OVER THE HILLS WITH THE TRAMPING CLUB.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19010, 5 November 1923, Page 8

OVER THE HILLS WITH THE TRAMPING CLUB.

ACROSS THE SILVER PEAKS. BY ONE OF THE PARTY. When a person looks at the Silver Peaks from the \vhare Elat'side of Flagstaff, he gets quite a different conception of them from what he derives when actually traversing these knife-edged mountains —as they appear to be from the viewpoint mentioned —or from somewhere above Waitati. Regarded from the back of Flagstaff, they present a very picturesque appearance, dark and forbidding, in sombre contrast to the emetaldgreen of what little of Whare Flat one can see, just as one turns down the read bending towards the sanatorium. Somewhat of the romantic seems to cling to them —at anyrate they have often appealed to me as ‘’enchanted mountains,” to fit to form & background for children’s fairy tales. When, however, on Labour Day I joined up with the Tramping Club and began to mount them from ■ Mount Allan, many hours passed until nearing the evening the “enchanted” aspect again became predominant, and more so than ever. The first halt' of the walk is a toilsome trip. After leaving the railway station at Mount Allan you walk back a bit, then turn through a farmyard, cross a creek, and get on to a fairly wide path and essay a longish climb which seemed to me to grow steeper as- Jrose. When just about "winded,” you got on to a fairly level stretch for some distance, and then proceed to do a bit of mountaineering. It is, however, not a case of clambering over barren rocks at all, but of treading softly over sheep tracks, through healthy-looking snow tussock. But for the fact that you know your are on the teaks, you might imagine yourself somewhere about the top of Flagstaff, only that in a little while you are compelled to notice that you are walking over narrow-edged sections, high up in the air, above grassy slopes which do not, however, look anything like dangerously precipitous while you arc getting over them. In the distance they do look precipitous. Close familiarity, therefore, begets not contempt for them; .rather, it creates but little awe of them. The greenish-brown colour of the garb of the Peaks is uot as appealiusr in the glare of the sun as, when towards twilight, they stand out in bold silhouette, so lone, narrow, and lofty. With the exception of a. little scrub in warts, they are barren of foliage, though, doubtless a botanist would find much to interest him in plants of smaller growth, such as the celmisia, of which I noticed a few specimens, various kinds of berried plants, etc. Geologically Ido not think there is much to attract one. 1 noticed a fair sized birch forest-lying on the western slope, as we drew towards Penguin Rock, and felt sorry that there was not time to stop and investigate it. The “father” of the Tramping Chib, Mr O. Balk, will probably know something of the stretch of bush, which is reminiscent of similar growths on the mountains bordering Hawera Flat, and is rather singular, because you will probably find no other nearer Dunedin in this direction. There is none that I know of till you get to Hawea or turn off at Cromwell to go to Kero Lake, off Lake Wakatiou. It is time for a spell and a, cup of tea long ere you get this far, and billy boiling and lunch time are due when you get to Penguin Reck; but on the way the top of Saddle Hill has loomed into view while later you get a fine view of Mosgiel, the whole of Saddle Hill, and the Taieri Plains, the soa beyond Green Island, Maungatua’ etc.—too far away to be beautiful, yet the scope is grander than anything you will get nearer Dunedin. After lunch, made pleasanter by the presence of the ladies of the , party, we went up to the high, rocky platform above Penguin Rock, and there got a magnificent view, which took in the far away Hawkdun Ranges, the con© beyond Palmerston, the Umbrella Mountains (I never heard of them before, but they are riHit on the horizon looking south), the Blue “Mountains (near Tananui), and the Rock and Pillar or Lamraerlaws. You also see Mount Cargill, Mihiwaka, Warrington, and the Horse Ranges. It is a bold, comprehensive view you get here, and certainly worth while enduring all the fatigue to see. Perhaps it is tho finest vuw one will get in Otago this side of Lakes Wanaka, Hawea, and Wakatipu. On again after lunch, this time with nothing to complain of in the nature of climbing, but it is necessary to watch one’s footing here and there, however much inclined one may be to make the most of the panoramic view ahead. There is, however nothing to make your feet tender, though now and again you have to dodge bovgv patches, which later on you laugh at when you get into a fairly wide bullcck track where, unless particularly nimble, you may easily get up to your ankles in mud. AT-lit begins to fall and. looking back, you see a long, thin, black, high-peaked line—the "enchanted mountains” again—and you marvel at the distance you appear to have travelled in so short a time, wondering whether if you were young enough and there later, ’and alone, you would meet with genii, witches or <rianf«. Of such fancies in the dawn of civilisation doubtless the mvths were hegotten. When the bullock track is fully negotiated you turn down hill, and in a, short time have reached Waitati. for the rime hein°- a thriving centre of civilisation by Reason of”its many holiday visitors and the quickly crowded trains leaving one after another for Dunedin. Tired, but at peace with the world, like the village blacksmith, you have ” something attempted, something done ” well worth the doing, and have really and truly earned your night's repose after your 22-milo walk.