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Day Four: 01 January 2009 Pass Creek to Stuart Saddle Walking Time - 4.5 Hours |
| Susan's Diary |
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Day
4: The heavy rain
continued until morning and the nearby creek had risen by 20cm so we
figured the Pass Creek would be almost impossible to cross. This mean that
we should move forward, after deciding not to stay at Pass Creek for
another night. We set off at 9am after attempting to pack and keep everything dry during the frequent showers. Before reaching Luckmans Lead we walked on tracks that had been turned to creeks so we were pretty happy to eventually start climbing and leave the water behind. The exposed climb up passed quickly, then a slower climb through scrub and mud followed then we saw a couple of potential campsites which had puddles of water available in case you were desperate. As we ascended and got nearer to the top occasional snow fell on us but the climb kept us fairly warm. When we finally reached the top the views were gone, with mist covering us. We made out the Boiler Plates through the mist and they appeared very impressive – luckily we avoided them though, as they would make a very challenging climb. We did catch a glimpse of Lake Leo whilst approaching Stuart Saddle. We arrived at the campsite at 1:30pm where we met two gentlemen who had stayed there for two nights – this would be their third - waiting for the weather to clear. They said there was 3cm of snow here earlier and they weren’t keen to venture on to Goon Moor and risk full exposure to the South West Winds. The route to Stuart Saddle had been reasonably protected. After some failed experiments in setting up the tent in snow, we had a cup of tea, then lunch, and then settled into our sleeping bags to keep warm. The snow got heavier as the afternoon wore on and, whilst cooking dinner, the gas bottle froze onto the platform. We were hoping the weather would clear tomorrow otherwise the aim would be to just reach Goon Moor.
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