It’s been a while since we’ve headed up Ha Ling Peak as a family. This was the last warm day of our prolonged pleasant Autumn. Well, I say warm, it was going to be about 10oC, which only counts as warm when you’re comparing it to -20oC.
But anyway, pleasant weather, must get out and enjoy it, so we decided to head up Ha Ling Peak together, with the invitation extended to whoever else we thought might be kicking around.
And so the Ha Ling Peak expedition began. We’re trying to stop carrying the Boy these days. So this was his first unaided ascent. Of course, he felt he needed to take his own backpack, so he could carry his trains to the top of the mountain too.
It was quite a busy day – we weren’t the only geniuses who’d come up with this idea. And lower down the trail was nice and clear.
Up higher though, things changed. After the first three main switchbacks, the trail started to get icy. We pulled out ice spikers (well, mine are actually Kahtoola Microspikes, and Alex had the Yaktrax Run) but we didn’t have a small pair. After one falling over incident, I started carrying the boy – so that was the end of his first unaided mountain ascent.
It started to get windy and cold (unsurprisingly), and we ended up making the call to turn around at the saddle, after admiring the always-wonderful views.
Then there was just more cautious trip-trapping down the ice, down into the warmth and calm of the trees.
And as we reached the bare ground, release the Boy, and then attempt to slow him down as he tries to run down the mountain.