Paul Petch

Birthday bash at the Bealey Spur

Yesterday was my 36th birthday. I can’t help but think of random events and “moments” in time as the calender hits July 10th each year. So here are just a few….I was a smoker for 15yrs and it has been 6 years since I quit, It is close to ten years since I moved from the UK, we moved to Christchurch 2.5 years ago, and exactly one year ago I did my very first run on dirt. Yep….I’ve been running on dirt for exactly 12 months and yesterday this annual tradition continued with an awesome day with friends in the Mountains at Arthur’s Pass- the Bealey Spur (and on a bit) to be exact.

Ben and his mate Chris from the UK (who is passing through on route to Thailand) picked me up and with the customary coffee and pie on route we were hitting the trail for about 12.30 with the sun high in the perfect blue sky. The trail had a gradient form the go (it’s New Zealand remember!) that was quite pleasant, yet tricky due to continuous ice patches and rooty ledges. I was in my trusty North Face Ultras which once again inspired confidence from the offset- ice, mud, slippy roots….they loved them! The feet found pools of what can be described as ice cold chocolate sauce at points- but the Goretex inner kept the feet toasty dry. These things are trail runners on steroids!

We soon hit sections of snow covered forest and open tussock filled patches….which were beautiful. The snow having a very high water content here in NZ glistened in the stunning days sun. It was paradise…..well and truly. Upwards we walked and the poles came out to aid with the ice and slippy stuff….and after some photo stops and time to take in the views we were at the hut. The layers were put back as we cooled down rapidly and lunch was ate. We chatted to a European couple form Nelson who were in the process of shifting to Christchurch and discovered that he works with Ben’s friend. Small world. We also talked of mountain running and what the tramps are like in Nelson. Gotta love talking outdoors….it just makes everyone feel connected doesn’t it?

We had the choice of heading back or continuing- and of course we opted fr more ascent. From this point on it was all snow and it felt great. We chose a high peak and set off to conquer it….like the Goonies…..like the old days :) Once more the poles helped to find sensible footings in the snow. At some points the snow was knee deep…..so I tried to avoid that. As we climbed out from the tree line the sky grew larger and larger….and the views increased. It must have been an hour before we got to the ridge and we sat taking it all in. We also commented on how I looked like a pirate, stripes are best kept hidden and that Chris’s trousers were exceptionally yellow :) The Nelson couple joined us and we pondered continuing along the ridge….it was just begging us to continue! We also discussed heading back along an alternative route- which as much as I wanted it to happen- would have caused a bit of drama for us….so with the daylight fading with an hour left we all opted to descend.

Aside from the snow and steep gradient it was icy and tricky to choose lines through the tracks we had made heading upwards. Heading back in light was a good choice! I slipped several times to be saved by the poles- the descent was typically harder work than the upwards leg- and without the poles- it would have been a nightmare in the slop. Talking of which, the poles were new and this was their maiden voyage……and I was impressed at how natural they felt…it was like I had used them many times before! Once back at the hut we exchanged emails with the couple and they headed for a night in the hut- which had the largest open fire I’ve seen! What a great night they would have I’m sure….and even better is waking up to a fresh dump of snow as you open the door. What a place!

Now, I had plans to add some running into yesterdays adventure- but the ground was to hard (read frozen),  too icy or to steep and slippy. I managed a few bursts along trails- but it was just to dicey. As we descended- the layers came out once more and then we ran out of light. With our head torches on we clambered downwards in the dark with the sky full of stars and the snowy mountain tops refusing to give up their radiance…until the very last second. What a place!

6.5 hours in the snowy mountains with great company…. what a hell of a way to spend my 36th birthday! Thanks guys :)

Bealey Spur tramp- Arthur’s Pass – New Zealand from www.paulpetch.com on Vimeo.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 6:50 pm and is filed under Featured and tagged with arthurs pass, bealey spur, ben, chris, mountains, North Face Ultra GTX XCR, tramping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.