March 30th... Franz Josef Glacier

It was such a dark morning this morning which made waking up a task and a half. I think it was the rooms curtains that did it as after finally getting out of bed and getting ready I was greeted with a stunning sunrise outside. This was brilliant news for me as yesterdays cloud covered hills looked more like snow covered mountains this morning which meant my glacier tour was going ahead! My only problem however was the fact I had picked up a nasty sore throat from somewhere which was frustrating.

After having a quick and easy few rounds of toast for breakfast I got myself ready for my trip up the glacier, packing light as we could only take what fitted into the bag they supplied us which already contained crampons. We were also recommended to wear lots of layers up top and just shorts beneath as apparently it is the top half that it most important and also our bottom half could get damp which meant they were supplying something waterproof for us.

After checking in at the tour centre, there was time to relax in the warm as it was a little chilly outside. I booked the ice explorer tour which basically included a helicopter transfer to the base of the glacier followed by about 3 hours exploring the glacier above. The Franz Josef glacier is the steepest commercially guided glacier in the world, and as recently as 2008 you could just walk up it. It has retreated at an alarming rate in recent years however. Before leaving the centre we had to sort out equipment which included wooly socks and boots, a waterproof coat, fluffy waterproof trousers, and hats and gloves. I couldn't resist taking a bit of red and white up there over their black woolies though! We were certainly not going to get cold up there.

After sorting out my small bag which included just a water bottle, my hat and scarf, we walked to the helicopter take off point. We were not allowed to wear any loose items here for obvious reasons and it wasn't long before we boarded this small helicopter. We had to wear earphones going up due to the noise, and being my first time in one made it all extra special. It was only a 5 minute flight going over the river estuary and into the u shaped valley formed by the glacier. The copter went really close to the rocks at times, and it wasn't long before we had landed on this small ice patch at the base of glacier.

When exiting the aircraft our first job was to put on our crampons which basically gave us grip on the slippery ice. They were pretty easy to put on, but involved lots of straps. We then had a short safety briefing before heading off to explore the impressive glacier which is unique due to the fact it lies between a temperate rainforest. It was slow progress for much of the first bit up the glacier as our guide had to cut lots of steps out frequently, although stability was always not a problem. We got lots of picture opportunity's on the way up, and our guide told us lots of interesting facts, although he made it clear he dislikes Australians. At one point he showed us this crystallized rock which he said he tells Aussie people is fossilised ice!

As the glacier got steeper there became more rope based sections and when reaching the top we saw the people who were ice climbing. I was going to do this but I'm glad I didn't when seeing it because there were 10 people and only 1 person climbing at a time, the rest sitting around. We continued round the group, instead heading through the most impressive section of the tour through these ice walls caused by the glacier moving apart. We then got to this moraine which is a hole in the ice and we were able to climb inside it, although it was very cold. In general though it was actually quite warm up on the glacier.

We then went through some even more impressive ice walls which were this time a blue colour and was dripping with water. From here we did one last push and reached the highest point we were going on the glacier, although it went a heck of a way further up! I won't go into detail about the formation of glaciers. We then begun our descent which was pretty dodgy in places, although our guide had made lots of steps for us which made it slightly easier. Some areas had ropes as well although it broke when I used it and I nearly fell! We reached the bottom after a slow but exhilarating 3 hour hike which was just amazing by around 1. My crampon had come lose when reaching the bottom however although I had made it without any serious mishaps!

We had a short wait for our departure at the bottom due to congestion of people compared to the helicopter space, but we eventually left the glacier. It was nice to take in what can only be described as stunning views when leaving the glacier. It wasn't long from when landing back in Franz to when I was back in the hostel again after another one of them so called once in a lifetime opportunities. I ended up having a little picnic lunch in my hostel room, although I really didn't feel good at this point with a sore throat and light head so instead of getting straight back up I ended up having a little power nap before the next part of my day.

I woke up by about 3 in the end, and despite probably being able to sleep longer, I decided to get up and go for a walk. Franz Josef has many set walks which are well marked ranging from around 20 minutes right up to 8 hours. The one I really wanted to do was the tartare tunnels, and I ended up combining this with the callery gorge walk. Starting with callery gorge walk, this took me through the rainforest along well marked tracks, before descending into this rocky path which took me down to the river. The path stopped here, although I was still able to go on this old swingbridge which was pretty dodgy over the fast flowing river below. The path beyond this was shut due to erosion however.

I then headed back the way I came to the turn off of the two walks and followed another river along a well defined path to the tunnels. The path eventually left the river and quickly rose, zigzagging up a hill to this old tunnel entrance. There was pre warning that you would have to wade through cold water, so I changed into my sandals and went through this dark tunnel. The water was cold and feet deep much of the way through, and at times I saw glow worms on the roof! It took a good 10 minutes to get through in the end and at the other end there were these old wooden supports and a sign saying do not continue which I presume were more tunnels. After heading back the way I came I checked out this turn off in the tunnel, although after crawling through I realised it was just a waterfall access route!

It wasn't until gone 5 when I arrived back at the hostel, and after relaxing in the hostel I made myself dinner which was simply just noodles tonight. I then curled up on the sofa in the common room making myself feel at home and watching tv, although my nasty cough was drawing attention to myself so I decided to go to bed from here. I just thought to myself an early night could do me good because I am always on the go to be fair!