Easter Sunday Pilgrimage

I slept surprisingly well in the whipping tent.  I woke up a few times and always thought about getting up to climb the mountain, while getting an early start.  However, the pitter patter of raindrops and the warmth of a sleeping bag, kept me nestled into my tent, despite the pools of water that were forming.  I did unzip to check the visibility... but the fog lingered.  After the sun came up, I could still hear the rain and decided to get up and out anyhow. 

When I stumbled out of bed, I had a had time trying to decide if I should continue on to summit Mt Anne.  At the moment, I couldn't see 10 ft in front of me, so the view would be no good.  I debated whether or not the mountain would rise out of the clouds, but based on previous experience, I guessed not.  Then I tried to decide if I should do it for the challenge and finally I decided that the logical thing to do would be to find another National Park, where I could see more of Tasmania.  So, down I went.. not that this was easy.  I ended up bending my hiking pole.  I was blown off my feet because of the wind and my face was freezing from the wetness and wind.  The boulders were slow-going.  Slickrock is slick when wet.  Once down from the boulders, I met a group of people that thought about going up Eliza.  They had just entered the cloud/fog.  I told them that they were welcome to try, but the view would be lacking, unless the clouds lifted up to some degree, while the sun continued to rise.  I also made sure that they knew the forecast, which called for snow that night.. which is problematic on this rock without the right equipment.  Then I asked if there was decent weather anywhere in Tasmania.  They said the east coast.  So, off I hiked and drove.  First things first, I grabbed a Easter coffee.