Mt Alford ZL3/CB-568

I'd been keen to get down and do some of the Mid-Canterbury summits for some time. The easement to access Mt Alford is closed for lambing 20 September until 20th October (inclusive) so the weekend after Eastfest (in Methven) was selected. Edit Sept 2020 - the easement closure is now 1 Sept - 30 Sept, check DOC website before you go!
Saturday dawned fine and clear with North East winds forecast to increase throughout the day.
It's a 1.5 hour drive from home via the spectacular Inland Scenic Highway (SH72).

I arrived at the carpark and started walking at 8:40am

The track is described as Moderate, lots of rain the previous few days left it boggy in places but easily navigated. As you climb through the beech forest (fantastic birdsong from the Bellbirds), glimpses of the plains show through until you reach the alpine tussock tops.

Fenced area to the left is Mt Alford Station, repeater sites and observatory, track climbs to ridge and along to summit on right

The track crosses areas of volcanic rock with many skinks and grasshoppers sunning themselves on the warm rocks.The summit itself looks like a volcanic boulder field - remnants of a very active volcanic area 89,000 years ago. They make great antenna supports :-)

Pole jammed between two boulders with antenna wire to the operating site. Mt Hutt in the background (North)

The larger boulder in the next photo came in handy (to stand on) when I heard Richard calling from Mt Barossa, the other side of Mt Somers and Mt Winterslow

Mt Somers (left) and Mt Winterslow (right)

I think the radio signals (on 2m) refracted over the ridge - anyway, it worked!
Radio-wise, it was an interesting activation. No Australians (first time that's happened). Worked S2S: Mark ZL3AB on Dunblane (Hanmer) on 10m CW, Richard ZL4FZ on Mt Barossa (2m), John ZL1BYZ on Puketutu  and the gang of loyal chasers as well. Also worked David ZL3UDH in Timaru (2m). Thanks everyone!

Wind was reasonably strong but not too bad. I packed up and headed down about 1:30pm. On the way down I met an 88 year old gent with his son climbing up, Dad apparently does the walk every couple of days - he looked in great health!

I'm a sucker for a panorama, especially with breathtaking scenery like this, open the photo by clicking and pan (if necessary) using your mouse. The panorama is 360 degrees, starting and finishing at Mt Hutt and panning across the Canterbury Plains.

Getting there: SH72 to the Mt Alford car park via Alford Settlement Road

Permission: Easement access and DOC conservation land so none needed. Easement closed 20 Sep to 20 Oct each year inclusive. EDIT Sept 2020  - the easement closure is now 1 Sept - 30 Sept, check DOC website before you go!

The track is well marked.
Trig marker: none, but there is a cairn and wooden pole.
Cell coverage: Yes (Spark)
Repeater access: all Canterbury repeaters.
Time to the top: DOC says 3 hours up. It took me 2 hours 40 min with stops. 1 hour 30 minutes down with a couple of stops again.
Distance traveled: 8.7km with 713m of climbing