In Search of a Virgin (Peak)

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

IN SEARCH OF A VIRGIN. Easter 1950. (PEAK.) The valley leads to the top of the peak Vhere the shivering rock decays; There the mocking breezes dart and treak And the golden sunlight plays; Fhere nan has left a world unknown Stark egainst hoaven's dome. And his wits must carry vhere his mind has flown And anbition nade its home. Our trip was originally scheduled for Arthurs Pass but the Transport Officer reported that no berths were available. Consequently when someone suggested the Scotts Knob area we all agreed - none of us knor ing where it was. Information culled from the Public Library, Bill Bridge, and other T.T.C. members fixed the place off the Wairau Valley on the Raglan Range but maps were few and far between besides leaving most of the area in a pure and unspotted white. Streans, ridges, peaks, and mileage were provided, however, and such information should have formed a fairiy good basis on which to travel. Such innocent reliance on the Lands and Survey Department! Ve finally got a nap via Jin Cruse from Bill Bridge and the five of us sailed on the Friday morning at 1.35 from Vellington. It was a very rough trip but at least we went straight into Picton and with breakfast under our belts we headed off by Naiman's Bus with the Tararua 1 party to the corner of the Leatham and Branch Rivens, The T.T.C. had a boil-up there while we headed up the Branch - 9.50. Scotts Knob had been visible for some time now but there did not seen to be any snow there in spite of the fall during the week. There are extensive river flats up as far as Nesbit's Creek and a short while after that we took the track around the bank to the true right energing finally opposite the Culler's Hut at Silverstream. This sidle is unnecessary when the river is low and the bed of the river provides much quicker travel. Te stopped at the hut at 12.20 for lunch and made the anazing discovery that ve had no nilk but Dave Cracknell and Trev Parks from the T.T.C. turned up and supplied us with some of the powdered variety. Up packs again and along the track to Pilbrow Streamo Sone distance from there Titch sighted a SOW and two weaners on a triangle of bush and grass in the niddle of a strean on the opposite side of the valley. Bill and Stan joined hin in the hunt while Hori and I watched the excitement fron our dress circle seats. Although for a while the mother looked as if she was going to fight for hone and fanily she soon took off and Titch managed to kill a weaner with his ice axeo By the time we had reached the Culler's Hut at Silverstroan we had decided not to climb Scotts Knob on the Saturday but to attempt the virgin at the head of the valley, 7,0201. Bill Bridge had suggested that two parties should not clinb the Knob on the same day because of the danger of falling rock and as their party had been arranged before ours it seemed only fair to let them have the first climb up a ner route. At Scott's Creek therefore we pushed on. Bill and I, for the reference files, did a "slight" detour on the true left to avoid the gorge while the others kept to the river bed. With the river low this sidle takes up energy unnecessarily but with the river much higher than it was it would be advisable to take it. The others got another pig en route and we joined forces again at the bend above Scotts Creek where we pitched Base Camp - Camp 1 - 3.53p.n. Tea cooked and eaten and all food except marching rations and Saturday's breakfast stoved away along with gear not required for the climb, ve took up lightened packs and headed up stream again at 5.30. It was getting dusk by now and the temperature was decidedly frigid but it was enjoyable tramping none the lesso Just above Scotts Stream the bush has been burnt but above that again it grows intermittently all the way up the valley and its tributaries to about 4,000'. The last half hour's travel was in darkness and rivér crossing and rock hopping becane exacting but we finally canped at 7.30 about five ninutes above the big stream on the true left that swings north tovards Scotts Knobo No cooking to do = and te were soon fast asleep. Saturday woke at 3.30 with Hori's alarm clock. The porridge bore a distinct resemblance to concrete but we managed to get away just as day broke at 6.10. With the river at minus degrees the trip to the forks was not as enjoyable as we could Love wishedo In fact our feet were not properly thawed out until afternoon. Just before the forks there is a short gorge but a good track goes round on the true right. These forks are where the Eastern ridge of Peak 7,0201 comes out with the Branch on one side and a large stream running in its Southern fork up to the peak and its Northern rising in a couloir on the range, on the other side. We decided to ascend the peak via this ridge because it looked a nore direct route than that offered by the strean. We had also seen a peak vhich we took to be our objective from the river bed along this ridgeo As for as the map went the peak appeared to be off the nain ridge of the range. Into the bush and up the blunt end of the ridge ve went for quite some timeo There is little scrub = nostly open block beech forest - and re rested on the first knob and then on and upy aras againo Another stop during which Stan and Titch chased a goat and SO once more upwards to morning tea at 9.50, below a shingle slide summit of a knob. On top of this we saw anead what looked to be the summit of our peak and the boys very chivalrously put me in fronto A virgin poak at last via rotten rock and shingle slide but we did not build a cairno Instead ve got out our map and sat dorn to correct its inaccuracies, of which there vere many. The peak ve were on has twin simmits, about 6,400', but from that position there appeared to be tro challenging us - the first at a corner of the ridge, the second at the head and right on the range which looked miles awayo The corner pcak judging by a view we had of both from the range on the other side of the valley is snaller than ours but not by much. Ve had lunch here deciding not to climb the corner peak but to sidle belov it to the head of tne basin and So round the North Saddl of Peak 7,0201. Ve left our peak at 12,15 and charged down a steep slide into the valley. Here we attempted a "short cut" to the saddle by sidling over a rock peak on the ridge but had to retrace our steps and go belov it because of bluffs on the other sideo From there it was a long slog on to the saddle but a drink on the way was a great help. Ve arrived there at 3 o'clock leaving all gear except one pack with ginger ale to celebrate on top, on the ridge, The climb to the sunmit via rotten rock and scree was nostly on the Wairau sideo The time was 3.50 and our peak was not virgino A huge cairn with a peg marked 4 inside it proclained that sone surveyor, name unknown, had been before us and kept his ascent a deep and murky secret. We stowed our bottle with the record of our ascent in the cairn and went nost dejectedly back to our gearo The western facos of most of the peaks on our ridge are bluffs abd the upper basin of the Branch is ringed vith then. There is little besides shingle and seree slopes and all the peaks look rotten and uninviting in a close-up. Further Enst there seemed to be nore snow on the ranges but Tappy and Alarn appeared to have little. We had only encountered snall patches. With the time at 4.20 and little more than two hours daylight left we were off dovn shingle slide and snow grass at a fast pace into the stream. Ve rere soon back in bush, dropping steeply to the forks of the southern branch, and then to the forks of both branches. It was dusk when we reached a Culler's Hut - not r arked on the map - about five ninutes up-strean from Branch. It was most veloome because it provided us with tea for Comp 2 - macaroni and soup - and so back dovn the Branch Liver. Sunday we struggled out of our bags vhen the sun reached us about 10, hod broakfast and left for Camp 1 at 12.30. It seened a long way down river. nuch longer than we had appreciated on Friday night but we did spend some time on the way down snapping our ridge with the "virgin" at its head, besides chasing pigs with murderous intent. We had lunch at Comp 1, repacked, end, having killed another pig, sidles the gorge at Scott's Creck, went mostly via the river to the Culler's Hut at the Silvérstream reaching this at 4,40. Here we found the T.T.C. well entrenched, four of them having nade a successful ascent of Scotts Knob from Scotts Creek on the Seturday, It rained that night and the trip from there out on fonday was nade less enjoyable by cold vind and raino But that was a picnic compared with the trip across the Straits. The party wass- Stan Kinder (Leader), Bill Rice, Graene Hall, Titch Grahan, Marie Marshall. Butch,