After trying to get some company to head up to Mt.FT with busy workers and subjects wanting sleep in I headed up from Harrietville myself leaving the car park at 7am on Friday morning.
The air was crisp and the path was crunchy with icy frost on the shaded path. The higher I got the crunchier it was with a few slippery areas I needed to have my full attention turned on. I made it up to the hut in a good time of 3 hours with a few small breaks on the way at convenient stops with views. If I stayed to long at these convenient stops my back would get chilled so I kept the momentum up.
I got up to where the old Bungalow use to stand and found some old relics like a wood saw and an old door lock.
Onward and upward until I got to the nicely appointed Federation Hut with a sunny deck and a seat where I could sit back a relax in the glorious mountain air. Someone once said to me that to make sure you take time to look around as it's not all about the race or challenge!
It's time to get to the top before any nasty winds come on in so I started moving up the foreseeable snowy slope that was facing south. there was a slightly noticeable trail along the contour and up slightly but I needed to be cautious as it could be icy. I managed and got to the top ridge line where the trail intermittently went up and in and out of the left over snow.
I was near the top where I had one more snowy slope to get across when I would be at the top and able to launch. I needed to be careful of the cornice that had developed on the eastern slope as well as cutting in steps to the west of this danger zone to enable me to get to the top destination. I had some shoe chains that gave me some confidence to get there.
I got up there and was welcomed by a local wedgetail eagle fighting with the local crows for airspace and I new if the Wedgie was out the thermals were around. I prepared my gear and after a phone call to home saying all is good and a receiving a call from Brian Webb to say lets meet up along the way some where I launch off. Well my first launch was aborted as I dropped my radio out of my pocket just as I was getting pick up off launch but managed to bring the canopy back down and regathered my self and gear to get off again with everything attached!!
Had a great flight with Brian after getting over to Smoko Ridge and beyond then back to Mystic launch and Clearspot with several other pilots, Pedram Shiari, Bob Saville and John Greenward on his hanglider. This is a great place to be training and preparing for the Redbull X Alp's 2015.
Excellent! That ridge line looks a dangerous place to tackle alone. I admire your courage and commitment in undertaking these things alone when nobody will join you. Hope it always works out safely for you. I guess that is the big risk in the XAlps too. Would love to have done this sort of thing. The freedom to hike up a mountain and fly down (or fly across to another) is a wonderful expression of the sport.
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