“On a Mish” #424 Should Have Used a Helicopter (Part Three). Helicopter Hill, Craigieburn Forest Park. 27.10.2024. As my trip to Nepal drew closer, I knew I needed to step up my training if I was going to survive the long trek of many ups and downs. However, I wasn’t prepared for the snowy encounter we were going to have while climbing Helicopter Hill in Craigieburn Forest Park. The experience had us at times thinking maybe we should have used a helicopter to get to the top of this hill…
It is amazing what your body can do sometimes in order to achieve what you set out to do. If I had known how hard climbing Helicopter Hill was going to be, I would have stayed in bed! But with the sun shining and the summit only a couple hundred metres away we pushed on in what was at times knee to waist deep snow. My legs, back and hip were screaming stop, while my mind was reassuring me that getting to the top was going to be worth it. And with the views getting better with each step, my mind was winning the battle!
Plod, plod, stop and rest. Plod, plod, stop and rest. This process was repeated many times and during each break the idea of just using a helicopter was pondered. Of course, using a chopper was never and option, so it was up to us to get to the top. And when we finally did every upward step was worth celebrating.
What a view! The entire Castle Hill Basin was covered in snow and the many peaks of the Craigieburn Range glistened in the sun with their snowy coats on. The views made each painful plod worth it, and I knew the discomfort I was feeling would subside. Spectacular was an understatement to say the least!
What goes up must come down, and once again the idea of using a helicopter seemed much, much easier. But of course, this was never an option, and luckily the steps we had created aided us greatly on the journey back down to the car park at the bottom of the hill. We bumped into a couple of groups of hikers on the way down (some were very under prepared for a snowy climb) and because we went first, we knew that their trek up Helicopter Hill would be much easier than ours thanks to the track in the snow we had created.
On the way down we got a message saying that Jeremy’s migraine had passed, and he was going to meet us on the track somewhere. Due to the snow, little Flora stayed in the car and after catching up with Jeremy, together we finished off our very snowy trip up Helicopter Hill. I was very impressed with my mother as the hike was far from easy and a little bit out of her comfort zone, but this didn’t upset her enthusiasm, and she was with me the whole time. As the day came to an end so too did my ability to walk without a limp for a few days. I was after some training for Nepal, and I got a little more than was initially expected.
Using a helicopter would have been easier, but far less rewarding. It was reassuring knowing that if I can survive a snowy trek up Helicopter Hill, then I’m positive I can definitely survive another magical Ganesh Himal Charity Trek wandering the foothills of the Himalaya with this year’s Active Hearts Foundation Team!
