Couple describe mountain ordeal

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32972, 19 July 1972, Page 3

Couple describe mountain ordeal

Zealand Press Association

AUCKLAND, July 18.

For five days Mr Brian Dudley and his wife. Ann. sang to each other, prayed, and talked about the menus they 7 would have when they got out of their igloo on Mount Ruapehu.

They told their storyin Waiouru Camp Hospital today- as they devoured scones and tea, and excitedly talked of going home. I Mrs Dudley said they were down to one slice of bread a day and were cold and hungry as they waited and ■waited. “We enjoy life and didn’t want to be taken away,” said her husband. Mrs Dudley said: “We are both Catholics and times like this praying helped a lot.” Her husband added: “We had only meant it to be a three-day trip as we had a long week-end. We are both schoolteachers and it was mid-term break. “Our moods varied from good to very depressed. We wanted to get out from our igloo but knew we had to wait.” CUT ICE BLOCKS Every morning the couple, battling to keep warm in their sleeping bags, peered out of a hole in their igloo (of about 4ft diameter) and found visibility was nil and that fresh snpw had fallen. When they found the weather was deteriorating, the couple had built the igloo by cutting blocks of ice, one j person sitting in the middle) doing the building. The igloo gave them room, ’to lie down in their sleeping] (bags with their legs poking: into the entrance. They knew they had to preserve their

energy, so they spent the rest of the time waiting. The fine day they kept waiting for did not come. LITTLE INSULATION They had no insulation apart from their sleeping bags. The first night they had newspapers but burnt these. As they grew colder they became more apprehensive. They grew weaker but knew they could not get out by themselves—they felt helpless during the long, boring wait. Mr Dudley, telling of the rescue, said they thought they heard yelling, but felt they were becoming edgy. Then they heard yelling again. He knocked out part of the igloo and banged together metal plates which, he was told later, had been veryeffective. Mr Dudley said it took about an hour for them to be found. Then 50 yards away they saw somebody- moving about. They recognised two as their friends, Alex Parton and Jim Tobin. These people built a snow cave to house six. Mr and

Mrs Dudley sat in their sleep- : ing bags while their rescuers I kept on passing “goodies”— first a hot flask of lemon drink, then chocolate and pineapple. They cooked lots ; of soups and hot drinks. ! Even though they found that they had to spend : another night on the mountain they were happy. There was food and people to talk to. Early this morning they| knew they would be coming : out, but by sledges. The trip by helicopter was marvellous. ■ Mrs Dudley said thev always thought this kind of; experience happened toI others. They had practised' building igloos for a joke dur- ■ ing week-end trips and this experience had helped them. MORE PAPERS Mr Dudley, asked what they would take with them ! next time, said they would have better insulating material, especially news- ! papers. Both were keen to go up the mountain again, together, I but they would leave it for a 'while.