Wow what a big day 19km tramp up Mt Arthur, 8.8km up, 8.8km down plus 1.4km returning because numb skull forgot to turn off the vehicle lights and had to return and turn them off. Yep it’s only 8.8 km to the summit but boy are the climbs long and steep. The first 4km to Mt Arthur Hut is not too bad as it climbs steadily to 1300mtrs. Once past the Mt Arthur Hut the wind blew over the ridges constantly lifting the cloud up and over the ridges amplifying the cool temps at altitude, the track narrows and starts getting into the long steep climbs. The last 2kms to the summit was the hardest as the loose scree track followed the narrow steep ridges along the circ with plenty of “don’t slip here or your day will be totally screwed” drop offs. The last 300mtrs to the summit at 1800mtrs above sea level was just about using feet and hands at times to climb the steep angles which wound its way through patches of snow. On reaching the summit we had a sense of accomplishment. The views were not good because of a shroud of cloud that engulfed the summit. We enjoyed a brief lunch before making our way back. The mist had settle in now and vis was not exactly brilliant on the decent. As we got further down the mountain now and then we got a quick glimpse of the views to the low lands out towards Tasman Bay. During the hike we noticed many sink holes and cave systems which were some of the deepest and intricate in the country. Jude being Jude found the flora worth a few pics. All in all a hard tramp of 7 hours 25minutes with stops, Jude and I burning through 7200 calories between us, me being bigger greedily chewed through the greater share of them😁. Thankfully it’s Christmas Day tomorrow and all we want for Christmas is to be able to get out of bed in the morning and rest some very sore muscle.😂🤣👍🏽
