When I Was Young and in My Prime

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. : - WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND IN MY PRIME....... Two members of our Club, Phil Gardner and' Rob Jamieson, with Bert Hines (N.Z.A.C. and T.T.C.) made up a party to the Hermitage area. Phil then took a Levin-Waiopehu trip to the Waimakariri Valley. Below are some extracts from a letter he wrote us. Ed. "In the first week wG crossed the Copland Pass (7,400') to Douglas Rock Hut and then went up to the West Sefton Bivvy site. From there we climbed Sefton (10,359') by the usual route round the head of the Tekano Glacier and over the Douglas neve. The Unnamed Virgin (Hopkins - they had intendod "reconnoitring" this) was obviously out of condition due to snow on the rocks so we returned to the Hermitage by the way we had come, arriving just in time for New Year's Eve. Great show! The next week we went up to Gardiner Hut- in the Hooker Valley - on an outcrop of rock at the foot of the West Ridge of Cook. Two days of bad weather and then we just managed to snatch Hicks (David's Dome), 10,443', on a day of not quite so bad weather and in spite of ice on the rocks. First ascent since 1937. Two more deys bad weather including a spectacular eloctrical storm - back to the Hermitage. Bert and Rob decided not to stay longer as the peaks would be out of condition and went back home. That left me holding the baby. I managed to get another couple of blokes to join me and climbed both Minarettes (10,058 and 10,022'), De la Beche (9,817'), Elie de Beaumont (10,200') and Walter (9,507'). Then they went home. In the last couple of deys I got in with a strong party and climbel Malte Brun (10,421') and then back to the Hermitage. The Waimak. trip went well. We took two days from Bealy Corner to Carrington Hut. Then we went up to Harman Pass, traversed Isobel to Davie and continued on towards Murchison which we would have made apart from the time factor. Arrived back at 10p.m. - quite late enough. Also traversed Carrington from Campbell Pass to the N.Z.A.C. Bivvy; Rolleston via Upper Jellicoe Ridge and the usual route down to the Upper Waimak snow slopes. Climbed Armstrong by usual route and later Murchison, also by usual route. We had a very pleasant trip down the Arahura except for a blizzar: and thunder as we crossed Browning Pass." And then he ran in the Marathon! It must be great to be fit - or maybe it's because he belongs to so many Clubs a T.T.C., W.T.M.C., L.-W.T.C., V.U.C.T.C. er etc.