Mt Alford Trip

Sunday 26 July 2020

Eleven of us enjoyed this delightful day out. We were lucky to get a beautiful sunny winter day with almost no wind, and the lack of snow made travel fast and easy. We took long, leisurely breaks for morning tea and lunch, not even needing our sit-upons. It felt very spring-like. Wang and others had made an attempt on the mountain about a year ago, but thigh-deep soft snow had exhausted them before they attained the summit.

The track winds through pretty forest, then open tussock-land with views across the North Ashburton river gorge to Mt Hutt. A short steepish climb is followed by an easy ridge walk to the summit at 1171 metres. Panoramic views held our attention, from the vast expanse of plains below to well-known summits like Mt Somers and Mt Winterslow. Further inland interesting mountain ranges gained our attention and some of us were dreaming up adventures into new territory. I have now hatched a plan to traverse the Black Hill Range when spring comes along. I will keep you informed.

The return journey was relaxed and sociable, with the afternoon sun slanting into the forest. A coffee stop at Hororata concluded a great day out.

We were: Sue Britain, Mike Bourke, Shi Ping Wang, Kerry Moore, Diane Mellish (leader), Jill Fenner, John Robinson, Peter Umbers, Dan Pryce, John Jagusch, Darcy Mawson. (DM)