurant, Eagle’s Nest. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a rip off. In the spirit of all secluded resort retreats, the waitress that had served us the night before at a pizza joint was now serving us at the resort's mountain top cafe.

Stepping out of the cafe and into the melee of mountain bikes swarming around, it was shocking how different the conditions suddenly were. After ascending up the leeward side of the mountain, we were now facing the full brunt of the winds crossing the top of the escarpment. It was blowing hard. The temperature had dropped massively, and the wind chill piled in on top to make it seem just that bit more biting. From my backpack i retrieved my wind jacket, my gloves, and after a moment, my beanie as well. Hell, my hat wasnt going to stay on in this wind anyway.

We eventually set off on what must be the most civilised nature walk you have ever seen. Seriously. At some point, the national park authority had installed a metal mesh pathway the entire way, presumably to protect the flora and fauna from the big lugs crossing Kosciusko off their bucket lists. The most dangerous part of the trek comes from slipping on the metal if its wet, or somehow managing to fall off the path completely and plummet a good half meter to your death in the soft flowers and grasses of the highlands.

Back to the backpack. Again, its good news if there is nothing to report. This thing is clinging to my back like a limpet mine. Was my back sweaty on the climb up to Eagle's Nest? Yes. Would it be sweaty with any bag? Also yes.

We walked and walked. Up hills, and down hills. The scenery was beautiful, and unspoiled. The air was crisp and clean. There was a near total lack of animals, or insects. At this height there are few trees, just small low lying plants that can survive under a metre plus of snow during the winter. Plenty of rocky outcrops and boulders though. Besides the wind, there was little movement at all. Just a steady trickle of people along a metal path.

We stopped at the tallest toilets in Australia, at the foot of the final climb up the side of Kosciusko. (I told you this was a civilised climb). We noticed that there was a road leading from the toilets back down the valley, and indeed, it was possible to drive in your own vehicle nearly to the summit until 1977.

From the toilets, the path kicks up considerably as it circles Kosciusko on the way to the summit. We envisioned an Everest style peak greeting us, but Kosciusko is more like the tallest of the bumps that run across the escarpment that forms this mountain range.

Despite the civilised nature of the walk, it was still satisfying to see the survey trig marker on the summit. Massive granite boulders had bordered the final path to the summit, and the peak was covered in them. Along with the boulders were the flies. So many flies. Big ones. Big ones that seemed to move realllly slowly (maybe the altitude effects them more?).

And the crows! Hundreds of them swooping through the valley. It makes you feel like you are in a scene from Lord of the Rings, and the crows are about to spot you and report back to Sauron on your whereabouts. They circled the peak of Kosciusko, and then decided that the granite boulders suited their bot bots just fine.

We had planned ahead and brought supplies with us to mark our achievement of reaching the summit. Out came the gas burner, and after eventually getting it lit in the strong winds, we opened the highest Phó restaurant in Australia. We christened it Wombat Phó, after one of our team members, who is a bit of a player in his demographic. (Wombats eat, roots and leaves)

Nothing like a hot bowl of $2.80 Woolworths Phó to lift the spirits! After leaving no trace, we began our descent.

Its funny how you dont realise how much you have climbed, until you go back the other way. The return trip was much faster, even with stopping to see a skittish wild deer lightfoot it past us.

Arrival back at Eagle's Nest was a contrast. The edge of the escarpment, you look down, and there is suddenly dark green forest after hours of muted palette and low lying vegetation. It was quiet, as the restaurant was now closed, and all the mountain bikers had sought enough thrills for one day. The chairlift was still running however, and one of our team was seduced by the promise of five minutes journey back to Thredbo (Little did he know).

But for those of us that didnt take the easy way, it was back down the side of the mountain. And very quickly off came the gloves, beanie and jacket.

Back into the greenery. Back past the snakes. What took us more than 90 minutes on the way up took less than an hour coming back down. Our ITBs were not happy about the controlled lowering of all the stairs.

Once we were back at the lodge, it was a relief to sit down, but not taking the bag off. I still couldnt feel it on my back.

Postscript.

Stepping into the bathroom, i realised my first mistake. When i had swapped the hat for a beanie, i had neglected to reapply sunscreen on my forehead. The little strip that was showing above my sunglasses and below my beanie, was a nice angry red. Same for two patches on my chin that werent covered in beard.

And my legs. Oh my gosh. I hadnt applied sunscreen to them at all, which is normally not a worry. Well. Up at altitude is a different matter. I was BURNT. Front AND back. Worse on the back, as the sun had been lower on our return trip, and had really fried me up nicely. The next ten days were pretty much agony, especially in long pants.

Writing this some three weeks later, i have finished peeling, but the backs of my legs still light up like they are burnt if i crouch down. I guess the backs of my legs have PTSD.

Remember me saying how Thredbo is kind of a ghost town in summer? Well at dinner time there is only limited choices, and for people that have been walking all day and just want a beer and a meal, those choices become almost impossible to make. We bar hopped the three available options in town, only to go back to the first place. I opted for a ploughman’s board. You know it’s good when the palate of your mouth is killing you at the end from all the hard bread.

I finally got around to looking at the photos i had taken on the Nikon. Well, im a newbie on cameras, and it shows. I have been deep diving into photography, and went full manual on this hike. As a consequence I had overexposed basically all of them, and in doing so had used way too slow a shutter speed, so all the highlights were blown out, and everything was blurry. Even the ones that look ok, if you zoom in at all they are just mush. Oh well. Two options now. Get better at photography on a camera, or go back to using my phone.

The backpack, as you can probably tell, shrugged this little adventure off as way below its abilities. It was great.

And as for our friend who took the chairlift? He was envisioning a quick trip down on the chairlift (which is free to take down, just not up), and then a nice long relaxing bath (seriously, who takes a bath) to soak his sore knees. Well, halfway down on the chairlift, it just stopped. For ages. Then it started going again. Then it stopped again. He was starting to panic when it finally finished its run into Thredbo.

Imagine his surprise when he eased into the bath, only to have us come charging through the front door five minutes later!

That night, the reception of our hotel posted the weather forecast for the following day. Snow was forecast above 1800m in the morning! (Please note this is December in Australia, so peak summer). We quickly decided to make our way to Charlotte Pass on our way home the next morning.

Next morning, we woke to gentle snow coming down all around us! Just a little, and it was mixed with hail, but still!

By the time we got ourselves sorted and out the door, the snow and hail had all dissipated, and we were backing driving on clear roads.

The town of Charlotte Pass sits in the basin of the valley with mountains surrounding it on three sides, and you enter it by driving up the valley from Jindabyne. You pass various ski lifts and infrastructure on the way in. All pristine. All abandoned.

If you think Thredbo is a ghost town in summer, you should see the town of Charlotte Pass. As you walk between the buildings, it’s just the crunch of gravel under your feet. You see something move in the corner of your eye, and quickly turn, but there is nothing there. Was that a person? Are we about to be ambushed by a Lost Tribe of children? (Mad Max reference, for those keeping score)

We found a small place serving food that was begrudgingly open (I refuse to call it a cafe). There, we were served by staff that I can only describe as….flat. The coffees matches the service. We got out of there.

It was a quick drive to the top of Charlotte Pass, where the day walk we had originally planned began.

There was definitely no snow, but damn it was cold! We would have really suffered the day before if it had been like this.

Postscript 2.

This was literally my first time converting my images into black and white, and the 65:24 crop. There is no real rhyme or reason behind my editing of the pictures - I was literally twiddling sliders until I reached a version I was semi happy with. I’m sure i’ll look back in a few months and cringe.

Thanks for reading.

Ascending Australia’s Highest Peak

Life is a journey, make the most of it.

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Adventure is not outside man; it is within.

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The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.

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Adventure is a way of life.

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The mountains are calling, and I must go.

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You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

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