22 April 2012: Mt Sinclair

Trip Photos

Heading for the hills	Starting up	Approaching the rim of the lake
First lunch at the lake	Looking down on the lake	Milling on the top
Second lunch on the top	Li Li's group photo	Almost back to the cars

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Mt Sinclair loop:

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Note: A CTC map image or a GPX route shows the approximate route taken by a particular party on a particular day. It should not be regarded as a recommended route or even necessarily a good route. Also, permission from land-owners may be required.

Trip Report

A 6.30 start and a long drive may have had a few of the party wondering whether Mt Sinclair was going to be worth it, but still an impressive number of optimists assembled  and as the light broke and the sun rose on a cloudless morning, the optimism was vindicated.  

Mesopotamia Station having kindly allowed us to use a farm track across several paddocks we were able start not far from our ascent ridge and made good time climbing up the tussock.  By the time we neared the level where Richard had promised that the most beautiful alpine lake ever would be found, the group was somewhat spread out.  The front runners (Steve, Max, Dayle, Sam, Richard K, Karl) arrived well in advance of the rest and spotting the lake (as wonderful as promised, particularly on such a hot day after a steep climb) ran down to it like the Gadarene swine (but with no subsequent casualties).  Steve and Max were drying out nicely by the time most of the rest of the group had assembled.  It was indeed a beautiful spot and we spent some time lazing
around and having first lunch before reluctantly leaving to press on to the top.

Steve lead a group of scrambling enthusiasts along an enticing ridge up to pt 2061 while the rest of us took various more direct routes to the summit.  Second lunch was duly spent on the top of Mt Sinclair, a superb viewpoint overlooking the Havelock, Lawrence and Clyde river confluence that forms the Rangitata and admiring views of Mt Cook, the Two Thumb Range including d'Archiac, Arrowsmiths ...

The route down was a straightforward ridge without much nice scree and and then some scrubby lower slopes where we finally met up with Steve and Max again - they had found a much faster route down a scree gully.  A quick march back took us back to the cars
before 4.30, and then suddenly the whisper spread that perhaps we could make it back to the Mt Peel store before closing time. Ever one to take on a challenge, especially if it involves 4wdriving, Steve jammed in his passengers and charged off.  

We made good time but it still past 5 when we arrived at the store, but look!  it's still open.  We piled triumphantly in and prepared to hold the fort - and were only slightly deflated to be told that the were open until 6 anyway.  The store did a roaring trade in ice creams, teas, coffees and biscuits that evening ...


("My name is Legion: for we are many" ...) Richard Lobb, Xiaoqiu Jiang, Max De Lacey, Gareth Caves, Li Li, Cristina Zablan, Steve Bruerton, Warwick Dowling, Silvia Horniakova, Kate Taylor, Andrea Zahn, Karl Holdorf, Dayle Drummond, Sam Newhouse, Klemens Stampfli, Denise Stroud, Jonathan Carr, Richard Kimberley, Murray Gifford, Jenny Harlow

-- Uploaded by Jenny Harlow on 29 April 2012.