After fifteen years of annual Birthday Trips (Adele and her friend Theresa share a birth date and have marked the occasion with various wilderness trips since the start of university), I finally made it along to one.
Otago is a long way to go for just a weekend, so I took a week off work and headed down for the Birthday Trip and other winter adventures. My first snow holiday in six and a half years – well overdue.
Meadow Hut out the back of the Snow Farm on the Pisa Range was booked out way back in February. Saturday morning, nineteen of us (including five intrepid children) left Snow Farm on the four kilometre route to the hut. Some of us were on touring skis with skins, others on skinnier skis and some on snowshoes. I assume due to differences in pace, we separated into two groups – skiers and snowshoers (which did have a couple of skiers along to help corral children).
The weather started to turn as we left and quickly deteriorated. Thankfully, we weren’t carrying heavy packs – most of our gear and food was coming in by snowmobile. The clouds rolled in and it started snowing, big wet heavy flakes. On the final stretch to the hut the wind funneled down the valley and the situation rather turned into a blizzard. The wind so strong and the snow so wet, every flake hitting one in the face elicited distinct pain.
Thankfully, the hut was not really that far away. We bundled in and got the fire going as we thawed out. Some hardier souls than I, and more experienced & useful, headed back out into the storm to help the families. Drama ensued due to the horrible conditions; children were bundled into backpacks and arrived in the hut rather quiet. The snowmobile was somehow rolled off the side of the trail, landing on the staff member’s head. He was OK. Those of us out there had to help right it, unpack the trailer, move all the luggage up the bank and reload it.
Eventually, all were safely in the hut and warming up. Finally there, a lovely afternoon and evening sheltering from the storm around the fire commenced. The beauty of the luggage being carted in for us was that we had hearty amounts of food and drink. Sharing numerous different curries, we ate well, chatted and played card games.
Most slept well, the storm blew out during the night, the snow groomer drove past at some horrendously early hour and woke us, and a bluebird day dawned. A lazy start to the day was spent breakfasting, packing and assembling for Sunday adventures. Those on snowshoes headed out to play in the snow; while those on skis also left to enjoy a bit of ski-touring further out on the Pisas.
With plenty of skinning up hills, we found some nice turns and fantastic views back over the Cardrona Valley. I enjoyed my first ski-touring in over seven years as exploring various routes over the hills, down into little valleys and eventually back to the route we’d skied in on the previous day. All made it back to the cars suitably spent.
A fun little trip with great people – excellent to finally make it on such a trip. For the actual birthday, we headed up to Treble Cone for a day of resort skiing. The snow was good, although the visibility worsened in the afternoon – we headed back to Naseby for birthday dinner.