Don't let the Winter, or the weather, put you off. Winter Walkies are amazing and 10OdEd, with Mr Thomas, were lucky enough to book the best winter walking weather ever for their local Mt Thomas tramp (no relation!).

At the beginning of June, NZ's first winter storms dusted the mountains with a sugary sweet frosting of snow and ice before running out into the Pacific Ocean to harass cruise liners and unsuspecting kahawai. Our weather stabilized and with no wind, blue skies, warm sun 10OdEd summited Mt Thomas with no sweat, no complaints, and in record time. One group summited the main peak via the Summit Track, the second group summited the back peak (1048). Both groups made exceptional time and were off the mountain, safely back in Kaiapoi, well before dark.

On a personal note: I feel it is important to recognize the achievements of this 10OdEd class: they were determined - they were good-humoured - they reached their summit goal, and in good time - they respected each other by waiting and stopping for individuals to catch up and rest - they respected the hazards and took care of each other on the icy-track sections and on the descent - they made good snowballs, and respectfully targeted their community with excellence, whilst showing integrity in defeat and victory. I hope I can look forward to seeing some of these students sign up for Level 1 OdEd next year. 

One last story of commitment, and dedication to a cause... This story deserves a special mention. 

One day, one young Ryan Ashcroft built a snowball. It was a BIG snowball, forged in snow and with snow, on the mountain top where some snow could be found. It was THE ONE snowball. The snowball was impressive, much bigger than a basketball and, easily, 4x bigger than Ryan's head. Ryan had a purpose for this ball forged with snow. However, as Ryan descended, the air got warmer. He managed to add small pockets of snow to the ball but lost all snow contact at 1000m. Whilst he descended over 700m, his snowball started to melt. Ryan cared for his snowball meticulously whilst tramping over big rock, root step-downs, and on slippery paths. However, his snowball gradually turned to water and, cupped in his hoodie, Ryan gradually got wetter and colder. Upon arriving at the bridge, 10 minutes from the car park, Ryan's uber-basketball sized snowball looked something more like a sub-average sized $2 butternut squash. It should be noted that Ryan had texted his target an image of the snowball, and his intent, earlier in the day. The marvels of modern technology! Still, there are no wars like Snow Wars! Kaylee McDonald received a direct, full-front, hoodie strike (non-fatal), with the assault registering a minuscule "wah" to "meh" on the Kaylee scale. 

My respect goes to Ryan for having the dedication, and commitment, to keep his snowball baby safe, under challenging conditions (for a snowball), and achieving his predetermined goal! I guess it just goes to show that, with the right amount of determination, we can achieve anything! :-)