In The Cradle of God (4 of 8)

There were two other walkers at the top of the ridge. They asked us if we were Overland Trackers and wished us luck when we told them that we were. At around this point the brother and sister reached us. They took one look from the ridge and then continued walking after exchanging very brief pleasantries. I now began to suspect that we may not have reached Marion’s Lookout and the much steeper hill away to our right suggested that our first destination was another couple of hundred metres higher.

With the first couple now powering into the distance we said goodbye to the two ladies at the top of the ridge and headed down the side of the ridge towards what I was now sure was the beginning of the climb to Marion’s Lookout. The wind now began to pick up and I started to feel wind chill cutting into my body. I removed my waterproof from my backpack and put it on. This succeeded in cutting out the wind chill but on the downside I was now wearing much less breathable clothing and I began to sweat.

By the time we reached the bottom of the climb to the lookout the snow had reached knee-deep and we had already taken the forecast length of time to reach the top of the lookout itself, about two hours. I looked up and the climb and gave a deep breath, it look imposingly steep, especially considering I was carrying a twenty-five kilo rucksack. I turned to Hiro and asked him how he felt.

“Oh, very good.”

So we began to climb and it proved as difficult as I had expected. I pushed on, looking to avoid the deepest snow but still keeping to the track. When you walk the Overland Track the track notes ask you to stick to the track and to avoid damaging the fragile plant life on the mountainsides.

After perhaps ten minutes climbing Hiro had dropped behind again and had been passed by a man walking very quickly. I looked on in amazement as he was totally underdressed for the conditions and seemed to be carrying nothing but a camera. No water, waterproof or any proper trekking gear of any kind. He exchanged pleasantries as he soon passed me and forged for the top. I made a wish for his sake that the weather didn’t close in.

About halfway up, feeling pretty exhausted I stopped and took a rest and allowed Hiro to catch up.
“How you going, Hiro?”
“Oh, very good.”
“Well, I’m fucking knackered.”

Hiro looked on slightly surprised at my expletive. I smiled and said, “If there’s one part of your English you’ll improve when your walking with me it’s your swearing.”

He laughed and gestured that it was time to continue walking. I took the lead again and began to push hard for the top. The wind was now blowing very strongly and I was sweating profusely but felt that the quicker we got to the top the quicker we could head down the other side and out of the wind. How wrong I was.

It took us another ten minutes or so to reach the summit and although we were both very tired on arrival the view more than made up for it. Cradle Mountain appeared before us in a wonderful alpine vista. The sky had turned blue and clear, almost in anticipation of our arrival. Suddenly I felt much better and that the climb had been all worth it. I was sure the worst of the day was now over. I should never have listened to that instinct.

The man who had overtaken us on the way up was sitting at the top snapping the mountain. I had a brief conversation with him and it turned out that he had already walked the track before but in easy conditions. Today he was simply out for a day trip. I was shocked at his lack of respect for his own safety. He was really risking his life by not being prepared for a walk of any kind.

Hiro showed a typical Japanese tourist trait by asking for himself to be photographed in front of Cradle Mountain whilst I simply snapped the majestic peak on it’s own. After a short while the Australian man said goodbye and walked off down the other side of the lookout towards Cradle Mountain. I wondered if it would be the last time we would see him alive. I desperately hoped that the conditions would not worsen and that he would be fine.

Read Part 5

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