Moonlight Sonata

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MOONLIGHT SONATAe SUNDAY 24th. September 1950. It was a very still, warn autumn evening and there was a full moon. We were on our way home from the pictures and the conversation went S omething like this:- "what a glorious night! Just inagine being out tramping on a night like this." "Yes, rat ther! What price Hector or the Beehives right now?" "Gee. That's an idea; let's do a moonlight Southern sometime." "Well, yes, but it wouldn't be any good unless it was a night like this - and how often does this happen in the Tararues?" "Never nind. You're on the Trip Schedule Conmittee and surely you can organise a Southern Crossing to coincide with a full moon. We can see what the weather is like when the time comes." Thus it was that a Southern Crossing was scheduled for September 22/24th. and on the Friday night a truck full of bodies left the Railway Station only about half an hour late. The truck journey cnded up the Otaki Gorge Road a full hour of road walk bofore we reached the Cottage. leaving Those types who had fallen for the Otaki Forks - Baigent's Mill business also mentioned on the Trip Schedule were lucky even though they did have to share the Cottage with a party from another Club. The rest of us pushed on up to Fields and what with a certain lack of fitness on the part of some and a certain amount of boot trouble experienced by another it was not until 3a,m. that the last of the party turned in at Fields. After such a late night there was much reluctance to get out of the sack on the Saturday morning. Eventually with the usual amount of nucking about the main body set out for Kime and the gentleman with the boot trouble returned to Otaki! Ah well! There's nothing like learning the hard way. Barrie and I promptly took our sacks outside at this stage and turned in again : sleeping until about half past twelve. Sone of the ot ers had expressed interest in the Moonlight Crossing idea and it was arranged that they should wait at Kime for us. At about a quarter to one in the afternoon we put a stew on and while we were waiting for it to cook we alternately gathered firewood and gazed anxiously at the weather, stretched out on the sack again, gazed anxiously at the weather and gathered more firewood. At 4p.m. we left Fields for Kime and after having told George that we should see hin there at 6p.m. we arrived exactly on the tick to keep the appointment only to find Kime deserted. We put a brew on and before it had boiled we had become so cold that we had to put on every stitch of clothing that we had with us. "No wonder they didn't wait - they must have got sick of waiting in this cold, miserable hole." said I, thinking how clever we had been to do the waiting down at Fields in comparative warmth and comfort. It turned out later that this was not the reason; it seems that all the party had waited until about three when the mist had come down perticularly, exceptionally thick and they had all decided to move on. By a quarter past eight we were ready to leave and by then the moon was up and we looked like getting the weather we wanted. When we reached the top of Field Peak a thrilling sight met our eyes. There before us was Hector, the Beehives, Atkinson and Aston all with a liberal sprinkling of snow glinting in the moonlight. Away in the far distance the aerial beacon at Seatoun Heights was alternately flashing its white and amber whilst some of the lights of Oriental Bay were visible through some light cloud. It had been so cold waiting at Kime that we had been wearing all our clothes when we set out and here we stopped to take off a jersey before dropping down into the saddle. At the botton of the saddle we stripped off even further before starting the climb onto Hector. Just try to imagine the circumstances; here we were tramping in the snow at night time - without torches 1 wearing shorts and without parkas! It sounds fantastic but it is a fact e it actually happened!

On top of Hector I insisted on a moonlight photo (exposure 15 minutes) and whilo, we were waiting we had to put on all our clothes again. There was a thick low -lying mist in all the valleys and with thertops of all the ridges and spurs showing through the scene night almost have been in Marlborough Sounds! At this stage we found the two ice axes very handy - one to use as a tripod for my camera and the other to chop up an applel We set off fron Hector wearing parkas and longs again but it did not take us long to realise that the longs were unnecessary though there was just enough breeze on the tops to make us need the parkas. Just before reaching A tkinson I had to insist on another photo but after this we kept moving with only one or two brief stops before we reached the saddle between Aston and Alpha. It. was noticeable that the further round towards Alpha that we got the less snow there was althouga on Alpha itself there were still a few places with quite a substantial coating. Before'clinbing onto Alpha we took off our parkas again and continued on over Alpha still in shorts and still without torches! With memories of the Bannister Crossing there was some talk of sleeping out on the tops in order to see the dawn but somehow or other when the time came we decided to keep straight on for the hut. When we did reach the hut at 20 past twelve it was only to find that in addition to our main party there were also some low types who don't bother to book huts before using them - and 1 well I we slept out after all, Breakfast on the Sunday morning was a very enjoyable affair as we sat in the sun overlooking the Eastern Hutt River valley with packs and gear strewn all over the place and surrounded by a battery of alpine primuses. The party seemed to split up at this stage as different people decided on different routes outo For some reascn yet to be discovered Barrie and I settled for the Quoin Ridge along with George, Pam and Sinbad. We left Alpha at 9a.M. in fine, sunny weather which lasted until just before we reached Quoin. At this stage we struck nist for a while though it did not last for vely longo My general lack of fitness and the strain of two late nights and strenuous days was beginning to tell by now and we did not reach Hutt Forks until a quarter to two. How refreshing it was to rest and to wash in the icy-cold water! The forks are a delightful spot and it is a great pity that they are so soon to be forbidden territory. Unfortunately the sun was not shining at this stage and in any case I was too busy feeding my face to be bothered with photos. The route out from Hutt Forks is a bit of a killer and after the rather steep clinb you still have all the mul and gorse to contend with, However these are but ninor details and when the aching muscles, mud and gorse have long since been forgotten the nomory of Hector, the Beehives and Atkinson covered with snow and glistening in the moonlight; the Neill- Winchcombe Ridge rising through the mist and the aerial beacon at Seatoun Heights flashing alternately white and amber will remain with me - just as it was that night - crystal clear. Denis.