HAZARDOUS TRAMP

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 7 January 1929, Page 6

HAZARDOUS TRAMP

FROM WAIHO TO HERMITAGE

BUZZARD AND NUMBING COED

(By, Telegraph—Special to “Tlio Mail")

CIIRtSTUIIURCtI, sth January. A howling blizzard, intense numbing odd, deep crevasses and treacherous rock faces were some of the hazards encountered by a party which recently crossed from Waiho Gorge to the Hermitage via Copeland Bass. Mr C. Vowel 1, a member of the party, gave ail interesting account of the trip to a

"Sun” reporter 10-dav. The party, which comprised four men and two women, was the first to make the trip this season. “It was the experience of a lifetime,” said Mr Vowell, “but it’s hardly a trip 1 would recommend to others. It is too rough and the organisation is not all that it might he. The scenery is very beautiful, typical west const scenery, hut I don t think it is quite as good as that on the Milford Track. We left Waiho Gorge on the Sunday afternoon bv motor for Fox Glacier and cm Monday morning we motored to the Cook river, a distance of s lj miles. There we were met by Air Scott, of Welcome Mat, with horses. We forded tho Cook river and rode to Welcome Flat hut) about 24 miles. On the way we encountered a creek so rough that we could not cross on horseback and we had to dismount and drive the horses through on their own. Then we caught them on the other side. We had a dip in the hot springs at Welcome Flat. The water was beautiful, but it was pouring with rain and we had to put our clothes in a sack to keep them dry.

TERRIFIC THUNDERSTORM

“That night at Welcome Flat hut there was the most terrific' thunderstorm I have ever seen, with lightning blazing every few seconds. Next morning was fine, and leaving the horses behind us we made an early s|art and got to Douglas Rock bivouac just after 7 a.m., where we had a light meal and then started off up the pass. Hore we were joined by a second guide, who had come from the Hermitage to meet us. On our way up ,we got caught in a blizzard which made the goinj very hard and was intensely cold. W e were lucky to get through. The top of the pass is very narrow, just a niche in the rock, ami most of us were pulled through with a rope. On the other side we roped ourselves together in two parties of four and thus we started down the snow face. There were many deep crevasses in the snow which we had to be careful to dodge. Nearly all tile way down we encountered snow and sleet. It was frightfully cold and we could hardlv see any distance at all. When we got on to the rock at the foot of the snow we had lunch—two dates and two pieces of chocolate each, it was too cold to any more.” ACCIDENT TO A GUIDE

“We still kept roped together on the rock. The snow ceased now and the rain began to ease off j but before we reached the bottom we came on to another snow face, down which we glissaded. Then there was more reck all the way down to the Hooker hut, where we arrived about 4 o clock and had afternoon tea. On our way down the rocks one of the guides slipped and rolled about 50 yards. He was badly bruised and grazed, and we had to leave him at the hut. We also left there

another member of the party who, Tad found the going a bit too strenuous. Neither the Welcome Flat }W the Hooker Hut is provisioned, winch meant that we bad to pack our food all the

wav from Waiho 'Gorge. At Welcome Flat hut there are mattresses, stretchers and blankets, but very few and the stretchers are mostly .broken, lwo ot them fell through with us. There is a good supply of bedding at Hooker iiut, D ut we did not stop there. We left Hooker hut just after 5 o clock and arrived at the Hermitage about 7 o’clock. I danced till 12 o clock that night but the others were not-feeling like dancing and they went to bed