AN ALPINE EXPLORER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 81

AN ALPINE EXPLORER.

CAPTAIN BERNARD HEAD'S TOUR. A WET" SEASON. Captain Bernard Head, an English alpine explorer, who has been spending some time among the less-known glaciers and mountains of interior Canterbury and Otago, arrived in Ohristchurch the other day. In December and January last he did some interesting exploratory work in the Aspiring, Matukituki, and Dart districts, and, later on, in the Southern Alps. He has made a very complete, and in many respects unique, photographic record of his trip, and the results will, no doubt, bo published in due course. In an interview with a member of the Press staff, Captain Head gave a ehort account of his travels in these little-known parts ot the oountry. . , Captain Head, who was accompanied ly Messrs J. Clark and J. Murphy, guides, left Pembroke on the 23rd November to go up the Matukituki River to explore the east branch to the source. Afterwards the party went up the west branch, and from the bivouac climbed to the Quarterdeck Saddle (anproximatcly 7500 ft), leading on to the Bonar Glacier. From this point they got half an hour's good view of Aspiring, but there was no chance of exploring up there, and it was bitterly cold. They then went to the advanco camp, at the head of Matukituki West. That night there was a foot of snow at 2600 ft—on Midsummer Day. The party had to go down to their base camp at Cascade, and they found that the snow went flown the valley to M'Pherson's House at 1100 ft. On Boxing Day they put up a high camp on the divide between the Matukituki and the Dart. On the following day they crossed over by the new pass west of Cascade, about 6000 ft high l , on to the Dart Glacier. "It was a. most interesting crossing," said Captain Head. "We found the Dart Glacier to be about five miles long and about 2000 ft above the level of the Matukituki. The glacier, where we dropped on to it, was about 4600 ft above the sea, and only 400 ft below a saddle which leads down to a very steep rock face in the Matukituki. This looks the easiest route from the Dart into the Matukituki, but the slope down would be difficult owing to steep rock and grass elopes. The night we crossed we camped at the first firewood clear of the glacier, a place called Snowy Creek. The next day wo worked down the river and camped near Rough Creek. Till we camped it was very rough travelling, over river boulders. The following day, soon after we left camp, we picked up the track, and got to the old dredge huts (where a dredge had been abandoned), and crossed from the left to the right bank of the river. Finally Murphy got across the river, but Clark and myself could not manage it. Murphy sang out that he was going for horses, so Clark and I had to camp where wo wore for the night. Murphy came back the following morning with horses from Aitkin's, of Paradise, and we got to Paradise at 10 minutes to 3 that afternoon."

Discussing this trip, Captain Head said that the Dart Valley was a most interestingone, as there were numerous glaciers coming down from the west. The Dart Glacier was well worth visiting, and a good base for any expedition could be made at the dredge huts. The glacier was well known to prospectors-—H. Burley, the Paulines, and others, —but it was practically unknown from a photographic point of view. Tho second trip was commenced from the Hermitage on January 7, Captain Head being accompanied on this occasion by the Rev. E. C. Kemp and the guides. The first night they bivouaccd on the Muller Glacier. "On the Bth we climber Mount Scaley, and returned to bivouac. It was a very nice climb, but we were a little bothered with rocks and soft snow. On the 9th we returned to the Hermitage, as it was too misty to stop up on the glacier. Or. the 10th' we left for Ball Hut, arriving at Malto Brun on the 11th. On the 12th we climbed Elie do Beaumont, and got a good view from tho top, looking north. The Godley Glacier v.as full of mist, but the Tasman . was clear. On the 14th we climbed Mount Haeckel, up the Darwin Glacier, and then by an unnamed glacier on to the ridge, or arete, and to the top. Wo were again bothered with the fresh snow on tho rocks, and it was a long and cold climb, the wind being troublesome at times. This was the first time this mountain has been ascended. We skied home down the Darwin Glacier. On the 15th we had a day off, and on the 16th, after a very rough night, we cleared out of the Malto Brun for the Ball Hut, and reached the Hermitage that night.

" There was then an interval of wet. On Tuesday, the 23rd, we left for the Ball Hut, and camped at Haast's Bivouac (Green's), On the 25th we left the bivou.ic at 7.40 a.m., and at 9 a.m. we were on the south shoulder of Glacier Dome. When orossing Mount Cook Plateau we saw Mrs Thompson and Guido Thompson on tho summit of Glacier Dome. At 11 a.m. wo reached a spot on the Linda Glacier, about 8400 ft, and as it was blowing we took shelter. The temperature was minus 3, centrigrade. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. wo had a very bad blow, and then it cleared up, looking as though we would have a good dhance for Mount Cook next 'day. It started to blow again about 9 p.m., and continued to blow all night. There was no chance of a climb, so at 9.30 a.m. wo left Linda bivouac for Ball Hut, spending some time at Haast's Bivouac, and got to the Hut at 4.20 p.m. On Saturday, the 27th, we left Malte Brun for the Hermitage, and that ended my climbing season. A great handicap in the season, especially on the Matukituki and Dart trip was tho bad weather, there being snow practically every week, down to 4000 ft. Everything has been spoiled this summer by the excessive wot and the low snow. During tho first 30 days in camp we lost 11 throutrh rain—we could do absolutely nothing. It was cold rain. too, as it did not bring the river down at all."

i Captain Head also went over the Haast Pass to the West Coast. He describes it as a glorious trip from the head of Lako Wanaka. He intends to return to New Zea- , hind later on to continue his exploratioa" of I the glacial districts.