Glacier Adventure

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Up early for the climb, the weather has turned for the worse, it's pissing down and you can hardly see in front of your eyes through the fog, should be an interesting climb............

Get to the rendezous point to be told that it's postponed for half an hour as it's too dangerous to start, the fog will hopefully lift, it doesn't but we set off anyway.

We get all the gear, waterproofs, gloves, hats, boots and these mental talonz that go on to your boots to grip the ice, the spikes were real blunt like, we looked the part though and set off for the hike.

An hour later we were at the foot of the glacier and Fiona was already debating if she could go any further, the boots had given her mental blisters already, we made some makeshift plasters and went ahead with the climb.

We had to walk up a steep rock face to get on the ice and that was real hard but nothing compared to the first step on the glacier, they tell you to stamp on the ice and to trust your talonz, right then love, I don't trust you and you're little pick-axe thing, I'm not trusting these blunt pieces of metal, anyway as you can see from the pictures we had no picks, no harnesses, no ropes to guide us, all we had was the guide in front carving holes for us to step on and grip in then you pull yourself up, it wasn't easy but it was worthwhile.

I was the only one who said I wasn't scared so got put to the back, safety officer, there to make sure I'd break anyones fall, Fiona was up top leading the way with the guide, it was good fun but I kept getting left behind as I stopped to take photo's, I'd turn around and see everyone but had no idea how they got there so would just start climbing, more often than not I'd have to make my own trail and on more than one occasion fell on my erchie.

As you can see from the pictures it was pretty amazing but at times dodgy, Fiona says the guide was using trial and error to find a way back down but we made it back in one piece, just about, we were knackered so went out for dinner then back to the hostel to bed, Fiona was kicking like a mule in her sleep, she kept dreaming that she was slipping of the ice, funny because I kept dreaming that I was getting kicked by a mule.

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Photos

Franz Josef Glacier
What greeted us that cold morning

Fiona
leads the way

A view
from the first part of the Glacier

Some parts don't freeze
waterfall at Franz Josef

Fiona
taking a well earned rest

Andrew
thinking about eating lunch

The hike continues
after lunch

Nearing the top
Andrew & Fiona stop for a break

Who's tha man?
You are Andrew.....

Nearing the top
of the glacier

Fiona makes it
up to the peak first, way to climb Fiona......

The hard part
Fiona on the way down

They kept that hidden !!
Sign at the bottom