Day 9 – New Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut

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Four degrees overnight, and I wake to a blanket of fog over the plain and Mount Oakleigh looking resplendent in the breaking dawn.

With only 14km and 800vm to do today, I feel like I can relax a bit. I feel like most of my days have been a bit hurried, and I’d like to try to slow down. I don’t start walking until 8:00, and it’s shaping up to be a beautiful day.

Your sacrifices must be working, because so far the weather gods have been extremely kind. If any of you have an unwanted eldest child, I understand they make for an even more powerful offering than a lamb.

Climbing towards Pelion Gap, the myrtle forest is close and cloying with warmth and moisture.

Fitness increases not while you’re exerting yourself, but during the recovery period afterwards. I have to be careful not to overbalance my exertion against my down time too much, or I could actually start to lose fitness.

With that said, let’s go climb Tassie’s highest mountain!

Fear of heights warning on this video:

Not far from the top, I pass Ali coming down. He’s made incredible time.

It’s at about this stage I realise I’ve left Tilly in my bag down at Pelion Gap. That’s pretty disappointing, but I’m not going back.

When I reach the top I’m the only one around. There are huge dolerite boulders, with some deep, narrow crevices between them. I climb the rocks to the highest point. My advice for anyone wanting to do the same is: bring harness, belay and a change of shorts.

There are views for days up here.

I get a good fifteen minutes to myself up top before everyone else catches up and start hogging the cell tower reception.

I’m feeling really glad I got moving just a little bit before everyone else and had some time to myself. What a privilege.

It’s getting crowded, so I head back down. There are still more people on the way up. The cloud from earlier has burned off beautifully.

Fear of heights warning ⚠️

I reflect that when solo walking, as well as when leading a group, I become significantly more risk averse, or at least more wary and anxious about potential hazards like bad weather and river crossings. Didn’t stop me climbing the peak back there though, so I’m not sure what to make of that.

The day has warmed up a lot, and I’m glad I got away early enough to be climbing Ossa in the cool of the morning.

It’s only 4km further to the hut, and all downhill. Mount Massif and the DuCane range loom above me. When planning, I’d been keen to do a traverse of the range, but with only two good days ahead in the forecast, that will have to wait for another time.

I was keen to get to the hut early-ish to improve my chances of finding an available tent platform, so I’m pleased to find that I have my pick, and one of them has a couple of good trees. It’s not easy being a hammocker in a world of tents, but I’m making it work.

I’ve been very impressed with these huts. They’re situated to take in some impressive views, but built in such a way that for the most part they do not produce an imposing presence upon the landscape. Kia Ora hut has a beautiful view over Cathedral Mountain.

There’s a creek near the hut, so I take advantage of the hot sun to have a wash and do a little laundry, then make my way up to the hut to socialise and graze on items from my food bag.

An impromptu stretch session starts up on the verandah and seems to go on for hours while the individual stretchers come and go. People pore over maps, planning out the last few days of their hike. The mess hall tables are stainless steel to solve the problem of stoves tipping over and burning the huts down, and dinners are made and eaten. I eat a spare breakfast muesli that I know I won’t need, then my mashed potato dinner, then a chocolate bar that was reserved for later.

I’ve got two days of good weather, then the third is forecast to be rainy with a high of 7°.

A fat possum checks me out as dark falls, but wanders off without incident.