MITRE PEAK.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 91, 17 April 1912, Page 3

MITRE PEAK.

FIRST ASCENT DESCRIBED. (By J. R. Dcnniston in Otago Daily Times.) In November, 1909, I was lucky enough to visit the West Coast Sounds in HALS. Pioneer as a guest of the ward room. As soon as 1 saw the wonderful Mit re Peak in Miliord Sound I deterniinod sooner or later to make a big try to get to the top. My brother and 1 intended to make the ascent, but the weather broke and -we were unable to make the attempt. In March, 1910, I went with a party over to Milford Sound, via Lake T< Anau and the Government track ovei McKinnon’s Pass. It is a most wonderful walk, and everything is made easy and comfortable. 1 meant to have a try at Mitre Peak this time, and made inquiries at Glade House about a porter. One’s party must lie at least two in nnmbei on these occasions, although I fear ] am inclined to disregard this precaution at times. The chief guide was not at all hopeful. However, lie said that if I wisher to try 1 could have one nr two of the track porters. He could tell me no tiling as to the most likely route, etc 1 talked the matter over with tin porters, but they could not help much either. Of course, it is out of thei;' heat, and they knew no more about Mitre Peak than I did. They do uo J get any climbing either, all thei: work being on the track. I decided under the circumstances, that one wa; enough, and as one of them had rear' Whymper’s scrambles, that helped mi in my choice. The Peak. Mitre Peak is 5560 ft. high. It falls sheer down on one side into Milforc Sound, and on the other into Sinbadh Gully. Great smooth: slabs of granite are to be seen, with only patches here and there where fern or scrub can gel a hold on tiie perpendicular walls Running up towards the head of tin sound is a long, narrow spur connect iug with the peak. This spur is bush covered, and , ends where Sinbadb: Gully joins the sound. You see the; spur end on from Sutherland’s. I believe nobody had previously trier to climb Mitre Peak. This must be because it is so out of the way of climbers, and not because of its diffi culty, although many believed it tc lie quite unclimahle—a very big wore nowadays.

I had lipped to go down the sound the day before making an attempt, and study that side of the peak. 1 thought it would be shorter and easier to go some way down and then strike straight up through the bush joining the ridge at the lasc big de-

di.’ity in it before the bush ends Unfortunately Sutherland was mending his launch, so I was unable to dr this. My porter had great storic? to tell of Sinhad’s Gully, and wanted mo to go up the gully and then strike up on to the ridge. This I decided against at once. Sutherland strong!,'advised me to climh the big busln knob facing Sutherland’s, and follov. the ridge all the way along. This 1 decided to do, hut was far from sanguine, as the ridge was very long, am I expected the bush to be very bad I felt we ought to manage to got mil above the hush and see what the final peak was . really like—from Sutherland’s through a telescope it looked very smooth and -slahhy, and not at all hopeful—then I would know more about it next time. I was sure there would have to be a next time. The Start. On Monday, March 13th, Joe and i left Sutherland’s at 6.30, and rowed about two miles across the end down the sound to where the creek from Sinbad’s Gully enters the sound. Hen wo tied up the boat, and started climb ing at 7.3 o—about an hour and a hall later than I had planned, but the clock had failed us. We took plenty of tucker, camera, telescope, 20 fathoms of good ,light, hut strong rope that Sutherland lent us, and I had a pair of indiarubher sand shoes, which. ( thought might he useful if I cvei got as far as the final shabby rocks It was still a dull morning, not very promising looking. We made great progress up the hip bushy knob, keeping on tjie ridge a; much as possible, and finding the hush very open and good for Wesi Coast 'curd). This was a great surprise, and we just romped up, having two five minutes’ spells, and getting up to the top at 8.45. Then the long ridge began—never very steep, generally a very easy slope. The ridge is very nanov, and there was no trouble, in keepinj. our direction ; a,lso, the hush was very open ; it is always best- on a ndge.

J had apprehended there were man; ii]>k and downs on the ridge, but the; proved very r-lic*'lit. ones, and wc trav (died very fast. A.t 10.10 we earn' to tlie bis? dip in the ridge—sooft., ! should say, and very steep. The bush \v.';s getting thicker, too. It was annoying, but down we went, getting to the bottom at 10.30. Then the bush became niueli worse, with scrubby, stunted stuff, and it was very stoop. However, at 11.10 we got out of tbe bn sir, about 3500 ft. above sea level. 3 hen a little steep snowgrass 'brought us to a fairly wide part of the ridge, sloping gently upward;'; but it soon got very steep again, and the ridge became narrower and narrower as we went on. However, there was a iot of big snowgrass, and if the foothold was not too good, the hand hold was. At a height of about 4200 ft., and about 100 ft. below where the ridge levelled off again before rising in the final peak, .Joe sang out for help. His arms, unused to such violent exercise, had begun to cave in and ho was losing his grip of the snowgrass. I soon got him into a snug olncc, where he could sit and rest. Apparently lie was quite un- | able to go further, and wanted me

to put on the rope and take him down to the level place, 200 ft. or 300 ft. below. This I refused to do, feeling ho was safe where be was. I had now a possibility of making the ascent, which 1 would not have if I wasted energy and time in taking him down to a safer place. We had some very much-needed grub, and a spell of 15 minutes. 1 hen at 1- o clock 1 started off with my sand shoes in my pocket, and nothing else, telling Joe to sit still and not to move. As soon as I got up to the level piece of ridge 100 ft. above, I saw the final part of the peak, and felt I would succeed. ! shouted to -Toe that I was going on. and would ho away two hours. I wanted to get him up to where I was, so that ho could watch me, as I know in theory it was all wrong to go on alone, still it was too tempting, and J couldn’t resist. Joe said lie would sooner not come any higher. The Final Ridge.

TSio ridge is nearly level, and the narrowest I have ever seen. It literally falls -1000 odd feet sheer down on both sides. It is all rough, big blocks of granite, much broken, hut the blocks are big and firm for the most part. At the far end of this ridge are two big gaps of 100 ft. or so, cutting it off from the face of the final peak, which rises about 1 another 1209 ft. I reached the end of the ridge at 12.25, it having given no trouble, and I got past the two gaps a good deal easier than I had expected. Luckily there was no wind. It would not he a nice place to be in if there was, or if one’s head was not good. Here I took off ray hoots and left them. The sand shoes gave a splendid hold on the rough granite. Some of the slabs were big, and very smooth, and I don’t think it would ho possible to have got over them without the sand shoes. Here, being on a face, one does not feel quite the same as regards the wonderful steepness that I felt along tl;e- narrow rock bridge. The rock was all very solid and good, very different to the mountains round tiie Hermitage—due, I suppose, to the slight amount of frost to which they are exposed. I reached the summit at 1.15, and built a small cairn, putting a white linen handkerchief in it. I had nothing more lasting that I could spare. The View.

It was so dull that the view' was not very good. Tutoko. was in a cloud. The view towards To Anau was shut out, and Pembroke Peak was. rather cloudy. I noticed a pretty little lake up the riven coming into Harrison’s Cove. It is, I believe, unexplored, and must come ffom the west of Mount Tutoko, b The lake was not known of before; I got a good view up the Cleddau' River to the S.E. The sound'looked splendid, and the walls of the hills into it are 1 extraordinary, especially those of the Lion, just opposite. The Bowen Falls looked very tiny, and Sutherland’s launch was just getting home after taking visitors round the sound. I could see the grampus jumping round the launch. Outside one could see a long way up and down the coast. The Return.

I left the top at 1.30, getting back to my boots at 2.5, and reaching Joe at 2.30, having been away two hours and a half. Joe was quite safe and sound. We picked up our gear, and I put on the rope and had him down on the broad grassy place in a quarter of an hour. Then we had a long spell and much food, and I for one wanted both badly. At 3.45 wo set off again, and reached the bottom of the big dip in the bush at 4.15. I then made a great mistake. To avoid the 500 ft. climb and then the long ridge, we turned to our right, and dropped straight down into Sinbad’s Gully. It was only a distance of about 2500 ft. (supposing the creek bed to he 500 ft. where we struck and though very steep I imagined we would lie down in no time. We got there, but not till 0.45, and often ! thought we would never manage to get down at all. If we had only stuck to the way we knew we would just about have reached the boat at this time. Four or five times we had to lower each other over bluffs of rock. Wo took a turn round a tree, and then when we were both down pulled the rope after us. It was a slow, tedious, uncomfortable job, and once or twice the rope was only just long enough. Wo were wet through by the time wo got down, as it had boon raining steadily for the last two hours. Bushed.

Wo thought our troubles were over when we safely reached the (Tech, hut they were only just beginning. We were nearly three miles from toe sound following the creek, and it very soon got dark, We k°P L ' u bhe .•reek bed a.s much as possible, as it was lighter there; hut we tumbled about a great deal, and often were forced into tbe bush by hig pools or cascades. In the hush v. e eouldn 1 see a yard ahead of us, and liteiaiU had to feel our way along. Wo were frequently separated, and then 1 would have to shout and shout and shout till Joe caught up on me. We stumbled or fell every few yards, and had a groat doing altogether. Once we caved in, and decided to v.ait till morning, but tilings were too v.et and dark to get a lire going, and in a few minutes we were cold, and anj tiling was better than waiting, so on we went. The noise of the creek when we were in the bush gave us our direction. At 9.t0 we readied the sound, and soon found the boat. e could just see the gleam of the llowon Falls to steer for. Luckily there was no wind, and wo arrived at Sutherland’s at 10.30. The rest of the party were rather anxious about us, and were trying to get Sutherland to go out to look for us, which he refused to do, and cer-

tainly ho could have done n Ailing till daylight if ho had gone.

I fool sure that the way we wont, though long, is far the best and the easiest. It would he impossible to get- up from Sinhad’s Gully, and 1 don’t advise anyone to come down that way! I am also inclined to think it would .he impossible to get up from some way down the sound, as j had thought of trying, as J now imagine there must he bluffs of rock in the bush on that side, just as there are on Sinbad’s Gully side, as the side into the sound is steeper if anything. r f don’t know if it will lie long before others make the ascent, hut when they do they ought to start much earlier, take sand shoes, and go and come by tiie way we went up. It is a wonderful climb, and one has rather the feeling of being on top of a steeple 5560 ft. high! On a clear, bright day the view must he glorious, as the colours of the sound and hush and distant peaks from such a height must indeed he splendid.