What goes up, goes up even further.

Debbie has already blogged about the adventures on the Skyline yesterday.

She asked me to add a bit about my experience since I had a crack at it.

I have only just stopped shaking enough to be able to type. That, of course, as with all of my tales is a bit of a stretch but the absolute truth is that it was the only time on an orienteering course I had ever felt the flush of fear and doubt.

The ride to the top with cheap gondola tickets was wonderful, the view is spectacular New Zealand at its finest, even had time for a coffee with the girls who had wisely decided to give it a miss.

I set out for the assembly area at a steady pace and it all looked so easy.

It was more than 15 minutes before I arrived at the clearing below the small track leading to the start. This is the take off point for paragliding, a much safer sport than orienteering, and as is happily marked “set your altimeter to 2900 feet” I then pressed on up the track leading north from the clearing and joined the dozens of others perched precariously just below the line of cliffs to the east. Climb to date 175 metres.

Inching forward for the next half hour I received my map and then “dashed” up to the start triangle, another 35 metres of climb and met Margi coming down who said “stuff this” I spent the next 40 minutes or so negotiating the track and the button grass, frankly terrified as I passed north of the cliffs betwwen 2 and 3 where it is only centimetres wide. I left control 3 to the west and found a near verticle scree slope that took me and others nearly 15 minutes to climb up, hands and knees and I arrived on the track with broken and bleeding finger nails. At this point I found myself in agreement with Margi.

I went on to controls 4 and 5  just on nerves, I was physically done.

I arrived at control five having climbed a further 125 metres from the start triangle

I descended to the saddle between controls 5 and 6 and took the safe track home.

When I arrived at download I was told I had not punched any controls, there was no data on the loan stick. I tried to convince them that I had done them all but they knew that the average time on Red Short. 3.7kms with no climb given, was close to 3 hours.

I can tell them the climb. Mr Garmin does not lie.

325 metres.

Do you want me to write that again Mr Course setter.

325 meters.

No wonder I went out on the Orange course today.

A totally spent  Pete.