A Cloud Nine Experience

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A CLOUD NINE EXPERIENCE

Grant Wheaton Oh, but Mike Hollis it was fine! overnight. Simon foot imprinted porridge. (This must have been a signal) aided our assault on Boxing Day saw the boys on the Picton Ferry with Fohn Saddle which was completed in good time. some untinned butter; well, it keeps better when Note: a certain party member who wishes to you transfer it from the tins to a plastic remain unknown discovered at this point he had container, eh Simon? Surely this was an omen of taken 36 dummy slide thus far on the trip! things to come? But - hold on, there was more to come; actually, Executive Budget Rental comfort saw us in the day had not even begun. Lunch by the Christchurch by midnight. beautiful Fohn Lakes, around the bench, high under Sun Set Peak and on to the shelf above 27 December Sun Set Stream by 1 pm. But our hopes are Air conditioning is a must for long tramping dashed! A thousand feet of bluffs confronted us. vehicle trips we discovered. But even this was almost not enough to stop Simon doing a turn Simon recced a possible route at about 70 around for Hot Water beach, on sighting two bare degrees all the way. "It will go" he said, failing to young ladies at Omarama. tell us about the vertical bit at the bottom. Meanwhile, Harry disappeared reappearing high 5pm saw us at the Sylvan Lake track in good on some bluffs a long way over the other side of a weather. (Thanks Ron for returning the vehicle to vertical gut. gueenstown.) Two and a half hours later at the Rockburn/Dart confluence we consumed a pasta There were five 50 metre pack lowers, then an and Christmas cake dinner. We were about to hit abseil into a narrow ravine and 7.5 hours later the sack when cries of dismay were heard from saw us confronting an amazed stag. "I mean no young Eric and Simon; Eric, who had discovered one comes down this hanging valley do they?!?", a massive bag of fruit tingles in Simon's care (not am sure he was sawing: so were we! We set up listed on the trip menu), was attempting to burn camp on the northern side of the valley up under them. Terminal Peak in a spot providing impressive views of Tutuko and Olivine Flats. Very tired 28 December bodies sporting permanent leans, crashed that The Dart/Beans Burn junction arrived in 35 evening. minutes and the Beans Burn Flats two hours later for a long lunch. Good trails led four very tired units to the Beans Burn rock biv hotel arriving at 7.45 that evening, just in time to catch the radio sked. All the rooms were full however! Excellent food including a Simon sand shoe imprinted cheese cake. Footnote: (Introduced to Harry's Tararua biscuits superb scoff.) 31 December 29 December A howling southerly wind (right again, Harry, it We awoke to continuous rain. What happened to was an exposed spot) forced a quick shift up on that High over Australia?! A long sleep, tour of to the ridge under Terminal Peak next morning to the huge Beans Burn Establishment and 500 magnificent views of Forgotten River Col, won by EE and GW saw out the day. The radio Forgotten River Flats, Lower Pike, etc... promised a fine day to come. One pack lower at the top and down a very steep 30 December dry river bed with a hidden water fall in the A southerly change cleared the weather middle, brought us to Forgotten River Flats at noon. Guess what, the Waikato Tramping Club there in the sun, mate!" said Harry in disgust. appeared from the Olivine Flats sidle track at the The ramp was swept with avalanches, but no same moment. Some short cut - they were at the trouble was experienced gaining the saddle Beans Burn biv with us! alongside Passchendale in hard snow conditions. Harry and Simon climbed over a very steep Half a rest day an hour further up with lots of Destiny peak (very sore on the ankles mate) while brews revived the troops, along with a good radio Eric and Grant went crevasse hunting via forecast for our Plateau ascent. A quiet, subdued Solution Col, with both parties arriving on the New Year's Eve for us; not a Rheineck in sight! eastern ridge of Destiny about the same time. An eerie earthquake at dusk alerted us to a cheeky kea pecking at Eric's putties. The kea Descending, avoiding heaps of slots, the snow was dispatched with a well aimed sand shoe (sent became softer and softer until just above the him west, mate). dreaded rock outcrop, Simon decided it was more fun falling in holes in the soft snow than trying to 1January avoid them. Roping up, Eric lead us down to, A clear New Year's Day allowed access to then up through, many slots on the rock outcrop Forgotten River Col after a long hard climb up to with the Passchendale Glacier crevasses waiting and along under the massive Blockade Bluffs. below. (A real trial of nerves this one.) Lunch was had at the snow edge alongside an impressive icefall just below the col shortly after Slopes that would provide an excellent long ski crossing the slippery slab. (A bit of a story - re run then led via a fair few slots most of the way Eric's fall into a stream, up to his arm pits, down to the terminal moraine of the Joe Glacier. through the first patch of snow - should be Camp was set up in a beautiful park-like setting mentioned here also.) 400 metres below the glacier terminal. Up around the icefall in very deep snow 3January conditions kicking steps all the way. Harry A rest day in roasting sunshine in the most remarked on the fact that in ten years or so the spectacularly remote spot I have ever col will be very difficult to reach due to lack of experienced. We visited the Joe Glacier, renamed snow leaving massive bluffy slabs. Intervention it "slag heap" (actually, it only appears to have a provided wet slab avalanches for entertainment foot or two of rubble on top). GW and EE took as we crossed the col in blinding white out the 500 again with "9 diamonds". This conditions. A camp was set up just through the is a must for a stay if you come this way! place col in excellent weather. By dusk southerly mist had rolled in obscuring the view and the weather 4. January man promised a northwesterly change on the Down the Joe across the stone bridge below morrow. Victor Creek and up to the flats with a biv in the northwest corner. Well. Moirs said. "there is a 2. January biv, Grant". (We never found it.) Good travel Not so, the day dawned fine and clear so we albeit slowl brought Victor Creek up by lunchtime. headed for the ramp to climb above the Memorial Excellent deer trails led us to clearings by the Icefall. "We should have spent a rest day up Joe; but then the fun began! - Forgotten River Flats Eric Evans

We now proceeded to consume time sidling in very steep country across mean chasms, the last of which forced us back to the river many hours later. Just before dusk we reached "a flat above a gorge" for the night in very wet conditions. An 11 hour day but the extra ration of chocolate kept us going late in the day. South Snowball Creek was still some way away! 5 January We picked up the deer trail in clearing conditions and climbed up through steep bluffs, then moved along a shelf before dropping into an excuse for a chasm. (Moirs takes pain to point this one out. He hardly mentioned the monsters encountered the day before!) Harry the "Sniffer" now came to the fore, keeping the troops on a trail right to South Snowball Creek where lunch was had. Williamson Flat shone in the sunshine as we tramped down its length and crossed the Joe before reaching the Arawata River. Camp was set up just before the Arawata entered the gorge. A mention of battered troops was made on the radio that evening (to pull a bit of sympathy from Grant's Missus). Ten Hour Gorge Eric Evans 6January One party member did a runner and cleared the This was the day, down the trendy Williamson gorge in just under 6 hours with the rest of the Flat to McArthur Flat Gorge (Mike Hollis has done troops, having stopped for lunch, arriving two it more times than he cares to remember). Well, hours later. Paradise was a comment heard as we boulder hopped almost all the way, only we viewed flat land! Lots of it! Camp was made climbing over the gorge at the end. Lunch was 20 minutes down but the forecast was bad, so the had below the gorge 3.5 hours after leaving jet boat was called up for the morrow. Williamson Flats. This effort made the Joe look very hard. 8. January "Get up you lazy lot. Do you want a lift or not?" After crossing the Williamson River, camp was was the first we knew about the arrival of two made on the lower McArthur Flats opposite the storm trooper clad jet boat drivers in the pouring "rock forest" above Ten Hour Gorge. A bad rain. A record 15 minutes pack and off down the forecast resulted in the boys deciding on a push swollen Arawata with John Nolan at the helm and down the Ten Hour Gorge the following day. It Harry mumbling about the ride not being quite should have been a rest day! what he envisaged. (A laid back, sunny trip down the Arawata) as he closed his eyes to avoid the 7 January stinging rain. Only 4 km to the lower Arawata, down Ten Hour Gorge and 8 to 10 hours in the route guide. Two West Coast hospitality to the fore here! Just as hours to Half Way Creek, with Harry depth we were settling down for the night at the Haast testing the Arawata to his armpits in the first 5 Motor Camp, along came the locals with the loan minutes to raise our spirits. Up, over, around of a car for the night and an invitation to the and down tunnels with water falls in the middle, Haast Hotel. The story here is the troops being made for exhilarating travel. rescued outside the Haast pub by three attractive ladies who informed us how to turn the vehicle Harry developed the bash method for Bush off Didn't you know Eric, that you pull the rope Lawyer removal to avoid too much poncing on the floor to turn cars off? Thanks Lindsay and around. But as usual, just as your ego reaches Keith it was just icing on the cake. its peak, something happens to put you in your place. Up a cliff Simon had a wee dispute with a 9. January boulder that the rest of us had already used, and Pauline was on time with the car as we farewelled received for his effort (not to mention being at the our hosts from the new Haast Tourist Service. bottom of the cliff) a bloody slashed leg. At this point the going got rough, the river dropping 130 Thank you Eric for a boomer trip!!! metres in 600 metres. (The thought of Haast pies and beers prompted forward movement at Party: whatever pace) resulting in many small sidles Eric Evans (Leader - FE), Simon (Skoff), Grant away from the river. (Mate), Harry (Lawyer basher and Sniffer).