A "Hopeless" Weekend

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A"Hopeless" Weekend James Edgar After a week ofwatching weather forecasts we arrived at the ferry terminal ready for a weekend at Nelson Lakes National Park. The Park promised to be busy with trips from the Hutt Valley and Tararua Tramping clubs also heading there. Our Medium trip's mission was to head up the Travers Valley to Hopeless Hut on Saturday, continue on up to the tops on Sunday, and head out (either along Robert Ridge or the Speargrass Track) on Monday. ut on Saturday we awoke to a cloudy, ominous not Cox) had opened the hut in 1964 and an avalanche I sky preventing any views of the tops. We set off hadn't hit it yet! along the lakeside track, arriving at Lakehead Hut With the obvious space shortages Charlie, Sarah Y, by late morning, knowing that each boat that passed us James and Allan decided to tent. This didn't seem to be was depositing trampers ahead of us. By the time we such a good option at the time (as the rain was now arrived the weather looked a little worse and by the time torrential). But as it turned out it was one of the best we left the hut it was raining, which soon settled into night's sleep the scribe has ever had in a tent, and as an persistent drizzle. added bonus, it snowed making his 3-season tent a We spent the day wandering up the valley and over 4-season tent. swingbridges, being treated to only brief glimpses of All hands were on deck to prepare Saturday night's the snow-free tops between breaks in the clouds. By dinner. Sarah H made by far the greatest contribution mid afternoon wel had reached the turnoff to the Hope- by constantly stirring the boiling water with a knife. The less Valley and a signpost that said it was another 2% dinner was a gourmet feast of vast proportions well, hours to Hopeless Hut. This pleased most of the wet vast proportions of cous cous and yoghurt. Dessert was and cold punters who were keen for a warm dry hut. also a fine spread although unsubstantiated aspersions The rules werel laid down thel beds in the hut were on have been cast over the scribe's ability to slice apples. a first come, first served basis. Almost instantly, an ad- Rumour has it that during the night the lean-to was vance party was formed as a few punters hurriedly put where it all happened as discussions were held with a away their scroggin and made a break for the hut. member of the Hutt Valley Tramping Club regarding a The Hopeless Valley is an amazing place with steep, proposed merger. Apparently the discussions collapsed high peaks and massive landslides dominating the land- after a certain member of our party believed the weet scape. Although it had drizzled most of the day, the side covers were being pulled over her eyes face I can say creeks and waterways were still dry. After 1% hours of no more). After an extremely windy and cold night, no moderately easy travel up the valley (thinking we had at one was keen to get up So a mandatory sleep-in was least another hour to go) it was with great joy that we undertaken while we waited for the Hutt Valleys to desaw our advance party who told us that it was only an- part the claustrophobic hut. other five minutes to thel hut. Heavy discussions were held over breakfast about our As well as carrying half the trip gear, Allan used his options whether we should continue on up the valley new-fangled digital watch to keep the punters informed over Sunset Saddle to Mt Angelus and Robert Ridge. At of the temperature, barometric pressure, altitude, and this point the conditions were varying between wind when to file your IR5 tax return (7th June!). It was just a and rain with a bit of a view, or completely clagged in pity no one had ever taught him how to tell the time. (and Allan's watch was going haywire). These discus- Indeed, from 3am one night Allan plotted the falling sions stopped once the entire valley clagged in and it pressure over a six-hour period and extrapolated the began to snow. results to correctly report in the morning that it was We decided to head back to the Travers Valley and drizzling. stay at Lakehead Hut. As an aside, after what seemed As it happens Hopeless Hut is well named. The hut is like an eternity of explaining the benefits of running a a primitive structure that sleeps 7 upstairs and another decision management course to us, thel Hutt Valleys had 5 in a lean-to underneath. By the time we arrived, the gone tol bed on Saturday night thinking they would head Hutt Valleys and two other people were already there. up-valley to John Tait Hut. When theyl left Hopeless Hut There were only two beds left upstairs, four beds down- in the morning however, their destination had changed stairs (which we shared with one of the Hutt Valleys to Coldwater Hut. So we were a bit surprised to see who wanted some peace and quiet - he was right out them when we arrived at Lakehead Hut. Perhaps a deciofluck see below), and a bit of room on the floor for sion-making course is not such a good idea. the 12 people in our party. But the most hopeless thing So wel began our trek back down the Hopeless Valley about Hopeless Hut was the sign warning the occupants to the Travers Valley. The dry riverbeds of yesterday were that the hut is built in an avalanche path oops! Mind now raging torrents So there were a fewi interesting river you, it was comforting to know that Sirl Ed (that's s Hillary crossings along the way. Sarah's trekking poles were Tramping and Mountaineering 1998 a Fording Hopeless Creek Charlie Batho put to good use in the more difficult sections, and the ceeded to shake the poor man's head. This not only worst injuries were wet undies from the river of stopped his snoring but woke him up with a start alcourse! most causing heart failure luckily Jacqui (an inten- On the trip back down the Travers Valley the weather sive care nurse) was right on the spot. seemed to be improving as we were treated to the odd Monday morning was a bit frosty but soon turned glimpse of the (now snow-covered) tops in the after- into a beautiful clear day. This was a real shame as it noon. Lunch that day provided one of the trip highlights looked great up on the tops, which was where we would as our noble leader dropped a spoonful ofl his lunchi in a have been if we had put up with a cold and miserable puddle of mud and attempted to retrievei it with his fork, day and night, rather than the warm comfortable night only to be severely told off by his partner who ques- we had at Lakehead Hut. tioned the amount of Scottish blood in his ancestry. As we only had a 3-hour walk to the pick-up point no Dinner that evening was a special occasion as one of one was in any rush to go, especially Allan who had by the punters (we'll call her Sarah H to protect her iden- now picked up many blisters (from being the gentleman tity) celebrated a milestone birthday where three bot- and carrying one of the other tents). tles ofwine one for each decade and a group birth- When we arrived at Picton we headed to the Toot 'n' day cardwere produced. The empty winel bottles turned Whistle, had a few beers and traded stories ofther rough into useful candleholders to continue the birthday cel- weekend we had all just got through. Although the ebration. weather was a bit of a bummer, forcing us off the tops In a bizarre move, everyone with a Hut Pass decided on Sunday and clearing into a beautiful day on Monday, to tent leaving the rest of the punters in the hut to ask we all knew we had made the right decision to head each other Mensa questions and tell ghost stories. That back to the valley. Overall, it was a great weekend and a is until someone (possibly from the Hutt Valleys) told great chance to escape the city. them off for being inconsiderate and accused them of having no respect for the other people in the hut. This The punters were: Charlie (noble leader and scavenger quietened down our more rowdy punters until the bloke of the forest floor); Sarah Y (the trekking pole queen); (probably from the Hutt Valleys) began to snore. Sarah Andrew (maker of fine tramping lunches but with no H (being a woman of action and still smarting from be- plate to eat them off); Richard (small gaiter man); Bridget ing told off) jumped out of bed and shook the poor man's (matching poly-pro woman); Belinda (non-matchingpolyfeet until he stopped snoring. A bit later he began snor- pro woman); Jacqui (sleep therapist); James (apple slicer ing again. This time Jacqui got out of bed to shake the extraordinaire and scribe); Allan (porter and amateur inconsiderate snorer's feet; however, she didn't realise meteorologist); Stephen (reconnaissance party leader); his head was now where his feet had been and she pro- Sarah H (birthday gir); and Karen (laugh-a-minute). Tramping and Mountaineering 1998