Capper-Capper-Nui

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.

CAPPER-CAPPER-NUI November 3, 1961 I apologise for the self advertisement pointing in a bewildering fashion. With but coudin't resist, and may I also the aid of other tree climbers, we were apologise to the gallant members on the able to see our position, and quickly retrip who crossed endless gorges and gained the main ridge. From Pukeatua ridges. The official trip was: Otaki to the junction is disced, but from then Forks-Tent Ridge-Kapakapanui-Renata. on is an uncomfortable void. At 5.30 It did run somewhere near the first and p.m. we camped. An isolated disc third positions but appeared to miss the peered balefully from behind a tree. others, and I think it most unlikely that Then it happened. From nowhere apanyone will ever know exactly where it peared a most wonderful collection of ran, even the Russian scientists. party hats and streamers, cakes and balloons, also a little liquid refreshment. Seven of us walked about 987 yards This was a surprise party put on to mark past the ford on the Otaki gorge road, my last trip, a surprise to fill me with and tried to sleep in a shed until 4.45 nostalgia, cake and gratitude. The dripa.m. Saturday morning. We then saw a ping trees that night left colourful very good picture of us preparing to evidence washed from the streamers on leave. The sky was overcast and to our clothes, a red, yellow and blue weather cool. A few tentative raindrops Altexo memorial tent?! beat down on us as off we went, at 6 a.m. Keenly endeavouring to find the Sunday morning early, saw us aplong spur on to the ridge we covered proaching Kapakapanui, and ten minutes about 200 extra miles. from where we camped in the rain passed an uncharted hut, which made us Of course we didn't mind, and belted laugh. The sun came out, which is unon grimly towards Tent. This appeared usual in those parts, and off we hit for to be easy, and in very high spirits we Cloustonville, via Francis Creek, by-pascarefully lost the ridge. This was due sing the Maymorn. Thanks for the to the comletely unfounded confidence party chaps, it should be a part of all in the leader, and his complete incom- trips in the future.-Dave Capper. petence (that's me). Peering through the misty bush, from a spur going in the * * * wrong direction, our eyes beheld a great ridge. Here indeed was hope. Down EVEREST we went, pausing only for a drink, then G. H. L. 1922 up, up, up the other side. The going Mallory, was reasonably easy and now without It is an infernal mountain, cold and consulting the compass, the leader very cleaverly led the whole party down a treacherous The risks of getting long bushed ridge INTO Roaring Meg. caught are too great, the margin of The startling fact here was not the strength when men are at great heights rising lack of confidence, but that Roar- is too small. Perhaps it's mere folly to ing Meg was flowing north in a great go up again. But how can I be out gorge! Great walls surrounded us and the awfui truth dawned. To find Kapa- of the hunt? It sounds more like war kapanui, the way lay to our right instead than sport, and perhaps it is. of left, sO up on to Pukeatua and back on to Tent Ridge. After a lengthened, * * * rather silent lunch, we climbed the steep sides of the spur, which gradually THE IMPERTUBABLE levelled off into quite pleasant going, The three Englishmen and Tairraz to cause a rise in morale and altitude. slipped and fell to destruction. Tairraz Various assorted open bits gave us misty screamed, but, like Englishmen, the vistas of meandering ridges and creeks, others met their doom without a word apparently without plan. of exclamation. Big ape Jefferies did the natural -F. Burlingham, "How to Become an thing and climbed trees, chattering and Alpinist."