FIRST ASCENT OF MOUNT DAMPIER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15433, 20 April 1912, Page 5

FIRST ASCENT OF MOUNT DAMPIER.

A STRENUOUS CLIMB. By Miss Freda Du Fauu. On Friday, March 29, 1912, i set out from the Hermitage with Peter (iraliam and C. Milne, intent on conquering Mount Dampicr. which is the third highest peak in New Zealand, its height being 11.267 ft, only 200 ft lower than Mount Tasman. Ow'intr to its position immediately beneath tho. high summit ol Mount Cook, its height is conu'dcrahry dwarfed, making it look hut an insignificant rocky mountain, with a sharp snow cone. Nevertheless, it is tho highest virgin peak in New Zealand, ami it is a marvel that so ninny seasons have comq and gone, without any attempt being made to climb it. I believe in 190!) Mr Earlc, A.C., thought of climbing it from the Honker side, and while camping tit tho Mount Cook bivouac, went over to .'ook at it, onlv io find he was cut off bv tho largo schrund at tho junction of rock and snow. This is, so far as 1 know, the only t(tempi over mado upon it, though most of the mountaineer* who frequent the Hermitage season after season have thought they would climb it " sometime " when they had conquered Mount Cook, or tho particular peak that was engrossing their thoughts and efforts at the moment. Ijiko Mr Earle, 1 would have much preferred to climb it from v llie Honker side, where it offers sonto interesting rock work, but owing to the rocks Indiig heavily c<«ted with snow and ice it was impossible to think of it. Knowing that two climbers at least had it in their minds as the first mountain to he attempted at the beginning of next season, spurred me on (o make an attempt from tho Tasman side, though I have always said that nothing would induce mo to climb bv the long, tedious route up tho Linda Glacier, which was the only route possible at this season. Mr Chambers had given mn a good idea of how wearying it could be when describing bis ascent of Mount Cook mado by this route in February List. However, as there was no other route ,by which we could climb wo made up our minds to rco it through, and did not imlnlgo ourselves with hopes of too much enjoyment —merely determined to reach the summit if possible. Even of that there was some doubt so lato in tho season. A heavy fall of snow (ook place just l>cfnro wo left the Hermitage, nn I Alex. Graham, who had been acting as my private guide fur a fortnight, thought success very improbable, unless wo gave the snow and ico some days In clear from tho lop rocks, and as ho waß badly needed at his homo in Westland, ho left us with all --nod wishes for success, mil, 1 am sure, thinking it very unlikely. Wo all felt it was rather a forlorn hope, but it was al least worth trying, as tho weather scorned settled. Wo arrived at Iho Jlitnst bivouac early on' Saturday morning, and after a few hours' rest tho guides set out to tramp steps over the plateau, as this always moans Btich it saving of time and effort next day. We could only count on 13 honrs' daylight; but fortunately the moon was nt tho full, and its light would help us considerably. Tho guides returned about 5 p.m., reporting the snow soft but tho route, as far as they had been nblo to see, qtnto feasiblo; so immediately after our eveninp meal, regardless of the temptation to linger out in tho glorious moonlight, which bathed the surrounding mountains and turned the. Tasman Glacier into ft filled of rippled silver, we turned in to get wlinL rest wo could lieforo tho wretched alarm, which was set for 1.30 a.m., should roiiso us. Wo each had a sleeping bag and blanket, mid wcro quito warm and comfortable j but somehow sleep would not tome, and every now and then someone would'consult a watch in tho moonlight streaming through tho tent door, then licnvo ii weary sigh and turn once mnro to try and sleep. Wo got up punctually, and by 3 a.m. wo were roped together and ready for tho start. l'he way up to Glacier Dome was by now all loo' familiar after our two trips ,to Mount Tasman tho previous week, and tho long, long snow slopo, on which 1 had counted 1400 steps, loomed before mo lika a nightmare. It is such a waslo of energy to spend one's first hour, when oiiu'b onthusiasm is at a low ebb, in climbing: 1000 ft and then immediately descend them again, which is the sad futn of nnyono who climbs from the Haast bivouac, mid has to gain tho Ilnchsteltcr Plateau. On reaching tho plateau wo turned to (he left and traversed tho slopes at. tho baso of Mount Tasman. Wo followed tho previous day's steps through deep, powdery snow, and had to cross tho remains of a largo avalanche which had evidently descended from tho rocks just above us. I noticed that Graham considerably quickened the |>ace here, though at' Hint early hour of tho morning (4.30) there- was littlo danger of another fall.

Wo soon cnmo to tlio end of tho steps, nnd Milne, plodded stolidly on, breaking fresh ones mid sinking to the knew at every step, - wo following in phlegmatic silence Kvni the rising of the beautiful morning star shed but a passing beam of chcor ns wo struggled on. Just alwtit daylight wo fotinil ourselves among the largo crevasses, where Graham took the lend. The snow was if possible a little .worse limn before, and wo wound wearily backwards and forwards and round about looking for hridges over their yawning depths. Once we thought we were cut off altogether,'and would have to give up our attempt to rench Dumpier: a tremendous crevass loomed up straight in front of lis, blocking all possibility of progress that way. Wo turned kick on our track*, till (ira'ham at last found the only way open to ns. It led us down into one of the widest crevasses. We descended » very steep snow wall to the bottom of the* crevass, and traversed along its lefthand side, the right side lieing a perpendicular wall of solid blue ice lOOfl high. From the bottom it sloped up gradually to the loft, forming a wide basin, up which we ascended, and t<o out on to the glacier again, having made a detour nutnd our fust obstacle. We managed to cross several more crevasses on distinctly frail snow bridges, and at last emerged out of Uio region of broken ice and began toiling up the steep snow slopes at the head of the Linda. The sun now began to beat down upon us with its full force, and as wo toiled desperately on in the soft snow fleoffrey Young's verse struck mo ns distinctly appropriate :

Choked with tho grit, and dust of barren ranges, Parched with tho pitiless snow, Heavy with sleepless night, and strident changed From frost to furnace-clow. All that is left, monotony of faring On sullen stumbling foot Along tho intorminahlo glacier, glaring With whito unoa»y boat. It about expressed all our feelings. We plodded on for an hour with no nututtering a word. At List we climlicd a particularly steep and sunny slope and -reached the edge of the large crevass which runs straight across the Linda about 600 ft from Ureen's Saddle, We crossed this witlwut much difficulty, then traversed to the right and gained the Tocks on tlte eastern" face of Dainpier. 1 thought it wonM be a great relief to do somo rock climbing after six hours' snow plug, but found to my sorrow and surprise that, for the first'time in my mountaineering experience, I was distinctly shaky. My knees seemed to give under me and my lingers fumbled for the giips. Fortunately the rocks were pretty good. Slwrtly wo found a good snow-filled couloir, up which we climbed until we reached the ridge, t'raham had a tin of Hrand's essence in his pocket, which he had carried around all the season, but I had'never needed it. Now, however. I was quite glad to drink it down, or rather half of it. It was ro nasty I pressed tbe remainder on Graham, who took it without protest, while Milne had «>mo limejuico and an orange as his share of stimulant.

The ridj;e before us looked iar from pleasant, bcinj; very stoop and and much covered "with ire nml siiow. Wo looked at it with no enthusiasm, merely a grim determination that, having come, so tar. \w were not. "oiii" to bo beaten at tho last. Our progress was slow and careful, the gtued ice" in places making every precaution nece-ssaiy. The rocks, too, were very sharp, and'we cut our hands in several "plans when odin-in:; to their jagged edges. Fortunately most of the loosu stones were froiooii tijht, or 1 cau imagine this boinij a verv unpleasantly writing ridge. \Ve climbed over and around sharp rocky teeth for soma-

thing like two hours, and al last a shout from Graham, who was loading, announced that the .summit was in sight. A steep and narrow snow ridge led v.y to it, one of the three aretes of Mount look, Lt lVrousc, and Mount Tasman, which have their culminating point in Mount I lam pier. We found the summit mo-it inhospitably sharp and narrow, fo, only pausing there a feu- moments, pawed on to a more sheltered and comfortable s|K)t on the Taxman main arete, and there paused for a well-earned rest and meal. Wo reached the summit at 12 noon, after just nine houi*' hard going. 1 was suffering from want of sleep and the alternate cold and heat of the glacier, all of which combined to make me feel that Mount DampiVr was the most tiring .climb I hail attempted in the Southern Alp?. I Iwvo no d milt the rocks would have been most enjoyable and interesting if we had not had such a weary plug before reachin;; them. However, we wcte all very pleased at having gained our peak. It was Milne's first high climb, he only being in his siriuid season at the Hermitage, so he was naturally very pleased at having roiii|iiercd the third highest mountain in New Zealand, and that also a virgin peak for his first attempt.

We rested for an hour, taking photographs and admiring the view. The west was, as usual, under white billowy clouds; Mount Cook towered above us, shutting out most of the view to the south-east; while Tasman occupied the foreground.

At 1.30 wo began the descent. It took us the best part of three hours to reach the schrund on the Linda, as we had to return even more carefully than we had come. We attempted to follow the ridge down to Green'is Saddle, thinking it might be quicker to descend the snr>w slope there, but we, found the ridge so jagged and icy that we concluded it would \k quicker to follow our old route down the couloir, which we did without any mishap, arriving al the schrund on the Linda at 1.30 p.m. As soon as wo had crossed it and travelled .down past all danger of avalanches, which were now coming down pretty frequently after the hot midday sun, we settled down for a rest and some tea, having taken thought on the summit to boil Homo water in the small "cookcy" and refil our thermos. Of this we were now exceedingly glad, as we needed something to stimulate us to our three hours' plug home. The only incident that beguiled the tedium of the. way was the glimpse, of a glorious afterglow. We were too (dint in, the Linda being quite a narrow glacier, walled on either side by Mounts (»-)k and Tasman, to see the best of it, hut directly in front of us the summit of .Mount Maitc Brim glowed like a burning coal above the snow ridge leading to Glacier ])oino, making the most vivid spot of colour imaginable amongst the surrounding snow-clad peaks. "" Tho glow wxin faded and the mountains changed to their usual cold blue-white in the evening dusk. About 6.30 tho full moon rose grandly in front of us, lighting our weary footsteps over the great plateau and up tho toilsome slope to Glacier Dome, only forsaking ns for a few moments just as we nearcd the bivouac and traversed round the last snow slope under tho shadow of the llaast ridge. We arrived at 7.30 p.m., mid crawled into our little lent, weary but well satisfied, and after a cheery meal forgot all onr strenuous labour in a sound and dreamless sleep.