• On 24th December, Anna, our 1 year old son and myself decided to escape the Christmas fuzz and we headed up to Kelly Range in Arthur’s Pass Area (technicall the West Coat).
• Anna was carrying the kid and I was carrying the rest. The track up was a wee bit challenging than I thought but Anna smashed it like a boss with not a single moment of hesitation. I was really proud of her.
• We found a suitable spot to camp just above the bushline and spent there a couple of nights.
• On Christmas Eve we climbed Kellys Hill (1394m) which is the highest mountain my kiddo has been to so far. We also followed the DOC track towards the tarns in the direction of Dillon Hut a wee bit. There are some epic tramping spots along those flat tops!
• On the third day we descended the same way.
• It was so good, our kiddo definitely enjoyed the whole thing. Since our first overnight tramp to Woolshed Creek Hut almost a year ago, this was an amazing shift. I believe now that kids under, let’s say, 6 months, don’t really get much out of tramping with their parents. They’re simply too small to enjoy being outside or explore but once they start acknowledging and exploring their surrounding environment more, that’s a good time to start heading out with them. 

Tramped on 24-26th December 2021.