Dobsons - Alpha - Smiths

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Dobsons - Alpha - Smiths Trip Leader RON FAYLE Friday 7.50 p.m.: Bus late as usual. come right through. The rain had set Cone trip lead by Tim Williams can- in now and we hit the dirt for a celled because lack of members, so the night. cold remainder combined with Alpha trip. Didn't take long for the bus to get to Sunday: Still fairly cold but showed Kaitoke. We were soon going up the signs of improving. Left about 9 a.m. long grind of the Puffer, easily found for Allaway Dickson. It didn't take turn-off to Dobson, track fairly muddy. long to reach Block 16. On the way 11 hours later arrived to find gang of down Gary told us a problem of the rowdy Scouts at Dobsons. Some of us train and the man in the tunnel (ask slept at the hut while the remainder him to tell you about it some time). camped five minutes up track. Took about three-quarters of an hour down to Alloway Dickson which was Saturday 7.00 a.m.: Woke to a fine deserted at the time. After a short stop morning, cooked breakfast and packed left for Simths, arrived there, had lunch up, then went on to meet others who and left for the road. Arrived out about were still asleep. Sat down and waited 4.30 p.m., bus hadn't arrived. 5.30 p.m. for them to pack up then left for still not bus-out comes the sleeping bags Alpha. Tramping across the burn area and into them. 6.30 p.m. told taxis are it was freezing with plenty of ice still coming. 7 p.m. bus finally came. Araround. Soon the weather deteriorated rived back about 7.45 p.m. and the wind and rain nearly blew us off the Marchant. We could occasion- -Neil Fitzwater. ally see patches of snow lying around. At last we arrived at Alpha 54 hours Those on the trip were: Ron Fayle, later. With a bit of cursing we got Murray Taylor, Tim Williams, Jon Spink, the stubborn fire roaring and the stew Tiare Jackson, Gary Lund, Bruce Ludon. Tiare and Gary arrived, they had low, David Ramsen. As the penniless punter said after tearing up his betting slips: "The only thing worth putting on that horse was Lady Godiva". This article was produced after a great bank, so helped to pull him back up deal of pressure by a couple of young onto the track. trampers. They have my apologies for When we got to the hut there was no the pressure, also my thanks for their wood so we all pitched in and in no time effort in writing where so many others had enough wood for the cooking of the have sent me packing-ED. evening meal. It rained and thundered all that night, but by next morning had OHAU cleared up. David and myself went October down to the river during Sunday morn- We set off from the pick-up point at ing, and as we approached we could see 7.30 p.m. and got to where the bus a deer drinking, but suddenly it took up dropped us off to find an old house off a shingle slip and disappeared into with no windows, no doors and no ex- the bush. terior lining. It was cold and in no All in all a quiet weekend, but still, time everyone was in their sleeping bags. that's tramping. Next morning got up early, had break- Those tramping: Adam McSweeney, fast and headed off up a farm road to lim Quinlan, Kent Bussell, Neil Green, Ohau hut. On the way there was a Ken Stokes, David McDonald, Bryan little mishap, I rounded a corner on the Profit. Greg Plat, Dave Patterson track to see David McDonald down a (Leader).