ASSAILING A GIANT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1012, 30 December 1910, Page 6

ASSAILING A GIANT.

| .AN ATTEMPT ON RUAPEHU. • [ ; - THE MOUNTAIN'S STORM-VEIL,

.- (By John Scott.)

c- : .-yOn' ; Fridajv evening last - four city, ex-K-s vrClirsionists, set out on a trip, to the ceni tral mountain district of the North' Is- / -land,'..intending; "-if ! possible,.' to traverse the chain from 'end to end. The. fol- . . lowing is the narrative of. a, member of [V /. the. party :— ' ' . , " .' "' ' (Through the Beech.Forest. '.. ', Arriving -at :Rangataua on Saturday . forenoon, we made preparations for .the .'V climb. The weather was not promising, I;. .but,' , ; ,in (lie. hope. of,. an improvement on 'the. ;inorrpw, provisions, and . accoutrements w'ere., pack'edron . ponies, and a start-mado at 3 o'clock along the bridle- : 'traeK-'tlirough the beech forest. Heavy ' ' - irain marred the finish of. tliis stage,' and ?reverited' the. leisurely examination of ho forest beauty through.which we passed. '""We reached -the . sub-alpine camp ot' .B!30, weary; and 'drenched. The ex- , ;cellent camping arrangements, however, -'of 'o.ur'gujde, Air. ;■ E. -H. -Snow, -soon ~' . tjilaced ns in conditions'-of com'fort bofore a blazing fire, drying wet garments and - -'.watching'the;billy boil. After.a warm supper we lay down in the water-proof .' .tent,-j on soft .beds of ' hay and canvas, ! L ; : : '.wrappe'd-'in our.blankets, constrained' by , cold as 1 well as by limitations of space • to lis- tqgether like sardines in a.box. r.- '. : ' : At'3'o clock on, Christmas: morning we ;/ *rere : roused by Mr. Snow . calling out that-'tho rain had -stopped,!, and that '.i.- the .-day- promised to : -be. fine. Dawn I•- was grey and cheerless enough at first, i The"thermometer stood at ,48, degrees ,F., : , and tho aneroid marked an elevation of p.-..'. ..83S0 feet. "KitsWere-soon packed,-and ;. after'.a hasty! breakfast; we resumed our inarch. '> The' -beech"- forest / finished off pX;.:abruptly., on an ;operi; rising-plateau, cov- ' f ered by.'. tussock.'lic.hens,"; and 'moss, with; V ■ Jj; : i liere 'and. 'there a beautiful ;'mountain daisy-or;a-little alpine tree.; .. iWe Face the Monster. - ; .Gradually, the ; ascent became-steeper, ft:. //vegetation giving 'place' to bare ■ stones V?,i ; /land .boulders,' with sparkling - pieces ,'- of. iicei'onwhich our feet crunched. About. 1"6 o'clock .we called. a' halt\ to rest, and ; View tho prospect., 7 " On'our right, and k,,;. !'- apparently below , us, Eg'mont pierced masses'-.of .*dark,-- grey clouds. -' On ; the Kaimanawas, mixed'in fleecy clouds, '(bounded' the,horizon..' Between lay ".'the Bunny, plain: of forest,-, clearing,; or tiis-. down; with '--townships sprinkled here and there like little white. dots. Paili-;- >.v way. grains, could .he discerned ,crawling the ;.clearings, and," 'in:the. .-.ercne ;-:vir.-at a distance- of some twelve miles, ... 'wo;- could now and .then, hear": ths ; \whistle -of the ' engines..: Behind : 1 "us : towered the southern'' ninnaile , of < Ruapehu';'. appropriately callM .the "Lesser . MatterTiorn.": She rears herself almost T'y, apart 'from the main mountain, a creature of grace., and beauty,'dressed in black and v. • white, And altogether -worthy of the name V ,«hp: ; bearfi.' Our an additional rspiterto "take a 'shot," but . ';this .was*no, time .for photographing. 1 . . -"Weather may; not.'last," said' our guide, .'E/' ./and. so. we passed the'skirts of tho'"Mat'terhorn,". casting many a lingering- look •! ... aloft at her. , ... ,

</*"' V ' . > Past Boulders and Blue Ice. Wo were noiv beyond -the region.'. of '.. .Vegetation; Locsp boulders and Dxea.roctcs : : , .:i\ r ere"increasing in size,''and presenting greater difficulty, in clambering over -or round. general'tactics of,the ascent, .';.cM.'thi?y- , to- climb l . a' ridge, and cross a snow- : fieldiat an a'scendirig angle.v- These move- : ?, jr.ents carried-out threo or four times, ;• -brought : us. to', the i'idge whiph leads to. s . .the' jnirrtiivit; Meantime: tlie wind'was increasincriri force,and sharpness.- It 'blew .from "all directions, hone, orwhich seemed ; 'to be in our-favour, and ,we had not only to climb,-bnt to beat, continually against this.'perplexing .buffetini:.- Goggles,'and ..' .gloves were donned, vaseline, well smeared eyelids, 'ears.' and. .neck, as,;> against' the flying sharp par-. . .Sides of ice-and rock; "and 'word" came from the guide .along -the string; of-men tor "place more.;reliance oii your alpen--stocks." The snow, for the most ■ part, - was soft, ancl canable of receiving a firm •''impress from our heels, but; care'had to v lbs .tal:en-:th'at' we should not slip or be ';,il)lowri- to the left.' ■We ' crossed the (glacier proper on snow, blue ice showing " litself here and there, covered with stone- ; i /and rocks. ■; Crncks'or crevasses are not visible- until- later - -in ; tho- season. Unpleasant indications of; fog,'then, of snow, -. passed .by us, but no one appeared willing \ to notice or .mention the fact; ; Ascending.thc final ridge to a rocky shelVer with * ■ the'summit.in', view, n halt was culled, to wish "each ; ,oth<\r. a ."Merry/Christniasj" over a mouthful, of dry bread and chicken ' (liquid.-and liquqr being .barred), and tohoMeonncil: ' , ' During this brief suspension of activity, tho intense cold had 'its full- effect unoit •our\bodies;'.. The writer, will never fo'r- ■ : . .get the'painful sensation of beholding Tiis robust, but thinly .clad, comrades, blue ' in .tbe face; nuakinsr'in every limb, cower? .' irig for shelter behind, the pitiless black -rocks'; The weak whs now ai)d: then en-, veloped. in fosr. but finally it disappeared •altogether. ' We were now at an altitude, •of more than. 8000 feet, rind had some >' SOO.'feet still-to climb. Mr. Snow-was of - . 'opinion' that theweather would not' im-' ;.; :prove, so, .with' great reluctance, we def . ... cided to return.' . We Retire by; Glissading. ;Clambering down;to, the.adjacent snow- ,' field,' our>guido gave .a; brief- lesson . ,'.on tbbogamung..; Turning , his . limbs and •; sticks into'- a - sle'dge"; he 'descended* in fine ■style", keeping brake aiid helm under.p&-' : .feet.'control.; One by .; one we'.tried the '.'feat with the most comical results:* One - :mari made-free-use. of his-knapsack and camera case to'sit on. Another.extended •V. Ms-legs and found it easy-going until;his- ;- -clothing; gayp- out. Wo toboganned thus ' down several, snowfields, .accomplising easlily some; 1500 .or .17(10 „fcet, of .tho descent ,;- in safety,- tout as .the season advahces';and ,the snow -thins off the chaiices of buraping into a crevasse'. are-increased. Rolling- down- must, of course, 1 be. avoided. If : ,a man; loses . his'. stick and begins to roll ■' •his'expectation of arriving with _wholo , . ->bones at tho next block of rock or ice are '.very small indeed..; 'Soaked, Frozen, but Happy.., ".flail* and Vram now \,took -' command, while* W© sought tho ravine of the Ma■ngaelniehu, which forms, an important • part of "our-. return: route. ■ Clambering, now southward, over rocks • and ice, wo .pass the. end -of. tho glacier,. the'; source of our stream, : numerous waterfalls • and (small tributary rills;- tempting us to allay' - our thirst;. The guide, however, recommended abstinence, for the mineral pro- " pertics of these waters aro . sometimes ' . harmful in their eflects. Wc crossed the .'.stream on-stepping stones;,"and.traversed ■- a dismal valley .of black rocks and roaring 'torrents' in search.of the track that would lead us up again to the plateau. ■ This reached, travelling is., easy, and before noon wo .arrived at the camp, tired, and' again drenched. It rained most of the ■ afternoon, and in the evening a thunder- ' . storm burst, upon the mountains—real, ,; strong mountain thunder and lightning.

In Primeval Forests. On Boxing Day we took the track • for Kangataua, leisurely examining on our way the' beautiful fall of. Mangaelmehu over a perpendicular cliff of 130 feet in height, ana learning some of the secrets 'of tlie primeval forest.' Here, as on tlio mountain, Mr. Snow was indefatigable in his attentions.' Instead of spending three hours in the forest, a whole day might be pleasantly and ..profitably eemploycd under his guidance.' Indeed, it is not too much to. say that tho safety and comfort of our party was entirely duo to Mr. Snow's sagacity and prudence as a guide, and to his solicitude in alleviating the somewhat unfavourable circumstances. Four parties have already this season attempted tho ascent, but only ono of these (the second), has been successful in gaining the summit.' As tho season advances the weather conditions will improve. , A Tip for Other Climbers. One word of advice to. intending climbers. Before setting out train for at least a'week in daily, climbs, no matter what the weather may be, on the steepest and ■roughest'hills''at-hand. Be warmly clad, carry a coninleto change of underclothin", and. a'light waterproof. Be .careful in dieting the day before-the' climb, for mountain sickness, resulting from physical exertion on a disordered digestion, is apt to ensue- ,<■; '