Lake Angelus Hut

Activity Date: 11 Jul 2021
Updated: 11 Nov 2024
People: Finn, Jen

Sun Jul 11, 2021 [Show, Download GPX] Lake Angelus - Day 1	11.70km 4:38:24	2.52km/hr 1027m ⬆️, 274m ⬇️
Mon Jul 12, 2021 [Show, Download GPX] Lake Angelus - Day 2	11.55km 5:09:23	2.24km/hr 219m ⬆️, 965m ⬇️
	23.25km 9:47:47	2.37km/hr 1246m ⬆️, 1239m ⬇️

Day 1: Lake Angelus Hut via Robert Ridge

11.70km (1027m 🆙, 274m🔻) in 4hr 38min @ 2.52km/hr.

Lake Angelus had been on my (Finn) to-do list for a long time, and Jen was happy to do it too! Sporting brand new crampons and ice axes, plenty of extra food, warm clothes, and a bottle of wine we were ready to go.

The climb to Relax Shelter is well, steep and unrelenting. That said, it was over shortly! We reached Relax Shelter after about 65min of walking. From there the incline eases off immensely, and the walking becomes easier. We found some icy patches around Relax Shelter due to the slightly warmer clime. It must melt and re-freeze more here.

The landscape is not at all intimidating at this point, so we were happy to walk on the soft snow without crampons or axes. Jen did opt for a single walking/ski pole, just in case though.

We put on our crampons not long after Flagtop (1690m) because the track started to sidle across some faces instead of staying on the ridge. The snow conditions continued to be nice, and the terrain was still good. We were blessed by perhaps the best possible weather, on this trip. Not a cloud above us, barely a breeze, so we were feeling great! It took us about two hours to reach Flagtop, which was the midpoint (by distance) for the day.

(📷: Finn Le Sueur) Jen on Robert Ridge as the track starts to sidle and crampons added a nice layer of safety.

From here the route continues on with much of the same, beautiful views of the valleys below and of mountain ridges in the far distance. We even spotted Speargrass Hut down on the west side of the range. The junction for Speargrass Hut is about 20-30min before Angelus Hut, and in the end, we arrived just after 2pm, just in time for a late lunch in the sun-heated hut.

(📷: Finn Le Sueur) The frankly amazing view from Angelus Hut.

(📷: Finn Le Sueur) The Large Magellanic Cloud over Maniniaro/Angelus Peak, and the star Canopus glowing brightly to the right of Sunset Saddle.

Day 2: Out via Speargrass Hut

11.55km (219m 🆙, 965m🔻) in 5hr 9min @ 2.24km/hr.

This day is about 1km longer than Robert Ridge, but with over 1000m of descent, it can be just as hard work on the knees. We found that Speargrass Creek Route was very icy due to all the snow-melt which then re-freezes, especially around the river crossings. We definitely took our time down here were pleased to make it down without any slips or injuries. We took off our crampons about halfway down at the obvious snowline.

From here the track crosses Speargrass Creek a number of times. All the while, the trail gets rather muddy but enters some rather beautiful forest. In the end it took us 2:25 to reach Speargrass Hut from Lake Angelus Hut.

From there, the track mainly sidles along the valley towards Mt Robert Carpark. While very beautiful, we were running out of legs and motivation and were mostly powered by the occasional grumble. Nevertheless, we made it out after another 2:45, taking the day total to around 5:10.

All in all, a beautiful trip that we would highly recommend, and one that could easily be turned into a longer trip if you so desired!