Jess' Blog

Ok, so there's a little story behind this climb. On my birthday i had planned to hike up cradle mountain with my best friend Andrew, but i crashed my car so ALL plans failed that day.
Yesterday, we made up for lost time and decided to go for that hike we missed out on.
Originally we planned on just hiking to Marions Peak.
So we did that...

[View of Cradle Mountain from Marions Lookout]

[View of Dove Lake from Marions Lookout]

But once we arrived there (much faster than the advertised time) we decided to continue on up to Cradle Mountain Summit.

The camera batteries died at Marions lookout so i'm really sad that i couldn't show you all what we had to climb up! We were climbing, literally climbing, up and across cliffs and LARGE rock faces! It was VERY steep, to say the least. And the view from the top was incredible.

We saw snow, mud and lots of tourists. We made a few 'friends' along our journey too. The track was THE MOST exciting track i've ever hiked in my entire life! It was just brilliant! And i had so so much fun!

Afterwards, when we finally reached the car park, the cafe was closed so Andrew didn't get his Hot Chocolate which he was SO desperately looking forward to. In the end we drove to Maccas in Devonport, still looking a mess, and got our hot chocolates at McCafe! Desperate, i know.
It was a funny, sponateous little detour :P [In Sheffield we had a massive and confusing detour due to a christmas parade the town was having!]

Andrew is my very best friend. I couldn't imagine enjoying the hike that much with anyone else! He doesn't winge or complain when the track gets challenging, he's not self-conscious or judgemental (which comes in handy when you're both wind-burnt, sweaty, muddy and haggard, Haha), conversation comes and goes as effortlessly as breathing, silences are never awkward, and FUN is a guarantee! We have heaps in common and a balance in differences.
Gotta love best friends!