A WONDERFUL TRAMP

Evening Star, Issue 19763, 13 January 1928, Page 4

A WONDERFUL TRAMP

OVER GRAVE-TALBOT PASS “ MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN MILFORD " ALPINE ROUTE OF THE FUTURE. In manv respects more beautiful than the Milford walk, but only a journey for the physically fit and experienced in alpine work, is the Grave-Talbot track walk. Columns have been written of the glories of the Milford track and of the Greenstone-Routeburn walk, but there lies between Milford Sound and Howden a stretch of country of which very little is known to the average traveller, and a splendid addition to the wonderful trips in the fiord country is over the Grave-Talbot Pass to the Upper Hollyford Valley. The pass was discovered by two intrepid explorers, Grave and Talbot, but few tourists have so far made the crossing. Onlv two parties have been over the pass" this year, one being a party ot Dunedin students } who spoke gloivingly of the trip to a Star reporter to-day. , Although they are boosters for the new walk, they emphasise that only an experienced party should attempt the crossing. Ropes and ice axes have to be carried, and if bad weather is encountered at the top of the pass descent is almost impossible. The party was unguided, hut had traversed other parts of the fiord country. “The Grave-Talbot pass is not a trip to be lightly undertaken, for it means hard work and proper equipment, together with a, fair experience of the locality,” said the leader of the party. “ Ample stores should bo taken, as there is always the contingency of bad weather, and when the rivers rise high in the Cleddau and Hollyford Valleys it is most difficult, and sometimes impossible, to effect a crossing.” Two ways of doing the trip arc presented. A party may either disembark at Elfin Bay on Lake Wakatipu and proceed thence to the M'Kenzie hut in the Upper Hollyford via Howden, or alternatively go in from the Sandfly lints on the Milford Sound. The Dunedin students decided to go over the Milford track and thence reach Lake Wakatipu via the Grave-Talbot Pass, since, apart from other considerations, the hard work would come first. “ After spending a glorious morning down the Sound, wo were put ashore near Sutherland’s hut on the right hank of the Cleddau. The lower reaches of the Cleddau are very beautiful, with their long shingle beds, fringed by stretches of pretty bush, and backed by snow-clad mountain ranges. One comes presently to a hush-covered island in the river. There is a good ford just above. After crossing and following up the river bed for a, time a blazed'trail soon enters the bush. At the Tutoko Junction a splendid view of Mount Tutoko (9,042 ft) _is obtained, and the camera is immediately in use. At the junction of the Gulliver and Cleddau Rivers another fording has to be made, and from here on it is a steady pull up the Gulliver and Esperance Valleys to the pass. The weather, which had been gloriously fine for several weeks at Milford, now changed, and as wo journeyed up. the lower Espcrance we now and then caught a glimpse through the bush of thepass veiled in mist, which would periodically clear a little and show up the towering mass of the gendarme. It commenced to rain heavily, and we were glad enough to reach the M'Pherson hut. The rain and mist continued for two days, but on the afternoon of the third it cleared, and we made an attempt on the pass. “ To reach the Grave-Talbot Pass it is necessary to climb up through the bush line above the hut, and thence bear away to the right along a rocky creek bed that comes in just above the De Lambert Falls. _ At length we reached the tarn, which we found filled with a small snow field. One scarcely realises Iwy near the top of the ridge is the tarn. It is host to leave packs and equipment here and climb another 50ft above the tarn to the top of the ridge, from whence a wonderful view of the upper reaches of the Cleddau and the high snow-capped ranges beyond is obtained. Ridge upon ridge stretches away to the south, while far below lies the tiny ribbon of the Cleddau. Towards the north another awe-inspiring view is that of the Gulliver Valley, and the Donne Valley below Mount Underwood. The wind had meantime changed to the north-west, and soon great masses of mist came creeping up the Esperanto Valley, and we were soon enveloped. As proceeding further seemed too risky, we gave up Hie attempt, and beat a burned retreat, finding our way clown at last to the hut.

For four days continuous snow, rain, and mist made a further attempt of the pass inadvisable. Their stay in the Ersperance, however, was not without ono humorous incident. Early one morning they were awakened by a great clattering and banging of ironware in the. adjoining room. One of the party proceeded to investigate, and instead of finding another party arriving was just in time to shut the door .on a. curious ken. They managed after much persuasion io induce the bird to perch in a suitable position_ for a photograph. Early on the morning of the seventh day the wind dropped, and the mist cleared from the pass, and another atempt was made. Having reached ilus tarn, the party put on the rope, as the snow grass was rather wet after the rains. Wire ropes are placed in ono or two places, but some of these have been torn out by avalanches, and in certain places very careful* going is required. When they were halfway along the lodges it commenced to rain heavily, but having gone so far they decided to push on. They soon reached the snow lying down the gully below the pass, and had to resort stepcutting for a considerable distance, ■pausing at times for the mist to fife a little in order to ascertain direction. The weather continued to become woreg, and presently near the top snow began to fall. Ahead they could see the outline of Little’s Dip, and after crossing the first snowfield they climbed through the hole in the rocks and proceeded on the descent across the next. It was a. little difficult to judge direc tion under the weather conditions, but by keeping high on the snowfield, except where they had to descend here and there to avoid some steep crevasses, they eventually reached the long, rocky ridge of Talbot’s Ladder. After steady going down tin's and over the snow lying on the slopes of Homer’s Saddle, the party presently reached the hut in the Homer, deeply thankful that a change of clothing and a fire were in sight, but bitterly disappointed that they bad missed the wonderful and unequalled views that can be obtained on the way over, from the pass. “ Next day broke dear and glorious, and continued fine for several days. A visit to the Upper Hollyford is, of course - , incomplete without a trip to Black Lake and a climb up on to Gertrude Saddle, .where a magnificent view down towards Milford Sound is obtained,” they continued, “The Upper Hollyford is one of the most glorious valleys in the Lakes district, and as it becomes better known it will bo more frequently visited. Mounts Talbot and Crosscut and Christina stretch away down the valley, and afford excellent opportunities , for the photographer, but the best photographs of Mounts Macpherson and Talbot are obtainable down near Monkey Creek. Students’ Peak comes into sight. The glorious scenery and w’eather we encountered in the Upper Hollyford made us very loathe to leave for Howden, which is an easy day’s journey, affording ample time for admiring the wonderful

scenery * We saw here and there the beautiful mountain lily, hut this year the alpine flowers seem to be scarcer than usual, and there is little bird iite in this district.” About 120 miles were tramped by the students. From Sandfly_ to MTherson hut the distance is 14 necessitating a climb of 2,400 ft. From the Macpherson hut, in the Esperance, down into the Homer Valley twelve hours climbing is needed. It is a fairly easy day’s journey from the Homer to Howdon, plenty of time being' given lor sight-seeing. The distance from Howden to Elfin Bay is about twenty-five miles. The Grave Talbot Pass itself is 6,000 ft above sea-level. It is indeed a matter for regret that the movement to develop this district for climbers and Hampers, which was mooted last year by private enterprise, was frustrated by a technical difficulty with the Tourist Department. It is to be hoped that further efforts will be made to develop the wonders of this locality to bring them within the closer reach and the better knowledge of the tramping public.