North Mt Egmont

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NORTH AT.. EGMOT. Hay6/Bth. It was a lovely looking truck. It whooped into the curb at the Station and whooping ourselves with joy we dived in and curled up in its 12 decks, revelling in spaciousness, all ignorant of our approaching doom. e were North Egmont bound; Stan with skis and the rest of us laden down with packs full of luxury foods for a baked dinner Saturday night. Absolutely nothing could stop us or our hope of a good weekend - memoriss of our last stay there - "Has anyone seen my silly brother?" Weflew through Levin in our brand new canopy and truck and after a brief interlude on the Foxton straight made for Wanganui end the pie cart. Next stop Egmont. On the way up to the Hostel and Cottage we seemed to be scraping the notices over the road a great deal but it only served to waken us sufficiently to get out of the truck and into the Gottage for a little more shut-eye. The morning dawned and the others left me behind and trailed up the mountain. Terry reckons that their day went something like this. "We sterted off in nisty westher but with no rain. The last ones made feirly slow time up to Tahurangi Hut and by the timo they arrived there was quite a fair wind blowing and driving rain at us. ye found at Tahurengi that the first comers had beon invited in by the T.A.C. and on our arrival the brew WRS just coming along nicely. We were very glad to got into shelter from the wind. It was not until ve hrd been there some time that Pete relised he hed seen Inn and Jnck hending down the valloy to the right of the track and had yolled nt them to come back - but - thoy weren't in the Hut. A scerch party was very quickly orgrnised (maybe we're getting used to them) and nfter struggling into wet parkas and gloves we loft the hut and hended towards Humphrios Castle. le had only been going bout 5 minutes when a call from the direction of the hut brought us back. Inn nnd Jack had got off the treck in the mist and had made a large circle nbovo the hut when, realising their mistake - they crme down. Wore we glad to see them! Back at the hut wG finished off our enrly lunch and sterted off up agrin. We found a nice little patch of snow at a rather steep engle with rocks nt the bottom where I gnve a safeing and glissnding demonstration and thon put the novices through their paceso Joy's apperent liking for the rocks at the bottom in hor first slide gave us all a surprise - but hor most of all I think. The wonther was now stendily deteriornting and -l1 except Trev, Pete and Johnny decided to turn the climb ino Snow conditions were very hard and without crempons, which Trev and Coo had, it would have been a vory long and miserablo job cutting steps to the summit. We went up a bit further until we found n good snow basin and there practised safeing, glissading, step-cutting etc. for some considerable time until the wind and rain beceme too bad even in the valley's shelter and we headed for Tahurangi at fast spood with Trev and Pete again in the party. About half went straight down to the Cottage while the othors pulled into Tahurangi agnin end were very gled when offered another brew. When washing up time came around there WRS quite an ergument; T.A.C. saying they'd do it while we said that we would - of course I was happy - the Leader never does any work anyway. Who said that? I think in the end that we effected 2 compromise. We were lonth to lenve the friondly shelter of the hut but nt longth we could not prolong our stey any longer so out into the brd wenther shortly after Johnny arrived back and down to warmer climos at the Cottage where wo cleaned up and filled in time at the Old House and the Hostel whilo trying not to think of the dinner vhich was well on the way." That ends Torry's tale so back to cvents at the Cottago. During the afternoon I peeled spuds and genernlly played around with the cooking. It certainly We.sn't C tramper's meal because we had an oven to help us get results. The dinner apart from itself - who's patting who on the back? - hed to highlights. We had both beked and boiled vogetables and half way through such sundry items as roast beef and mutton we made the eme.zing discovery that we had forgotten to dish the baked vegetables - they were still keeping warm in the oven! However, better late then never. Most seemed on the verge of collapse after this course when on came the fruit salad. Wewere thoroughly enjoying it when Sten suddenly began making e xplosive noises. Wot - lemons in the salad? we hope Ien knows now that 99.99% of the peopleprefer just the juice squeezed on à NOT the whole thing put ino With the meal over we adjournad to the Old House where two T.A.C.ites were calebrating their birthdays with a party. Ever tasted kerosene beforo? Ask Pete - he'll tell you al1 about it: (Sorry, censored. - Ed.) Actually it's a pretty poor substitute for other bottled cheer - something wrong with its flavour. The morning came and evontually we moved back to the Cottege and sleep. Odd typas kept wandering in during the night - some on foot, some on hands and knees - end they all seemed surprised to find us in the bunks. The capital city has nothing on the Taranaki Alcoholics (sorry - Alpine) Club! The dawn crashed wide open with rein, rain, and more rein. By the time the truck came back the roads wore running streams. Then it refused to goo Three of us on board to load the packs and gear went with it down the road while Mac made efforts to start it. The others had a wet race to us from the Cottage and then we pulled out. Canopies are normally built to keep out the elements. Before long the inside of the truck was as wet as the outside while everyone compulgorily joined the "swimming section". Mac explained later that the roof had been torn on the notices across the rond on the way up to the Hostol. We te in a dampened strte (felling uncomfortable Rocky?) at Wangnnui and so home. Wet? Woll, I suppose it isn't everyone who can say they've swum from Egmont to Wellington. Our thanks go out to ell the T.A.C. members and to Ray Okey, caretaker of the Old House and Nov Hatwell, manager of the Hostel who all helped in making such en enjoyable weekend for all of us. At least we did introduce table-traversing to the T,A.C., Mt.E.A.C. and the S.M.C. in slight repayment of our debt - we hope thay enjcy this sport. Those on tho trip wereg- Betty Evans, Joy Parsons, Butch Mershall, Betty Brewster, Agnes Wells, Dienna Collings, Pauline Climo, Bill Rice, Terry Moore (Lender), Stan Kinder, John Robinson, Trev Walsh, Pete Johnson, Rod Milne, Rocky Garbutt, Ian Hindmarsh, Jack Whitsitt, Don Langforde M.H. & T.M.