Mount Aspiring! As the "Matterhorn of the South," the name alone draws me. I'm always aspiring to do things and to accomplish huge goals. I've never regarded myself as a technical climber, but I've climbed a number of "walk-up" mountains including Mt. Fuji (Japan), Mt. Wilhelm (Papua New Guinea), and Volcan Concepcion (Nicaragua). Mt. Aspiring takes a bit more preparation and gear, and I've recently been thinking of taking up mountaineering as another goal-oriented hobby. As a Christmas gift to myself I got crampons, an ice axe, and mountaineering boots. After my ill-fated misadventure a few years back I didn't want to take any chances, and I made sure to prepare extremely well for this journey. With an extensive list, I brought everything I could possibly bring and then some. Craig would drop me at the turnoff to the Crown Range Road, and then it would be little drama getting lifts to Raspberry Creek Carpark. Years ago I did a trip here with a CouchSurfer named Anne, to Rob Roy's Glacier. My plan was to make it as far into the valley as possible. Since Aspiring Hut is closed for renovations, I brought my tent with me. Although I could have walked further, I decided to call it a day at Aspiring Campground. My back was sore with all the gear I was carrying. With an abundance of camping meals and other food at my disposal, I tucked into some sweet and sour lamb as I chatted to a groupl of French trampers. I picked up some red wine as a "victory treat" and though I promised myself I wasn't going to open it until I reached Colin Todd Hut, I had a bit so I could lighten my bag a little.
All set the other day, I knew I still had a fair ways to go with a really heavy bag.
I don't know why I brought the amount of gear that I did. When you're tramping or climbing, it's easy to bring too much food but often after a long day you're too tired to do any serious cooking. As I approached the end of the valley, I bumped into a couple of trampers who were on their way down from Colin Todd Hut.
They warned me it was quite steep and exposed. Whilst that didn't concern me, it was how heavy my bag was. Making my way only a little bit above the waterfall, I felt like any flat spot looked appealing to pitch my tent, and I turned around a few metres after seeing a viable spot. As I sat there I finished off my red wine and had the feeling of defeat. I was thinking of perhaps storing some unneeded gear underneath some rocks and then making my way up but I had the feeling of "I can't make it." Is Father Time catching up to me?
The kea is the world's only alpine parrot, and I had four of them lurking outside my tent as I awoke from broken sleep yesterday morning. They apparently tried to make off with my Antarctic jacket last night. Thinking to myself that if I could climb Mt. Wilhelm I could pull this off, I contemplated for a few minutes and made the brutal decision that I couldn't make it with the weight I was carrying. Just getting down from the small stretch I climbed was a mission, and the risk of injury was high. It would take the better part of an hour just to get a short distance to being back on flat ground. Feeling dejected, I slowly made my way with a sore back, legs, and feet, toward Aspiring Hut. Since it was still early I didn't exactly have to hurry up.
There's no denying the unparalled beauty of this area. I was so sore that I had to have a break every five minutes, and I had no way of getting all of my stuff out without having to carry it. Ultimately I'd make it back to Aspiring Campground but I thought I'd try my luck at Cascade Hut, even though it was an alpine member's hut. It turned out a couple of guys who are doing construction on Aspiring Hut are staying there, and they had no problem with me staying the night and even offered me a beer. Rain started coming down hard so I was lucky to be here tonight. A strange cloud formed as the weather cleared.
My brand new crampons and ice axe will have to wait for their maiden usage. As I reached the carpark I felt dejected and sad, but I looked back and said "this area hasn't seen the last of me." Next year I will, 100% guaranteed, make it to the hut. I'll fly up in a helicopter and then walk back down. I may have failed this time, but with failure comes success. Absolutely, I won't just make it to Colin Todd Hut, I will make it to the summit of Mount Aspiring next year!
