This week I climbed a Mountain!!!! Now admittedly it was kind of small, probably more of a hill at only 883 metres but I was dead impressed with myself as I sat at the top and surveyed the Plateau.

I like to think that I am the outdoorsy type but deep down I know that I am not. I am never super keen to go hiking up a Mountain and I have only ever run a couple of times and that was normally an moment of extreme need ie I’d rather miss bus then run for it. So when I had to complete field and survival training last week and a ‘fun’ walk up a Mountain was suggested by the hopeful training officer I said ‘sounds great’ and spent the next 1/2 hour trying to think of excuses…… I failed

I had to go and get new winter boots because my comfortable summer ones had nearly resulted in frost bite last time I wore them up the Plateau.  So I wondered off to the field store to grab some new boots, there was a nice new size 8 set on the shelf, perfect.  Since it was my lucky day I also grabbed a new very sexy pair of micro fleece pants while I was there and a headtorch…. You never now when all this camping gear might come in handy…..

We were ready to go, the Hagg was packed; generator, food (Fray Bentos), survival packs, micro-spikes, 15 million layers of clothes, my double washed sleeping bag liner and a card game called Backpacker to inspire future adventures.

It is stunning, driving upto the Plateau, there are the Mountain Ranges in front and glaciers to the side, a great view out over the sea dotted with so many massive white ice-bergs floating around. The melt streams run across the Plateau making frozen light blue marks across the surface of the white ice of the glacier. It looks exactly like flying over central Australia only whites and blues instead of reds, browns and blacks.

After about an hour the little Mountain that we are going to climb appears in the distance, it is shaped like a big sharp dinosaur tooth. We pull up down at the base and I am looking in horror at an almost vertical rocky path surrounded by ice cliffs on both sides.

I put my new boots on and realise the boots are mens size 8 OMG, I should have grabbed a size 5!!!! Fun times ahead walking up a vertical path with clown boots on. I’m figuring on a 2 hour walk, the training officer thinks an hour…… we will see.

Off we go

I am reminded 5 minutes in that 20 mins on the treadmill a couple of times a week is not enough to make me fit. I feel like my old dog Mistress, every time we go for a walk around the block she starts out all excited and then within about 10 mins she is stopping to smell the roses every few steps because she is buggered….

I was taking many moments to survey the surroundings and breath big breaths of fridge like air.   My back was sweaty and my head was to hot with my monkey hat on but not hot enough with it off. I had worn my goose down jacket and of course it was baking me, after watching me struggle the every patient and kind training officer took pity on sweaty puffing me and carried it without comment.

Then finally 40 minutes later we were at the top and it was amazing, the view was spectacular, the hagg was a little spot at the bottom of the hill and I felt amazingly accomplished.

I have climbed a named peak in Antarctica……..with boots 3 sizes to big!!!!!!

After congratulating ourselves for about five minutes we suddenly realise that it is freezing and there is snow starting to blow in on the horizon so we climb back down to the Hagg and head for Fang Hut to camp out for the night.

All I could think when we got down is Thank God I don’t have to do that again, box ticked ahhhhh.  So disappointed in myself.

Arriving at Fang Hut, it is a super cute little hideout, basically the size of half a shipping container with four beds, a tiny kitchen and a outside toilet seat that you put a bucket under.  The dunny seat is this amazing foam that is from NASA and doesn’t get cold…. interesting fact and very handy because the toilet seat is set into a bench that was built by a tall man and I practically need a step ladder to get on it.

We just beat the storm and set up the generator and dunny bucket, heating on and packs stowed we make a cup of tea.  Then pour a glass of wine and settle in for the night.

It’s cozy being away from the Station for the night with no internet or even a computer.  Just some candles, a little gas stove and a pack of cards.

We managed to finish a couple of bottles of wine and cook some pasta for dinner, and then it starts to snow.  Usually when it snows in gets windy as well but just for us it snows with no wind, just little drifty snow flakes, very pretty.

I have a revelation at 0200 I must be learning about this outdoorsy stuff, I have remembered not to put the lid on the wee bucket.  Last time we camped out and I did put the lid on and it froze on and I was stuck in the middle of the night in -20 with my pants down trying to get the lid off!!!!!  No such problem on this trip, maybe I will become a convert to the great outdoors after all!!!