The East End of Rundle (EEOR) had eluded me for a few months. I'd planned to do it a couple of times previously, but injury, work, or the sight of huge black clouds over the mountains had put me off. We grabbed the opportunity on Halloween, and I was very glad that we had, because winter was certainly starting in the high mountains.
On the way up we noticed some people prospecting for a new route up the cliffs halfway between the ridge (aka the Daffern route), and the gully to its left (aka the Kane route). At least, that's what I assume they were doing.... There was one mountain goat in the party, who managed to climb impressively high up the wall, before having to return to the others, who seemed less keen on the idea of climbing up 15 m of steep, snow-slicked limestone. I'm not sure what was going on up there, but eventually they all turned around and headed down, which was a relief, because the rocks were pretty slippery from overnight snow. The Kane gully was OK, if a little treacherous underfoot.
The summit - well, summits really, since our two most eminent local guidebook authors have been allotted one each - was cold and windy, but a great place to be today. Descending the ridge gave some cause for thought; what must be a staircase in dry conditions had become an invitation to the fastest ride in the Nordic Centre. We took our time, brushing snow from each hold. A summer of hiking had clearly made us soft!
 I'm just so down with the kids. |
 Thoughtful moment on the descent |
Looking across the ascent path, to Ha Ling
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