My favourite Walk: Many paths lead up to Mt Bumblane
Afew members of The Tower Tramping & Walking Club, had a couple of days at Hanmer Springs just after New Year. The weather was absolutely fantastic and hot.
We knew it was going to be another great day and headed off early with clear blue sky and no wind.
We usually do Mt Isobel but knew that Mt Dumblane was well marked but not everyone knew about Mt Dumblane.
So we put on our boots and checked our gear and moved on from the car park and soon found the markers and lots of cairns to mark the way on the track.
I was leading the way and you had to be observant. Now and then you had to look back to see the marker and venture a little further to see the next one which was around a shrub or behind some rocks.
There were many paths that you could possibly take to the top but we were definitely going to follow the marked track.
Eventually I had to let one of the other more aware trampers lead as I had turned right and we should have gone left. There were only with four of us on this trip so we made this a joint venture as leaders.
The scrub was all very low and then lots of rock formations and the views were spectacular as usual and still no
wind. It was great to see Mt Isobel behind us which we have climbed many times.
It was an adventure to do Mt Dumblane as only one of us had done this tramp before many many years ago.
We steadily climbed to the top and the views were 360 degrees. We met another three trampers at the top.
We of course took photos of each other at the highest cairn marking the top. We could see all the mountain ranges and the road into the Molesworth, the Hanmer Basin and Jacks Pass.
Our lunch stop was extra long as it was great to just sit and look. You never get tired of looking at the views.
After some time we headed back down and just took it easy and always making sure we observed the markers and cairns on the way down.
It had been another spectacular tramp and something that three of us had never done before which makes it so much more exciting to add another tramp to the list of achievements.
You can make the tramp as long as you like allow five – six hours.
Good Track easy/moderate