Getting away from writing

 

Or perhaps this should be entitled, Where to find a Writer when they’re not at their desk.

Like most Pensmiths, I enjoy solitude.  The top of a mountain provides an alternative sort of yawning silence that brings a deeper contemplation, and I’m always happy to don a pair of skis to get there.

Having been overseas for most of the ski season this year, I’m lucky that the cold weather has prevailed, enabling me to get to Lake Mountain Alpine Resort before the big melt.  With the promise of SNOW and an opportunity to watch the sun come up, I don’t mind the 5.30am alarm if it means I can have a whole day of cross-country skiing.

It’s only a 120km (two hour) drive through the sleepy stillness of early morning, and there’s rarely much traffic about if you leave early.  The last bit of the drive is wonderful, from Marysville, and has you scooping along a meandering road, through rainforest gullies and towering Mountain Ash forest.  It’s a breathtaking ascent on a single lane of horseshoe bends and tight curves – and it makes me glad I have a manual car as I negotiate the hairpin turns.

The sun is out at 8:30am when I arrive at Gerraty’s car park, lighting my steady climb up SnowGum Trail, and it keeps me warm as I follow Woollybutt to The Gap.  The Panorama loop reveals a glorious view that I capture at the Lookout, and at Jubilee I nestle on the sun warmed strips of bark and debris in the crook of a tree to eat my lunch.   The only sound is the gentle creaking of the silvery branches of snow gum as they sway in the wind.

At times I see large Huntsman spiders on the snow, stark against the white, doing a daring, spindly dash across the paths – how do they survive the cold?   Plus I see a wallaby at the roadside at dusk;  but I doubt I’ve passed more than a handful of  skiers all day.  It’s the place to go if you want to get away from the crowds.

It’s such a beautiful and peaceful spot – I never want the day to end – but of course the changeable Alpine weather will always decide our fate.  It brings a foggy drizzle in the afternoon and means an earlier finish to the day.  I still manage 5hrs of skiing on the various trails – I’d guess it’s about 19-20 kilometres in the end. 

There are certain traditions that have to be maintained, and one of those is the apres-ski hat. It tends to change each year, but my friend, Jacinta is responsible for this one.  I absolutely have to wear it. I mean, it has ‘paws’.  How could I not?