Arrowsmiths, Mid-Winter

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ARROWSMITHS, MID-WINTER Somewhat annoyed after hearing that That night the general opinion of "their" N.W. Ridge of Alarm had just South Island weather reached its lowest been climbed, four illustrious climbers as we composed a glossary about it in left Picton for a looksee in the Arrow- the back of the hut's log book. smiths. We woke on Wednesday morning to Having spent Friday night in Christ- the sun reflecting all the colours of the church, we arrived the following morn- rainbow through the hoar frost on the ing at the mouth of the Cameron Valley windows of the hut. Perfect weather! where we left the car and sallied forth We set off with bivy gear the middle to the Cameron Hut. The weather of the ice-fall for fear of avalanches looked doubtful as pinky, snow-laden which had been crashing over the bluffs clouds clung low to the surrounding on either side since the sun had risen. foothills and we muttered and stumbled Because we took this route is wasn't under bulging swags to the accompani- until late in the afternoon that we pitched ment of the large boulders moving in our tents on the cwn below Jaggered the swollen Cameron River. Terry, who Col. As the sun went down behind the hadn't yet climbed in New Zealand, was Jaggered ridge everything froze. a little dismayed by the typical Nor'- Thursday morning dawned crystal Wester which blows more often than clear. Although we had an early start not down this valley. for our objective, Jaggered, we had We arrived at Cameron Hut on Sun- only reached the first main gendarme day morning after spending Saturday by midday with still half the climb benight in the salubrious surroundings of fore us. The rocks were covered with Top Hut. The view from Cameron Hut, verglas and the ice was breaking or even in bad weather, is really inspiring. continually. John, Terry, and Phil had Occasionally, the sun, a yellow halo, to be back at Anakiwa by Friday night, would shine through the dense mist, so regretfully we piked. Breaking camp casting an eerie glow on the sheer walls at six-thirty, we climbed above the which rise typically from the Cameron Cameron icefall and the bluffs below glacier. Coulair and made our way back to the Two days of bad weather followed in hut by moonlight. Perfect thigh-deep which we either played cards or carried powder snow! Knee-length gaiters were out step-up tests to ward off the cold. very. much "in". Although "paying guests", we were still Friday, again it dawned fine and cleer. subject to the wind which rattled the sO to the squawk of the lone Kea and corner of the hut until a small film of the gurgle of the numerous glacial snow drifted in and sent us burrowing streams, four weary climbers left the deepec into the inner depths of our desolate moraine of the Upper Cameron bags. At least six inches of snow fell Valley, swearing to return and avenge on Monday night, and during a break what they had suffered sO much for and in the storm on Tuesday, Phil and my- lost. self dashed up the "carriageway" (a Fellow sufferers were: John Watson, huge moraine wall) to try and cache Phillip Temple, Terry Easthorpe, and sor me bivy gear. -Roger Foley.