This morning we woke to clear blue skies and this is the day Wes has been waiting to climb up Ben Lomond. Ben Lomond is a mountain located close to Queenstown, New Zealand. The summit lies approximately 4 km northwest of the town centre, and reaches a height of 1,748 m (5,735 ft). The climb from Queenstown to the top of Ben Lomond is about 1500 meters. The first 500 meters is where the gondola reaches so we decided to take the gondola up and start the hike from there.
The ride up the gondola is really great views of Queenstown and the lakes below. The mountain views below with the lake spread out in several directions really was spectacular. Along the way we were able to catch sight of a few wild goats who were happy to pose.
We headed up the trail which turns out to be about 960 meters (yeah you got it a long way up) with a stop at Ben Lomond Saddle. The climb was on very good trails which made it a bit easier. However I have to admit that my legs started to get a bit tired after 2 hours of upward movement. The total distance is 4 km to the summit (obviously 8 km return) so it was not as challenging as Avalanche Peak but still a toll.
At the summit we had great views in all directions and Wes spends time trying to identify all the peaks in view. With a clear day and a slight breeze this had to be an ideal time to visit the summit.
We returned to the Gondola and spent some time watching the Luge run. They have two tracks, a scenic route and an adventure route. Neither of us felt inclined to try the luge run but there were a lot of people on the track to watch. I felt it would be fun but not terribly challenging.
We looked at the bungee jump and both agreed that sport was not for us. We waited to see someone jump, but apparently there are more people like us than the jumpers so we did not see anyone jump. The sky above us had lots of Para gliders going since they launch from an area close to the gondola. For a fee we could have had a tandem glide which means we would have been there for the ride. However, again we both did not feel the need to do this even though it would be extremely save and likely a bit of fun. The gliders landed at the school playground beside the campground so we watched how easily they landed.
By the time we got back from the hike we had been on the go for almost 6 hours and most of that was very trying with climbing uphill or descending back downward. We both needed to have a shower and then a glass of wine. By the time I finished the wine I was ready for a nap and this is the first time I have had a nap for along time. This has been the 2nd peak we have climbed to in New Zealand and both of them required a lot of effort (1100 meters and 960 meters). Wes is trying to decide if he can get me to do another one but the elevation is really above what I like to do in one day. So we will have to wait and see.
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