Tiffany and Greg Around the World
OK so you finally figure out where the heck Uluru/Ayers rock is and you at long last secure some decent wheels to get you there…
…Then you dive for 6 HOURS until you see this
And you’re all –
But you’d be wrong
because once again Australia lied to us
One can only get pulled up the side of a mountain by a boat anchor tied to a bungee chord so many times before they start considering the alternatives to the dilemma of Australian Alpine ascent.
Continue reading “Into the White”
Today we cover two interesting and mostly unrelated facts.
1) Though literally miles from anywhere even slightly resembling civilization, Mt Kosciuszko is probably the only member of the 7 summits that has mobile phone reception.
Yep, up there. Best coverage in the area.
2) Greg’s self confidence most likely comes from his mother’s side of the family.
The last mountain we were on top of in the southern hemisphere had less cell phone coverage but more snarky commentary.
Greg and Tiffany are traveling around the world on sailing yachts and keep a video blog of their (mis)adventures. If sailing to Tahiti on a 44 ft sailboat, 3-day delays for wine tastings, getting pooped on by seagulls, opening coconuts with dull machetes, sailing past tornadoes and ukulele Christmas carols are for you, then check them out atwww.CoastGuardCouple.com!
Sure it’s not like it was freaking Everest or anything and yeah, it’s the smallest and kinda a part time member of the list but just for the record,
Having developed a bit of confidence learning the fine art of falling down hills with spikes attached to our feet and discovering how much we actually kinda liked trudging over frozen tundra…
…we decided it would make a lot more sense just to drag our snowbaords to the top of a mountain and slide down that way.
With a total of 4 ski lifts to entertain us for 3 months it’s probably little wonder how that got old.
Luckily, our ski resort was smack dab in the middle of a national freaking park and our friend Chris volunteered to show us how to successfully get lost bush walking without killing ourselves.
Why is it still called bush walking when all the bushes are buried in the snow?
Those extra 2 weeks we spent in Opua were put to good use. Since we had a paying gig this time, we didn’t just take off and go exploring ashore. Instead, we did boat work. What kind of boat work? The yucky kind. Observe:
But this article wasn’t titled “passing grey water” was it?
No, no it was not and for good reason…
Sydney is…
Well…
…Anti-climatic.
[fgallery id=7 w=450 h=385 t=0 title=”Mount Aspiring Descent”]
After a week of enjoying the excellent company and stunning views provided by living on a mountain surrounded by glaciers and waterfalls from, most importantly, behind the protective barrier of a New Zealand hut, the day finally came for us to depart. Unfortunately no one decided to tell the rain.
Now seems an opportune moment to discuss a little saying, a philosophy if you will, that we’ve found is said down here when things get a little tough:
“Take a teaspoon of concrete and harden up!”
With that little nugget of Kiwi wisdom we depart our shelter and remember that “Kiwi Moderate” cliff face we crawled up a few days ago?
Now it’s a waterfall…and our only way down:
French Ridge hut
Mt. Aspiring National Park, NZ
Notices posted on the kitchen wall of French Ridge hut:
Seriously, we freaking love these people.
By now we’ve mentioned it enough that you’re probably asking “Hey guys? What are these huts and wardens and whatnot you keep talking about?”
Continue reading “A Hut Warden’s Life”
