Blue Lake

Andy and Gareth were up at the crack of dawn. Their intended long run the Tate Horseshoe as christened by Gareth, was abandoned. Instead they were to run to Charlottes Pass, via Illawong, Mt Twynam and the main range trail. The rest of the gang had a more sedate morning having breakfast and packing hiking stuff before driving around to Charlottes Pass to meet up with the boys.

 

Once changed and slightly recovered, we began the hike to Blue Lake unsure whether we would all make it or not. Under blue skies, the wind was blustery cooling us from the sun's intense rays. The first km is a steep descent to the Snowy River. The low water mark made the stepping stone crossing a dawdle. Spirits were high as the kids chatted along happily. From the river, the trail climbed for the next 3 kms.

 

Predictably, the higher we ascended, the kids energy levels and resilience descended at the same rate. From experience we knew it was time for a break.



We keep them moving with the promise of snow and after a few more rises, the snow drift appeared. Snowball fights quickly begin and their tiredness ebbs away.

Oops - Ella's self timer perhaps needed a little more time in setting up? She also didn't realise that it was on manual setting for the exposure.

I was very keen to make it to Blue Lake today as it was my third attempt to get to there...

First was in November 2008 when Adrian and Heather were visiting. The walk began in overcast conditions but deteriorated rather quickly....we made it to the snow drift before turning around!

Then a month later we were up at Guthega for family Christmas. This time we got to the saddle before turning around. We could see Blue Lake but it wasn't very blue....



Then there was a lull of 10 years before I cam close again. In 2018, Cath and I ran in the Australian Alpine Ascent, a 25km trail run taking in the Main Range Trail Loop. The course came through the saddle to Blue Lake so I caught a glimpse when running past!

Therefore today in beautiful conditions I was very desperate to get there. From the snow drift, there was one more rise to conquer and before we knew it we'd made it to the saddle and junction with Blue Lake glittering below us.

It was still a decent descent to the shores of Blue Lake. Others before us had the right idea - bringing bathers and towels to cool off in the chilly waters. How we were all longing to give ourselves a dunking but instead resorted to paddling before enjoying a picnic lunch.

Trudging back up to the saddle straight after lunch was the hardest part (except for the last 1km). A discovery of a creek of tadpoles broke up the climb.

From there, the walk back as per usual seemed so much easier. Perhaps it was the downhill slope or the thoughts of getting back to the lodge. Regardless of the reason it was a breeze with no complaining from the kids. Lewys was a champion walker and loved to hold Nathan and Ella's hands. We briefly stopped at the Snowy River once again cooling off our tired feet although both Gareth and Kelly somehow ended up swimming! 

It was awesome to finally see Blue Lake in all its glory and share this experience with a wonderful group of friends!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. As we were competing for the best sunset photos thanks to a small amount of smoke haze on the horizon, little did we know what New Years Eve would have in store for us....