Mt Kosciuszko - Day 39

We got up early and headed to Thredbo to take the Kosciuszko Express ski-lift up to walk the 13.5km return walk to the summit. 

The Cannonball Run cycle path below us

Special racks on the chairlift for the bikes

I'm ready to go

Snow patches crossed the path, and I was interested in circular holes in some of the alpine pools and nearby . I was thinking these looked like yabby holes and was later delighted to find some blue claws confirming my suspicions. Granite boulders were scattered with wildflowers, and topped by wonderful vistas. Unfortunately, the pests were also here with crows and flies at the top. 

Our first patch of snow

We were a bit worried by these guys with their skis!

Even up here there are insects

Us with Kosciusko in the background

A tricky path up through the snow

Made it!

We were impressed by this plastic path mat to stop erosion

On the way back down, at the pass we were amazed to meet up with Trish and James, who left Rocky 5 years ago. The summit was amazing with the clouds below us. Darryl was a little worried when he saw some people with skis, but it turned out that they just wanted to say that they had skiied in the Alps in December. There was an alpine lake. Part of the path was metal grating and in parts the snow melted through it in sections. A little skink was flattened out hiding under it, sunning itself on a rock, and there were little fish in the streams. Waterfalls with the snow-melt were quite numerous. 

Yabby hole

A blue yabby claw

Mountain cyclists heading down from the top of the chairlift

After we got the ski-lift down we sat on the hill and enjoyed the Cannonball MTB Festival of downhill cycle racing which had around 600 competitors. The took the ski-lift and then came down on a cycle track. I don't know if the number 1 in the world was there, but we saw the number 2 in the world finish his run.