The forecast for this morning looked especially promising for a snow adventure! Wild overnight storms followed by a brief period of clear weather around sunrise. It was enough to see me out of bed in the wee hours, rugged up and heading up the mountain on my eMTB.
It’s always a treat riding up the mountain when the road is closed to vehicles. Before long I was making tracks through deep fresh snow on Pinnacle Road, knowing that I had the mountain to myself for the next few hours. It’s a great feeling. It’s a privilege. It’s a gift for sure.
It’s also something you’d like to share! Here’s the Facebook Live feed of a short section of the pre dawn climb through the Winter wonderland.
With the snow getting deeper and deeper I wondered if I’d make it to the summit before sunrise. The eMTB had just enough power to push through the fresh snow, but at the cost of battery life. The final traverse leading to the summit though is very exposed and extremely windblown. There were awesome snowdrifts across Pinnacle Road, but the road surface itself was now covered in deep rime ice which a) looked awesome! and b) made the going much easier.
It was bitterly cold and beautiful on the summit. Fresh snow covered the mountains in all directions. Rime ice transformed anything and everything into crystal formations. The full moon was setting as the dawn alpenglow kicked in.
I had a bunch of fun, running around, taking pics and generally enjoying the moment. My hands were frozen numb, but that seemed to be a small price to pay.
It wouldn’t be long before the road was cleared and the bus would start ferrying people up the mountain, ending my time alone with Kunanyi. So I began to roll back down, opting to stop and hike up to the base of the Organ Pipes along the way.
By the time I got home it’s fair to say I was reasonably wet and cold! My clothes were saturated from the endless spray of snowmelt coming off the wheels. Both hands were frozen numb.
Savouring my warm coffee and breakfast I had to smile. A little discomfort is neither here or there. Winter is long. Life is short. Get out of bed early and enjoy it.