My solo field trip around Macca
VJM = the call sign for Macquarie Island Station; GG = Green Gorge Hut; WFB = Waterfall Bay Hut; BP = Brothers Point Hut
Day 1- Saturday 27th December VJM> GG
My morning started as most Saturdays do. I woke up early and made a bowl of yoghurt and muesli before getting stuck into my Saturday duty. Once I had cleaned the gym, I finished packing some supplies and headed south towards extended station limits. By 9:30am I was up on the plateau. The hills and flats around me all covered in a thick layer of cloud. Even though I couldn’t see much, it was a beautiful day on the track with little to no wind; a real treat on Macca. Seeing as it had been a few weeks since my last trek around the island, I was pleasantly surprised with how green the island was and how much the Pleurophyllum hookeri had grown in such a short time.
By midday I had made it to the eastern side of Prion Lake when a gap between clouds rolled in and the view of the Red River Basin opened, so I sat down, took in the view and enjoyed a not so warm toasted sandwich I had packed for lunch.
After lunch I was back on the move, taking in the view with every step all the way to Green Gorge. Upon arriving at the hut I radioed back to station that I had arrived, and boiled the kettle. The rest of the day was spent sitting on the beach enjoying the company that the Macquarie Island wildlife provides.
Day 2 – Sunday 28th December GG>WFB
Day 2 started with some weetbix before packing up the hut and throwing the pack back on to make my way further south again. Today’s trip saw me make my way up out of Green Gorge, wrap around the top of Pyramid Lake and follow the Overland Track to the Tiobunga Track. The weather was much the same as the day before, so the visibility was quite low. Regardless, I enjoyed all the scenery I was treated to along the Tiobunga Track, a part of the island I was yet to see up until this point.
Upon completing the climb up the back of Mt Hamilton, I made it back to the Overland Track, where I had to replace the broken and weathered Tiobunga Lake sign with a new one I made on station a few weeks prior.
The wind howling from the west and up through the pass in between the ridges of Mt Hamilton made replacing the sign much harder than normal, but as we all know by now, Macquarie Island is anything but normal.
Once the sign was replaced, I tied the old one to my pack, had a quick bite to eat and did my solo trip 1300hr check in before hitting the track again on my way to Mt Martin Track. Most of the kilometres for the day had already been walked and from here it was mostly a downhill descent all the way to the Waterfall Bay Hut.
Once at the hut I called in to let station know that I had arrived safely, before doing some hut foraging to see what I could whip up for dinner. I decided to treat myself to a field hut staple, the almighty Fray Bentos. A steak and kidney pie, but in a tin….
Not everyone’s cup of tea but I won’t lie, I don’t think you can beat a good warm pie in the hut after a long day in the elements. As many past expeditioners would guess, I didn’t do a whole lot else for the rest of the afternoon after a pie and some 'Deb' mashed potato on the side.
While doing the dishes I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a male Orca surfacing in the break outside the hut so, as anyone would, I ran outside and watched him working the coastline for the next five or so minutes before disappearing into the horizon.
Day 3 – Monday 29th December WFB>GG
Today I had the smallest walk of the trip ahead of me. After cleaning and departing the hut, I walked north along the coast on the Jesse Nicoll track. After making it up the Jesse Nicoll jump up, I sat on top of the hill watching the abundance of royal penguins below me on the coast.
Not too long after I continued walking, I decided to stop again after crossing the Jesse Nicoll creek to have an Anzac biscuit that I made the night before. While sitting there in the sunshine enjoying a snack, I snapped a few photos of Pyramid Peak in the distance. The photos here never seem to do the island justice. It is truly a beautiful place.
I must have taken in the view for at least 20 minutes, before continuing up the hill and wrapping up the base of Pyramid Lake to start the slow descent to Green Gorge.
Upon reaching the hut I had only taken off my boots as Karim arrived. Perfect timing to share a hot brew of tea. After a hot drink I got stuck into some dinner preparations. Karim was beyond stoked when he heard I was making us both pizzas for dinner.
We sat outside all afternoon enjoying the best of what the island has to offer, with a beach full of wildlife at your doorstep. It’s one hell of a place to enjoy some freshly baked pizza.
Day 4 – Tuesday 30th December GG>BP>VJM
Day four was my final day on the track which saw me departing the hut shortly after the morning sched at 8:00am and tracking north on my way back to station. After making it up out of the Red River Basin I turned off the Overland Track, down the Brothers Point Track.
At the top of the hill, I crossed paths with the field training party and had a quick catch up before resuming my trek down to the hut. Once I reached the hut, I again called into station to let them know that I had arrived safely and got stuck into some work.
I measured up the floor to order some new floor mats, fixed a handle back onto an RTA pod and did some maintenance work on a leak in the hut.
While completing the last task I was greeted by Duncan, arriving at the hut after spending a night at Bauer Bay the night before. We boiled the kettle and had a chat over a warm drink before I threw the pack back on and was on my merry way to return to station. The weather had taken a bit of a turn and by the time I made it up out of Sandy Bay to Four Ways junction the visibility was down to about 30 metres or so. Regardless, I trudged on up the hill, getting closer to station and a warm shower with every step.
After making it part of the way down off the top of the hill, with the station in sight for the first time in a few days, I took the opportunity to really take in how lucky I am to be here on this wild little island in the subantarctic and how grateful I am to be here with all of my fellow expeditioners I have been able to get to know so well over my time here.
Although my time here is ever so rapidly approaching the end, I will be able to hold onto and cherish the memories and friendships I have made here, over the past eight months, forever.
Thankyou Macca,
Aiden Geeves
