Journey into Hopkins

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JOURNEY INTO HOPKINS. Christmas, 1949. The wild rock crags play the deep plucked bass, And the green frosted ice the violins grace. The avalanche roars as the rumbling drums While down the valley the flute wind comes. "The sky is a flat, stecly gray, the sun a mere patch of light in its thatch. At the head of the valley Hopkins holds court with the devil at its elbow - the Black Tower. Hopkins from here appears a heavy wedge of rock with rock ledges set like tiles. Both it and tne virgin peak are heavily snowed. The Neumann Range lifts its tousled heads of rock and snow towards the proud peak at its head - Hopkins. Jackson at the Elcho Forks with the Moore Glacier precariously glued across it growls arrogantly. Everywhere above the green and brown of the beech is the cold white of snow. The air feels full of rain and the little mufflers of cloud that P rap the throats of the high peaks look ready to cry abuse at us. The nounte: ins looked hard and grim as if they had retired beneath their frozen shells and refused to answer the door to visitors. They are not unfriendly; they are just unfeeling." That was Wednesday, 28th. December, the day the boys reconnoitred Nameless Col; but it could have been any of the days we spent in tho Hopkins Valley excopt there was no rain then - it snowed very heavily that night and we woke next morning to three or four inches of snow sproad solidly over river flat and becch terrace. Friday, December 23rd. found us, minus Dave Lowe who had broken his toe, on the solid earth at Christchurch. We said goodbye to the Haast trip, paid a pilgrimage to Scott's monument on the Avon and now re were about to begin our dreary cross plain to Oamaru. As we lurched down through the sateness of flat country, baby. foothills way West drew sharp lines across the horizon, tinged faintly with white splashes. At Oamaru we de-trained, packed our good gear off to the Hernitage and set out by bus to Kurow. The Cay had, been hot and sultry with a fluffing of thundrous clouds aboutthe ranges but our spirits were high as we wound our way into the hills. At Kurow we de-bussed, found Dave, our driver, and a few of the old Sparkling and so to Omarama and Huxley Gorge Station. Leaving Kurow we were soon on open shingle road through endless tussock and hundreds of rabbits. We passed along the side of the Waitaki Power Station and the Dan with pathetic willow trees still hopefully pushing bedraggled boughs out of the water. And so to Omarama, late dinner and in the waning light to Lake Ohau and Huxley Gorge Station. We felt the roughness of the road around the Lake although we did not see it until we came out. Dave, the mail van driver, explained there were about 70 streans to cross - we found them all. At Huxley Station we piled out and into a welcone bunkhouse. There were still a few stars but the wea thor was fast closing in. Behind the honestead, sct between pines, the ranges rose, snow encrusted in guts and gullies. Peter Bein, the reported the river up and the wire across the Huxley no usable since BOTAROTY ger the river had bypassed it. And so to slecp. The next' day dawned as expected - the outlook was grim. But Regardless had joined the tean and duly photographed bent under packs from 72 - 80 lbs. we set off from the homestead up to the coiner of the Hopkins and Dobson valley. Up above the weather sneered at us. Around us the ranges swept down in glacier scarred spurs to the wide and seemingly endless plain of matagouri and shingle. As we rounded the corner the lower Hopkins Valley opened uparinvitingly. Rabbiters Peak winked at us out of the derision and the Neumann Range refused to alter its position opposite us in spite of dreary hours of plodding. By common cons ent we trudged half an hour and rested - sometimes up to half an hour. Ahead, seemingly much closer than it was, bush clothed the nouth of the Huxley where it entered the Hopkins. We picked up the Cairn which commemorates climbers killed on Trent and sidled without pleasure to Huxley. Opposite, waterfalls leapt with wild abandon down the rocks to rush impetuously into the brown Hopkins torrent. We crossed the Huxley where the wire bridge should be, and frozen to the marrow with its hurtling madness went unsteadily on. Our shoulders were fighting an apparently losing battle with ouf packs. Rhythm of novemont seemed impossible on the rock strewn terraces and root broken sidles. The Elcho seemed to move further away every time we crossed a terrace. And then at last the hut, striped and heavily wired to the ground peered welcome through the beech trees. Bill even jumped the "fence" of boughs about the hut site when he had dropped his pack. That monent of slipping heavy loads from our backs was one of the best of the trip. Visibility was almost nil and te were more interested in a meal and rest after 92 hours slogging than nour.tain scenery anywey. Once we had seen a rugged col up the North Elcho, seamed with gaping crevasses and towered over by a huge cornice. But otherwise our boots, or the boots in front had fascinated our gazeo Hereford cattlo, and scragely sheep and, unbelievably, seagulls, had watched our weary entry with passing interest. Those seagulls came to be quite a familiar sight. On the Neumann Range, up the Elcho, at the head of the Hopkins they squalled and cried above us. That night it thundered, great crackling peals that caught the valley on one side and rocketed across to the other, shaking the hut with its intensity. Christmas Day woke with the Elcho and Hopkins leaping in brown insanity down the valley. Intermittent claps echoed up and down the ranges all day. There was a light peppering of snow on the rocks and with visibility not too bod we were soon out trying to get a picture of our house for the next ten days. The hut was built in 1938, the timber being brought up by trucko It is lined and very comfortable with accomoda ation for 12; but indiscrininate cutting of trees behind it is laying up trouble in Southerly storms. North of us was the Elcho and we could not cross thato South of us we know the Huxley would be uncrossable where we fordod. It looked as though we were taere for some time. Up the Elcho Jackson and its Glacier stood very grandly. But other peaks were hard to idontify in the shifting cloud. That night four N.Z.h.C. chaps arrived wet and cold from the Cairn down-river. They had forded the Huxley well out on the Hopkins river bedo They had been washed out of their tent - quite a common experience down that way! Next day we did a short reconnaissance up the South Elcho. It was an easy trip of 35 minutes up to the Elcho Forks on the true right and from there we sidled along steep spurs of rock and snow grass for an hour. There was no visibility and it was raining and sleeting, later snowing. Old avalanche debris bridg ging the river and deep scars on our side of the valley showed the extent of the snow and ice avalanches from Jackson. There is plenty of dracophyllum up the valley and scope and shelter for high canps, but the cold soon danped our enthusiasm and we were back at the hut and warmth in very short time. It rained nearly all day on the 27th. but nevertheless the 28th. as set for a clinb to Nameless Colo In the late afternoon of the 27th. I tried to record the aloof beauty of the ranges as they began to clear. "Across the valley the Dasler Pinnacles climb proudly into the misty background that shadows the Dobson Valley. Every little

17 = nook and cranny of rock has its little burden of snow and rock routes are traced with a crayon of white. The sheer face of the first large pinnacle has already shed its snow tracings and stands out starkly on the ridge pattern. Below these rock formations the snow grass shelves and terraces are dappled in white and brown. Far up the valley a little last sunshine enanels the snow a light golden cream. On our side of the valley the snow is severely and heavily white deepening to blue green. The ice falls of the Moore Glacier defy gravity as their line sweeps sturlily down. Great cracks yawn across its face while above, thc new fall of snow has painted out the crevasses. The bush is green and solid below except where here and there spurs slip their snow into the line of the bush." And so with this encouragenentof the weather Nameless Col became the objective for the 28th. "We left the hut at 4a.m. just as the sun's rays reached the tip of Mt. Hopkins at the head of the valley. All the peaks vere clear and we had high hopes of a fine day. How mistaken we were. At 5.50 we reached the limit of Monday's reci. and after studying the map decided on a small couloir leading to the main ridge. This couloir was not exposed to avalanche danger from the hanging face of the Moore Glacier as was the main couloir to our right. le left the river at 6.10 and soon roped up in this order; Bill, Stan and Barrie and Hori and Rod. Climbing in the couloir was heavy work - ith a combina tion of deep snow and increasing steepness. At approx cimately 200 ft. from the heavily corniced ridge Bill tried to force a way out of the gut to the ridge but found it inpossible. At this stage conditions were very unpleasant. Snow was falling; snow waswhipped off the ridge by the wind and stung our faces, and to 'make matters worse the snow underfoot appeared unsafe with surfece runnels dragging on the rope between Bill and I. The decision to turn back, therefore, wagunanimous. We wriggled carefully into parkas and proceeded to bulay down, very slow work, until the slope became less "nearly vertical". From here it was just a cese of plodding down through the soft heavy hiteness. We regained the river at 11.25 and after a quick snack returned down the Elcho to the Hut, arriving at 1p.m. with snow falling. Summary:- Good belaying and snow plugging practice. Disappointing result due to bad weather and snow conditions. Altitude reached estimated at just under 7,000 feet. Good view of hanging face of the Moore Glacier othervise view nil." The 29th. was a day to remember. It was fine and with climbing out of the question * ith such a heavy fall"of snow the night before we had nothing to do but admire the scenery. We paid a brief but pleosurable visit to the Dasler Pinnacles and the Neumann Renge.on the 30th. Serious-rock climbing was still out of the question with the snow still laying in patches on the rocks which for unreliability are in a class of their own. We crossed the Hopkins which was low and having changed socks made up the spur under the pinnacles coming out under the lowest of them. We soon roped up but gave up the climb when we reached an inspiring slab before us and nothing at all below. We sidled bencath it but for want of tine and an encounter with a steep snow couloir that was also a rock shute retired in good order to lunch below in the sun. We had not had anything in particular in view and were just satisfied to sit and eat while Barrie snapped a panorama of the Main Divide. Apart from the view the boys had from below Ward this was the best occasion we had to survey the country. It is useless to enumerate the peaks and impossible here to describe them all. A good day in high country has to be experienced to be really appreciated. And so back to Elcho. The next day Ward was scheduled and knowing that I travelled more slowly than the boys I seceded from the attempt and volunteered as chief cook and bottle washer while they upheld the Club's reputation. Saturday 31sto 8,680 ft. Ward : nearly! "2.30a.m., having breakfast and should be away to schedule. .." my diary reads. Leaving the hut at 3.5a.m. we travelled up the North branch of the Elcho River to a point belot Elcho Col. After leaving the river we followed a steep snow ridge until it merged into a snow basin bolok the main ridge. The snow was soft and made heavy going with one or two hairy places. Once on the basin we sidled to the right of a schrund and climbed steeply towards the corniced ridge. Almost at the foot of the cornices we veered smartly right above the schrund and gained the Col (7,000ft. approx.) at a clear section of the ridge. A tricky experience with the cornices above and a gaping schrund below. A quick sweetie and at 8.15 put on crampons. Rod and I leading, Bill, Barrie and Hori following, we noved around the Western side of the ridge sidling Mts. Baker and Dundas on fairly steep firm snow. Next we dropped slightly to a col between Dundas and Knowles, then skirting Knowles above more schrunds on the Baker Glacier we traversed under the face of Ward's summit ridge. We climbed around the foot of this ridge and from there up behind it on a steep couloir. This couloir, we hoped, led to the summit but after carefully climbing around and above a hungry looking schrund we finally reached the top only to find that t about 200 feet of rock separated us from our goal. We had reached a col at approxo 8,400 feet, this col separating the ridge from the Landsborough Valley from the rock summit. Time read 11a.m. and the outlook was grim. The last 200 feet or so of rock was very steep and footholds not at all encouraging. To make matters worse lumps of snow and ice were cascading off and showering us below. So with regret we declared the face unsafe and out of condition. After a quick lunch, a little photography, a last look at Cook and Sefton in the distance and a few msty remarks fcr thesummit rocks we retraced our steps to the Baker Glacier. Shortly afterwards we removed our crampons as the sun had softened the snow considerably. We deviated from our ascent tracks in order to climb Dundas

(7,200ft.) and Baker (7,800ft.) as consolation prizes and regained Elcho Col at 1.50p.n, Another sweetie while we watched dark clouds approaching rapilly and threatening to spoil an otherwise cloudless and sunny day. At 2.10 Rod and I lcd off down the Col, testing for avalanche danger. be soon passed the schrunds and turning to the left found a convenient gut down which we glissaded with the roar of Mt. Jackson's avalanches ringing in our ears. Slowly we noved doin the Elcho reaching the hut, and a very welcome meal prepared by Butch, at 6p.m. Summery:- A good 15 hours climbing. Excelient crampon and belaying practicc. Unlucky to miss Ward but still consider OI r retreat wise. he party all sunburnt but satisfied that at least we had done sonething this trip. Weather for the greater part of the day gloriously fine and ideal for Barrie's camera." On New Year's Day a rest was called. The boys Looked like well grilled steaks. Then on Monday the second of January we loft our home at Elcho, packed and headed for the Upper Hopkins, Dobsons and the Hernitage. Alas for plans. We returned noxt day. On the 2nd. my diary reads "Tonight we are in a tent perched on the side of the Neumann Range opposite the Richardson Glacier. There is a certain amount of Scotch mist around I in fact there may be sone who would go so far as to say it is raining. Bill, Hori, Stan and I are packed into one tent variously pitched with ice axes and rocks. In fact we are getting a little like a city parking lot I parked fender to rear. There was a Eood cool wind blowing today that made travelling very enjoyeble. The Hopkins River has been quite uncrossable until just below us where we got across on avalanche debris. We had a couple of att. empts to get across below the Thomson but to coin a, phrase the river was deeper than it looked. It took us 27 hours to Thomson where we visited Atholls old camp site and paid homage to the relics of his bark shelter. Rod has quite a bad foot - from a blister on his heel, and thinks it would be better to return. It is now definitely raining and the tent is leaking in the tine honoured manner." To cut a long story short Bill and I endeavoured to get breakfast at 2a.m. next day with the rains bucketing down and avalanches roaring off the Divide. We put a parka over the fireplace and every time we got a flame we had to take it off and then the rain put the flame out. At 4a.m. we crawled back into our bags = frozen stiff. Barrie and Rod broke in on us at about 6 and announced their intention of 1 aving for Elcho. We followed them about 4 hours later. It rained heavily all the way down the valley and we fully expected to find Barrie and Rod at the Thomson unable to ford. That was fairly easy but we roped acr SS a frothing torrent about fifteen feet across furt.er down the valley. And then came the Elcho. We only had to look once to see that the usual ford was out of the questiono Then Barrie saw us from the Hut and signalled to go downstream. Ve fcllowed his directions implicitly and when he showed us where to go across we linked arms and buoyed up by his obvious confidence began to cross. A few yards out Hori, downs tream man, suddenly bocane wai ter borne and Ihad just got him onto his feet when Bill and Stan took offiabove; passing behind me. Hori had noved back and the next moment I was heading downstream nostly under water at a terrific pace. Fortunately the others were washed almost straight back to the bank they had left and I by sone niracle found myself battered, minus my ice axe and ski cap, but intact on a little island in the centre about 30 yards downstrean. -Stan threw the rope across to Barrie while Bill untied Hori who had got himself hopelessly entangled with his ice axe and jammed into the rocks. They brought the rope down to" me and we were soon back in the huto a Stan and I were both minus ice axes but the rest of the damage amounted to only shock and bruises and abrasions besides wet gear and sodden food and cigarettes. The next day we refused to budge and finally on the 5th. we retired in beautiful weather to the Huxley Gorge Station in 4 hours and 48 minutes." Let have to thank Mr."anal Mrs. Bain for their wonderful hospitality to us for the rest of that day and the 6th. when in the afternoon after cutting lawns and chopping wood we left by truck for Pukaki and the Hermitage. The Hermitage restored us to sanity and good spirits and Stan, Bill, Rod and I decided to stay for a few days thus L iving up berths on the boat home. We had intended to get a climb but the weather to put it mildly was inclement SO we stayed put. The sequel was that we spent four days in Christchurch where we boated on the local sewerage system, visited most of the hotels in search of accomodation (???) - those blinking bowlers - and finally left for home on the Friday daylight. A final: thought-there must be some reason for the annual pilgrimage down South at Christmas but it has nothing to do with the weather. On the trip:- Graeme Hall (Leader), Bill Rice, Rod Milne Stan Kinder, Barrie O'Donnell and Marie Marshall. Butch and Stan,