I’m really sorry it’s been so quiet around here lately. This winter has been plagued with sickness. And when I say this winter, I mean me. I’ve been plagued with sickness after sickness this year. I’ve managed to pick up 2 different colds and Dylan and I were both struck down with a wonderful vomiting bug. Which brings us to the first tramp we tried to do in July. [Then August we were overseas on holiday so… we’ve fallen behind on our posts!]
We decided to head out again a full week after I’d had the vomiting bug, and I was actually feeling pretty good. So we collected some friends and headed up to Arthur’s Pass to finally try and knock off the Cass/Lagoon track, one which has been on our list for a couple of years. We were all kitted out with our crampons and ice axes, we hadn’t forgotten any food, we left work early on Friday night so got up to Bealy hut at a very reasonable time on Friday night.
Bealy hut
But Saturday morning, I woke up with a cold. And the other girl in the group (who had also recently had the same wonderful vomiting bug) was feeling ill/nauseous as well. The morning did not go well. I felt, really really terrible. Climbing is about the last thing you want to do when you feel sick. The more we walked, the more exhausted and terrible I felt. Furthermore, we weren’t even close to making track time. It was… unpleasant.
We finally got to the lagoon saddle, and decided to go as far as the Lagoon saddle shelter for lunch and reassess. Unfortunately, the lagoon saddle shelter is really basic. We had to decide if we should carry on to the next hut, stay at the (basic) shelter, or go back to Bealy hut. We ended up making the call to go back to Bealy hut, as I was worried I would feel worse on Sunday – in which would be terrible if we had more walking to do.
So that was a major bummer. I actually felt a bit better after lunch – whether it was panadol, food or simply water that made me perk up, I’m unsure. Regardless, I was still sick on Sunday, so in the end we definitely made the right call.
It was a major bummer to drive all that way and only do a day walk (with full packs, no less)! No one was really up to doing a 2nd day walk on Sunday. However I did manage to score this photo on the way home. Score?
Sheep near Arthur’s Pass
Happy tramping and stay healthy!
Backcountry Hijinks 