The evening is full
of exotic sounds and smells. There’s the tish
and paff of hail and snow on the
roof, and the pop and sizzle of cooking, its smoky whiff blending with that
indefinable essence-of-wet-walker
smell. But most surprising of all is the whirr of a solar powered extractor
fan, doing its best to remove those same whiffs.
By the time we’ve finished
dining, the snow showers have cleared and the wind has withered. The hut
thermometer tells us it’s already below zero. I shrug on my down jacket and step
out for some star gazing. A half moon keeps the stars quiet, but shows up the
brilliance of the snowy bush. Apart from the low gurgle of a nearby creek, it
is breathtakingly quiet and still.
 |
[A very promising start to the day!] |
I wake early, keen
to see if dawn is as clear. Above the dark slope of the land, the sky grades
from soft ochre through pale golds into deepening shades of blue. Low in the
blue Venus is a bright, imperfect gem. There’s not the hint of a cloud.
As we set of it is
still very cold. We’re careful on the steps leading down to the Horse Track.
Every surface is frozen, the snow crusted with fresh ice, the wet surfaces now
solid and slick. We cross the gurgling creek, past bushes festooned with
icicles, and climb towards Crater Peak. Where yesterday we’d been postholing,
we’re now crunching across the surface.
 |
[Tim crosses the creek near our hut] |
I give Lynne a go
of my snowshoes, and she takes to them immediately. She heads up the hill ahead
of us, passing yesterday’s tobogganing slope, and makes for the dark bump of
Crater Peak. The sky above is now an impossible blue, contrasting starkly with
the monochrome landscape.
 |
[Lynne takes off on the snowshoes] |
We soon find it’s
not the snow that will slow us down up here. Many sections of the old corduroy
track are covered with ice, the normally sodden surface now a frozen cascade.
Without cleats it’s almost impossible not to slip on the track, so we fan out
to travel off-track. And now we dawdle, as much because the frozen world is
full of small wonders – a rimed bush here; a frozen pool there – as for reasons
of care and safety.
 |
[The frozen corduroy track] |
We’re exchanging
frequent grins. I’ve heard talk of bluebird days* a few times this winter, and now
we’re definitely walking through one. By unspoken agreement we spread out and
immerse ourselves in this day. We’re walking in a winter wonderland, too wrapt
to be concerned about cliches!
We pause atop
Crater Peak, a pile of rock slightly higher than the surrounding plateau, and have
a quick snack. We take dozens of photos, finding it hard to stop. Everywhere you
point your camera the scene is stunning. Yet it gets better. We now leave the
Horse Track, aiming to wander cross-country, close to the rim of the plateau,
and enter an extensive field of snow.
 |
[Happy trampers on Crater Peak] |
Lynne hands the
snowshoes back, and I take a few minutes to strap them on. But the snow is such
easy going for the others that I struggle to catch up, even with my “floats”. As
we walk up slope, the bold block of Cradle Mountain, its face thickly daubed
with snow, grows larger before us. We see only one set of ski prints in the
otherwise virgin snow.
I’ve been up here
many times in snow, and have climbed a snowy Cradle Mt a few times. But I have
never seen this much snow on the Cradle Plateau. A couple of cornices must be
at least three metres deep. As we make for the rim, Lynne and Merran can’t
resist having another bum slide down a slope. I content myself with filming the
event.
 |
[The snowfield between Crater Pk & Cradle Mt] |
We have a long and
lazy lunch on a knoll overlooking Crater Lake. Its surface scintillates,
reflecting back the bright sun. We think we can make out small ice floes on the
lake. Their see-through shapes drift and shimmy down the sparkling lake, driven
by gently persistent breezes. That’s presumably cold air draining off the
plateau, because here on the heights there’s barely a puff of air.
 |
[Our lunch spot, high above Crater Lake] |
After we’ve
finished lunch we linger at this superb vantage point. It’s even balmy enough for
us to stretch out for a while. Soon enough we’ll need to start our descent, but
for now we just want to remain immersed in this best of mountain days.
______________________________________________________
*
the term is used by skiers – and others – to refer to a clear, calm day after
snow.
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