AN ADVENTUROUS TRIP

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1931, Page 7

AN ADVENTUROUS TRIP

GIRL MOUNTAINEERS. EXPERIENCES IN ALPINE STORMS. A very delightful and successful trip to the Southern Alps has just been accomplished by .Misses Rosamond Harper and Barbara Crawford, who crossed to Picton taking a- “baby car” with them for the tour. Leaving Picton they drove to Murchison via Tophou.se by the recently opened road past Lake Rotoiti. Next day they came to Westport, pausing there, and going on to Grey mouth and Hokitika, where they spent the night. The little car and it occupants triumphantly reached Waiho Gorge, the home of the Franc, Josef Glacier, in four days, in spite of some

bad roads, a slip “in the Buller,” and variable weather, says tbe “Evening Post.” At Waiho Gorge they spent a day going up to the Defiance Hut, a sixhours’ training walk, of course with a guide. They took the little car to the Fox Glacier, and later returning to Waiho set out with the guide for the Alma Hut, eight hours’ climb up the Franz Josef Glacier, 5000 ft above sealevel. They next climbed Mt Rudolf (over 9000 ft), the route lying over Graham’s saddle, the “day” starting at three in the morning, with perfect weather. However, this was followed by three days’ rain, which were passed at tho Alma Hut. The only occasional outjngs wore occupied in hunting fop crystals, which abound there, or plfty-

jp games with friendly kens. When the weather abated they start ed out by the high-level route for th mv hut on the Fox Glacier, again at J a,in.,across huge icefields and over Newton Pass (7500 ft). A storm was threatening as they crossed the highest peaks above the party, Cook and Tasman, being the centre of a terrific thunder-storm accompanied by a roaring wind. It was a wonderful experience to weather such a storm in such surroundings. However, before the storm struck tho Fox snowfield the party had reached the new hut on Chancellor Ridge—but they only had ten minutes to spare! This hut had not yet been provisioned, so the food brought from the Alma had to suffice

and he most carefully conserved as the weather made a retreat down the Fox Glacier by any route quite impracticable. Tlx- guide managed to get away during a lull and went to the Glacier Hotel at Wchcka for food, being gone altogether ten hours. The party had hoped to complete the traverse via Mt .Malike, hut the weather was againct this, and the return trip was made to the Glacier Hotel at Weheka this being done in terrific rain and wind. They then went hack to Waiho Gorge, where tho little car was picked up for the run to Hokitika and then on to Otira. Here again incidents enlivened the travel for the road was washed out near Aikens, A passing freight train efimo to the rescue of ear and travellers, . and

through tlio “obligingness of authority’’ they were enabled to reach Springfield late in the evening. The adventurous travellers stale that, they enjoyed every moment of the trip, and the had weather did not spoil anything, hut was regarded ns an expert* once. Had it been better, however, they would have done some more climbing of heights with great enjoyment. The remark made about the car ’ was that there was not even a puncture, and it “took the creeks like a duck.”