Patagonian Pitfalls

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PATAGONIAN PITFALLS The mountain looked incredibly allur- but the storm had increased to such ing from the valley of the Rio Norte. fury that our completing the climb was That evening as the last rays of the pointless and risky, so we started the sun played the icy upper descent, carefully following our ice axe we scanned iRone icefalls and ridges doper spike holes which we had deliberately binoculars for a possible route to the made on the way up. Unfortunately the domed summit 9000 ft above the river. fresh snow had obliterated these further This was Mount Hyades, 10,100 ft situ- down; and visibility of only. a few yards ated on the eastern edge of the Northern prevented us from identyfying the cor- Patagonian Icecap at 48° south, the rect route. Crevasses littered the slopes same latitude as Stewart Island. We be- and the ridge dropped away vertically lieve that this peak had only been down the face of the mountain on both ascended once before, by another New sides. Not very good conditions for Zealand Patagonian expedition in 1969- wandering around in a white-out. We 70, but via the icecap western side. must have looked quite comical to an Drawn by the beauty of the mountain outsider. The wind drove snow and ice we determined to attempt the climb from into our faces and icicles and rime hung the eastern side at the first possible from our beards, eyebrows and eyeopportunity, so next day pushed on up lashes. The only way out of our predicathe valley, groaning under 90 lb packs ment was to dig in and sit the storm and cursing the ever present, biting, flies. out. We passed the enormous unnamed At about 10,000 feet we found a pretty glacier that grinds its way into the filled crevasse on the lee side of the valley from the iceçap and set a base ridge. Now although it's bad to dig a camp on the morainic slopes of an ice- cave on this side because of drift buildberg filled lake under the slopes of ing up, we had to get out of the wind Hyades. Carrying four days food we took and the exposure conditions at 5.30 we off up a bush clad spur and established started a cave by digging into the downanother camp at the bushline at about slope wall of the crevasse, and to ex- 3,800 ft. Our little settlement com- pedite construction built up the front manded a spectacular view of the com- igloo style with blocks cut from compacplex ridge, valley and glacial systems ted snow. All was ready 24 hours later which are, as yet, poorly mapped and and we crawled in to escape from the explored. One of the expeditions ob- wind and pentrating spindrift. A pack jectives was to clear up some of the was used to close off the entrance beanomalies in maps of the area. The tween the igloo blocks. morrow claimed clear, so we departed Thus started our week at 10,000 ft. at 6.15 a.m. and made rapid progress Checking our food resources we found over a small rocky peak and two small a total of thirty ounces of food. One subsiding snow nergs to reach a saddle cnke of chocolate. one bag of sweets, one under a large icefall. A route had to piece cabin bread, one morsel of cheese be found through this chaotic collection and a few packets of drinks. of crevasses and teetering seracs before However we were all confident that the ridge, which ran diagonally up to the weather would clear overnight and the summit, could be obtained. Only that we would be away again in the one mishap occurred on the way up morning after completing the climb. Born creeping across a crevasse via a snow optimists! As it eventuated we spent bridge, Thomey had the misfortune to seven nights in the cave, while waiting investigate about 50 feet of the interior for the cursed Patagonian weather to of the mountain. The bridge collapsed, clear. It certainly was quite an eperience and as we were unroped at the time to thouch not one I'd wish to repeat. facilitate rapid progress, he fell unhind- Life got down to quite a routine, ered. All turned out O.K. fortunately and with weather checks taken in turn every we pushed on to a lunch spot just below two hours. or every one hour where it the summit ridge. looked as if it might be clearing. During Once on the ridge the weather started the week snow fell most of the time and deteriorating rapidly and full storm gear it became a continual effort to keep the was donned for a determined effort to entrance, which rapidly became a tunnel, gain the deceptively near summit. We clear of windblown snow. The fourth were slowed down by towering icecliffs night saw us digging a view hatch at just 1-200 ft or so below the top, but the old one had drifted up right to the Tom pushed on and attained the ob- uphill wall of the slot, and before we jective at about 4 p.m. We awaited his left the new tunnel was about 12 feet return and advice on the route above, long. We managed to keep our spirits high nearly all the time despite damp long our strength could last and still be clothes, empty bellies and freezing feet, able to get down." though the latter were a continual worry Well, all ended happiy for on the and we had many sessions of mutual 22nd January Huey did the decent thing rubbing or "warming the feet in the and cleared. With all five on the 40 neighbours duvet" trick. Thank God for metre rope we descended somewhat duvets. Not being equipped for bivvying shakily and very slowly, but despite one out wé had to improvise and used packs, more crevasse mishap and some goodly climbing ropes, boots, slings etc, for in- slot leaping we managed to get safely sulation against the cold from the floor down. and walls. Still this scourage penetrated What an incredible relief and a joy our bodies and caused fits of uncon- to be out of danger and into the food trollable shivering until the dream of and drink though our contracted lying on the beach in the sun with a stomachs rebelied" against the sudden bird in one hand and a brown in the influx. other took effect. Conversation centred One bad consequence of the episode all the time on food, glorious food and was that all of us, except Thorney, got rarely on women, which was bloody frostbite in varying degrees of severity. strange for our crew. Red-brown urine Those affected took Roniclo tablets to indicated the start of dehydration so boost circulation and their action was we made an effort to collect water drip- very noticeable, with body temperature ping from the roof of the cave and pro- rising and the fingers and toes tingling. vided use with ample liquid supply. Geoff and I got fairly bad superficial Occasionally we added some flavouring frestbite trenchfoot( resulting from the to the water and heated it up in an feet being wet and cold for a long period empty B. and B. honey tin over burning though not actually frozen) with its meta fuel. characteristic blackened patches of skin The week passed slowly and we and gross swelling of the feet. It took dreaded the onset of the cold, sleepless two painful weeks before our feet renights, though looked forward to the turned to anything like normal, which chance that the dreaming night herald seemed strange as they had total feeling a clear day. However, weather all the time we were in the cave. always seemed the same-with reponts We were mighty glad to return to snow falling, and it became progressively Don Tito's farm at Lago Plomo despite more difficult to get in and out. This the agonising days of tramping, and proçess was also very exhausting as we've spent many quiet days recovering our strength was diminishing fairly here while Tom, Dave and Ian have inrapidly. The scene in the cave was quite vestigated several other valleys and many unique. Usually Dave, Tom and I more peaks. Geoff and I were soon back huddled together in each others arms in with them enjoying the weeks of perfect the corner trying to conserve body heat weather and fantastic mountain ranges. while Geoff and Ian lay together in a Cooking bread, eating cherries, wild pit cover nearby. Lips were cracked and strawberries, raspberries, red currants, blackened and' our burnt faces almost fesh bread and legs of mutton and playhidden by balaclavers and duvet hoods. ing with the dogs-memories of our It reminded me of a photo of Scott's days at Ploms. party at the South Pole. The occasional sing song was a great morale booster and The Cave Men in addition we played quiz games for Tom Clarkson (H.V.T.C.) many hours to pass the time. We dozed Geoff Spearpoint (H.V.T.C.) if we could and dreamed all sorts of Ian Thorne (H.V.T.C.) weird things like emerging from the Dave Bamford (V.U.W.T.C.) cave to find oneself in the middle of and the scribe Paul Milson. Willis Street, rushing off to Wardell's to buy some food and whipping back to our cold hole. We wrote letters or made lists of our favourite foods. Masochists! During this time one of our greatest THE MORNING AFTER reliefs was that no one was worrying Xmas (Written at Williamsons Flat after an about us and that no rescuers were out A air drop). endangering themselves. Had splat desire, this been top rain-an awakening the case we might have tried to force the doorway is but a step not to tire. a descent. which I'm sure would have A stirring hand, a creeking muscle, ended in disaster. We recalled the Dudley Oh to be able to crack this tustle. search on Ruapehu and the overdue The warmth is gone, the doorway climbers on Sefton last year. One of our reached, worries though was that we knew that Was it worthwhile, that evening feast. Patagonian "weather could be foul for weeks on end and we wondered how -B. J. BIGGS