Excursion into Hebrew Mythology

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Excursion into Hebrew Mythology Feb 85 Neil Woodrow A quick hop to Christchurch and then place - to the south we could see a drive through mid Canterbury and up Mts Cook, D'Archiac, and several the Rangitata River to Erewhon other of the high peaks of that Station, named after Samuel Butler's region. Behind the camp the peaks of famous satire. It was here that we the Gardens, and to the east the dry left civilisation and wandered out range of Canterbury. onto the great expanse of the Clyde River. In these wide Canterbury The next day it was fine and clear so rivers you can see your destination we decided to have a good look around many kilometres ahead, getting no before heading onto the Garden of closer even after hours of walking Allah. Jack and Kevin went west to towards it. A good four hours of the end of the Plateau, Vertebrae Col this and we arrived at McCoy Hut at and Little Unknown, while Bruce, Ian, the confluence of McCoy Stream and Tony and I climbed Newton. After the Frances River. There were sandlunch we dropped down off Adams Col flies here which added to our enthusand headed up onto the Garden of iasm to get up the Frances the next Allah. It was a long plod after the morning despite threatening skies. morning's exercise. Just as we started down onto the Lambert Glacier A couple of crossings demanded link- Kevin found a hole in a snow bridge, ing up, but mostly easy gr ng to the so we hurriedly roped up befrre moraine. We took a high adle above cC.tinuing, to camp on a flat spot the lateral moraine as we turned into surrounded by long narrow icy slots. the Sir Colin Campbell Glacier, and then had to drop down a steep and Another crisp clear morn'ng and we unstable moraine wall onto the debris proceeded down the glacier, zigcovered glacier. Realising the zagging our way down a steep area easier way would have been to keep between the massive impressive slots. low, everyone denied having been at Just above the icefall we climbed up the front. We took a short lunch onto a small hanging glacier on the break under some large rocks and then side of Stoddart. We then sidled climbed up into the first snow, and around the steep slopes above Hendes onto Perth Co-. It was an easy Cliffs and dropped into a small basin traverse around onto the Garden of for lunch just as the clouds covered Eden Ice Plateau. As it was misty we the sun. After lunch it was an easy had to navigate across this large stroll down a spur into the Lord flat white plateau by compass to our River, and an early camp. Fine again camp near Adams Col. The next day it in the morning, as we headed up the rained so we spent the day sleeping, Lord towards Strachan Pass. The Lord reading or wandering around the Col Glacier has all but disappeared leavarea. Late afternoon it cleared up ing a line of bluffs that looked and we got the first view of the difficult from a distance, but we had no difficulty finding a couple of routes up onto the pass. Again at lunch the mist appeared, and we soon were heading down the steep Canterbury side. After a couple of rope lengths we all reached the moraine covered Clark Glacier, typical of the Rakaia headwaters. Down the Clark, and across the Ramsay seemed to take forever to our camp by a small stream on the far side of the rubble. All night, avalanches thundered down the face of Mt Whitcombe. Still fine in the morning as we climbed up the slopes behind our camp, to reach the snow below Louper Peak, then a long sidle back onto the Ramsay Neve - this bypasses the broken icefall in the Ramsay. As we climbed towards Erewhon Col the mist returned, this day with a cool breeze. Lunch was a short stop sheltering Descending Lambert Glacier Westland behind some rocks, then it was onto and water just off the ridge on the Waitaha side, so we decided to camp. Again it cleared by the morning for us to stroll along the ridge, over Durward and off the snow. No afternoon mist this day, but high sirrus and hogbacks were forming over the higher peaks down south. At the end of the ridge we had trouble keeping up with Ian who had appeared at the front as soon as the West Coast came into sight. Jack and I took a shortcut across a tussock ledge below Mt Ashmore, only catching the others up some distance down the ridge. Our camp was at the end of the Ashmore Ridge beside a tarn, with a spectacular view straight down to Highway six and the Wanganui River. The weather was showing all the signs of deteri- Camp on Lambert Glacier orating and put on a good variety of sunset moods for the cameras. Tony the Bracken Snow Field and an easy slept outside for a couple of hours, amble across to Full Moon Saddle. sneaking in about the same time as Descending down the Evans Glacier the this pitter-patter noise started. snow was covered in the red fungi that sometimes grows on it. Some- Parkas had to be donned for the first where here Kevin took a tumble and part in the morning, as we started damaged his camera, and I broke a down the Karnback Track which is the pack strap leaping across a hole in only place I have been where I could the snow. We camped on the first see the whole party when looking at grassy flat we found in the Evans my feet. Valley. It started drizzling just on dark, so we were lethargic the next Some blackberries at the road end morning, and decided to only go as were quickly demolished while Ian far as Smythe Hut. A lazy afternoon disappeared towards Harihari - was spent reading, snoozing and washarriving back on the bus to take us ing out socks. to Hokitika. After lunch in the greasy shop (BYO) we ambled up to the Another fine morning saw us climbing airport and let Air NZ deliver us up the Smythe River, a typical West home. Coast bouldery river. The grassy flats above the small gorge would make a really nice campsite, however Thanks to the whole team for another it was only late morning, so we great (Christmas) trip, especially continued to the first snow for Kevin who did most of the planning. lunch. Yet again the mist arrived, and after food time we went up the Team members were Kevin Thompson, Damstadt Glacier to the top of the Jack McConchie, Ian Hadfield, Bruce Smythe Range. We found a flat spot Smith, Tony Gazley and Neil Woodrow. Some few yards from the hut the standing beeches Let fall their dead limbs, overgrown With feathered moss and filagree of bracken. The rotted wood splits clean and hard Close-grained to the driven axe, with sound of water Sibilant falling and high-nested birds. (from Poem in the Matukituki Valley - James K Baxter)