Into the Great Wide Open

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN Claire Goldsworthy "Watch yourselves ify you use that cage on your wayout, an oldbloke: slicedhis fingers clean off on it last week, a the pilot said encouragingly, indicating a cage across the Hokitika River below. Gary and I glanced at each other and winced, grateful for the handy advice. he icy blue waters of the WhitcombeRiverracedpastbelow ast BruceDandofi flewtheHughes300u up the valley. The early morning cloud at the head of the valley shifted slightly, revealingatantalisingglimpseofrugged peaks. Wilkinson Hut appeared ont the flats ahead and Bruce landed the chopper beside the hut. Bruce shouted to Gary that he would take US one at a timet from here. Gary's pack was tossed out and we gave him awave as we lifted off. Ivory Lake Hut Gary Goldsworthy The cloud appeared to be evaporating before my eyes and the head of the With a keen sense of anticipation I and hurtled straight for US with free valley was completely dominated by a swungmypackwildlyinthed direction of abandon. Perched precariously on a vista of snowcapped mountains as my back and gasped at the weight. boulder, Gary lunged for safer ground, Bruce deposited me on a spur high up Feeling a couple of inches shorter, I hooking his left crampon into his right Seddon Creek, below the McKenzie waddled off in pursuit of Gary. Seddon calf in his haste. Extracting the Glacier. The noise of the helicopter Creek involved a pleasant mixture of aforementionedcramponfromthenow dwindled away andlstood alonei int the boulder bashing, trudging across avo holedcalf, heattemptedtomakelightof silence.gazinginaweatthemagnificent debris, and wandering through an thes situation. Icongratulatedhimonhis scenerysurroundingme. Whatamagic abundance of alpine flowers under the commendable leap, deducting points feeling to be totally alonei in this serene fiercely beating sun. fort thes spiking. Aninitidlinvestigation of and peaceful place. A kea, conducting thev woundrevealedaneat, roundl hole, acursoryinvestigation of thei intruderi in After stopping for lunch near the head not too much blood, and certainly not thevalleyglidedsmoothlyby, squawking of Seddon Creek, we had to drag beyondthecapobilifiesofourcombined noisily. Taking a deep breath of the ourselves away for thes snow plodto an first aid skills. We ignored it and fresh, clear air, and revelling in the un-named col, south of Seddon Col. continued to the summit. peacefulness, Ifelt privileged indeedto be there. A few crevasses/schrunds to zigzag Mt Evans dominated the skyline but we through, a snowbridge, and a hairy were afforded equallyi impressive views The cloudd dissipated suddenlyt to reveal scrambler eupagut, clawing jatt theloose, ofRedLion, thel Bracken Snowfields, the theKatzenbackf Ridge andthel Wilkinson crumblyrocks, and we emerged on the Bloomfield and Smyth Ranges, and an Glacier, andlfelt a tingle of excitement. col. Thoroughly impressed with the interesting view down a sheer rocki face for the trip ahead. A few minutes later scenel before US, we perched on a rock to thel Wilkinson meltlake and McKenzie the familiar sound of the helicopter and feasted on scroggin and views. Glacier far below. interruptedthes silence asitreappeared, worylokeglistenedinihe: sunfarl below setting down on the spur nearby long andi the Waitaha Valley wound its way Descending to our packs, we strolled enough for Gary to jump out. A wave towards the distant coast. downalongs snow slope which brought andas shortblast onthes siren, andBruce US to a perfect campsite amongst the disappearedout ofs sight downthevalley. Park Dome was enticingly close SO rock slabs and alpine flowers. Tent up leaving our packs on the col we began and boots off, turned my attention to As the peace settled once again, Gary the plod to the broad summit. A little the carefully crafted hole in Gary's leg. exclaimed enthusiastically about the rock band near the summit required He confessed to a certain amount of views. Ah, the dilemma photos just thoughtful negotiation. All was going discomfort as placed a dressing over don't do justice to places like this. well until a rogue rock displaced itself the wound, butlprescribed a painkiller TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING

Occasionallydriftingacrossour path and obscuring the views, the cloud created an unusual atmosphere. The route was straightforward, amixture of shattered rockand patchy snow, and despite the intermittent cloud, it was still very hot as we settledi in for the snow plodto the summit of Mt Beaumont. Thel West Coast lay somewhere below, blanketed by a layer of afternoon cloud, but to the north and south the mountains remained clear. The loose, crumbly rock eventuallygavewaytoasnowfilled basin, perfect for glissading. Soon we were scrambling down a creek to an alpine basin and af flat patch of ground, conveniently located Waitaha Valley from ridge above Ivory Lake Claire Goldsworthy closetowater, ands surrounded by an abundance of alpine flowers. plateau, baking in the heat of the day. We swung our packs on and continued Reckless Torrent provided the the grind, although now not as steep. Thoughts of washing my hair were opportunitytorehydratel beforet the start The heat was really exhausting but a ditched when I felt the temperature of of the long climb up to the ridge. We bandanaunder thecopwasanexcellent the stream. A few more days wouldn't had heard about the grunt from the way to keep some of the sun's heat off hurt, I resolved. After setting up camp Cropp up to Noisy Creek but nothing our frying necks. we set off to recce the next day's s route prepared US for the gut-buster that which would take US down into the threatened to finish me off entirely. WedroppedinfoNoisy Creek, abeautiful Cropp Valley. It looked straightforward alpine basin, and headed upstream in so we stretched out in the tussock, The track became very overgrown and search of a campsite. This is a superb enjoying the late afternoon sun. in some places had been completely area with exceptional views ofthel Main obliterated by a slip. The shelter from Divide and an abundance of birdlife The evening was warm and still as we the blistering heat wasn't really includingseagulls, keas, andBlueDucks. watchedi ithef final glows ofanawesome appreciated until we found ourselves sunsetchanging Mt BowenandSentinel emerging from the bush to battle, not Abath in the creekrefreshed US and we Peak from pink to red, then orange. only with the heat of the sun, but also lazed about the campsite in the the stifling heat rising off the tussock. remaining sun. AI birthday special Chilli Dawn arrived and another superb day The only sounds to accompany our Con Carne was devoured with delight, greetedus. Itwas acooler morningand raggedbreathing were thesupercilious and the custard and Mars Bar dessert my birthday, SO Gary gallantly crawled calls of ten keas who took particular went down a treat. out of his pit to rustle up an exciting delight in our discomfort. One heavy breakfast - a great big bowl of pog. footi in front of the other, eyes frantically During the evening we noticed the first searching for the ridge-marker that signs of a possible deterioration in the Theroute was easier than wet thoughtit wouldsignal theendofthistorment, we weather. A few wispy clouds beganto would be, and by dropping into a side trudged upwards. appear, but we figured that we weren't creek, we managed to avoid bush ina position to complain, since we had bashing through a scrubby patch to Through bleary eyes I hoped that the had four days of exceptional weather. reach the east branch of the Cropp waratahwasn'tanillusionandcollapsed The skies were still clear as we hit the River. It was an ideal place for an early inasweatyheap, overcome with relief. sack but by morning it was grey and lunch and before long we were spread We downed a 2 litre bottle of juice overcast andlookingrather threatening. out on the grassy flatsi in front off fthehut. between US, barely touching the sides. Cropp! Hut is the same as other sixbunk When the rivers of sweat cleared from We set off up the creek, accompanied huts exceptfort theadditionofashower, my eyes exclaimed in dismay that we by an assortment ofbirds. It wasarelief which we weren't tempted to try. couldhave avoided thel hourl longgrunt to be walking in cooler conditions and acrosst the plateaul by cruising downt the after negotiating a series of ravines, Reluctanttoriski therivering case of deep river after all. Gary had noticed this too climbing in and out amongst an pools or impenetrable gorges, we but was tactfully keeping it to himself. abundance of alpine flowers, we followed the poled route across the Better safe than sorry, I guess. emergedonthesaddlewithRapidCreek TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING and pronounced him fit for the task of ourselves back at the starting point. the clag, only to reveal themselves in preparing andcooking the first of seven tantalisingglimpseseverynowandthen. mouthwatering, dehy treats. Dinner was "Ready for a dip now?" Gary inquired deliciousi indeed, andabrewe as the: sun mischievously. "As ready as I'll ever be As stroll by the lake after dinner was very set in typical, magnificent West Coast when the options are a dip with the ice restful and as darkness approached, it style capped off a wonderful day. bergs or a lifetime of ridicule, Ireplied. wasdifficulttoteare ourselves sawayfrom We trudged down to the lake edge, this idyllic scene. A Blue Duck family Daytwo dawnedwilthaglorious sunrise attemptingtolooknonchalant, andwhile gathereditsyoungandglidedgracefully that set the pattern for the next few I perched on a rock in the sun, Gary across the lake, heading for home. days. As the sun poked its nose over clutchedthel IvoryLakel Hut rubber duck Seddon Col and cast a pink glow on the andsteppedgingerlyinto theicywaters As the sun cast its final rays on this summit of Park Dome, we were content of Ivory Lake. To my delight, a few superb setting, the cloud cleared away to watcht the spectaclet from the warmth embarrassing squeals rang out and to reveal a stunning pink sunset, soon of our pits, awaiting the magic touch of just as he ducked down to neck-level, gwingwayloastor-dutereds sky. Shortly sun on tent. No point getting up before my attention was diverted by a large after retiring to our pits, a long, we hadt to andt besides, today wouldbe chunk of terminal face ice peeling off thunderous roar broke the silence. We a doddle. Having been dropped off and plunging loudly into the lake. "Did listened in fascination, trying to picture further up Seddon Creek than planned, yous seet that?"I lexclaimed excitedly, but the awesome scene of glacial action a pleasant two hour amble would be the plaintive wails to "hurry up and take apparently taking place somewhere sufficient to reach our destination of the photos" brought me swiftly back to beyond the safety of the little blue hut. Ivory Lake Hut. realityandisnappedtheevidential shots. The roar eventually dwindled to a low, rumbling noise with periodic crashing, After a leisurely packup, wel headed off crunching, and thumping sounds. down the ridge. The route became more obvious as we descended and a "Ready A crisp, clear morning greeted US as the sidle across a grassy slope covered in sun paintedi the peaks above thel lake a alpine flowers brought US to Stag Creek for a dip bright pink. As suspected, a massive which has several very impressive chunk ofthe glacier had broken off and waterfalls with clear, deep pools now?" wasnowafloatini themiddler ofthel lake. beneath them. However, parts ofs Stag Int fact, the whole lake was littered with Creek flow beneath large chunks of ice bergs of all shapes and sizes and avalanche debris, and this tamed any Prancing and hopping around on the manyhadwashed dashore, presumably ideas of taking a dip! shore Gary extolled the virtues of his in the resultant surge. brave feat "Gee, I feel great," he A sidle under the bluffs and a few little enthused. The surge caused by the The day was glorious; perfectly clear rock scrambles brought US to the final chunk of glacier breaking free (or wasi it and not al breath of wind. Magic views gruntuptolvoryLake. Thehutisp perched Gary's frantic dash for shore?) allowed in every direction begged our attention on smooth rock slabs left behind by the me to enjoy a brief reprieve while we buttheridgerequiredtotalconcentration receding glacier and is just a short waited for it to subside. Now however, in places due to its steepness, and distance from the lake. The little, blue there were even more ice bergs in the loose and crumbly rock not dissimilar six-bunk hut plus lean-to, is very vicinity than before, and I looked at to weetbix, thought. comfortable and cosy. The storm them with some trepidation. shutters and cables securing the hut The upper slopes involved a mixture of paytestamenttoi theweathercondtions Accompanied by the rubber duck, - rock and snow and we strapped on this area must frequently experience. strode purposefully into the water. As crampons and used ice axes for the No complaints from US, though, as the the grey water clamped its icy grip finals Isnowslopetot thehigh point above sun beat mercilessly down. aroundi dmyl legs,Igasped landlet out an Ivory Glacier. Mts Cook and Tasman involuntary yelp. Ducking down to my appeared to the south; the peaks of A circumnavigation of Ivory Lake neck, clutching the rubber duck tightly, Arthur's Pass to the north, and nearby, occupied the afternoon. The sides are I shrieked at Gary to take the photo. Mt Evans, Red Lion, and a multitude of steep and loose in places and the Alas, revenge is sweet. Shivering and other peaks I didn't have a hope of terminal: face ofthe glacieris constantly spluttering I emerged from amidst the naming. The rounded, snowy summit onthemove, withlargechunksregularly icel bergs andl headedi for the warmth of of Mt Beaumont, our objective, was falling with ar resounding crash into the a large rock. glistening in the sun in the distance. grey, silty waters of the lake. Low, misty cloud rolled in during the Lunch washad lonthel highp point directly Scrambling down onto the glacier, we afternoon, clearing periodically before overlooking Ivory Lake and it was such maded ourwayacross, glancing.curiously descending again, but there was no abuzz to lie back in the sun and enjoy into the crevasses, before climbing off rain accompanying it and in fact, it the veritable feast of views. Soon the again ont the opposite side. Somet tricky added a touch of atmospheric jaggedridgeto.MiBeaumontbeckoned manoeuvringwasrequiredtonegotiate moodiness to the scene. It was US from our reverie and we set off, the slabs and loose rocks around the fascinatingto sit and watch the various noting the afternoon build-up of heat side of the lake but we soon found mountains disappear mysteriously into clouds appearing in the west. TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING

We rested on the saddle enjoying the company of a cheeky kea with a penchant for wine gums and peanuts. Directly below, Rapid Creek dropped steeply away as it made its hurried way tojoin thel Hokitika River, and above, Mt Bowen loomed majestically, taunting US with glimpses of its upper flanks. Mt Bowen was a straightforward and pleasant ascent involving a mixture of snow slopes and rock gullies. The sun kindly reappeared as we began the grunt towards the summit but by the time we reached the upper slopes the clagrolledin, obilferatingtheviews. We found the summit waratah and the corpse of al long-dead possum. Lunch was devoured a respectable distance from the possum and we used our Valley mist seeping over Dickson Pass Gary Goldsworthy generouslyvividimaginationstopicture thev views, whichaffordedusintermittent glimpses of Mikonui Spur and the damage from the January floods, we track avoided some impressive gorges, Mikonui River far below. wandereduptheMMikonuiRiverheading and eventually we left Doctor Creek, for Explorer Hut. The route guide bashing up through the bush in search Gary's compass confirmedther route off describes atracki from theMikonui River of Surveyors Creek track. Mt Bowen and we navigated our way up through thel bush to Explorer Hut, in around, over, and down sections of DouglasSaddle. Afterfruitless attempts Stopping for lunch in Surveyors Creek, steep, crumbly rock, admiring the to locate the track beyond the first wes sat with our parkas draped lover our awesome drops down sheer gullies as overgrown marker, we figured that it shoulders, tucking into Tararual biscuits we descended. The sun made another would be infinitely quicker to cruise up which had llost their appeal immensely. welcome appearance as we dropped Explorer Creek. This was an excellent As another heavy shower raced down below the clag. The terrain changed idea in theory but a geographical the valley, we set off for Minnow Creek from crumbly, broken rock to alpine embarrassment saw US eventually and the Hokitika River. tussock, with excellent views of alpine redlisingtheerrorofourwayswhent the basins, the West Coast, Tasman Sea, creek we were in became incredibly Theintentionwastocampontheflatsin and flowering ratas. steep. Unable to orientate things to the theHokitikar River, anhourors rsofromthe map, we spent at frustrating hour or SO roadend, but as we made our way By the time we reached Mikonui Biv, it trying to establish our exact position, down the river, it became increasingly was gloriously sunny again with and getting ourselves back on track. obvious that they had also become a excellent views of the West Coast. The Finally stumbling into a clearing we victimoftheJanuaryfloods, withagreat remainderofthed daywasspent slothing were pleased to see Explorer Hut, and wall of water apparently having about in the sun, and after dinner, we we whiled away the evening reading screamedthrought thet flats, obliterating perched in the tussock, awaiting the the only twol books in thel hut -I llost the them entirely. So it was on to the sunset. Our expectations were wildly battle for the cowboy book and had to roadend via the Hokitika Gorge. As we exceeded and a major effort was resort to a totally hideous Mills & Boon! neared the walking bridge, we spotted requiredto dragourselves away tobed. acouple of people who simultaneously Thes skywasstillbrightorangelongafter Explorer Hut is completely surrounded spotted US and broke into a frantic run. thesunhaddisappearedinafieryglow. by out of control vegetation. No-one Seconds later we heard a vehicle start We retired to the tent as the horizon had visited thel hut during the previous upandroaroffu fuptheroad, obviouslyin continued to burn brightly and the sky 12 months and it had become very a desperate hurry to avoid two smelly, becameawashwiththousandse ofstars. overgrown. wet trampers. Who cares, we thought. Road walks aren't so bad! A few Day six dawned brilliant and clear Shortlyafterhittingthe sacktheheavens kilometres sdown theroad, however, we although there were definitely more openedandas steady rains set in. It didn't were extremely grateful to an elderly signs about that things were on the bother US, tucked up snug and warm in couple who, despite our protests, change. We figured we had about 12 our pits, and since we were nearingt the squeezed US, packs and all, legs hours before the weather would turn, end of our trip, we weren't particularly wrapped around lour ears, into the boot so we packed up and headed off down concerned. oft ftheirl Lada station wagon for the drive Mikonui Spur, eventually emerging on to Kokatahi to pick up our car. A hot the river flats in time for lunch. Sloshing off down Doctor Creek next showerandanexcellentfeedinHokitika morningintherain, wehoped ther rivers finished off a thoroughly enjoyable Observing massive amounts of storm wouldn't rise too quickly. Sections of adventure in the hills. TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING