THE COOK ICE FIELDS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 18, 22 January 1927, Page 13

THE COOK ICE FIELDS

1 AN ALPINE VISUORS' BOOK.

(Written- by A. H. Messenger.)

A loud scraping on the iron roof, followed by cries of "Ke-e-ea! Ke-e-ea!!" woke us from sound slumber one morning recently at the Ball Hut, half-way up the great Tasman Glacier, under the shadow of Mount Cook. This is the kea's; sportive method of announcing its arrival, and certainly proved an;- effective dream-dis-•pereer in the case of our party. Our two guides, after hurling a few insulting remarks at the disturber of the peace, turned over for another forty winks, but some of us decided to rise early and watch the glories of the sunrise on the great icefields of Cook towering high above our tiny domicile.

Later 'on, ; while a cheerful sizzling came from _ the direction of the oil stove, and the rich aroma of; frying bacon stole upon our senses, we took possession of the big weather-stained - and somewhat battered' visitors' book, which, on closer inspection, proved a veritable vtreasureTtrove of information. -The disreputable state of the cover was' accounted.for by the fact that the book, together with the original hut that! housed it, had been overwhelmed in an avalanche in October, 1925.. The scene of: this'disaster lay in full view of the windows, some■; little distance down the glacieri and. behind the colossal rock curtain that'fringed'it.': One naturally -turns to the opening page ofa book of this sort, and here the first names recorded are those of Edward and Harry Parkinson, of i Shipley, England, under date 20th October, 1923. On the following day i.we find the names of H. D. White, Brisbane, and Edmund Otis HerVey, of New. York; '.Scanning the .list, we discover that on 29th. December, 1923, five members;: of the Tararua Tramping Clvb 1, including Mr. F. W. Vosseler," who has done so : much' to : establish this manlypursuit in the ranges .about Wellington, were resting at the'hut during -exploration work in the vicinity. '. . ; ■ •• From this ;date- onward appear . names from all parts of the Dominion, as well as .from;' abroad.. Memories of the \visit 'o,f the special service squadron are evoked by the name of James S. Hodgson, of H.M.S. Hood, 6th May,; 1924; together with the 'following entry in ■'■ evidence of-' the strenuous life that'; one may lead on the glacier: "Oh! for the level quarterdeck? But a great time, nevertheless." On Bth December, 19.24, two members of: the faroff University of Wisconsin, Messrs. H. L. ilussell and Theodore Macklin; record their visit to the hut, which has housed many: distinguished and inetresting people from the .United States. ■."■•'■ .. T' _ A very interesting record appears under date 10th February, 1925, when Mr. F. W. Vosseler and: Guide Frank; Milne accomplished the conquest of the'icy slopes: of Majestic Cook. The brief story of this exploit,reads as follows: "Returned from climb of Mount Cook arid Linder Glacier, much creyassed;; summit'iced, necessitating much step-cutting; view patchy and disappointing; time .of. climb 18 hours .17 minutes." The record is brief enough, W clothes a great story'of endeavour, and strenuous .mountaineering;- perhaps Mr. Vosseler may yet be induced to tell something of it for the benefit of many budding cumbers. : ■:--. ■ : • '-■ ■

The first party to sleep in the present Ball Hut after the destruction of the original, structure have dated their visit 9th April, 1926; In October o£ the same year, A. W. Hogue arid Guide B. Williams made the' first ascent for the season of the Twin Peaks across the glacier from Ball Butt. •''.:.-.

A perusual oE this visitors' book makes _ 9,ne; realise m. greater degree something of the fascination and lure of this wonderful region, especially when it is read to the accompaniment of the dull thunder of falling avalanches from the surrounding peaks. Stealthy, creeping, arid cracking noises rise from the great river of ice, shouldering its mighty way along the glacier bed below, and the little iron-roofed ■ liufc- seems the, only tangible, ■link with/that'civilisation.which has dared to break in upon the profound solitudes of the great Southern Alpine region.