Merchant - Quoin

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MARCILANT = QUOIN. Wo loft Wrllington at 7.40p.m., trn minutos latr and minus Ian and tho big billy, so Wo call-d on -thyl Cartor for onco Piling out at Kaitoko around 9p.n., the vorking partystarted up tho-Puffor and Wo ight (Trev. Welsh (Loador), Harold Stretton, Ian Hindmersh, Bill Campb-11, Colin Horne, Ashl-y Loppor, David Wallor, Ann Molvillo and Ivy Logg) dopartad for tho Merchant Ridgo ond Dobsons. Apart from wind tho trip vas ruito good, and tho noon grvo a feir light. Wo finelly arrivad at Pobsons around 10.45- to find two-shootars alreedy in possession, but Wo menagod to scuonza oursolvos in. AS usual Ann had to fish around in tho dark to find wator to wash! Trovor told us an carly stert was ossentinl, so Strott was up at 5a.n. to start a fire. Ann end I, not having-sl-pt much bocanse of Ashlny's unnusical-snoring and thr drought fron tho hut door, docided to got up. Aft-r broekfast Wo hit the tho trail around 6.30a.m. "ho sky was cloar and th- ir inviporeting, so "Tp thr Marchant Pingo Wo crawlod"; up tho "Goldon Steircesal-to Omaga, up Holls Gatos anda fow othrr hills - somatimes the track fool-d-us and Wo wont Afrw strps down, butnostly upwards, ovor upwards. Joop-rs, do Wo"novar reach tho top? Somwhore wo hoard a COO-00 and lrtor Krith and Ian (minus billy) caught us up. (Our billy was loft at Dobsons with Colin who was supposnd to follow lator but did not aftor badly turning his anklo, and Ien had loft his at Touthar-nikau aftorbring told wo had onn.) For a short whilo Wo had hail tho sizo of snall pras showored upon us, but-thry Toro mod thirst curnch-rs! "ventuelly whon I-had bogun to think Alpha Hut-was a nyth and Maui must bo strot tching tho distancr, Wo cano upon it. An attompt was medo to light a fire (vhat at Alpha!!) with damp wcod ond no axno Aftor Innch To discarded packs, climbed sha and surveyed tho : untrysid-: I had my first vi of tho Weirarapa plains and lakos, "Palliser Bey and-the- Heurangi Rango on tho horizon. To-th Torth strotchrd tho more lofty snowy porks of tho-Tereruns; Ovrr to ths "outh Wo sat Wollington Herbour, Sonns Islena and intho fer distanen tho Kaikoure praks; Wostwards Wo glimpsrd Mona end-Kapial Islands. I docidod thr viow.' wes yll worthth frort and-thet tramping was not-such a nad pistim-:ct : all. TTC carrind onaround the Dross Circlo, Lr à a ann tranping to-thr-tern,-but tho rost of us rotumng to Alpha Hut to propere dinnor. A firo was lit and naintained by dint of nuch fanning with a tin plato and blowing with a pair of dilapid otod bollows. A dinnor of strw was followed by a cup of cocoa and all cravled into slorping bogs for thr night. (Ann, having to wash, was last as usual). -Inn, Ashl-y,"Annend gysolf, bring dotailed for breckfast dutios, Woro up et 5,30-- or was it 6? il too carly for mo anyway. Ann has a now signatura tuns "I didn't sloap a vink lest night!!" 8.30 and Wo wrre on tho track onco nore to tho top of Alpha in a howling wind and low cloud, and thrn off along the Quoin Ridge, only littloups"rnd downs this time and wit- casygoing. Just boforn ontoring tho bush tho-clouds liftod and wo had a lest Flimpso of Alpha silhourttod against a blun sky. Gaily Wo tranpod through-tho bush, dnsonndinggredually. Tranping long this trpo of trackis Very plrasant, I thought. -Wondor if it will bo liko this till wA rrach tho Kaitoko Canp. That-a hopr! Tho grntlo slopo ended abruptlyand down Te sprd, Ann and I on our srats I or part of tho way, Thn lutt Rivor forks woro-a wolcomo sicht, but-whoro was tho Croad I had-hoped to Soo? Allaround Woro hills and I-soon knowtho worst. Our way l-d across tho river, 'nn bring roscurd by Trovor from a watory Soat, and upwards fora changr. 2p.no and Wo wero on ourway gain. "pwards Wo trudgrd -would this hill novor rnd? Tould Wo mako Kaitoko bofore tho truck? I had my doubts as two shootors at th--forks said it was a 22 hour tramp, but Ann and I woTo noarly on our hends and knons by now. Hooray, tho top at last, but bags of mudi myontuelly Wo loft tho bush and away bolow us"was Kaitokr, so nrar and yrt so-fars -Tho track from horo was good, but half wy down Wo en tored tho gorse zone. As 2 grand finalo Wo lost tho track and Strott lod us through a gorso forost.- I dig thr thorns out yot. Thr road at last, and the timo? just 4p.M. A good nding to an enjoyabl-, if somothat CERL-TuntURn work-rnd. I.L.